Early Chinese Civilizations

1. CHINA OVERVIEW:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHINA

2. Geography of China
I. Geography of China
A. Larger than the United States
B. Climate varies
1. North
a. Temperate and cold
2. South
a. Subtropical
b. Erosion
c. Floods and droughts

3. Geography of China
B. Important rivers
1. The Huang He River (Yellow River) flows in northern
China for more than 2,900 miles.
a. The Huang He River has become known as the Yellow River because of
the fine, fertile, yellow soil, called loess (LOH ehs), that the wind and
river flood waters deposit across the plains.
2. Yangtze River– Flows for 3,400 miles in Central China.
Yellow River Yangtze River

4. Geography of China
D. Enclosed by high mountains, hot deserts, wide oceans
1. China is protected in the southwest by the Himalaya Mountains.
2. China is protected by the Gobi Desert and the Mongolian Plateau in the north.
3. Jungle regions were prominent in the South.
China was so isolated that the Chinese thought of themselves as the center of the
universe. They had little concern for what existed outside of their borders.
Himalaya Mountains Gobi DesertMongolian Plateau

5. Ancient History
II. Ancient History
A. By 4000 BCE
1. Village settlements along the Huang He River
2. Farming, stone tools, weapons (bow and arrow), animal domestication,
pottery
B. Circa 1500 BCE
1. Picture writing (oldest writing in existence)
a. Now circa 40,000 characters

6. What Are Dynasties?
III. What Are Dynasties?
A. Dynasty a series of rulers from the same family
B. Historically, royal rule was descended from father to son
C. Mandate of Heaven
1. Belief that the emperor was chosen by heaven to rule.
2. If a ruler lost the Mandate of Heaven, it was not considered a crime to
rebel against him.

7. Xia (a.k.a Hsia) Dynasty (CIRCA 2070-CIRCA 1600 BCE)
IV. Xia (a.k.a. Hsia) Dynasty
A. China’s first dynasty
B. Founded by Yu
C. Built roads and irrigation projects

8. Shang Dynasty (CA. 1600-1046 BCE)
V. Shang Dynasty
A. Writing began
B. Developed bronze, glazed pottery, and silk industries
C. The Shang dynasty lasted approximately 600 years.
D. Many historians believe the great gap between the rich and the poor caused
the Shang dynasty to weaken.
Beautiful jade and
ivory carvings and
ornaments made by
the Shang have
been found.

9. Zhou Dynasty (1045-256 BCE)
VI. Zhou (a.k.a. Chou) Dynasty
A. China's longest-ruling dynasty.
B. Expanded trade with other parts of the world.
C. Introduced the use of metal coins.
D. Cities grew larger, and roads and canals were built.
E. Traded with people in western Asia
1. Introduced to new foods, animals, and traditions.

10. Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE)
VII. Qin (a.k.a. Chin) Dynasty
A. Military dictatorship centralized China
B. Emperor Shih Huang Ti
C. Destroyed nobles’ feudal power
D. System of taxation
E. Established weights and measures
F. Great Wall (1500 miles)
1. The Wall was built to help protect China from invasion from the north.
First Emperor Qin was only
emperor for 15 years. But in
that time, he made great
changes. It was under his rule
that China became one
country.
One of the things Emperor Qin wanted to
accomplish was to strengthen China's
protection from the Mongol tribe to the north.
China's natural barriers in the east, south, and
west, protected her from invasion. But China
was vulnerable to the north.

11. The Great Wall of China stretches from Korea in the West to the Gobi Desert in
the East. (Nearly 4, 500 miles long)
Can the Great Wall of China be seen from Outer Space?
Qin put many people to work building the
wall including criminals, scholars, captured
enemies and anyone he felt like assigning to
the wall construction. Even though Qin put
over 3,000 people to work building the wall,
it took a little longer than he had originally
thought it would to build. It took over 1700
years! Emperor after emperor followed
Qin's lead and forced people to build the
wall. By the time the wall was done, it was
3700 miles long.

12. Han Dynasty (206-220 CE)
VIII. Han Dynasty
A. Conquerors
B. Empire- Central Asia to China Sea, Indochina to Korea
C. Trade
1. Chinese fruits, silks, and spices sold in Rome (1st century)
D. Buddhism came from India
E. Civil service system
F. First paper made

13. Tang Dynasty (618-906 CE)
IX. Tang Dynasty
A. 400 years of warfare between Han and
Tang dynasties
B. Tang reunited China
C. T’ai Tsung
1. Emperor in 627 CE
2. Education and government reforms
a. Extended China’s boundaries
b. Alliances and peace treaties with neighbors
c. Industry and trade
d. Jade porcelain, and silks to Arabia, India, Japan, and Persia.

14. Song Dynasty (960-1279)
X. Song (a.k.a. Sung) Dynasty
A. 960-1279 CE
B. Disorder between Tang and Sung dynasties
C. Culture superior to that of medieval Europe
D. Powerful only in southern China

15. Mongol Rule (1259-1368)
XI. Mongol rule (1259-1368)
A. Central Asian nomads
B. Genghis Khan
1. Conquered Asia, including China
C. Kublai Khan
1. Grandson of Genghis Khan
2. Visited by Marco Polo (Venetian)
a. Ruled for circa 100 years
D. Capital- Peking (modern-day Beijing)
E. Trade with Europe begun
Strange Fact:
After capturing a town, Genghis Khan
would order the inhabitants to gather
outside the town’s walls, and then his
men would proceed to slaughter them.
Each man was ordered to kill at least
fifty people, and they had to bring back a
sack full of ears to their officers to prove
it. At Nichapur in 1221, they killed
1,748,000 people in just one hour-which is
more than all the people the Nazis
murdered at Auschwitz.

16. Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
XII. Ming Dynasty
A. Overthrew Mongols
B. Chinese natives
C. Beautified Peking (Beijing)
D. Encouraged trade with Europe
E. Gave Europeans:
1. Gunpowder
2. Jade
3. Porcelain
4. Silk
5. Tea

17. The Silk Road
XIII. Silk Road
A. Trade routes across Asia to the Mediterranean (access to Europe) in the west.
1. The route stretched 4,000 miles from China to Southwest Asia.
B. Chinese silks were sold in the marketplaces of the ancient Roman Empire.
1. Silk is a cloth made from proteins from silkworms
C. Cultural diffusion
1. Spread of cultural beliefs and social activities from one group to another.
a. Mixing of world cultures through different ethnicities, religions and
nationalities.

18. The Silk Road

19. Philosophy and Religion
XIV. Philosophy and Religion
A. Daoism
1. It is based on study of the Dao, literally translated, "the Way."
a. Taught people to be humble and worship nature.
b. Lao-Tse did not believe in the worship of gods.
2. Daoism profoundly influenced the later development of Buddhism.
B. Confucianism
1. Extreme worship of one's ancestors
2. Established codes for ethical conduct, virtuous governing, and proper
social relationships.
a. “Golden Rule,” what you do not like when done to yourself, do not
do unto others.
3. Emphasized education, honor, loyalty, and duty.
Confucius

20. New Philosophies from Ancient China
C. Legalism (Based on the writing of Hanfeizi)
1. Believed that man would look out for himself first and was therefore
basically evil.
2. Advocated that strong leaders are needed to make a nation easier to control.
a. Creation of a general atmosphere of fear and the law must be strictly
enforced.
1a. Legalism advocated techniques such as maintaining an active secret
police.
2a. Encouraged neighbors to inform on each other.
b. Many of the same tactics that the Legalists approved of were later
employed by Lao-Tse, Hitler, Stalin, and Mao.
Hanfeizi

21. Family Life in Ancient China
XV. Family
A. The Chinese placed great importance on the family.
1. The eldest male was the head of the family, and his children and
grandchildren lived together in one house.
2. Wives and children were trained to obey parents and grandparents
without question.
In China's far province of Guizhou, the Miao people are very superstitious, with strong beliefs in spirits and demons.
For marriage approval, a chicken is killed in front of the parties concerned. After the chicken is cooked whole, the size
of both its eyes were examined. If both eyes are identical, it symbolizes a blissful union. But if they are of different size,
it is considered a bad omen, and the wedding plans canceled. The weight of the chicken is also of importance. Either
party that breaks an engagement after the formal announcement must pay the other party an amount of silver
equivalent to the weight of the chicken.

22. XVI. Ancestor Worship:
A. Very important part of Ancient Chinese society.
1. When someone died, the ancient Chinese believed their spirit lived on
in the afterworld.
B. They believed their ancestors had magical powers that could punish
them or could help them make wise decisions.
C. To keep their ancestors happy, they brought gifts of food and wine to
special places or temples.
D. They held many celebrations to honor their ancestors.
Ancestor Worship

23. Ancestor Worship: Oracle Bones
XVII. Oracle Bones
A. Used to communicate with their ancestors.
1. These were bones of oxen that kings carved with questions asking
for guidance.
B. The kings gave the bones to oracles, special priests that received
guidance from the gods.
C. Oracles applied heat to the bones, causing them to crack.
1. The oracles then interpreted the cracks to answer the questions.
What questions would you like to ask an oracle bone?

24. Class Societies in Ancient China
XVIII. Social Classes [Top to Bottom]
A. Feudal System
1. Rulers set up a society with three classes: aristocrats, commoners,
and slaves.
2. People were either extremely rich or extremely poor.
3. There was no middle class.
B. Emperor
C. Governors and Kings
1. Enforced the central government's rules.
D. Nobles and lords served the kings.
E. Warlords
F. Soldiers

25. Class Societies in Ancient China
G. Peasants (Farmers)
1. Most people were farmers (peasants).
a. Their life was very hard.
b. They did not own the land.
1a. Farmed the land that of the aristocrats.
1b. Had to give the nobleman part of the food they grew.
c. Small farmers couldn’t support themselves and had to borrow money.
1a. Became indebted to rich, aristocratic landowners.
1aa. Rich grew richer and poor grew poorer

26. Arts, Technology, and Science
I. Art:
A. Beautiful murals were painted on the walls of palaces.
B. Craftsmen made jade jewelry and carvings, and gold ornaments.
C. Glazed pottery was brightly painted with mountains, trees, clouds, dragons, tigers,
and bears.
II. Technology:
A. Iron was used for making plows and other cast iron objects.
B. During Han times, these ancient people invented paper.
C. Invented the compass, wheelbarrow, and ship’s rudder (used for steering).
D. Introduced silk thread for clothing, which is made from silkworms.
III. Science:
A. Their medicine was advanced.
1. They invented acupuncture.
B. They also invented an instrument that told them when an earthquake was
happening, somewhere in the Empire, so they could send troops and food to help.