Download Geography and Early China

Geography
and Early China
Chapter 6: Section 1
Pages 160-165
China’s Physical Geography
 China has many different geographical features.
A Vast and Varied Land
 China is about the same size as the USA
 It has a large desert in the North called the Gobi Desert
 To the east, there are a lot of plains (good for farming)
 To the west, there are rugged mountains
 There is a small mountain range that separates northern
and southern China
 Weather patterns are very different throughout China
The Rivers of China
Huang He River:
•
•
•
•
also known as the Yellow River
stretches across Northern China
it floods often
Sometimes it is called
China’s Sorrow because the
floods can be dangerous
The silt
makes it
look
yellow
The Rivers of China
Chang Jiang River:
•
•
•
also known as the Yangzi River
stretches through Central China
it is the longest river in Asia
•
In early China, these 2 rivers helped
link people in the east and west
Question: Why would it be significant to have the east and west linked?
Map Activity
Use your textbook
to label the China
Map
It must be neat and
colorful
Due on Wednesday
Civilization Begins
The first people settled along the rivers and
formed villages
The Development of Farming
 Farming started along the
Huang He and Chang Jiang Rivers.
 The floods made the land fertile.
 These farms date back to 7000 BC.
 They grew rice and wheat for food.
 They also fished and hunted for food.
Early Settlements
 Early homes were built partially
underground and had straw roofs.
 Some villages had walls surrounding them for defense.
 There were several cultures that developed.
 Around 3000 BC, they developed pottery wheels.
 Scholars study burial sites:
 In the tombs they often found containers of food and jewelry
 Many objects were made from jade, a hard gemstone.
China’s First Dynasties
Xia Dynasty
Around 2200 BC an early civilization
formed in China
The founder was Yu the Great
He founded the Xia Dynasty
He is known for helping his people during the
floods.
He dug water drains out to the ocean
Much of what
scholars know
of the Xia Dynasty
is from legends
China’s First Dynasties
Shang Dynasty
 Established around 1500 BC
 They ruled in Northern China
 The king ruled political and religious life
 He had nobles as advisors
 Higher class people lived in the cities
 Artisans lived outside the cities’ walls
 Farmers lost most of what they earned by paying taxes
 The Shang created China’s first writing system
 Over 2,000 symbols
 Chinese symbols today are based off of these
 They carved into bones - They made predictions on these bones called
oracles