Download The Shang Dynasty

Bellringer – India Review
1. What are the two major rivers of India?
Where are they located?
2. What were the two largest cities in the Indus
River valley? What technological features do
they display?
3. What are the four geographical regions of
India?
4. What is the primary feature of India’s
climate?
5. What is Sanskrit? (pg 35)
China Overview
• China has one of the world’s oldest cultures,
dating back more than 6,000 years.
• Largest population of any country in the world
• 1.35 billion people
• More than 50 different ethnic groups, several
different languages, many dialects.
• China covers about 9,596,960 square kilometers.
• China is the fourth largest country in the world
(after Russia, Canada, and the USA).
• The Impact of Geography
• GUIDING QUESTION How did China's physical
geography influence the location of its early
civilizations?
Global Position
Locate the following:
1. Huang He River
2. Yangtze River
3. Beijing
4. Mongolia
5. Hong Kong
6. Shanghai
7. East China Sea
8. South China Sea
Chinese Population
• Huang He and Yangtze
• The Huang He (Yellow River) stretches more
than 2,900 miles from Mongolia to the Pacific
Ocean.
• The Yangtze River flows 3,400 miles across
central China, emptying into the Yellow Sea.
• Valleys along the two rivers were among the
greatest food-producing areas of the ancient
world.
Geographical isolation
• Mountains and deserts isolated the Chinese
people from peoples in other parts of Asia.
• The northern frontier became an area of
conflict as Chinese armies tried to protect
their land from other peoples.
• Only 10 percent of the total land is suitable
for farming (compared to 19 percent of
United States)
• The rest of China consists of mountains and
deserts on its northern and western
frontiers.
Gobi Desert
Taklamakan
Desert
Tibetan
Plateau
• Varied climate
• Climate variations in China are based on elevation
and monsoons.
• Dry and wet seasons create significant temperature
differences in winter and summer.
• Discussion Question:
Why were the early Chinese isolated from
other peoples?
Most of the people settled around the river valleys,
with mountains and deserts cutting them off from
neighboring peoples.
Chinese Dynasties
Dynasty Definition
• Dynasty: A family of rulers
whose right to rule is passed
on within the family.
• Dynastic cycles
• Throughout Chinese history, dynasties followed a
predictable cycle:
• A rise to power, then years of successful rule, and
finally a decline in power, leading to rebellions or
invasions.
Start here
A new
dynasty
comes to power.
The emperor
reforms the govt.
& makes it more
efficient.
Emperor is
defeated !!
Rebel bands find
strong leader who
unites them.
Attack the emperor.
Poor lose
respect for govt.
They join rebels
& attack landlords.
The
Dynastic
Cycle
Droughts,
floods,
famines occur.
Lives of common
people improved;
taxes reduced;
farming encouraged.
Problems begin
(extensive wars,
invasions, etc.)
Taxes increase;
men forced to
work for army.
Farming neglected.
Govt. increases
spending;
corruption.
Shang and Zhou Dynasties - Geography
The Shang Dynasty (1766 - 1121 BC)
• GUIDING QUESTION: What characterized China
under the Shang dynasty?
Aristocracy
• Under the Shang dynasty, China was largely
agricultural.
• China was ruled by an aristocracy (the chief
landowners) whose major concern was war.
• Aristocracy: an upper class whose wealth is landbased and who passes power from one generation to
the next.
• Impressive cities were built.
Political and social structures:
• The realm was divided into territories governed by
military leaders called warlords, appointed by the king.
Political and social structures
• The king controlled large armies, which often fought
on the fringes of the kingdom.
• Below the royalty and the aristocracy in the social
hierarchy were the mass of peasants and a small
number of merchants and artisans.
Religion and Culture:
• The Chinese believed in supernatural forces that
helped the rulers, as well as in life after death.
• They communicated with the gods through oracle
bones.
• The Shang were masters of bronze casting.
• Many of their works have been recovered from
tombs (like the one we’re about to see).
Oracle Bones
• Oracle bones are pieces of bone, normally from
shoulder blades of an ox or turtle, which were
used for fortune telling during the late Shang
dynasty.
• People would submit questions to their gods
regarding future weather, crop planting, the
fortunes of members of the royal family,
military endeavors, and other similar topics.
•
These questions were carved onto the bone
using a sharp tool.
• Intense heat was then applied with a metal rod
until the bone or shell cracked.
