2. 2
Geographical Influences
Mountains, sea, and desert provide some
protection and isolation
Vulnerable to northwest
River valleys 1. Yellow(Huang Ho) earliest
civilization - damaging floods 2. Yangtze-
very important in unification-
transportation- irrigation
3. 3
Earliest Civilizations- most
isolated
Earliest- Neolithic- Ban Po- similar to other parts
of the world/ one of the oldest
Shang Dynasty 1500-11 BCE in No China along
the Huang Ho- raised silk worms- silk part of lure
and fascination of China, famous for bronze
sculpture, daggers, jade jewelry paid homage to
ancestors- family important
Chou (Zhou) 1027-256-longest-developed
foundations for Chinese society
4. 4
Ancient China
Way of Life- Confucianism
p58-59
Moral and ethical code highly developed
treat everyone with consideration
Advocated paternalistic government
Value on family head- ancestor respect
Values- loyalty, righteousness, wisdom,
sincerity
very practical and humanistic Gentility
5. 5
Daoism (Taoism)
LaoTzu (Lao Zi) p 60
contemporary of Confucius
Tao= the road way
Absolute=sum of existence
Goal to bring people into harmony
very introspective
not as influential as Confucius
6. 6
Zhou (Chou) Dynasty (cont)
Feudal society- emperor gave out fiefs
Shang thought they had a divine right- Chou
rulers had responsibility
Zhou did take title “Son of Heaven”
compared to medieval Europe- had a code
for dress, fighting etc.
no contracts
7. 7
Ancient Philosophies
About 500BCE Buddha, Confucius, Greek
Philosophers and Chinese - Lao Tze
Called a flowering period
India more concerned with cosmos and soul
China more concerned with ethical life on
earth
Ironic comparison of Asoka and Shi
Huangdi
8. 8
Qin (Ch’in) Dynasty 221-206
BCE
dominated by “The First Emperor”
Qin Shi Huangdi (Chin Shi Huang Ti)
ambitious= understatement
centralized the government- rid of feudal
lords
constructed roads and canals
The Great Wall- sacrifice AND
An amazing tomb found in 20th Cen
9. 9
Han Dynasty 202BCE-220
CE(Roman Times)
Similar: built cities, officials to carry out
edicts, heavy taxes collapsed under
invasions and internal revolts
contact along the Silk Road, Buddhist
Missionaries to China
combination of Confucius and legalism
advanced in science and literature
invented rudder, paper, magnetic compass,
acupuncture
10. 10
Tang Dynasty 618-907 CE
Contributions
Internal renewal(improved lives of people)
and external expansion
Used formal civil service exam to recruit-
set up university
Tried to equalize land holdings- fought
corruption
literature and art flourished- Tang horses p
203
Inventions- paper during Han- used for
11. 11
Song(Sung) Dynasty 960-
1279
moved the capitol east-
economic expansion- used paper money,
used abacus-
Silk Road traffic at height
– when dangerous went to sea routes
– first period of great oceanic commerce
– trades tea, silk and porcelain for exotic woods
and precious stones
12. 12
The Mongols
Nomadic peoples
Loosely organized clans in a state of stress
Genghis Kahn- son of impoverished noble
with army of less than 130,000 conquered
Asia
mastered military tactics on horseback-
pursue and ambush, firelance, took China
Kublai Kahn- grandson Yuan dynasty at
Peking- adopted Chinese ways- lasted 100
years- gave way to Ming dynasty
