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Geography Of ancient China
Key concepts you will learn about at this station:
Geography-Physical environment and how it may influence an economy and culture.
T
he Huang He River, also called the Yellow River, flows eastward for 2900 miles and gets its name
due to a yellow color from crossing loess (deposits of yellow silt). The river empties into the
Yellow Sea. The Chang Jiang River, meaning “Long River”, is also called Yangtze and it flows 3430 miles. The
Chang Jiang River originates in Tibet and empties into the East China Sea. China’s first farmers lived in the
North China Plain near the Yellow Sea.
They benefitted from the loess deposited
by the Huang He River, providing them with
fertile soil. Both rivers have caused terrible
floods. The land surface of China is
described as having three steps which
descend as one moves from west to east.
Western China (highest step) is home to the
greatest mountain range in the world, the
Himalayas, and the world’s highest plateau,
the plateau of Tibet. Central China (middle
step) holds the Gobi Desert in its north.
Surrounding the desert are mountains and very dry grasslands with no trees, called steppes. Eastern China
(lowest step) borders the Pacific Ocean. The north has a cold, dry winter, and a warm, rainy summer.
Farmers grew crops near the Huang He Valley. Southern China has a warm, rainy, long growing season,
which incorporates “terrace farming”. China was disconnected from the rest of the world due to the
mountains, deserts, and oceans that made up its borders. Geographic barriers made it difficult for trading,
which affected the people in China. It led to separate communities within the Chinese civilization, having
separate dialects and cultures from one another. Their isolation led them to believe they were the only
civilization in the world, which led to their name “Tian Xia” or “all under heaven”.
Questions to Consider!
1. Where did the first farmers of China settle?
2. Adaptation: Why do you think farmers is the Huang Valley incorporate terrace farming?
3. Describe two ways geographic barriers like rivers, mountains and deserts effected China.
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The Shang Dynasty 1766BC-1122BC
Key concepts you will learn about at this station:
Social Class-How a civilization is divided into classes that have different roles, responsibilities and privileges.
Religion-A belief system that influences the development of a civilization.
I
n 1766 BC, Tang the Successful ruled over 1,800 villages near the Huang He and Chang Jiang rivers. This
was the beginning of the 600 year Shang Dynasty. The dynasty was ruled by a monarchy (rule by a royal
family) and had many social classes of craftsmen. During this time, most villagers had chickens, pigs, and
used silk worms to make cloth. There were metal workers who made weapons and tools out of bronze.
Buildings were made mostly of wood and mud, but crumbled long ago. Although most buildings are gone,
many artifacts remain including marble, jade figurines, silk fabrics, and bronze containers. These have all
been found in tombs of the wealthy.
The Shang writing system was made of characters or symbols, much like the Egyptian system. Animal
bones and shells called Oracle bones held the earliest writings.
A diviner was often visited by Shang Kings. It was believed that this person would help them speak to
the gods. They would touch hot metal sticks to bones and shells and the king would read the cracks to find
the answer.
Questions to Consider!
1. Categorize Social Classes-Create a four tier
pyramid of power on your paper with the
people who had the most power at the top
and those with the least power at the
bottom. Include the Shang Monarchy, silk
producing villagers, metal workers and
diviners.
2. Achievements-Explain how the Chinese
writing system was similar to Egyptian
writing.
3. Religion-What was the role of a diviner?
Ancient Chinese Writing
The Zhou Dynasty 1122-256 BC
Part 1 or 2 Stations
Key concepts you will learn about at this station:
Religion-A belief system that influences the development of a civilization.
Leadership/ Government- How a civilization creates an organized way of leadership.
Social Class-How a civilization is divided into classes that have different roles, responsibilities and privileges.
