Download Chapter 6 Guided Notes

Chapter 6 Ancient China Guided Notes
Name ___________________________ Date _______________ Class _____
Section 1: Geography Shapes Ancient China
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Geographic Features of China
o Isolated by Barriers
 The huge __________________ chains, vast deserts, and large bodies of water acted as
barriers between China and other lands making the spread of ideas and goods difficult
o Two River System
 Two major rivers flow to the Pacific, the ________________ River and the ___________
_____ River
 Between these two rivers is where most ancient Chinese _________________ was done
o A Varied Climate
 Just like in the United States, the climate _______________
 Western China is _______, Northeast China has cold winters and warm summers, and
Southern China has mild winters and hot, _________________ summers
The Shang Dynasty
o Shang Kings
 The Shang family took control and set up a dynasty around 1766 BC and claimed to rule
with the ______________ permission
o Shang Families
 Believed the spirits of ancestors could bring good fortune, and __________________ for
family and ancestors was important
o Developing Language
 Began by scratches on ________________ bones which were used to ask questions of
the gods
 Eventually developed their own _______________________
 Pros: People could read the language without being able to speak it
 Cons: There were over _______________________ characters
The Zhou Dynasty
o The Zhou and the Dynastic Cycle
 Came from the northwest, and ________________________ many Shang ways
 They introduced the idea that the ruler had to have approval from the gods, and if the
ruler was bad his rule would be taken away (__________________________________)
o Zhou Government
 There was no strong ___________________ government, and regions were ruled by
lords who were loyal to the king
 As the lords’ power grew, they began fighting amongst themselves
o The Time of the Warring States
 In 771 BC, invaders destroyed the capital, killed the ___________, and took control
 The lords were still fighting amongst themselves in their own territories in a time that
came to be known as the __________________________________________________
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Section 2: China’s Ancient Philosophies
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Legalism
o Belief that a powerful, efficient _______________________ and a strict legal system are the
keys to social order
o Strict Laws and Harsh Punishments
 Human nature is ___________________ and people only do good when forced
 Government should pass strict laws to control the way people ____________________
o An Increase in Government Control
 Taught that rulers should ________________ people who carried out their duties well,
but they _______________________ punishments more than rewards
 Example: Legalists thought that people who did not report lawbreakers should
be executed
 Legalists did not want people to __________________ about or question government
and wanted those people _______________________.
 Wanted to burn _____________ that contained different ideas
Confucianism
o Developed by a man named Confucius whose teachings were collected into a book called the
________________________.
o The Five Relationships
 Each had its own __________________ and its own code of proper conduct
 Father and son, elder brother and younger brother, __________________ and wife,
friend and friend, ruler and _________________.
o Proper Conduct
 Began at home; parents should be treated with respect (_______________________)
 Rulers should live correctly and treat his subjects with respect
o The Impact of Confucianism
 Helped people find ways to avoid ____________________ and live peacefully
 Laid the groundwork for fair and skilled government leaders
Daoism
o Created by ________________ in the 500s BC
o The Way
 The Way, or Dao, guides all things, but humans do not live in ___________________
with this force
 Each person should learn to live in harmony with nature & his/her inner feelings
 More concerned with ___________________ order than __________________ order
o Following the Way
 Accepted things as they were, did not try to change things
 Tried to understand nature and live in harmony with its _________________
 Yin and Yang: represents natural rhythms of life
 Black = cold, ________________, mysterious
 White = warm, __________________, and light
 Complement each other
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Pursued scientific studies in astronomy and ________________________.
Section 3: The Qin and the Han
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The Qin Unified China
o A Legalistic Ruler
 Ruler Shi Huangdi began ending battles between warring states in 221 BC
 He believed in ______________________ and tried to wipe out Confucianism,
__________________ his critics and burning books that contained ideas he disliked
o Uniting China
 Strong central government and weakened China’s noble families
 Built _____________________ and irrigation projects; standard weights, measures,
coins, and writing
 Forced peasants to work and set high __________________
o The Great Wall
 Built by peasants and criminals; meant to keep out _______________________ invaders
from the north
o The Qin Dynasty Ends
 Shi Huangdi died in 210 BC and was buried in an elaborate tomb that contained an army
of ________________________________ soldiers
The Han Dynasty
o Founded by Liu Bang, who _______________________ the son of Shi Huangdi
o Han Government
 Kept strong central government but _______________ taxes and lessened punishments
 Set up a bureaucracy where people were ___________________ and chosen to run
various government offices
o Empress Rules
 Liu Bang’s widow, Empress Lu, retained power through her _________________ after
the death of her husband
o Expanding and Unifying an Empire
 Wudi came to power after Empress Lu and expanded China through ________________
 Encouraged conquered people to _____________________ to Chinese culture, and sent
farmers to tend the land and marry conquered people
 Maintained a strong, ________________ government despite rebellions, peasant
revolts, floods, famines, and economic disasters
Life in Han China
o Daily Life in Han China
 Most worked on farms and lived in ___________________ nearby in one- or two-story
mud houses
 Rich farmers had oxen to pull their plows, ______________ farmers pulled their own
plows; both had simple tools
 Simple clothing and sandals, which could be stuffed like a _____________ in colder
months
o City Living
 Centers of trade, education, and _______________________
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Merchants, _________________________, and government officials lived there
Section 4: The Legacy of Ancient China
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The Silk Roads
o A Trans-Eurasian Link
 Overland trade routes were called Silk Roads, and because they connected _______
continents they were considered trans-Eurasian
 Traders would travel for ____________ carrying silk, paper, jade, and pottery to trade
for sesame seeds, oil, metals, precious stones, and horses
o Cultural Diffusion
 Ideas and cultural customs were also shared on the Silk Roads; this spread of ideas and
customs is called ________________________________
o The Spread of Buddhism
 Buddhist ________________________ entered China along the Silk Road and
introduced the religion to the Chinese people
 Buddhism was _______________________ to fit better with Chinese traditions
Influential Ideas and Beliefs
o Standards set by ___________________________ are still significant in China today and spread
to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam
o ______________ became a religion in China, but did not spread to other areas
o Together, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism make up the major religions or ethical systems
that have influenced Chinese life.
 Most people’s beliefs included elements of all ________________
Chinese Inventions and Discoveries
o Agricultural Improvements
 Made life ________________ for farmers and made more grain available
 Improved plow, iron tools, collar harness for horses, ______________________, and
water mills
o Paper
 Made from a mixture of old rags, mulberry tree bark, and fibers from the hemp plant
 Prior to the invention of paper, writing took place on silk or on ______________
o Silk
 Beautiful and long lasting, for about ____________ years only the Chinese knew how to
make silk
 Silk allowed the Chinese to get gold and silver from _______________________ lands