The document summarizes the geography and early history of China. It notes that China's civilization developed in isolation due to barriers like deserts and mountains. Cities grew up along two major river systems, and an isolated culture emerged with few outside influences. Over time, influential philosophies like Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism shaped Chinese society and government. The Han Dynasty unified much of China and saw advances in technology and the opening of the Silk Road, connecting China to global trade.

1.  

2.  Cities grew along the banks of two
rivers
 Isolated culture due to geography
 Civilization developed with few
outside influences
 Borders:
o East: Yellow Sea, East China Sea,
Pacific Ocean
o West: Taklimakan Desert
o North: Gobi Desert
o Southwest: Himalayan Mountains
Gobi Desert is a cold desert.

3. Two River Systems
 Flow toward the Pac. Ocean
 Chang Jiang (Yangtze): central
China
 Huang He (Yellow): northern
China
 North China Plain
o Land between the rivers
o Rich farmland
o Center of Chinese Civilization

7. Varied Climate
 Like the US
 West: dry
 Northeast: cold winters; warm summers
 Southeast: mild winters; hot, rainy summers
 What crops are grown in China?

9. Chinese & US Climates:
A Comparison

10.  1766 BC: dynasty established
 Claimed to have the
permission of the gods
 Controlled portion of the North
China Plain
 Made war with nomadic people
 Treated parents & ancestors
with great respect
 No strong central gov’t; family
members ruled distant lands

11. Developing Language
 Developed pictograph writing;
symbols=words
 Educated person knew 10,000
characters
 Can learn written Chinese without
being able to speak it
 What is the advantage of a
language that you can learn
without speaking?

12.  1027 BC: defeated the Shang
 Rise of the Zhou created a pattern: dynastic cycle
 Rulers must keep the Mandate of Heaven
 Distant lands ruled by lords pledged to support the Zhou
 When lords grew in strength, they began to fight

14.  Powerful gov’t with strict laws will keep order
 People will only do good if forced to
 Harsh punishments needed to make people afraid to do
wrong

15.  Shang Yang: those who fail to
report lawbreakers should be
punished
 Under Legalism, books were
burned and those who
questioned the gov’t were
arrested

16.  Confucius (551-479 BC)
 Order can be kept if everyone has
respect for each other
 Leaders should serve as good
examples
 Lower members of society should obey
those above them
 Ideas collected in a book: Analects

17.  Each relationship has its own duties and code of conduct
 Father and son
 Elder brother and younger brother
 Husband and wife
 Friend and friend
 Ruler and subject
 What is the nature of these relationships?

18.  Filial piety: treating parents
and elders with respect
 Authority should be
respected
 Confucianism eventually
adopted by Chinese rulers
 Guiding force that shaped
Chinese culture

19.  Laozi (500s BC)
 All humans must find a way (Dao) to live in
harmony with nature
 Questions of right and wrong are pointless
 “People would be content with their simple,
everyday lives, in harmony, and free of
desire.”
 Gov’t should leave people alone

20.  Yin (black): cold, dark, and mysterious
 Yang (white): warm, bright, and light
 Both forces complement each other
 Each changes & evolves

21.  Started by Shi Huangdi
 Lasted from 221 – 202 BC
 Unified China after warring-states
period
 Legalistic ruler
 Conquered neighbors and
expanded the empire

23.  Forced nobles to live at
capital
 Built highways and irrigation
projects to unite China
 Began linking existing
defensive walls, starting the
Great Wall of China
 Huangdi died in 210 BC
 Son took over, but was
quickly overthrown

24.  202 BC – 220 AD
 Liu Bang first emperor
 Lowered taxes and punishments
less harsh
 Created a bureaucracy to help
run the government
 Created a test based on
Confucianism for these scholar-
officials

25.  Liu Bang died in 195 BC
 Succeeded by his wife, Empress Lu
 She ruled on half of their young son, whom she outlived
 She continued to rule by putting infants on the throne
 Upon her death in 180 BC, all members of her family were put to death

26.  Wudi ruled from 141-87 BC
 “Martial Emperor” used war to
expand the empire
 Conquered northern Vietnam
and northern Korea
 Chased nomadic invaders out
of northern China
 Conquered people were
encouraged to assimilate

28.  Most people worked as farmers
 Farmers lived in small villages near their land
 Rich farmers had oxen to plow their lands
 South: rice
 North: wheat
 Families had personal vegetable gardens
 Meat and fish were expensive

29.  Centers of trade, education, and government
 Merchants, government workers, craftspeople
 Problems of modern cities: crowded, street gangs
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS7pKZJ3zPs

30.  During the Han dynasty, only the Chinese knew how to
make silk.
 Desired luxury item
 Roads linking China to Eurasian were built to trade silk
 One of the first global trading networks

32.  Cities sprouted up around the trail.
 Goods leaving China: silk, paper, jade, pottery
 Goods coming to China: sesame seeds, oil, metals, precious
stones, Central Asian horses

33.  Silk Roads also brought ideas
and customs to and from China
(cultural diffusion)
 During the Han dynasty, Buddhist
missionaries from India brought
Buddhism to China
 Buddhism gained many followers
after the fall of the Han. Why?
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfe-eNq-Qyg

35. Agricultural Improvements
 Two-bladed plow
 Wheelbarrow
 Water Mills
o Using water power to grind grain
 Collar Harness for horses
o Allowed horses to pull heavier loads

36. Paper
 105 AD
 Made from old rags, tree bark, and fibers from hemp
 How did the invention of paper help the Chinese people?

37. Silk
 For 3,000 years, only the Chinese knew how to make
 Used to get silver and gold from the west
 At one time one pound of silk = one pound of gold
 How much is a pound of gold worth today?
 $24,522.77