Download Chapter 5: Ancient China (Notes and Study Guide)

Name :_______________________
Section: ________________
Teacher: _______________
By the end of this chapter you will be able to…
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Identify key geographic features of Ancient China and explain their effect on the
civilization.
Explain the importance of family ties in early Chinese society.
Understand how the Chinese people believed rulers came to power.
Describe the life of Confucius and how it influenced his teachings and the development of
Confucianism.
Explain the influence Confucianism had on Chinese society.
Compare and contrast the Qin and Han Dyansties of Ancient China, including the rulers of
each and what life was like in China during these time periods.
Explain the importance of the Silk Road.
Describe the advances in technology that were made in China during the Han dynasty.
Remember that for each civilization we study you should understand…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What affect did physical geography have on the civilization?
What historical accomplishments are they known for?
What were their beliefs and values?
What forms of government did they have?
How did they develop an economic system?
Chapter 5 vocabulary
loess:
dike:
extended family:
Confucius:
philosophy:
civil service:
Shi Huangdi:
currency:
Liu Bang:
Wudi:
warlord:
Silk Road:
silk:
Sima Qian:
Lesson 5.1
The Geography of China’s River Valleys
p. 138-143
1. Why do the Chinese often use the symbol of
a dragon in many of their logos, images, etc?
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
The Geography of Ancient China
2. Due to the large size of China, the landscape and climate ___________ greatly.
3. The ___________ China plain is located in _______ Asia has a __________
rainy season that are caused by the _________, however is generally a very
______ area.
4. The ____________ climate however is warm and _______ due to its long
___________ season.
5. The Chinese called themselves the ____________________ because they
thought that they lived in the center of the world, isolated from others around
them because of the surrounding _____________ and ____________.
6. Like the other Ancient civilizations studied, China’s first settlements developed
along the ____________.
7. China’s Huang River (also known as the ________ River) is the second longest
river in China, behind only the __________ River, the longest River in China.
a. It is called the Yellow River because of the ___________ deposits, or
the __________-brown soil. (Label the Huang River on the Map above!)
i. The Chinese used the land along the river to grown ____________
(type of grain).
b. As often as every ____ years the river could flood and change its course
because of how strong the current was.
i. To help control the flood waters the Chinese built ________ to
hold back the flood waters.
The Early Civilization in China
8. The _________ dynasty was the first civilization in China and built the first
____________ as well as made some of the finest _________ work of ancient
China and the first Chinese ___________ system.
9. To the west of the Shang Dynasty, the __________ Dynasty developed and
would eventually go on to conquer the ___________. They would rule for
about 1,000 years until the ________ dynasty emerges.
10. The Chinese believe that their rulers come to power because of _________, or
fate.
a. This idea is know as the _________________________.
Importance of the Family
11. The ___________ was the center of Chinese society, considered far more
important than the ________________ or even the entire nation.
12. Since the family was so important, as many as _____ generations lived in the
same household. (That would mean you live with your _________-_________
grandparents!)
a. If your family was rich you would all live in _____ large home, if you were
poor however (like most people) you would all live in separate
_____________________ within walking distance of each other.
13. The person in charge of the family was the ___________ male.
a. He decided who would __________ his children and grandchildren, as
well as the ____________ for disrespect.
b. After the head of the family died, his _________ was divided among his
________ and each started their own household.
14. Women were considered ________ class than men.
a. They had to obey 3 rules:
i. Obey their _________ when they were young
ii. Obey their _________ when married
iii. Obey their _________ if their husbands died.
b. What do you notice about who the women had to obey? _____________
15. The Chinese are the first people to use ____________ names, passed down
through the generations.
16. The family name is equivalent to our __________ name, however in Chinese
society it comes first.
a. If you were from China, what would your name be? _________________
Lesson 5.2
Confucius and His Teachings
p. 146-150
1. Confucius was a famous Chinese ______________ and
_______________.
The Life of Confucius
2. Confucius loved learning and was mostly ________ taught.
3. Although Confucius strived to be a member of the Chinese
________________, he ended up becoming a teacher
instead.
4. Confucius charged students a ________ to take his classes.
(Read the quote from Confucius on pg. 147). Based on this
quote, why do you think he charged students to take his
classes? _______________________________________
___________________________________________________________
5. Two reasons that Confucius though that his life was a failure were because he
never became an important _______________ official and he never
___________________________________________________.
a. Do you think Confucius’ life was a failure? Yes or No (circle one)
Why? __________________________________________________
The Teachings of Confucius
6. Confucius felt his role as a teacher was to pass on the ____________ of wise
people from an __________________.
7. He hoped that through his teachings he could bring ____________,
______________, and _________________ to China.
8. Confucianism is a ______________ made up of the sayings of
__________________ that were recorded by his _____________.
a. Confucianism is also a ___________ for some people. (look ahead in
reading!)
9. Confucius hoped to persuade China’s rulers to _________________________
___________________________________________________________.
10. Who did Confucius believe was responsible for setting a good example?
_____________________________ What did he think would result from
their good example? ____________________________________________
11. Confucius taught that people should respect those both ________ and
________ them and know their place in their family and in ___________.
12. Confucius’ “golden rule” was ______________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
13. Describe the religious traditions of ancient China. _____________________
___________________________________________________________
The Influence of Confucius
14. On which members of the Chinese government did Confucius’s teachings have a
impact? ________________ Why? _______________________________
_____________________________________________
15. The civil service is a group of people who ____________________________
_________________________________________________.
16. After the idea of Confucius took hold, government positions were based on
_________, that is how __________ the person was or how ________ they
did at their job.
a. Those who agree with the idea of reward based on merit would
argue that it is a good system because __________________
_______________________________________________
b. Those who disagree with the idea of reward based merit would
argue _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________
17. In order to become a member of the government one had to pass an exam
based on the teachings of _________________.
