Download Ancient China - Lake County Schools

Ancient China
Vocabulary
•Loess
•Philosophy
•Filial Piety
•Daoism
•Oracle Bones
•Pictographs
China’s Geography
• The land of China is covered with rugged mountains and
vast deserts and depends heavily on 2 main rivers (Huang
and Chang). Both begin in the mountains and both
supply water and help with trade for China.
China’s Geography
• The Chang River is China’s largest river and the Huang
River is one of the most used rivers as it supplies loess
which creates soil for the Northern Chinese Plains.
China’s Geography
• The loess dust found in the Huang River comes from
vast deserts in China as the winds blow it in to the river
causing the water in the river to turn yellow and also gives
it its nickname the Yellow River.
China’s Geography
• China’s geography also caused for it to be isolated with
the Taklimakan & Gobi deserts on its north and south,
The Himalaya mountains shielding it from India, other
mountain ranges to its south and the Pacific Ocean to the
east.
The Shang dynasty
• Around 1700 BCE villages led by chiefs began to take
over near by villages and eventually turned into the Shang
dynasty which ruled for 600 years. The dynasty organized
a government, had farmers and soldiers, and built dikes
to stop floods.
Shang Writing
• The Shang dynasty first writings were oracle bones as
they kept records and were used to predict the future.
They also used pictographs which were used as their
alphabet.
Shang Equipment
• The Shang dynasty became experts using bronze for
weapons, pots, cups, forms of arts, and tools.
Zhou Dynasty
• The Zhou dynasty over threw the Shang dynasty,
according to the Zhou it was the Mandate of Heaven.
The Zhou dynasty ruled for the interest of the people
and ruler was the Son of Heaven.
Zhou Dynasty
• The Zhou dynasty governed its land by making family
members the head of regions. This lead to some of those
members joining invaders around 771 BCE. Even though
the Zhou survived it led to more fighting between
warlords.
Zhou Dynasty
• The fighting between the warlords led to huge wars
between 475-221 BCE causing millions to die and led to
end of the Zhou dynasty. The last Zhou ruler was
overthrown in 256 BCE.
Zhou Society
• The Zhou dynasty adopted a lot of the Shang culture but
stopped human sacrifices and using oracle bones. The
population consisted of mostly peasants, merchants,
artisans, and slaves.
Zhou Society
• The leaders of the Zhou regions were nobles. The Zhou
dynasty also put a lot of importance on family, older
members had more power and men ruled over women.
Zhou Technology
• The Zhou dynasty created new weapons and tools such
as crossbows and iron tools and weapons. The new tools
really helped the economy through farming, creating new
roads and the use of coins.
Zhou Arts
• During the Zhou dynasty Zhou poets and artist became
important because warlords saw them as wise men who
could help them as they ruled.
Beliefs of Ancient China
• The Chinese believed that spirits lived in heaven and on
earth. The sun, moon, stars and storms spirits lived in
heaven ad spirits on earth lived in hills, rivers, rocks, and
seas.
Beliefs of Ancient China
• Chinese believed good spirits brought rain, happiness,
and help sailors on the sea and bad spirits hid in houses
bringing bad luck to whoever lived there.
Beliefs of Ancient China
• China’s most important spirits were their ancestors as
they believed if they take care of their ancestors then the
ancestors would take care of them. To honor ancestors
Chinese gave food, created shrines, inscribed tablets and
burnt spirit money.
Use of Confucianism
• Confucius is known as China’s first teacher. He believe
that greed and cruelty led to China’s downfall so he
worked to teach the traditions of the early Zhou dynasty.
Use of Confucianism
• Confucius open a Zhou school where students recorded
his teaching on analects and the students also taught
others what they learned.
Use of Confucianism
• Confucius taught and believe success lied in stable order
and he used the 5 Relationships:
• Ruler to Subject, Father to Son, Husband to Wife,
Older to Younger, Friend to Friend
Use of Daoism
• Daoism grew during the many wars in China and
emphasized simple and natural existence. Daoism was
said to be created by Laozi and he wrote the Dao De Jing
but historians don’t know if he lived.
Use of Daoism
• Daoism reflected Yin & Yang, Ying was dark, cool, quiet,
and female and Yang was bright, warm, active and male.
Daoism also believed good leaders took little action and
people live simple lives didn’t focus on morals and rituals.