Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
LEARNING ABOUT CHINA THROUGH ITS ANCIENT TOMB CULTURE Grade Level This lesson is intended for grades 3, 4, or 5. Objective To develop an understanding of Chinese culture by looking at artifacts found in China's ancient tombs. Concepts: • Tomb: A grave; a room or building for housing a dead body. • Dynasty: A series of imperial rulers belonging to the same family. Key Ideas: • China has the world’s oldest living civilization; its written history goes back about 4,000 years. • We can find out a lot about the Chinese people by looking at artifacts recovered by archaeologists from excavated tombs. • During the Shang dynasty (1750-1040 BCE), ritual funerals were held for kings where all of their worldly possessions were buried along with human and animal sacrifices. • China’s history is divided into dynasties, members of the same family that ruled the country. Since Qin Shi Huangdi (r. 221-210 BCE), the first emperor of China, China has been ruled by dynasties that succeeded each other, except for a few periods when competing dynasties controlled different parts of the empire at the same time. • When archeologists uncovered the burial complex of Qin Shi Huangdi, just east of modern-day Xian, they found over 7,000 life-sized terra-cotta warriors, all in full fighting gear, and arranged in battle formation. • From the Han dynasty (206 BCE-CE 220) on, clay figures representing servants, entertainers, and animals replaced the sacrificed humans and animals. Han tombs were richly furnished and the walls were covered with fine paintings showing happy scenes of dancing, entertainment, meals, and processions. Dynasty Time Period Important Characteristics Hsia (Xia) Rice cultivation, Dynasty potter’s 2200 BCE wheel, early f Rice production, potter's wheel, early (Unsubstantiated forms of ancestor worship archaeologically) Shang Dynasty 1750 BCE Zhou (Chou)Dynasty 1100 BCE Qin Dynasty 221 BCE Han Dynasty 206 BCE Three Kingdoms 220 BDE Sui Dynasty Tang Dynasty 581 CE 618 CE. Sung Dynasty 960 CE Yuan Dynasty 1271 CE Ming Dynasty 1368 CE Qing Dynasty 1644 CE Materials: Bronze casting, horse-drawn chariots, silk produced, jade carvings, royal burials, earliest Chinese writing, historical records written on tortoise shells, invention of chopsticks Iron tools and weapons, Confucius introduces his theories, writing brush used; stirrups introduced Central political power established, Great Wall begun, weights and measures standardized, coinage value made uniform, Chinese written language codified, road network extended and a standard width for cart axles mandated, philosophical books burned Cultural advances in poetry and art, Legalism replaced by Confucianism, which becomes state religion, beginning of examination system, Buddhism introduced, paper invented, kites first flown, seismograph invented, Silk Road opens, population reaches almost 60 million China is divided into Three Kingdoms held by the kings Wei, Shu, and Wu, Buddhism grows in influence, wheelbarrow invented China is reunified Great flowering of art and culture, China open to foreign influences, woodblock printing, multicolor ceramics, landscape painting becomes distinct art form Magnetic compass invented, gunpowder used in fireworks and military signals, bird and flower paintings Foreign travel banned, Great Wall extended Capital moves to Beijing, blue-and-white porcelain, art and literature flourish, voyages of Admiral Zheng He, population grows to 250 million Red and green pottery glazes develop, Peking (Beijing) Opera established. Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Cock (Capricorn), c.525, CMA 1972.76.10 Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Dog (Aquarius), c.525, CMA 1972.76.11 Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Boar (Pisces), c.525, CMA 1972.76.12 Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Rat (Aries), c.525, CMA 1972.76.1 Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Ox (Taurus), c.525, CMA 1972.76.2 Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Tiger (Gemini), c.525, CMA 1972.76.3 Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Hare (Cancer), c.525, CMA 1972.76.4 Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Dragon (Leo), c.525, CMA 1972.76.5 Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Serpent (Virgo), c.525, CMA 1972.76.6 Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Horse (Libra), c.525, CMA 1972.76.7 Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Sheep (Scorpio), c.525, CMA 1972.76.8 Mortuary Figure of the Zodiac Sign: Monkey (Sagittarius), c.525, CMA 1972.76.9 Grave Figure, Tang Dynasty, CMA 1928.285 Grave Figure, Tang Dynasty, CMA 1928.286 Grave Figure, Tang Dynasty, CMA 1928.287 Grave Figure, Tang Dynasty, CMA 1928.288 Grave Figure, Tang Dynasty, CMA 1928.289 Grave Figure, Tang Dynasty, CMA 1928.290 Funerary Object (Mingqi): Dog, 25-220, CMA 1983.1 Court Lady With High Chignon (Tomb Figurine), 2nd half 7th century, CMA 1983.25 Court Lady With Tall Headdress (Tomb Figurine), 2nd half 7th century, CMA 1983.24 Female Dancer: (Tomb Figurine), 2nd half 7th century, CMA 1983.26 Female Attendant (Tomb Figurine), c. 2nd century BCE, CMA 1983.6 Hollow Tile: Column From Tomb Chamber Doorway, 2nd century, CMA 1915.68 Tomb Guardian With Animal Head, late 7th or early 8th century, CMA 2000.118.1 Tomb Guardian With Human Face, late 7th or early 8th century, CMA, 2000.118.2 Pillow (Tz’u-chou Ware), 960-1127, CMA 1964.431 What Life Was Like in The Land Of The Dragon: Imperial China AD 960-1368. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1998 Tianchou, Fu (ed.), The Underground Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. San Francisco: China Books & Periodicals, 1985. Poster board for each student Art materials, such as markers, crayons, colored pencils, stencils Paper/pencils for enrichment activity “Cue cards” that list each dynasty Procedure 1. Before you share the artifacts from tombs, you will need to introduce the dynasties of China to the students. 2. Place the name of each dynasty on a large cue card and ask for volunteer students to arrange themselves in order, forming a human time line of Chinese dynasties. 3. Discuss the characteristics of each dynasty briefly. 4. Show the artifacts from the Cleveland Museum of Art and indicate to which dynasty each belongs. 5. Share the book, The Underground Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Discuss the time it must have taken to make the army, and why would the emperor want a tomb like that. 6. Have each student make a poster of what he or she would want placed in a tomb-if he or she were a Chinese emperor. What would they want to be known for? What do they think is important? Refer to the tombs that you’ve discussed. Evaluation A. Have students create their own time line of Chinese dynasties and list important facts about each dynasty. Ohio State Standards Social Studies Benchmark 3-5 Program Compare practices and products of North American cultural groups. Social Studies Benchmark 3-5 Program Construct a time line to demonstrate an understanding of units of time and chronological order. This lesson was developed by Tonya Salisbury, 4th grade teacher, Emerson World Languages and Cultures Elementary Magnet School, Westerville, Ohio