Ancient China

loess

Fine yellowish light silt deposited by wind and water. It constitutes the fertile soil of the Yellow River Valley in northern China.

philosophy

A system of beliefs and values

clan

group of families with a common ancestor

Filial Piety

In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.

Mandate of Heaven

a political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source

dynastic cycle

rise and fall of Chinese dynasties according to the Mandate of Heaven

Oracle Bones

The earliest known Chinese writing is found on these from ritual activity of the Shang period.

Silk Road

Connected China, India, and the Middle East. Traded goods and helped to spread culture.

Confucius

(551-479 BCE) A Chinese philosopher known also as Kong Fuzi and created one of the most influential philosophies in Chinese history.

Analects

The book that Kong Fuzi wrote and that stresses the values and ideas of Confucianism.

Laozi

Chinese Daoist philosopher; taught that governments were of secondary importance and recommended retreat from society into nature.

Daodejing

The central text of Daoism; translated as The Way and Its Power.

Dao

The proper way Chinese kings were expected to rule under the mandate of heaven.

Shi Huangdi

Founder of the short-lived Qin dynasty and creator of the Chinese Empire . He is remembered for his ruthless conquests of rival states and standardization.

Wudi

emperor under the Han Dynasty that wanted to create a stronger central government by taking land from the lords, raising taxes and places the supply of grain under the government's control