T
he Zhou Dynasty ruled from 1122 BC to 256 BC, the longest ruling dynasty in China. It is believed that
the Zhou culture began west of the Shang Kingdom in the Wei River Valley. They worship Tian, a god
meaning “heaven”. The Zhou Dynasty began when King Wu won over the Shang in 1122 BC. The mandate of
heaven is something the Zhou people believed gave them the order to rule China. The kings showed virtue
(good qualities) to keep the mandate. Zhou kings created a social structure, which had the kings in the
position on top, followed by noble families, then peasant families. People in each class showed virtue by
offering services to other classes. Kings provided land to nobles for military support. This is a political
system of exchange known as feudalism. Peasants paid nobles for land use and lived hard lives of farming
and serving in Zhou armies. The nobles helped protect them from enemies.
In 800 BC, they were invaded by warlike nomads from the north and the west. In 771 BC Hai, the
capital of the Zhou, dynasty was attacked. The king was killed and Zhou moved to the east North China
Plain. Once they moved, nobles grew powerful and began to call themselves kings. The last 200 years of the
dynasty is referred to as the Warring Kingdoms Period or the Warring States Period because of the fighting
between kings and the Zhou. Near 600 BC the Chu Kingdom had replaced feudalism by dividing their land
into counties, and appointing people to run them based on skill. In 535 BC, the king of Zheng called for
written laws, which were firsts for China.
Questions to Consider!
1. Religion– How did religion effect the leadership of China?
2. Government- Describe the social class structure called feudalism that the Zhou leaders created.
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King Wu
The Zhou Dynasty 1122-256BC
Part 2 or 2 Stations
Key concepts you will learn about at this station:
Religion-A belief system that influences the development of a civilization.
C
onfucius lived from 551BC-479 BC, during the Zhou dynasty. He was a teacher who
opposed violence, and used short sayings that were easy to remember to teach
kindness, respect, and good behavior. He also taught filial piety, which called for children to
respect and honor their parents. He also believed this is how people should treat their
rulers. He taught of people bringing goodness to society through five different relationships.
These included parent to child, ruler to subject, older brother to younger brother, husband
to wife, and friend to friend. His ideas were not accepted until after his death when they
began to spread through eastern Asia.
Questions to Consider!
1. Religion– Confucius taught that positive relationships would bring goodness to society. List and
describe all five relationships.
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Principles of Confucianism Sketches
The First Chinese Empire; The Qin Dynasty 221BC-206 BC
Part 1 of 2 Stations
Key concepts you will learn about at this station:
Leadership/ Government- How a civilization creates an organized way of leadership.
I
n 256 BC the small state of Qin grew to be the most powerful in Southern China. It was the located west
of the Wei River valley. Their army was successful due to its iron weapons and horse-led army. In 246 BC,
the Qin gained a king who was only 13 years old. The Warring States period ended in 221 BC when the Qin
rules all of the northern states, creating China’s first empire. Once the empire was established, the king
named himself Qin Shi Huangdi, or “The First Emperor of China”.
Shi Huangdi ruled using legalism, a form of government that gave all power to one leader. He used
strict laws and fear to rule. He had success in uniting North China, and made lasting influences. For example,
the word China comes from Qin. He broke down the feudal system by taking land away from nobles. He gave
it to peasants, who paid taxes directly to his government. He then forced all the nobles to move to Xianyang,
the Qin capital, where they were watched by officials to prevent an uprising against the emperor. Other
strict laws Shi Huangdi enforced included only permitting members of his army to carry weapons, harsh
punishments for those who disobeyed laws, and death for those who opposed him. In 206 BC, the Qin
Dynasty fell out of rule, having lasted only 15 years.
Questions to Consider!
1. Leadership– Who was the first emperor of China?
2. Leadership– How did Shi Huangdi break the feudal system?
3. Leadership– Cite evidence from the text in the form of a direct
quote that supports the following statement: Shi Huangdi was a harsh
leader.
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Legalism
The First Chinese Empire; The Qin Dynasty 221BC-206BC
Key concepts you will learn about at this station:
Leadership/ Government- How a civilization creates an organized way of leadership.
Achievements-The lasting contributions of a civilization.
