The document discusses how civilization began in China along the Huang He River and later spread to the Yangtze River. Rivers were crucial to the development of early Chinese civilizations as they provided fertile soils for agriculture through seasonal flooding and silt deposition. The Huang He River, though unpredictable and dangerous at times, enriched the lands along its banks with thick layers of loess soils, making the region ideal for the establishment of early farming villages.

1. What is civilization?
Government
Religion
Organized cities
Writing system
Art
Laws
Agriculture (domestication of plants and animals)
Specialized Jobs
Social Classes

2. Huang He River Valley
Just like in other culture
hearths, rivers are crucial
in the development of
civilizations.
What do rivers provide
that make them important
to civilizations?
Name the other
rivers we have
studied, that have
been important in
the development
of a civilization..

3. Civilization began in China along the Huang
He and later spread to the wetter south along
the Yangtze River.

4. Why are rivers important to
China?
●Monsoons from the South China Sea
bring rains to the southern half of China.
This area is warm and wet.
●The monsoons(?) don't reach N. China
Northern China=rely on rivers for
survival.

5. China's Rivers...
*Like rivers in other parts
of the world, China's
rivers overflowed their
banks each spring.
*Flooding brought fresh,
fertile topsoil to the land.
*B/C of this, China's first
farming villages
developed along these
rivers.

6. The Huang He
(Yellow River)
Begins in the highlands of
Tibet, it flows for more than
3,000 miles and empties into
the Yellow Sea.
Muddiest river in the world!
Loess: yellow-brown soil.
After countless floods, the
Huang He has carpeted the
N. China plain with a thick
layer of soil.
(perfect for farming!)

7. China's Sorrow
The other name the
Huang He goes by
is “China's Sorrow.”
The river was
unpredictable and
sometimes
dangerous, but it
also provided life..

8. China's Sorrow
Sometimes one flood
would drown thousands of
people!
The Chinese attempted to
protect themselves with
terraces and dikes..
Despite the dangers, the
early Chinese people
continued to settle along
the banks of the Huang He.