Ancient ChinaYeah, it’s awesome too

Himalayas Gobi Desert River Valleys

From the map• What does China have in common with all of the

other ancient civilizations we have studied?

•RIVERS

Yellow River

Yangtze River

Three Gorges Dam

Three Gorges Dam

•Has displaced over 1 million people.▫Everyone in Champaign-Urbana,

Bloomington, Danville, Springfield, and Peoria has to pick up an move.

•The government is making them move for benefit of the country▫Do you think that this is right or wrong?▫If the U.S. Government made all of you pick

up and move to another state, would you?

•It’s said that because of the amount of water held by the dam, the earth’s rotation could be altered

•DAAAAAAAAAM!

Chinese Climate

•Monsoon Season – Winter

•Months and months of just rain

•Allows for farmable land in China

China’s culture• Is ancient China more

similar or more different than the other cultures we have studied?

• Is modern China more similar or more different than our culture?

• How does this difference reflect China’s geography?

Mt. Everest

Gobi Desert

Their surroundings?

•Mt. Everest – highest mountain in the world▫Part of the Himalayas

•The Gobi Desert – 4th largest and 1st driest desert in the world▫That’s hot!

Himalayas Gobi Desert River Valleys

What does it all add up to?

Ancient Chinese Culture• It is very unique

because China is extremely isolated from the rest of Asia

• It makes sense▫ They never were

contacted by other groups, thus their culture developed very uniquely

Political Structure/ philosophy• Mandate of Heaven

▫ Read the Mandate of Heaven handout and answer the questions attached for homework

▫ According to the Mandate, under what circumstances did the people have a right to revolt?

Mandate of Heaven▫ Heaven would bless

the authority of a just ruler, but would be displeased with a despotic ruler and would withdraw its mandate. The Mandate of Heaven would then transfer to those who would rule best.

Social Structure

•Filial Piety• Filial means son or

daughter• Piety means respect• What does filial piety

mean?

Filial piety• Obedience

to one’s ancestors because of love and respect

A Woman’s Place

• “A clever man builds a city,A clever woman lays one low; With all her qualifications, that clever woman is but an ill-omened bird.”▫ What was the woman’s

place, do you think?

Chinese philosophy/religion• First up is Buddhism• Started in India• This caught on in China

for a number of reasons ▫ Buddhism spread

because of the Silk Road▫ Not just silk, remember?

• Buddhism had many characteristics from other Chinese philosophies

Buddhism’s principal beliefs• The physical

surroundings are an illusion▫ Material things are

pointless, and they cause us pain because we care about them too much

• Letting go of your worldly cares can bring you close to peace and one with the world▫ This is called nirvana

Four Noble Truths•Ordinary life is full of suffering•This suffering is caused by our desire to

satisfy ourselves•The way to end the suffering is to end selfish

desire and to see others as extensions of ourselves

•The way to end desire is to follow the Middle Path

•ANYONE CAN DO THIS

▫Buddha rejected castes

The Chinese LOVED THIS

• They were in rigid social classes as well, but their rulers didn’t mind if their subjects tried to reach heaven

Chinese religion/philosophy

• Confucianism founded by Confucius

• His interests were not religious, but philosophical

• Known as “the first teacher”

Confucianism

•Confucius believed in merit-based government

•Merit-based:▫If you studied hard and got an A in

Government class, you might be pushed to go into politics

▫Ruling is not just for the elite, but for those who can serve well

Confucianism• What do Confucists

believe?• Serve your family, and

those in power above you.• Be subservient b/c you

should respect your ancestors

• What do you think about being subservient to all those above and older than you as a belief system?

Chinese religion/philosophy

• Daoism (Taoism)▫ Based on the teaching

of Lao Tzu (Laoze)• Like Confucianism,

was not concerned with the meaning of the universe

• The best way to improve the world, was not to do things, but to practice inaction

• Why was this philosophy attractive?

• “The universe is sacredYou cannot improve itIf you try to change it, you will ruin itIf you try to hold it, you will lose it.”

- Lao Tsu• What did Taoists think

about nature?

Daoism•Taoists had a deep reverence for nature

Chinese Religion/Philosophy• Legalism

▫ No official founder• Legalists’ beliefs• People are naturally

bad• Laws should be

impersonal and harsh

Legalism

•People should be ruled by a strong powerful leader to control them

•Who do you think came up with the idea that China should be rules by a strong leader with lots of power?

Not built in a Day:The Great Wall

The Who:

Parts of the wall were built by previous rulersFirst emperor of Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang, connected all the differing parts of wall, making it a single “wall” of rammed earth (more like a mound)Forced many workers to build the wall and many died

The What: World’s longest man-made structure Over 3,948 miles long Questionable whether visible from

space (many believe binoculars and clear weather conditions are needed)

The Where:

Located in China Starts at Bo Hai Sea in the east and extends east to

protect the treasure that is, Beijing Qin Shi Huang’s wall was located further north

than the Great Wall today—little of the ‘original’ exists today

The When:

‘Original’ Qin Shi Huang wall started in 208 BCE

Various walls built by other dynasties Great Wall as we see it today was built

by the Ming Dynasty from 1560-1640 CE in reaction to the Mongols’ siege of Beijing in 1550 CE

The Why:

Built to keep out the nomadic tribes from the north (modern-day Mongolia & Manchuria)Also frontier demarcation (“You’re in my territory now!”)

The How:

Quarried what was available in the area: limestone, graniteFired bricksWould build two big outer walls, fill in between with dirt and rubble, then pave over the top, thus connecting the two wallsIn desert locales, used dirt rammed between wood tied together with woven mats

Juyongguan

Juyongguan37 miles northwest of BeijingStrategically protected BeijingOne of three greatest passes of the Great WallWhat is seen now at Juyongguan was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and renovated in the 1990s

Let’s get Started !!

On the way to Station #1: kinda crowded

Whew! One down…. View from Watch

Tower

Engraved certificate, anyone?

Graffiti, the universal language