Download DYNASTIES OF ANCIENT CHINA

DYNASTIES OF
ANCIENT CHINA
T H E P O W E R F U L . T H E C O R R U P T, T H E G O O D .
SHANG DYNASTY
Shang Dynasty:
Controlled the land in the
Yellow River Valley,
located in central and
eastern areas of China
Proper.
SHANG DYNASTY
•  1600 B.C – 1046 B.C.
•  2nd Dynasty in Ancient China
•  1st King, Tang, led rebellion to overthrow Xia Dynasty
•  Military:
•  Used Infantry to attack enemies in battle {led to defeat of
Xia}
•  Used bronzed weapons: (I.E.) – Spears, Axes, Bows & Arrows
•  Bronze Age:
•  Shang Dynasty prospered during the Bronze Age – created
and used various bronze objects:
•  Including: Bronze glasses, chariots, & hairpins.
•  Tombs of Kings were decorated in Bronze
Achievements:
•  Created earliest forms of glazed pottery
•  Developed complex writing system
•  Examples of writing carved on bones and bronze items
•  Astronomers correctly determined the length of a year {365
and ¼ days}
•  Way of Life:
•  13.5 million people still lived & functioned as nomads
•  Overtime they began to create settlements that included
complex irrigation systems to allow for effective farming
•  Began to grow crops: Wheat, Millet, Rice & Barley
Religion:
•  Honor & worship your ancestors
•  Must keep ancestors happy = good harvest
•  A farming season that was bad, or suffered from drought
was believed to be caused by angry ancestors
The End:
•  Emperor Shang Xin was cruel and ruled with cruel laws – the
government was oppressive!
•  Overthrown & replaced by the invading Zhou territory!
ZHOU DYNASTY
Zhou Dynasty (Chou):
Controlled land in
China Proper: Along
the Yellow River Valley
ZHOU DYNASTY
•  1046 B.C. – 256 B.C.
•  Coexisted with the Shang Dynasty –
•  Shang people rose in support of Zhou against their cruel leaders
•  Zhou had a very strong military
•  Army divided into 2 sections: “6 armies of the West” & “8 armies of the
Chengzhou”
•  These armies patrolled the land and kept the people protected
•  Iron Age:
•  Iron tipped plows made farming more efficient
•  Iron weapons: swords, armor, helmets
•  Inventions:
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Compass & Kite
Created complex irrigation system
1st geographical map of China
Experimented with herbal pesticides to protect crops
Mandate of Heaven:
•  Belief that Emperor was picked by God!
•  Heaven {God} would bless the authority of a good ruler with prosperity
and success
•  Natural disasters/ famines were signs that God was losing
confidence {faith} in the Emperor
•  Led to riots & overthrows of rulers (governments)
•  Mandate of Heaven would then be passed to a new ruler
3 Schools of Thought established during the Zhou Dynasty:
1.  Confucianism – proper morals & respect to elders/rulers
2.  Daoism {Taoism} – established principles of harmony & encouraged
disengagement from society
3.  Legalism – people are naturally evil, the only way to create a peaceful
society was through strict laws and harsh punishments
The End:
•  Fell to the Qin Dynasty – China was in disarray by the end of the Zhou
Dynasty:
•  The strong government led by Qin under the ideas of Legalism created
a sense of stability in the nation that the Ancient Chinese people
wanted
QIN DYNASTY
Qin Dynasty:
Controlled much of China
Proper, expanding from
the Yellow River Valley
QIN DYNASTY
•  221 B.C. – 207 B.C.
•  Started as a state within in the Zhou Dunasty
•  Slowly worked to gain power, popularity and strength to
over throw the Zhou Dynasty
•  Through ideas of Legalism – Qin Dynasty ruled as a strict,
harsh government that transformed the chaos in Ancient
China to a period of stability.
•  During 14 years of Rule – the Qin dynasty was ruled
by Qin:
•  Known as a harsh, cruel & paranoid leader
•  Greatly feared by his people & in the end they hated him!
•  Burned books, lived lavish lifestyle, & was extremely strict
Achievements:
•  Continued to use Iron goods (like the Zhou dynasty)
•  Made them stronger and more durable
•  Created a standard of writing and currency!!
•  Unified China!
•  Known for the creation of canals and a vast network of roads
•  Allowed for faster and more efficient communication between
territories, armies and government officials.
Great Wall of China:
http://www.history.com/topics/great-wall-of-china
•  Created first stretch of the “great wall”
•  Created to protect from Mongolian enemies
•  Had a method of communicating to army posts by using smoke/fire
signals
•  Invaders eventually able to invade the wall.
The End:
•  Fell due to the paranoid mind of Emperor Qin
•  Began taking medicines containing mercury to try to make him
immortal – these medicines drove him mad
•  After his death – China fell into chaos
EMPEROR QIN – HIS PALACE
•  Emperor Qin was paranoid & wanted immorality
•  Began creating an underground palace/kingdom that
would be used for his after life.
•  http://www.history.com/topics/great-wall-of-china/videos/
tomb-of-chinas-first-emperor
HAN DYNASTY
Han Dynasty:
Ruled over much of
China population –
stretching much further
south and west than any
other previous dynasty
HAN DYNASTY
•  206 B.C. – 220 C.E.
•  Seized control of China after the death of Emperor Qin
•  Conquered and controlled more land than any other
dynasty!
•  92% of Chinese population today consider themselves a
part of the “Han people”
•  Chinese language is made up of “Han characters”
•  Greatest period of Chinese History!!!!!!!!!!
•  Achievements:
•  Experimented with steel
•  Weapons of Han included: axes, crossbows, swords, knives
•  Calvary wore Armor!! {not just military generals!}
Achievements:
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Created 1st form of paper – made of Bark, Hemp & wheat stalks
Acupuncture was invented!
1st to launch a hot air balloon
Created simple tools:
•  Wheel barrow, glazed pottery, stirrups for a horse’s saddle
•  Among first to experiment with weaved clothing
•  Transformation of Government = Greatest achievement!
•  Han created a civil service exam that tested all government workers
•  All government prospects needed to pass the exam