I
n order to unite the empire, Shi Huangdi made things, such as currency, weight units, measurements, and
writing the same for people across the empire. The writing system helped when it came to recordkeeping
and their overall communication. He improved trade by standardizing coins and the width of roads. He
unified people with the harsh policies, such as total control of books used for teaching. At one point he
even ordered books about Confucianism to be burned.
Shi Huangdi ordered that existing walls be built taller and longer for protection from invaders from
the north. “The Great Wall” as it came to be known, was to be 25 feet high, 20 feet wide and over 3,000
miles long. Many people working on the wall were mistreated, having to work long hours in harsh conditions
and far from their families. Along the wall there were towers 40 feet tall where soldiers could keep watch for
enemy attacks. They would use a smoke or fire signal from tower to tower until it reached the capital.
Shi Huangdi planned an extravagant tomb for himself at the age of just thirteen. It took over 30 years
to construct and was still not ready in 210 BC when he died. In the 1970’s, Chinese farmers discovered the
tomb, and to this day it is one of the most amazing archeological finds. The tomb is filled with 7,000 life size
soldiers made from clay, all armed with real weapons. There were also clay horses and wood-and-bronze
chariots. It is suggested that the outside was disguised to look like an imperial city.
Questions to Consider!
1. Achievements – How did Shi Huangdi unify (bring
together) China?
2. Leadership – What was the purpose of the Great
Wall?
3. Leadership – Cite evidence from the text in the
form of a direct quote that supports the following
statement: Shi Huangdi had an extravagant tomb.
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The great Wall
The Han Dynasty 202 BC-220 AD
Key concepts you will learn about at this station:
Leadership/ Government- How a civilization creates an organized way of leadership.
Achievements-The lasting contributions of a civilization.
Economy-How a civilization makes money through the buying and selling of goods and services.
A
fter the fall of the Qin dynasty there was a civil war in which the peasants, officials, and nobles,
fought for power. Liu Bang became the King of Han, and eventually went on to take over all of the
Qin Empire. He became emperor with the respect of the peasants because like them, he came from a
poor farming family. When he began to govern, he was given the name Gaozu, or “High Ancestor”. He
began the Han dynasty, which lasted 400 years, ending in 220 AD.
Like the Qin Dynasty the Han worked on uniting
China. The Han used teachings of the highly respected
philosopher Confucius to lead China with a moral and
behavioral guide.
Wu Di or “Warlike Emperor” ruled in 141BC and
was known for forming large armies. With this growing
army came an increase in taxes, which was not favored
by the people. He made Confucianism the official
religion and founded a Civil Service, which took case of the “day-to-day” running of the government. A
Civil Service Officials had to pass rigorous examinations that people studied for decades to pass. He
improved jobs with benefits, which led to an increased importance on education.
Questions to Consider!
1. Leadership – Cite evidence from the text in the form of a direct quote that supports the
following statement: Liu Bang was considered the emperor for the common people.
2. Leadership and Achievements – Wu Di made a positive impact on the culture of China.
Describe two reasons why Wu Di was considered a successful leader.
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The Han Dynasty 202 BC-220 AD
Key concepts you will learn about at this station:
Achievements-The lasting contributions of a civilization.
Economy-How a civilization makes money through the buying and selling of goods and services.
C
hina’s Golden Age began around 200 BC and was filled with
economic growth, success in war, and an increase in education,
which was good for the Han Empire. Artists flourished creating
paintings and sculptures and silk weaving. Han’s scientists made the
first seismograph (measures earthquakes), along with sundials and
water clocks that measured time.
During the Han Dynasty the Silk Road
was one of the most traveled trade routes that
covered 4,000 miles through Asia all the way to
the Mediterranean Sea. Chinese people
traveled these roads trading silk for horses,
spices, fruits, musical instruments, glass and other items not found in China. The road was also
used to spread Buddhism from India, throughout China.
Questions to Consider!
1. Achievements- Why do you think the historians refer to the period after 200 BC as the “Golden
Age of China”? Use evidence in the form of a direct quote to support your answer.
2. Economy– While most of Ancient China had limited trade due to geographical barriers, during
the Golden Age trade expanded. Explain why.
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