Ruins of Yin
• Archaeological work at the Ruins of Yin (near
modern day Anyang), which has been identified
as the last Shang capital, uncovered eleven major
Yin royal tombs and the foundations of palaces
and ritual sites, containing weapons of war and
remains from both animal and human sacrifices.
• Tens of thousands of bronze, jade, stone, bone,
and ceramic artifacts have been obtained. The
workmanship on the bronzes attests to a high
level of civilization.
Location of the Ruins
Burial Pit of Tomb of Fu Hao
•
Lady Hao was a military leader and the wife of Shang King Wu Ding. The tomb was discovered in 1976
and has been dated to BCE 1250.
•
It was completely undisturbed, and in addition to the remains of the Queen the tomb was discovered
to contain 6 dog skeletons, 16 human slave skeletons, and numerous grave goods of huge
archaeological value.
•
The tomb was thoroughly excavated and extensively restored and is now open to the public.
Shang Art and Bronze Work
• Scholars have called the bronzes of the Shang dynasty the
pinnacle of creative art in ancient China.
• Bronze objects created during the early part of the dynasty
were primitive, but later Shang artisans created elegant
ceremonial bronzes as well as a variety of cooking and
serving dishes as well as ornaments.
• Serving bowls were often stemmed, and pouring vessels
had long spouts; these and numerous other vessels were
often richly decorated.
• Bronze weapons helped the Shang army become a
formidable power; these weapons included spears and
battleaxes. Some warriors wore bronze helmets and armor.
Axe Scepter – 1200 BCE - jade
Ceremonial Dagger – 1128 BCE
Shang Urn
Shang Bronzes
Ritual Wine Vessel – bronze, 13c BCE
The Zhou Dynasty (1121 – 255 BC)
Pronounced “Joe”
GUIDING QUESTION
• What contributed to the success and longevity
of Zhou rule?
Shang and Zhou Dynasties - Geography
• Political system:
• The Zhou dynasty
• The longest-lasting dynasty in Chinese history.
• Continued the political system used by the Shang,
with territories governed by aristocratic officials
under the king's authority.
• Mandate of Heaven
• The Zhou claimed to rule by virtue of a mandate of
Heaven, with the king serving as a link between
Heaven and Earth.
• The mandate became the basic principle of
Chinese government and lasted into the
twentieth century.
Mandate of Heaven
• The nobles were tired of war between the Shang and
the Zhou. Most of the nobles would have the same life
under Shang or Chou rule, and they knew it. As for the
peasants, it did not matter to them which family ruled.
The Mandate of Heaven is based on four principles:
1. The right to rule is granted by Heaven.
2. There is only one Heaven therefore there can be only
one ruler.
3. The right to rule is based on the virtue of the ruler.
4. The right to rule is not limited to one dynasty.
Mandate of Heaven
Here are some of the ways these principles converted into action and
justification:
1.
It gives the ruler prestige and religious importance.
2.
It gives the ruler supreme power.
3.
It allows a new ruler to gain power quickly if the people believe he
has the 'Mandate of Heaven'.
4.
A ruler's power must be kept in check by virtue.
5.
The Mandate of Heaven justifies rebellion as long as the rebellion
is successful. Simply because it was successful, obviously then, the
new ruler had to have had a Mandate from Heaven.
• Military technology
• By the end of the Zhou period,
iron weapons had replaced
bronze weapons, and soldiers
on horseback carried powerful
crossbows.
Society under the Zhou
• Social structure
• During the Zhou dynasty, as in the Shang, peasants
worked on land owned by their lords.
• Town-dwelling artisans and merchants were also
under the control of local lords.
• A class of slaves also existed.
• Importance of the family
• The family served as the basic Chinese economic and
social unit and symbolized the social order.
• Filial piety was expected, with family members
subordinating their needs and desires to those of the
male head of the family.
Filial piety: respect for parents.
Traditional Chinese Family
Zhou accomplishments:
• Significant technological and economic growth took
place, including the use of irrigation and iron plows,
which increased the available cropland.
• The production of more food allowed the
population to grow.
• Trade and manufacturing also grew, and a writing
system based on pictographs and ideographs was
developed.
Evolution of Chinese Writing
• Why is the family considered a symbol of the
entire Chinese social order?
• It reflects male supremacy and a system in which
people subordinate their personal needs to the
wishes of the head of the family or state.
• Why do you think the Chinese felt the need for a
written language?
• As the population and the economy grew, they
had a greater need to communicate with people
at a distance, to keep track of business
transactions, and to preserve religious traditions
and cultural history.