Ancient China

Mountains

1. Himalayas

2. Altai

• Act as natural barriers for protection

Deserts

1. Gobi

2. Taklamakan

• Act as natural barriers for protection

Rivers

1. Huang He / Yellow River (North)

• Yellow Colored silt and fertile soil called loess

• Large scale unpredictable flooding → Nickname = China’s Sorrow

2. Yangtze / Long River (Central)

Sea

Yellow Sea

China’s Isolation

• Many Natural Barriers → China has the least amount of outside influence compared to any of the early civilizations

NOTE

The Chinese regard their land as the only civilized one

• All others were “Barbarians”

Ethnocentrism

Belief that one’s culture is superior to others

Longshan Culture

• Use deer shoulder blades as a form of divination

• Xia Dynasty

• Leave Behind no written records

Shang Dynasty

• Earliest dynasty supported by archaeological evidence

• Emerge as leaders of the region

Shang Economy

• Cultivated rice

• Weave silk

• Craft jewelry from jade, ivory, and bone

Shang Wrtiting System

• Based on pictograms and ideograms

(Reserved for scribes and the ruling class)

• Writing with brushes become an art form called Calligraphy

Shang Religion

• Combined aspects of animism (All things-objects, places, and creatures have a spiritual essence) and ancester warship

• Oracle bones are used to consult with others and supreme gods

• The cracks in the bones were interpreted by religious leaders as messages from the God and ancestors

Where is the Shang Capital?

Yin (Anyang)

NOTE

The Shang control the region’s access to tin, copper and bronze, keeping their enemies from making weapons out of anything, just wood

What dynasty overthrows the Shang?

The Zhou Dynasty

What is rightful rule by gods called

The Mandate of Heaven → Declared by King Wu of the Zhou

NOTE

The political ideology of the Mandate of Heaven was used in China to legitimize the rule of a king or emporer

NOTE

Kings are called Tianzi (Son of Heaven) and rule by divine right

Dynasty Cycle

Pattern in Chinese History where a dynasty rises to power, flourishes, declines, and is eventually replaced by a new dynasty

Greatest accomplishment of the Zhou Dynasty

Iron Forging (Using heat to shape iron)

China’s Feudal System (Give something, Get something)

1. Emperor Claims the Mandate of Heaven, grants territories to nobles, expects them to obey his authority

2. Nobles: Govern territories, collect taxes and agricultural produce, organize labor, provided troops when required

3. Soldiers: Protect the land in return for food

4. Workers (Peasants or Farmers): Fed population including rulers, soldiers, and officials in exchange for protection and housing

NOTE

Other Chinese accomplishments

• Introduce the concept of coined money

• Continue the use of chariots in battle

What makes the Zhou Dynasty special compared to all other Chinese Dynasties

It will last for 800 years, becoming the longest lasting Chinese Dynasty