Download Travel Brochure for China

Travel Brochure for China
By Luna Ito-Fisher
Period 3
Come visit China,
the greatest civilization
on earth!
Read on for more about China’s
rich history and achievements.
Economy









In earlier times, Chinese bartered goods or traded lengths of silk.
Then merchants started making copper coins with holes in the
center. A string was put through about a thousand of the coins
and it was called cash.
Merchants started trading in cash more when trade increased
because it was easier to use money than barter.
At first the merchants started making their own paper certificates
and using them.
When the paper money became more widely used the
government took over and made the official paper money. They
used an engraved metal plate to print them.
This was the world’s first paper currency and as people started
using cash and paper money more a money economy developed.
The money economy required more jobs, like bankers and tax
collectors, so the merchant class grew very much from this.
The Chinese did not trade very much outside of the country
because they believed that the rest of the world had nothing to
offer them.
The first Europeans to get to China and trade with them were the
Portuguese in 1514. The Portuguese set up a trading station in
China and that is when China was able to make more contact with
the world.
One of the coins used in
a cash.
The paper money used.
Buddhism





Religion
Buddhism is the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama who is also known as the Buddha.
The Four Noble Truths that Buddhists learn are 1) all life is suffering and pain; 2) suffering and pain are caused by
desire for wealth, pleasure, fame, and power; 3) to end suffering one must overcome desire; 4) to overcome desire,
one must follow the Middle Way.
The Middle Way is following conduct and compassion to lead to calmness and the purity of the mind.
They believe in the reincarnation of the soul which means that your soul is reborn into a new body.
Buddhists work to stop wanting and desiring, so they can achieve nirvana and break the cycle of reincarnation.
Breaking the cycle lets them leave the world of suffering.
Confucianism





Kung Fu Zi, also known as Confucius, taught Confucianism.
They focus on good manners, respectfulness, education, and overall good behavior. He teaches a very practical
philosophy for life.
It all revolved around the five relationships to other people. These taught that people in authority have to respect
people below them, so the lower people follow their example and respect them.
Confucius wanted a very peaceful society.
In Confucianism scholars were highly respected because of their knowledge.
Daoism



Laozi was the first Daoist philosopher.
He taught that we should all live in harmony with nature and be balanced like nature. Nature goes with the flow
which Daoists call the Dao. Nature does not want fame, power, or knowledge.
Daoism teaches that you have to balance with the opposite force called yin and yang.
Similarities
 All of them think about harmony. Confucianism is harmony with society, Daoism is with nature, and Buddhism is
with your inner self.
Confucianism teaches repect with people, Daoism with nature, and Buddhism with compassion.
They all teach balance in life, yin and yang, and yourself.
Religion
Confucius
A statue of the Buddha
The yin and yang from
Daoist teachings.
Political Structure
 The Emperor was always the head of the whole structure.
 Then there were many departments that were separated into even






smaller offices.
Officials were ranked and their rank determined their salary.
In earlier times Emperor Wen chose worthy men who did well on some
exams.
The Sui and Tang dynasties then developed an examination to find
people to work in the government, but only aristocrats could afford all
the money to study for it.
They made the civil-service exam, so peasants could get a job in the
government.
Then the Tang and Song dynasties developed a meritocracy, so that
they would have a strong government.
The meritocracy helped lower class people stay in the government
because they were loyal to the emperor and worked hard.
China’s Great Achievements
1.
2.
Fireworks
3.
4.
Chinese Ship
5.
Gunpowder was a great achievement that the Chinese accomplished.
They discovered that mixing sulphur, saltpeter, and charcoal make an
explosive mixture that we now know of as gunpowder. Back then they
used it for fire arrows and catapults. They also discovered the first gun
barrel. We still use gunpowder a lot in all our guns and fireworks.
The Chinese developed the spinning wheel in A.D. 1035. They developed
Spinning Wheel
it to make winding silk much easier. They built it with two wheels and a
drive belt. It was made so that it could be operated with one person. We
still use a similar wheel today to wind our silk.
Paper money was one of the greatest things that the Chinese invented.
They first called it flying money because it could easily fly out of your
hand. Before the paper money they were using copper coins. The coins
were very heavy and the Chinese were running low on copper. At first
merchants started making their own paper certificates and using them.
Then the government made official paper certificates that were used as
currency. We use this everyday now because our money is made out of
Paper Money
paper.
The Chinese did not invent ships, but they did invent some useful traits to
a ship’s sail that we use today. They were the first to use a light-weight
sail made out of bamboo mat. They developed the triangular shape to the
sail. They also developed the watertight compartment on a ship. Today
when we sail we use all these inventions that help us sail better.
The Chinese were the ones that invented the first magnetic compass.
They used lodestone to create it and their compasses were south
pointing. At first the pointer was a spoon. Then it started to vary and they
made tortoises, fish, and a needle. They first used them to chart their
Magnetic Compass
course at sea. Today we use the compass to find what direction we are
facing in any place.
Timeline
The Sui Dynasty. The
first Emperor was
Yang Jian who was
known as Emperor
Wen. He unified
China.
The Song Dynasty. Tai Zu
became Emperor after 50
years of the civil war. During
this time Mongols and
Manchurians attacked for 200
years.
A.D. 220
A.D. 907
The Ming Dynasty.
Hong Wu led a
peasant rebellion and
became emperor.
A.D. 1279
A.D. 1912
Civil
War
Unrest
A.D 589
The Han Dynasty.
The last Emperor
was Xian Di and
he got overthrown.
A.D. 618
The Tang Dynasty. Li
Shi Min was the first
emperor. The only
female ruler, Empress
Wu Zhao was in this
dynasty.
A.D. 960
A.D. 1260
The Yuan Dynasty.
Founded by Kublai
Khan who was a
Mongol ruler. Khan
fought the Song for
40 years.
A.D. 1368
A.D. 1644
The Qing Dynasty. These
were Manchurians, but
they adopted some of the
Chinese traditions.