18. Why was it difficult for poor men to work in the civil service? ____________
__________________________________________________________
Lesson 5.3
Warring Kingdoms Unite
p. 151-155
1. In 1974 ___________ discovered a terracotta __________, which had kept watch over
the tomb of _________________________,
China’s first emperor.
a. Using his army, he intended to rule a second ___________ in the afterlife.
The Qin Dynasty
2. Before Shi Huangdi’s time as ruler, _________ was divided into ____ warring
kingdoms.
3. Complete the chart below about the Qin Dynasty:
Dynasty’s name
 Shi Huagdi’s original name
was _____________ and
he ruled the ________
people in western China.
 Shi Huangdi means “____
___________.”
 The Qin dynasty is
sometimes spelled _____
which is where we get the
name China.
Main Accomplishments
 In order to strengthen the empire Shi Huangdi used strong and
________ rule to protect the _________.
 Shi Huangdi ordered the largest ______________ project in
Chinese history: the _______________________.
*The wall was hoped to end
___________ wars.
*The wall really connected
preciously ________________ walls
*It took ________ years to build
*It is now about ___________ miles long
 Emperor put thousands of __________ to work building ______
which would allow his _______ to rush to the scene of uprisings.
 Shi Huangdi divided China into ____________, each with is own
________________ run by the emperor’s trusted officials.
 Shi Huangdi declared that one type of _________ would be used
throughout China, which made ______ easier within the country.
 New system of weights and measures, improved ___________
system, and ____________ were also created.
Unifying the Economy and Culture
4. Ideas of ____________ and other important thinkers were outlawed, and were
replaced by the ________________ of the Qin scholars.
a. The Qin believed all people should be __________________ for bad
behavior and rewarded for ___________ behavior.
5. Shi Huangdi ordered that all books be burned in China unless they addressed
________, ______________, and ______________.
a. If you protested Shi Huangdi had you killed.
6. The dynasty only lasted _____ years and fell apart after ___________ death.
Examine the Rise and Fall of Chinese Dynasties Diagram:
7. Why do Dynasties Fall? _________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
8. Why might a dynasty become weaker as it grows larger? _________________
___________________________________________________________
The Han Dynasty
9. In 202 B.C. _________________ became emperor after helping to overthrow
the __________ dynasty.
a. He became the ____________ emperor of the Han dynasty and was less
_________ than Shi Huangdi
10. _________ came to power in 140 B.C. and took the dynasty to its height. He
was Liu Bang’s _____________________.
11. Complete the chart below about the Han Dynasty:
Dynasty’s name
Han
(under ruler Liu Bang)
Han
(under ruler Wudi)
Main Accomplishments
 Stable _____________ that lasted for about 400 years
 Civil _________ system set up based on _______________
 Improvements were made to the ________________.
 The army was ___________________
 Expanded the borders of China
12. After __________ death, the empire began to weaken under new emperors
and people within the government struggled for power.
a. Roads and ____________ began to fall apart.
b. As ruler of emperors weakened, _______________ gained power.
i. In AD 220 the Han dynasty came to an end and was replaced with
the ___________________, which would end within 50 years and
result in China being broken into smaller ____________.
Lesson 5.4
Achievements of Ancient China
p. 158-162
1. Silk Road: _________________
_________________________
_________________________
The Silk Road
2. As emperor Wudi expanded the empire west, the Chinese came into contact
with people of Central ________ who introduced the Chinese people to new
______________ such as grapes, walnuts, and garlic.
3. The silk road ran all the way from ___________ to the _________________.
(Circle these two locations on the map above!!)
4. Routes covered more than __________ miles through mountains and deserts.
(find the routes of the Silk Road on the map above!)
5. As goods traveled they were passed from trader to trader and the price went
________ each time. By the end of their journey goods were very ________.
6. Route got its name from the _______ silk, which was made in __________.
7. Goods were not the only things exchanged along the silk route, ____________
were also spread.
i. The ________________ religion from India was introduced to
______________ in this way.
Tradition and Learning
8. Rulers encouraged people to return to the teachings of ______________ to
bring back respect for traditions during the ________ dynasty.
9. Arts and ____________flourished under the Han dynasty.
i. ______________ and ________________ were created, and
____________ was studied
10. Until the Han dynasty people of China had little knowledge of their _______.
i. ____________________ spent his life writing the history of China in
Historical Records
Han Technology
11. Society improved under the Han dynasty because ______________ was
stable.
i. Significant advances in farming tools and other technologies
 Ex: __________________
 Ex: ___________________
 Ex: ___________________
 Ex: ___________________
12. Chinese were first people to use wooden scrolls and bones to keep _________
13. In AD 105 Chinese created ______________ which influenced the arts in
___________.
i. The use of paper spread across ____________ in the following centuries
and then into ____________ and replaced _______________.
Chapter 5 study guide
1. How did the physical geography of China effect its civilizations?
2. The first farming settlements in China developed where?
3. What was the center of early Chinese society?
4. What did Confucius believe about loyalty and respect towards the family?
5. What effect did Confucius’s teachings have on government jobs?
6. What is the main interest of the Chinese emperor Wudi?
7. What were the accomplishments of the Han dynasty?
8. What were the accomplishments of the Qin dynasty?
9. Describe the climate of northern and southern China.
10. What is the most important element of early Chinese life?
11. What was one of Shi Huangdi’s most famous accomplishments?
12. What was the silk road and what effect did it have on Chinese civilization?
13. What are some inventions of the Chinese people?
14. How long did it take to build the Great Wall of China? What was the purpose
of this project?
15. What was the clay army?
Make sure you are familiar with Confucius and his philosophy!!!!!