Download Early China Section 1

Early China
Section 1
Places to Locate
Huang He: river in China, also called the
Yellow River; provided rich soil for Huang He
valley
Chang Jiang: river in China, also provided rich
soil for farming
Anyang: the first capital city of China;
Shang kings ruled from here
Terms to Know
Dynasty: a line or rulers who belong to the
same family
Aristocrat: noble or member of the ruling class
Pictograph: characters that stand for objects;
Ideograph: characters that join two or more
pictographs to represent an idea
Terms to Know
Bureaucracy: the officials and their areas or
departments of government
Mandate: a formal order
Dao: the proper “Way” to keep the gods
happy
Terms to Know
Confucianism: Chinese philosophy that taught
that people must do their duty to others to
improve society
Daoism: Chinese philosophy that says people
should give up worldly desires and turn to nature
and the Dao
Legalism: Chinese philosophy that taught that
people are evil and need harsh laws to make
them do their duty
People to Meet
Wu Wang: aristocrat who overthrew
the Shang and started the Zhou
dynasty
Section Overview
This section describes the first civilizations
in China and how the geography of the
region, especially its rivers, mountains,
and deserts, influenced China’s cultural
development.
China’s Geography
• Huang He, or the Yellow
River, flows for more than
2,900 miles across China.
• Flooding of the river
brought destruction and
good farming conditions
to China.
• Chang Jiang, or the
Yangtze River, is about
3,400 miles long and
flows across central
China.
Geography
• China has very little farm land because
much of the country is either mountains or
deserts.
• The Middle Kingdom was created after the
Chinese people united to form one
kingdom.
China’s First Civilizations
What effect did the mountains and
deserts have on the Chinese
people?
The mountains and deserts
separated the Chinese from most
other peoples.
The Shang Dynasty
• Archaeologists believe the Huang He
valley was the center of Chinese
civilization
• The first rulers were probably part of the
Xia dynasty.
• The Shang kings ruled from about 1750
B.C. to 1122 B.C.
• Anyang was China’s first capital. It was
built during the Shang dynasty.
The Shang Dynasty
• People of the Shang dynasty were divided
into groups.
• The king and his family were the most
powerful group.
• Warlords and other royal officials were in
the class below the kings.
• They were aristocrats, nobles whose
wealth came from the land they owned.
The Shang Dynasty
• Traders and artisans were below the
aristocrats.
• Most of the lower classes were farmers.
• Slaves captured during wars were the
lowest class of people.
• People in the Shang dynasty believed in
many spirits and gods and honored
ancestors with offerings.
The Shang Dynasty
• Shang kings believed they received
wisdom and power from the gods, spirits,
and ancestors.
• Early Chinese writing used pictographs,
or characters that stand for objects.
• Ideographs are two or more pictographs
joined to represent an idea.
• Artisans created many works but are best
known for their bronze objects.
Pictographs
China’s First Civilizations
How does the Chinese language
differ from the alphabet system
used by Americans?
In the American alphabet, each
letter represents a sound. The
letters, or sounds, are put together
to make words. In the Chinese
language, each marking, or symbol,
represents a whole word.
The Zhou Dynasty
• Wu Wang and his
followers rebelled
against the Shang
dynasty and created
the Zhou dynasty
• The Zhou dynasty
ruled longer than any
other dynasty in
Chinese history.
The Zhou Dynasty
• Kings in the Zhou
dynasty served as the
head of the
government.
• A bureaucracy—
officials who are
responsible for
different areas of
governments and
served under the
king.
• The Zhou kingdom
was divided into
smaller territories.
• Each territory was led
by an aristocrat
• Zhou kings were
thought to be the link
between the gods and
people.
The Zhou Dynasty
• The Mandate of Heaven was a heavenly
law that gave Zhou kings the power to
rule.
• The Mandate of Heaven also gave people
rights.
• The Dao was the proper way kings were
to rule their people.
• Irrigation and flood-control systems were
developed during the Zhou dynasty.
The Zhou Dynasty
• Farm tools, such as the plow, were
developed.
• Silk was an important trade item during the
Zhou dynasty.
• The Period of Warring States occurred
before the fall of the Zhou dynasty.
• During this time, the local rulers began
fighting with each other.
China’s First Civilizations
What innovative weapons and
equipment were used during the
Period of Warring States?
The Chinese used crossbows for
fighting. They invented the saddle
and stirrup during the Period of
Warring States.
China’s First Civilizations
What is a dynasty?
A dynasty is a line of rulers who
belong to the same family.
China’s First Civilizations
What were oracle bones and how
were they used?
Oracle bones were bones with
questions on them used to interpret
answers from the gods.
China’s First Civilizations
Analyze How did the Mandate of
Heaven allow for the overthrow of
kings in ancient China?
If a king failed in his duty and the
kingdom experienced a disaster, the
king could be replaced.
China’s First Civilizations
Evaluate What were some
important technological changes
during the Zhou dynasty, and how
did they lead to a larger population?
Development of irrigation and floodcontrol systems, along with the iron
plow, led to increased crop
production and a rising population.
China’s First Civilizations
Explain How did ancient Chinese
kings maintain control of their
dynasties?
Kings maintained large armies to
conquer land and protect borders
but also appointed warlords to
govern the kingdom’s territories.