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China
The Enchanted Land
China’s Geography

Modern China is a huge country
Approximately 3,700,000 square miles
 Second largest in land-area (after Russia),
third or fourth largest in total area (depending
on definition of total area [inland seas, great
lakes, etc.]) Russia, Canada, and perhaps the
US.
 Home to approximately 1.25 billion people

 Almost
¼ of the total world population
 Is the most populous country in the world.
China’s Geography
With such a vast land area, China’s
geography is extremely variedbreathtaking mountains, deep valleys,
huge rivers, deserts, etc.
 Ranges from deserts to tropical, from
sometimes very cold to extremely hot.
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Early China
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Essential Question:

Suppose you find yourself with a small group
of people in an uninhabited land. There are
none of the modern conveniences (TV,
internet, cell phones, cars, stores, etc.). What
do you need in order to survive? Where would
you find or get those things? Where would
you live? What type of house would you live
in?
Early China
Basically, mankind needs access to three
things to survive: food and water, clothing,
and shelter.
 Based upon these needs and our
knowledge of China’s geography, where
do you think China’s first civilization
began?

Huang He (Yellow River) Valley
 Farmed the land because of the rich soil
 As population increased, they began building
towns and thus the first Chinese civilization

Shang Dynasty
Ruled China from about 1750 B.C. to 1045
B.C.
 Ruled from Anyang in northern China
 Social Classes

King and his family at the top
 Aristocrats
 Farmers
 Traders/Artisans

Shang Dynasty

King ruled from northern China
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Kings selected warlords to rule over the
kingdom’s territories
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Used chariots and bronze weapons to expand
territory. Eventually would rule over most of the
Yellow River Valley
Warlords are military leaders who command own
armies
King’s armies were bigger, more well equipped
and were tasked with defending the king and the
borders of the kingdom
Shang Dynasty
Warlords and other royal officials made up
the aristocrats- the upper class whose
wealth came from the land they owned
and who passed their land and power from
generation to generation
 A few people were artisans and tradersmore on this later.
 Most were farmers-more on this later

Shang Dynasty
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Worshipped gods and spirits- which were
believed to live in mountains, rivers, and seas.
Believed they had to keep the spirits happy by
making offerings of food and other goods.
Believed that the spirits and gods would become
angry if not treated well-which could lead to poor
harvests or other natural disasters.
Eventually these beliefs-as well as the structure
of Shang society- led to Shang kings becoming
cruel.
Group Work
Class divided into 3 groups: farmers,
merchants, and aristocrats
 Each group must:

Define who/what you are
 Define the place you hold in society
 Come up with a symbol to represent your
group


Refer to pages 232-234 in your textbook
Essential Question

If government is responsible for ensuring
the general welfare and safety of its
citizens, then that gives the government a
huge responsibility-and an awful lot of
work to do. Who actually does the work of
government? Who ensures that roads get
built, borders are secure, peace is keptand all of the other “things” that
government does?
Zhou Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty was established in 1045
B.C. by Wu Wang, an aristocrat who led a
rebellion against the Shang because of
their cruelty.
 Zhou Dynasty ruled for more than 800
years (1045-221 B.C.)- longer than any
other dynasty.
 Several important things come out of the
Zhou Dynasty.

Government and Bureaucracy
Zhou kings ruled much like the Shang
 Divided the kingdom into provinces and
appointed rulers

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Position was hereditary, and was passed
down from generation to generation
Bureaucracy- appointed officials who are
responsible for different areas of
government

Bureaucrats-those who work in the
bureaucracy- are responsible for the actual
Essential Question

Think once again of all the things which
government is involved with and is
responsible for. Who gives the
government the authority to do the things
which it does? What happens if the
government does not keep its
responsibilities?
Mandate of Heaven
Mandate of Heaven- heavenly law which
gave the king the authority/power to rule.
King was chosen by heavenly order
because of his talent and virtue.
 Was expected to rule with goodness and
wisdom
 King was chief link between heaven and
earth.
 King’s chief duty was to keep the gods
happy.

Mandate of Heaven
Poor harvest or natural disaster meant the
king had failed in his duty and the people
then had the right to overthrow or replace
the king.
 People also had the right to overthrow a
dishonest or evil ruler
 King was not a god, but was chosen by
the gods.

Essential Question
 In
the fifth century B.C., the Zhou
Dynasty began to weaken as several
states/provinces attempted to
dominate and establish their own
dynasty. What are some potential
reasons for the weakening of the
Zhou Dynasty and the period of civil
war that followed?
Period of the Warring States
Time of rivalry between competing states
 Rise of regional kingdoms, as competing
states annexed smaller territories
 Emphasis on warfare in popular culture
and literature
 Eventually, there would arise an emphasis
on unity and the unification of China

Period of the Warring States
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Advancements in technology
Iron arms as opposed to the earlier bronze
 Use of infantry
 Development of calvary
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Essential Question

Who was Laozi and how did his teachings
attempt to bring peace to Chinese society?
Daoism
Based on the teachings of Laozi
 Lived roughly the same time as Confucius
 Faced with same uncertain and chaotic
times as Confucius, Laozi came up with a
different answer on how to find peace and
restore order to society.

Daoism Reading

Read and text-mark the first 3 paragraphs
of the handout.

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Text-mark= circle main ideas, underline
supporting details, box unfamiliar terms
On a separate sheet of paper, answer the
discussion questions.
Daoism
Yin and Yang- opposing forces of nature
 Daoists believe good and bad are
connected- believe whatever happens is
simply part of yin/yang
 Homework: Read the last section of the
handout (what Laozi thought about
government). Answer first discussion
question, then compare/contrast Daosim
and Confucianism.

Order of Operations
Discuss Laozi’s ideas about the role of
government
 Briefly define and discuss Legalism
 Compare and Contrast Confucianism,
Daoism, and Legalism

Legalism
More fully developed by Hanfeizi in the 200s
B.C.
 Disagreed with the idea that honorable men
in government could bring peace
 Believed that people are naturally evil
 Society needs a system of harsh laws and
strict punishment to force people to do their
duty
 Aristocrats liked it, because it favored force
and didn’t require rulers to be kind
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Activity

Using the material given to you, notes, and
textbook (pages 236-239) you will:
Construct a chart, Venn diagram, or other
visual representation comparing/contrasting
Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism
 Then write a 3-5 sentence paragraph telling
me which system you think is best and why.
 Due at beginning of class tomorrow (October
2)
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