Download Chapter 5: Ancient China Notes

Chapter 5: Ancient China Notes
1. Geography and Beginning of Ancient China:
- South China, warm and wet (monsoons), North China very dry
- Himalaya Mountains, Pacific Ocean, and Gobi Desert cut off Chinabelieved they were center of the world (“Middle Kingdom")
- Rivers birthplace of civilization- Huang He (Yellow) and Chang Jiang
(Yangzi), good for farming, Huang He also brought sorrow with flooding
Beginnings of China:
- Shang Dynasty was first known, family was center of society
- Up to 5 generations living together (extended family)
- Oldest man center of authority (decided everything), women governed by
men (father, husband, son)
- Women should be moral, modest, have proper speech and domestic skills
- First people to use 2 names (last name first, the family name)
2. Confucius:
- Confucius was a teacher, self-taught, wanted to teach his views of life
and government
- Goal was to bring peace, stability, and order to Chinese society by
persuading the rulers not to fight
- Taught people to behave properly to one another, know your place in
society and family, respect everyone, treat others equally, people of
power set good examples (Summary; "Golden Rule")
- His teachings were the basis for training members of government (civil
service), take exams based on Confucianism
- Believed his life was a failure, teachings became a philosophy after he
died, but for many functions as a religion
3. Chinese Rulers and Dynasties:
Qin Dynasty: (lasted about 15 years)
- ruler Shi Huangdi- (First Emperor), harsh dynasty, cruel ruler
- unified China by creating a common currency and laws, outlawed ideas
of Confucius
- built The Great Wall of China
Han Dynasty: (lasted about 400 years)
- ruler Liu Bang- created a stable gov't, created a civil service (educate
people to work for gov't), not very harsh ruler
- ruler Wudi- focused on war and military, he ruled for more than 50 years
4. Achievements of China:
- Silk Road- traded with Central Asia (new foods), all the way to the
Mediterranean Sea
- Silk was being made in China, desired by other civilizations (trade silk
for horses, glass, other cloth)
- Han Dynasty- advances in art, literature and technology (first dictionary,
iron tools, paper, wheelbarrow)
- Other achievements in medicine (plant medicine, knowledge about blood,
acupuncture and anesthetics)
- People in China today call themselves the “Children of Han” because
they want to be connected to such a great dynasty
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