Download Unit 4 Lesson 6 Geography and Early China

Unit 4
Lesson 6
Geography and Early China
1. One of the physical barriers that separates China from its neighbors is a harsh
desert called the ___________________. (Gobi/Huang-He)
2. The _______________, or Yellow River, stretches for nearly 3,000 miles across
northern China. (Gobi/Huang-He)
3. Early Chinese filled tombs with food and other items, and the graves of many rich
people contained beautiful objects made of ___________________. (oracle/jade)
4. According to ancient stories the ______________ dynasty was founded by Yu the
Great, but archaeologists have not yet found evidence that these stories are true.
(Xia/Shang)
5. The _______________ dynasty made many advances, including China’s first
writing system. (Xia/Shang)
6. ______________ bones was the name given to the cattle bones that Chinese
priests believed they could “read” and predict the future. (oracle/jade)
7. The ____________ River cuts through central China and flows from the mountains
of Tibet to the Pacific Ocean. (Yangtze/Gobi)
8. The ___________________ River is sometimes called “China’s Sorrow” because it
often floods, which has resulted in the deaths of millions of people over the years.
(Yangtze/Huang-He)
9. China’s first writing system used ______________________, symbols that express
words or ideas. (pictographs/jade)
Generalization: Cultures in similar conditions often
develop in similar ways
Big Idea – Chinese civilization began with the
Shang dynasty along the Huang He.
The Land
- as large as the United States – 4 million square miles
- Gobi Desert
- covers most of northern China – separates China
- Eastern China Plain
- world’s largest farming region
- Mountains
- Plateau of Tibet
- Qinling Shandi – divides China north and south
- Rivers
- Huang He (Yellow River) northern China
- 3,000 miles
- often floods – sometimes called China’s Sorrow
- Chang Jiang or Yangzi River – central China
- longest river in Asia
- rivers connected east and west, but mountains separated north and
south
The Chang Jiang and the Huang He are the
third and fourth longest rivers in the world.
The two longest are in order, the Nile River in
Africa and the Amazon River in South America
1. Identify – What rivers begin in the high elevations of China?
2. Identify – What seas border China?
1. Identify – Where are semiarid and arid climates found in East Asia?
2. Contrast – Find the cities of Shanghai and Beijing in China. How are their climates different?
China’s Climate
- has a variety of climate zones
- northeast
- cold and dry
- northwest
- dry deserts
- eastern plains
- heavy rains
- southeast
- tropical, the countries wettest region
- subject to monsoons (up to 240 inches a year)
China’s Isolation – great distances, rugged
mountain ranges, and harsh deserts isolated
China from other civilization in India and
western Asia. As a result, China developed its
own unique culture. The Chinese did adopt
some ideas and skills from other peoples, but
they were influenced less by other cultures
than were any other people in ancient times
First Civilizations
- River Valley Civilization – as early as 7,000 BC
- Huang He – cereals such as millet and wheat
- Chang Jiang Rivers – rice
- hunting and fishing
- domesticated animals – pigs and sheep
-recall- how did the floods along the rivers help
the Chinese?
They deposited fertile silt, making the land
ideal for growing crops
Separate cultures developed in north and south
- Sanxingdui
- Hongshan
Early Advances
- pottery wheel
- religious ideas
- buried dead with goods
- class system
-explain- what information have burial sites
provided about the culture of early China?
Information about works of art differences in
social order, and possible belief in an afterlife
The Mummies of Urumqi – archaeologists
found very interesting burial sites in the Tarim
Basin in far western China in the 1970s. They
uncovered dozens of mummies whose origins
can be traced to about 2000 BC. Many of
these incredibly well-preserved mummies are
still dressed in the colorful clothing and
woolen hats they wore in life. What is truly
remarkable is that the mummies have
European facial features.
Xia Dynasty
- Yu the Great – around 2,200 BC
- legend about him created the major waterways of China while digging
channels to drain water to the ocean caused by floods
- currently no primary source evidence yet
Yu the Great – founder of Xia Dynasty
-describe-how do historians know about the
Xia dynasty?
Only through ancient stories
The Shang Dynasty
- 1,500 BC – first dynasty with primary source evidence
- Huang He Valley
- tools and weapons made from bronze gave them wealth and power
- moved capital to avoid flooding and attack from enemies
- government
- king both political and religious leader
- nobles served as king’s advisors and other lesser officials
Shang Social Order
- highest – royal family and nobles
- owned most land and passes wealth and power through
inheritance
- lived in large homes inside the cities
- regional warlords
- Artisans – middle level
- lived outside city walls
- groups based on occupations
- made weapons, pottery, tools and clothing
- low level – Farmers
- worked long hours
- most money went to taxes
- lowest – Slaves
- major source of labor
- make judgments – how difficult would daily
life have been for farmers during the Shang
dynasty?
Should include knowledge of how farmers
worked long and hard, had little money and
occupied a low social rank
Shang Achievements
- China’s first writing system
- over 2,000 symbols
- bronze containers and bronze casting
- pottery and porcelain
- jade objects
- war materials
- war chariots
- powerful bows
- bronze body armor
- astronomy
- calendar based on the cycles of the moon
-draw conclusions- what does the use of oracle
bones tell us about the early Chinese?
They believed in predicting the future and had
a written language.
Shang Dynasty
Government
kings ruled
nobles advised
Religion
king at the center of religion
priests used oracle bones to make predictions
Society
royal family/nobles at highest level
artisans at middle level
farmers, slaves at lower levels
Achievements:
writing system
use of bronze
calendar
war chariots and bows