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Geography of China & China’s First Dynasties Geography of China • China is about the same size as the United States • China is separated from Asia by: – The Gobi Desert to the north – The Pacific Ocean to the east – Mountains to the west • Climate and temperature is different all over China – Cold in the north – Dry in the desert – Tropical in the southeast jungles The Rivers of China • Huang He River (Yellow River) flows from West to East across Northern China – Floods and leaves behind silt – Floods can be very deadly, so this river is also called China’s Sorrow because so many people have lost their homes and lives because of its floods. • Chang Jiang (Yangzi) River flows across the middle of China – It is the longest river in Asia The First Civilizations in China • The people in China settled along the rivers • The silt from the floods of the rivers made the land very fertile for farming • Like the Egyptians, the Chinese filled their tombs with objects like food or jade, a hard gemstone. – Some gravesites had more stuff in them. What do you think that suggests about those people? China’s First Dynasties • What is a dynasty? – A series of rulers that come from the same family, like the Bush family or the Kennedy family • Yu the Great started the Xia (pronounced Shah) dynasty • Legend says that during some terrible floods during Yu the Great’s life, he dug canals that carried flood water to the oceans. – Historians haven’t found actual evidence of this yet…it’s just a legend, but many believe it is true. The Shang Dynasty • The Shang dynasty is the oldest for which we have evidence that it existed. Shang Dynasty social structure: 1. King 2. Nobles (helped the king rule) & Religious officials 3. Warriors 4. Artisans (made weapons, pottery, tools, or clothing) 5. Farmers 6. Slaves The Shang Dynasty • The Shang dynasty invented China’s first writing system (over 2,000 symbols) • The people wrote on cattle bones and turtle shells • Priests would write on these bones or shells, then heat them, causing them to crack. Then the priests would “read” these cracks to make an oracle (prediction)