Download Chapter 6 Section 1

Chapter 6 Section 1
Geography and Early China
The Big Idea
Geography and Early China
Chinese civilization began with the Shang dynasty
along the Huang He.
Main Ideas
• China’s physical geography made farming possible but
travel and communication difficult.
• Civilization began in China along the Huang He and Chang
Jiang rivers.
• China’s first dynasties helped Chinese society develop and
made many other achievements.
China’s Physical Geography
• Geography played a major role in the development of Chinese
Civilization.
• The area of China covers an area of almost 4 million square miles and 1/10th
of the land can be farmed.
China’s Physical Geography
• It geography contains a myriad of
different features, such as
Mountains, Deserts, Jungles, and
Plains.
• The Chinese called their land
the “Middle Kingdom” and
thought it was the center of the
world.
Geographical Features
• China’s mountains and deserts isolate it from the rest of the world.
• The Gobi Desert lies in the north.
• Mountain ranges lie in the west, including the Plateau of Tibet and the Qinling Shandi.
• Dense jungles in Southeast Asia prevent further contact with any other nation.
• The Pacific Ocean to the East
China’s Plains
• Low-lying plains in the east make up one of the world’s largest farming areas,
such as the North China Plan, around the Yellow River.
• The Qinling Shandi Mountains divide northern (cold and dry) and
southern (wet and humid) China.
China’s Temperatures
• The weather and temperature vary depending on where you are in China.
• From cold and dry (North) to wet and humid (South), and monsoons can
bring up to 250 inches of rain each year.
China’s Rivers
• China has two major rivers:
the Yellow (Huang He) River
and the Yangzi River.
• The source of both Rivers is
from the Tibetan Plateau
Yellow (Huang He) River
• Along the Yellow River is
where the first Chinese
Civilization developed.
• The land around the river is
free of forests and the soil is
fertile, because of yearly
flooding of silt.
• The River is nearly 3,000
miles across the north China
Yellow (Huang He) River
• Because The
Yellow Rivers often
floods, it has been
referred to as
“China’s sorrow”
because of the
massive
destruction.
Yangzi River
• The Yangzi River is
the longest river in
Asia at 3,915 miles
long.
• It flows across central
China from Tibet to
the Pacific Ocean
Civilization Begins
• Like other previous civilizations,
the ancient Chinese settled along
rivers. There they farmed, built
villages, and formed a civilization.
• Frequent flooding of silt made
the land fertile around the
Yellow and Yangzi rivers.
Civilization Begins
• Around 7,000 BC farmers
would grow rice along the
Yangzi River and wheat along
the Yellow River.
• Along with farming, the
Chinese people hunted, fished,
and domesticated animals.
Civilization Begins
• Some small villages along the Yellow River grew into larger towns.
• Separate cultures developed in the south, Sanxingdui, and the northeast,
Hongshan. As these cultures grew they eventually merged.
Civilization Begins
• Overtime, these cultures became more advanced.
• After 3,000 BC people learned to dig wells and use potter’s wheels.
Civilization Begins
• Findings at burial sites suggest that the ancient Chinese believed in an
afterlife and had a complex social order.
• Often the graves of rich people held beautiful jewelry and other objects
made from jade.
Xia Dynasty
• The Xia dynasty might have
been founded around 2200 BC,
by Yu the Great.
• Tales say that a global flood
occurred in Yu’s lifetime. Yu dug
channels that let the water flow
into the ocean, creating the major
rivers of China.
Xia Dynasty
• Archaeologists have no firm evidence that tales about the Xia dynasty are
true.
• The stories were important to the ancient Chinese because they told of kings
who helped people solve problems by working together.
Shang Dynasty
• Established by 1500 BC, the Shang
was the first dynasty that there is
clear evidence to support.
• The Shang Dynasty originated in
the Yellow River Valley.
• The Shang ruled a large area of the
Northern China Plain.
Shang’s first Capital Luoyang
• The wall of the city was
33 feet high and 65 feet
thick.
• The labor required to
build this city wall would
need 10,000 workers
working 330 days for 18
years.
Shang Dynasty
• Shang Dynasty had established multiple capitals during their period, such as
Anyang and Luoyang.
• The Shang reorganized the social order in China: the top ranking was the
kings, then nobles, warriors, artisans, farmers, and slaves.
• The King was the center of the political and religious life.
Shang Dynasty
• Noble served the king as advisors and helped him rule.
• The Nobles owned much of the land, and passed on their wealth to their
children.
• Most people in the Shang ruling classes lived in large homes in cities.
Shang Warriors
Shang Dynasty
• Artisans and other classes lived outside the city walls and in groups
based on their particular craft.
• Artisans were the middle class of the social order.
Shang Dynasty
• Farmers worked long hours but had little money. Taxes claimed much of
what they earned.
• Seashells were used as coins, until they were replaced by copper coins at the end of the
Shang Dynasty
• Slaves were the lowest order, and were an important source of labor during
the Shang period.
Shang Dynasty
• Many cultural advances were
made during the Shang
Dynasty.
• The Shang developed
China’s first writing system,
which was based on 2,000
different symbols. Its still
forms the basis for modern
Chinese writing.
Oracle Bones
• We know the Shang symbols and writing because of oracle bones.
• Oracle bones were predictions or questions written on either animal bone
and turtle shells. They would place the oracle bone in the fire, and a crack
would appear.
• Priests would predict the future based on the cracks.
Shang Dynasty
• The Shang developed advance
bronze-working for cooking and
religious ceremonies.
• They would also develop weapons of
war, such as chariots, bronze body
armor, and bows.
• Shang astrologers developed a calendar
based on the cycles of the moon.
Questions pages 160-165
Cambridge: Copy question and Answer in a complete sentence
1.
2.
3.
4.
What were ancient China’s two great Rivers?
Why is the Huang He sometimes called China’s Sorrow?
How did the floods along the rivers help the Chinese?
According to ancient stories, what was the first Chinese Dynasty and who
was its founder?
5. What advances were made during the Shang Dynasty?