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Guided Notes
Mrs. Watts Eastern Hemisphere
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China covers an area of nearly 4 million square miles,
about the same size as the United States.
One of the physical barriers that separates China from
its neighbors is a harsh desert, the Gobi Desert. It
spreads over much of China’s north.
East of the Gobi are low-lying plains. These plains,
which cover most of eastern China, form one of the
world’s largest farming regions.
China’s northeastern and eastern section receive more
rain fall
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Two great rivers flow from west to east in
China. 1-The Huang He, or Yellow River,
stretches for nearly 3,000 miles across northern
China.
To the south, the Chang Jiang, or Yangzi
River, cuts through central China. It flows from
the mountains of Tibet to the Pacific Ocean.
The Chang Jiang is the longest river in Asia
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Because the rivers run east to west, this tells us
that the mountain ranges run east to west.
Because the rivers descend from the
mountains.
When the rivers flood it leaves behind silt
As a result, people began to grow crops in the
rich soil
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According to ancient stories, a series of kings
ruled early China. Around 2200 BC one of
them, Yu the Great, is said to have founded
the Xia (SHAH) dynasty
Writers told of terrible floods during Yu’s
lifetime. According to these accounts, Yu dug
channels to drain the water to the ocean.
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Archaeologists have not yet found evidence
that the tales about the Xia are true. However,
the stories of Xia rulers were important to the
ancient Chinese because they told of kings who
helped people solve problems by working
together. The stories also explained the
geography that had such an impact on people’s
lives.
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The first dynasty for which we have clear
evidence is the Shang, which was firmly
established by the 1500s BC. Strongest in the
Huang He Valley, the Shang ruled a broad area
of northern China. Shang rulers moved their
capital several times, probably to avoid floods
or attack by enemies.
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Social order in China became more organized
during the Shang Dynasty
The social order in the Shang dynasty consisted
of nobles, artisans, farmers, and slaves
Technology advanced during the Shang period
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Shang writing has been found on thousands of
cattle bones and turtle shells.
Priests had carved questions about the future
on bones or shells, which were then heated,
causing them to crack. The priests believed
they could “read” these cracks to predict the
future. Another word for prediction is oracle.
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The Shang were the first people in China to
develop a writing system
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Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other
Chinese dynasty.
According to the Zhou Kings heaven gave
them the power to lead
Land ownership was an important part of the
Zhou politics.
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Stated that moral leadership, not laws, would
bring order to china.
This meant that leaders should act decently
and always try to do the right thing
Confucius teachings teachings are compiled
into a book called “The Analects”
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The most famous Daoist teacher is Laozi
Believed that all people should live in harmony
with nature.
Daosim shares many similarities with
Buddhism in that they both emphasize peace
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Shi Huangdi was the leader of the Qin Dynasty
and named himself “ first emperor”
Shi Huangdi had the Great wall of China built
for protection.
Shi Huangdi was a follower of legalism and he
created a government with strict laws
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The Qin Dynasty practiced Legalism. Which
meant strict laws and punishments in order to
make people follow the rules.
One example or a punishment was making the
axle of your cart the wrong length.
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The Qin Dynasty affected China by making
China strengthening China and making China
more unified.
It did this through the standardization of
money and writing system
Despite many improvements during the Qin
Dynasty, people resent the Qin government
because of how harsh it was.
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Liu Bang was the first emperor during the Han
Dynasty and he was one of the first
commoners, or a peasant, who rose to become
an emperor.
He ruled moderately and reasonably.
The Han Dynasty is often known as the Golden
Age of China
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Another ruler during the Han Dynasty was
Wudi.
Wudi implemented Confucianism in the Han
Dynasty and this meant honoring ones family
was important
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To create a strong central government, Wudi
took land from the Lords and raised taxed.
This made the Lords angry because their land
was taken away
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During the Han dynasty, Chinese painters
became experts at painting figures
Some technology that was improved during
this dynasty was the iron plow and wheel
barrow which allowed the Chinese to till more
land and raise more crops
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The silk road developed during the Han
Dynasty. It was a 4,000 mile long trade route
that began in China and ended at the
Mediterranean sea.
Because of China’s trade with Rome, China
became wealthy