Download Lesson 2: China`s Past

Lesson 2: China’s Past
Picturing Chinese History
—  Previous picture is from Anyang; writing on tortoise
shell
—  Early people made stone tools
—  China has longest lasting civilization
—  Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece are older, but
China’s culture has lasted throughout the ages
—  Remained mostly unified
Picturing Chinese History
—  Pictographs = written Chinese language
—  Represent words
—  Similarly written for thouseands of years
—  Makes it easier to interpret ancient writing
Shang Dynasty
1760 – 1500 BCE
—  Considered to be the 1st dynasty
Shang Tang
overthew
Xia ruler to
begin the
Shang Dynasty
Shang Dynasty
—  Farming was the way of life during this time
Shang Dynasty
—  Warriors rode in horse drawn chariots
Shang Dynasty
—  Began using Bronze to make tools and other items
because it was stronger than stone
Shang Dynasty
—  Anyang was the capital of the ancient settlement
—  Oracle bones were found here
—  What were they used for? What did they do to tell
the future?
Oracle Bones
Shang Dynasty
—  The first people in China to keep written records
What material did they use to make tools, weapons,
and other goods?
What was their main way of life?
THE LONGEST DYNASTY
—  The Zhou dynasty was the longest of any Chinese
dynasty.
—  Lasted from 1027 BCE until 221 BCE
—  Conquered the last ruler of the Shang Dynasty
—  There are two parts to this dynasty: The Western
and The Eastern
Western Zhou Dynasty
—  Capital = Hao (in Western China)
—  Farmers (wheat, rice, beans, fruit)
—  Slaves worked the land
—  Farmers had to give some of their food to the king
—  Women also helped to harvest food and silk
Western Zhou Dynasty
Western Zhou
—  Silk was very important
Western Zhou
Rice Field In China
Eastern Zhou Dynasty
—  Lasted from 770 to 221 BCE
—  The capital was Luoyang, in Eastern China
Eastern Zhou
—  Golden Age because
—  New system of money
—  Trade increased
—  Projects built to control flooding (irrigating, building
canals)
—  Walls built to keep out Nomads
—  Began using iron for tools. Why not stick with Bronze?
—  King’s power began to decrease because of wars, so
many people became scholars, teachers, and officials
—  New ways of thinking began
st
1
Emperor
Qin Dynasty
—  In 221, Qin (king of strongest state in China) became
Shi Huangdi
—  The name meant 1st emperor
—  1st time a leader was called an emperor since Xia
time (1700 BCE)
Qin Dynasty
—  Standardized money, weights, measurement. How
would this affect trade?
—  Great Wall of China built to protect from northern
invaders (look at p. 110 in teacher manual)
—  Didn’t like to be opposed
—  Wanted to control people
—  Banned books
—  People revolted
End of Qin Dynasty
—  Much different than the Zhou, this dynasty lasted
only 20 years
—  Ended when he died
HAN DYNASTY
—  Began in 206 BCE and lasted until 220 AD (or CE)
—  1st ruler was Han Gaozu = High ancestor
—  He got rid of Shi Huangdi’s ban on books
Han Dynasty
—  Wu Di became leader from 147 to 87 BC
—  Lands that belonged to princes and lords
—  He decided to tax goods that were imported or
exported
—  He had new roads built to make transportation better
—  Thought scholars and teachers were important
—  Civil Service was created under him: this is using
skills and talents to work in the government
—  People had to take exams to prove their ability to
perform their jobs in the government
Han Dynasty
—  Sima Qian (Soomoon chi-an) = a historian
—  He wrote the first complete book of Chinese history
—  Covered 3000 years
—  Understood that history should not just be written by
kings
Han Dynasty
—  Ban Zhao (jow)
—  She continued Sima Qian’s work
—  She wanted women to be educated
Han Dynasty Inventions
—  Middlemen: people who go between buyers and
sellers
—  Porcelain
—  Paper
—  Ink
Han Dynasty
—  Silk Road-multiple routes from Northern China
aross Asia to the Roman Empire