Download Objectives for this lesson

07.01 Travel Journal
Objectives for this lesson:
 Compare ancient China with other ancient river civilizations
 Describe bronze casting, silk making, and other contributions of classical
Chinese civilization
 Interpret how China’s geography affected its interaction with other regions
Question to answer:
-How did China’s geography limit its contact with other regions?
Specific questions to answer:
1. What were the two major rivers of ancient China?
2. What are tributaries?
3. What was “loess” and why was it important?
4. Explain the following geographical boundaries and how they affected the early Chinese
and its contact with others:
a. Taklamakan Desert:
b. Himalaya Mountains:
c. Loess Plateau:
d. Gobi desert: (what does the word Gobi mean?)
e. North China Plain:
f. Tibetan Plateau:
-How did the Shang dynasty gain and hold on to power?
Specific questions to answer:
1. What does the word plunder mean?
2. What does the word tribute mean?
3. How did plundering and tributes help the Shang dynasty conquer ancient China?
-What were some important features of Shang society?
Specific questions to answer:
1. Based on paragraph #1, who was at the top of the ancient Shang social pyramid?
2. Based on paragraph #2, how did the common people support the “elites” of society?
3. The Shang monotheistic or polytheistic? What evidence can you provide to support your
answer?
4. What did the ancient Chinese believe about their ancestors? (why were they important)
5. What are “oracles bones?”
-What were some key contributions of the Huang River civilization?
Specific questions to answer:
1. How was the Shang similar to the Mesopotamians in terms of early writing?
2. How did the Shang use the silkworms to their advantage?
3. What were the benefits of “bronze” during the Shang dynasty?
-What activities formed the basis of the Shang dynasty’s economy?
Specific questions to answer:
1. Like most early civilizations, what was the main job of people who lived near rivers?
2. What kind of items did the Shang barter with one another?