History AT2 Year 7 MHS

Xia Dynasty

Legendary first dynasty; Yu the Great controlled floods.

Shang Dynasty

First proven dynasty; oracle bones, bronze, Lady Fu Hao.

Zhou Dynasty

Mandate of Heaven; feudalism; Warring States period.

Qin Dynasty

Qin Shi Huangdi; Legalism; standardised writing/weights; Great Wall; Terracotta Army.

Han Dynasty

Gaozu's reforms; Han Wudi expanded empire; Confucian exams; ended with Yellow Turban rebellion.

Mandate of Heaven

Belief that the gods approve or remove a ruler’s right to rule.

Feudalism

System where nobles control land in return for taxes and soldiers to the king.

Legalism

Philosophy that people are selfish → strict laws and harsh punishments.

Daoism

Philosophy of harmony with nature and balance (yin–yang).

Confucianism

Teaching of duty, respect, family loyalty and moral government.

Buddhism

Religion introduced via the Silk Road; focuses on enlightenment.

Ancestor Worship

Honouring dead relatives who protect the family.

Shi (class)

Nobles, scholars and officials — highly respected.

Nong (class)

Peasant farmers — valued for producing food.

Gong (class)

Artisans and craftsmen — respected for skill and goods.

Shang (class)

Merchants and traders — often wealthy but low social status.

Slaves

Lowest group; war captives and forced labourers.

Women

Status lower under Confucianism; Ban Zhao advised obedience; exception Fu Hao (military leader/priestess).

Emperor

Called “Son of Heaven”; ruled by the Mandate of Heaven.

Great Wall

Built for defence against northern nomads; huge forced-labour project.

Terracotta Army

Clay soldiers buried with Qin Shi Huangdi to protect him in the afterlife.

Silk Road

Trade route linking China to West — silk, porcelain, paper and ideas.

Inventions

Paper, compass, gunpowder, silk, porcelain, seismograph.

Oracle Bones

Bones used for divination in the Shang dynasty — earliest Chinese writing.

Zhong Guo

“Middle Kingdom” — idea China is the centre of civilisation.

Sima Qian

Han historian who wrote Records of the Grand Historian; had bias against Qin.