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(Front of book)
Ancient
China
Huang He River
Valley
(Student Name)
Number
the pages of your
book in the bottom corner
China’s History

Existed 800 years before
records

Politically unstable

Wars gave way to
Confucianism and Taoism

As China began to
stabilize, agriculture &
trade improved

Stability = Dynasties
Shang – first dynasty
~1750 B.C. to 1045 B.C.
 Most
people were farmers in Huang
He River Valley
 King most powerful person-political,
religious and military leader
 Warriors, riding horse-drawn chariots,
went to war
 Made cloth from silk and flax
Polytheistic
 Shang Ti=supreme god
Honored
ancestors
 Made offerings
Chinese Writing
Use pictographs and ideographs
ORACLE BONES – used to predict
the future
BRONZE AGE – tools and
weapons were made of bronze
Put these definitions in the back
of your book under vocabulary

Pictographs- characters that represent
objects; based on pictures

Ideographs-a symbol that represents a
thing or idea; link two or more
pictographs
Zhou dynasty –
~1045 B.C.-256 B.C.
the longest dynasty (800 years)

Most people were farmers – some
people were slaves

SILK –important product of the Zhou
economy

New system of money encouraged trade
and economy thrived
Zhou dynasty

Government started projects including
flood control, irrigation, canal building

Huge walls built around towns to keep out
nomadic people

IRON used for farm tools and weapons

more people became scholars, teachers,
and government officials

GOLDEN AGE
Zhou dynasty

Kings governed
 Led the government and represented the
people before the gods
 Claimed the right to rule because they had
the Mandate of Heaven
 King must rule by the proper “Way” or Dao

Dynasty ended due to the “Period of the
Warring States”
On page 21 add these definitions

Ancestors-long dead family members

Mandate of Heaven- the belief that the
Chinese king’s right to rule came from the
gods

Dao-Chinese belief system that describes
how one must rule

Aristocrats-people of noble birth whose
wealth came from the land they owned

Bureaucracy-officials who carry out the
tasks of government

Hereditary-having a title or possession
by reason of birth
Title: Period of Warring States
 On
page 4 of your booklet
write a paragraph of at least 5
sentences summarizing the
events that led to the wars and
how these wars led to the fall
of the Zhou dynasty. You can
use the WAR BETWEEN THE
STATES on page 285 for
details.
Add these definitions to your
vocabulary section on page 21

Philosophies-the study of the basic
ideas about society, education and right
and wrong

Confucianism-a system of beliefs based
on the teachings of Confucian

Turn to page 289 in your textbook
#1s Read Lives of the Aristocrats
#2s Read Lives of the Farmers
#3s Read Lives of the Artisans and Merchants
#4s Read What Were Chinese Families Like?
Write a summary of the section you read to share with
your group.
The First Emperor

1. The Tiger of Qin’s real name was ___________________.

2. Under Qin Shi Huangdi, seven feudal states were
______________.

3. The first Emperor ordered that books be burned in order to erase
his enemies’ ________________.

4. Qin was obsessed with finding herbs of __________________.

5. Qin’s Terra-cota Army was discovered by
___________________.
Qin dynasty – the first emperor

SHI HUANGDI becomes the “first emperor”

Qin divided into 36 provinces

Government more centralized

Systems of money and weights and
measures were standardized
Qin dynasty

GREAT WALL OF CHINA built by
connecting existing walls

Shi Huangdi wanted control over what
people talked about and studied-burned
books

People revolted against this form of
government
Han dynasty – great advancements in China






GAOZU – first Han ruler; his name means
“High Ancestor”
Gaozu lifted ban on books imposed by Shi
Huangdi
WU DI – emperor after Gaozu
Wu Di taxed imported and exported trade
goods
Built new roads to improve transportation
Civil Service – the practice of using skills
and talents to work in the government
Han dynasty
Sima Qian wrote the first complete
history book on China
 Middlemen-between buyers & sellers
 Inventions – porcelain, paper, ink
 Silk Road only land connection with the
rest of the world (trade route)
 China exported silk and porcelain

Silk Road-Purpose





Linked Eastern China with Europe (4,000 miles)-sometimes
dangerous
Allowed for major trade between several civilizations
Traded grapes, figs, cucumbers, walnuts, glass, cotton cloth,
silk cloth
Allowed ideas to cross cultural barriers (through people
exchange)
Extremely important to China’s History! (traded ideas, goods, religion)
China Flourishes
 China
began to unify under the new rule of
Dynasties.
 Dynasty: a ruling family
 - the basis for all of China’s accomplishments was
established during these periods of relative political
stability which led to improved agriculture and trade
Silk trade brings wealth, becomes a symbol for
ancient China
 Art = poetry, porcelain, painting, calligraphy

IMPROVEMENTS:
 Required to pass a civil service exam to
work in the government
 4 Great Inventions:
 Gunpowder
 Woodblock printing
 Paper
 Compass

 The seismograph also originated during
this time period
Confucianism - Origins

China during the
Zhou Dynasty

After the end of
feudalism, crime was
rampant and
Confucius spoke of
returning to the moral
standards of the
ancients.
Confucianism - Founder

Kung Fu-Tzu (Confucius) 551-479 BCE
Confucianism – Principles and Teachings

NOT a religion, but rather an ethical
code dealing with the moral character of
individuals, society, and government.

Primary goals are:
 Order
 Harmony
 Peace
 Happiness on Earth
Confucianism – Principles and Teachings

The Five Relationships:
1. Parent-Child: Kindness in the father and obedient
2.
3.
4.
5.
devotion in the son
Husband-Wife: Righteous behavior in the
husband and obedience in the wife
Elder sibling-Younger sibling: Gentility in the
eldest sibling and humility in the younger
Elder friend-Younger friend: Humane
consideration in elders and deference in juniors
Ruler-Subject: Benevolence in rulers and loyalty
of ministers and subjects
Confucianism - Diffusion

Spread by followers of Confucius as they
became part of the government.

Ideas eventually formed the basis for the civil
service exam in China and the foundation for
Chinese education.

Also spread to Korea and Japan
Taoism (Daoism) - Origins

Grew from ancient
Chinese philosophies

Came from a reaction
to the spread of
Confucianism and
Buddhism
Taoism (Daoism) - Founder

Lao-Tse
Taoism (Daoism) –
Principles and Teachings

Tao (Dao) means “The Way” or “The Path”

Series of teachings that focuses on achieving
balance and harmony in the universe and in
one’s life

Places a great emphasis on nature as an
example of balance

Symbol = Yin/Yang (represents balance and
harmony)
Taoism (Daoism) –
Principles and Teachings

The Three Jewels
1. Compassion
2. Moderation
3. Humility

Text = Tao Te Ching
Taoism (Daoism) - Diffusion

Areas surrounding China

Incorporated into the teachings and
beliefs of several philosophies and
religions
 Buddhism
 Shintoism