Download Ancient India and China Section 4 - The Bronx High School of Science

Section 4
Ancient India and China
China’s Geography
The development of civilization in early China was aided by features
like long rivers, fertile soils, temperate climates, and isolated valleys.
Rivers, Soils, Climates
Loess
• China’s first civilizations
developed in river valleys
• Annual floods deposited rich
soil, loess, on flood plains
• Two major rivers supplied
water for earliest civilizations
• Valley of Huang He particularly
fertile due to loess
– Chang Jiang, also called
Yangzi
– Huang He, or Yellow River
– Both flow east from Plateau of
Tibet to Yellow Sea
– Fine dusty soil
– Carried into China by desert
winds
Section 4
Ancient India and China
China’s Geography
Beginnings of Civilization
• Archaeological
discoveries suggest
Chinese civilization began
in Huang He valley
• People started growing
crops there 9,000 years
ago
Xia
• Legend says earliest
Chinese ruled by Xia
dynasty
• No written, archaeological
evidence Xia dynasty
existed
• Most historians date
beginning of Chinese
civilization to rise of Shang
dynasty
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Ancient India and China
The Shang Dynasty
According to ancient Chinese records, the Shang dynasty formed
around 1766 BC, although many archaeologists believe it actually
began somewhat later than that.
Government and
Society
• China ruled by
strong monarchy
• At capital city,
Anyang, kings
surrounded by
court
• Rituals performed
to strengthen
kingdom, keep safe
Order
• King’s governors
ruled distant parts
of kingdom
• King also had large
army at disposal
• Prevented
rebellions, fought
outside opponents
Agricultural Society
• Shang China
largely agricultural
• Most tended crops
in fields
• Farmers called on
to fight in army,
work on building
projects—tombs,
palaces, walls
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Ancient India and China
Shang Elite
Leisure
• Ruling elite had free time to
pursue leisure activities, hunting
for sport
• Wealthy enjoyed collecting
expensive bronze, jade objects
Afterlife
• power—Shangdi (god above)
• Tombs held remains of
sacrificed prisoners of war
• Believed in afterlife where ruler
would need riches, servants
Artifacts
• Much of what is known comes
from studying royal tombs
• Contained valuable items made
of bronze, jade
Ancestor Worship
• Shang offered gifts to deceased
ancestors to keep them happy
in afterlife
• Steam from ritual meals
nourished ancestors’ spirits
Ancient India and China
Section 4
Oracle Bones
As part of worship, Shang asked ancestors for
advice
• Sought advice through use of oracle bones
– Inscribed bits of animal bone, turtle shell
– Living person asked question of ancestor
– Hot piece of metal applied to oracle bone resulting in cracks on
bone’s surface
– Specially trained priests interpreted meaning of cracks to learn
answer
Ancient India and China
Section 4
Shang Artifact: Oracle Bone
Ancient India and China
Section 4
Shang Achievements and Decline
Writing
• Development of Chinese writing closely tied to use of oracle bones
• Earliest examples of Chinese writing, questions written on bones themselves
• Early Shang texts used picture symbols to represent objects, ideas
Bronze
• Shang religion led to great advances in working with bronze
• Highly decorative bronze vessels, objects created for religious rituals
• Also built huge structures like tombs; created calendar, first money systems
End of Dynasty
• Shang ruled for more than 600 years, until about 1100 BC
• Ruling China’s growing population proved too much for Shang
• Armies from nearby tribe, Zhou, invaded, established new ruling dynasty
Ancient India and China
Section 4
Summarize
How did religion influence other aspects of
Shang culture?
Answer(s): ritual meals for ancestors; oracle
bones connected to early writing; bronze work for
rituals; built stable tombs
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Ancient India and China
The Zhou Dynasty
Beginning around 1100 BC, the Zhou rules China for several centuries.
The Zhou dynasty is divided into two periods. During the Western
Zhou, kings ruled from Xian in a peaceful period. Later conflict arose,
kings moved east to Luoyang, beginning the Eastern Zhou period.
Government
Religion
• When Zhou conquered Shang, leaders
worried Chinese people would not accept
them
Dynastic Cycle
• Zhou said Shang overthrown
because they lost gods’ favor
Their supreme God wasTian, or heaven.
• Introduced idea they ruled by Mandate of
Heaven
• Later rulers used Mandate of
Heaven to explain dynastic cycle,
rise and fall of dynasties in China
• Gods would support just ruler, not allow
anyone corrupt to hold power
• If dynasty lost power, it obviously
had become corrupt
In that case, they said, it was the will of the gods that that dynasty be
overthrown and a new one take power.
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Ancient India and China
Zhou Dynasty
• Government/Social Levels
– Zhou adopted feudalism.
• King owned land
• King gave land to the
nobles in exchange for
food, warriors
– Nobles gave
peasants small
plots of land to
work.
• Merchants and
craftsmen were one
social group that
outside the social
pyramid of the Zhou
feudal state.
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Ancient India and China
Zhou Achievements
• Before Zhou, Chinese metalwork done almost exclusively in bronze
• Zhou learned to use iron, became backbone of economy
• Iron was strong, could be cast more cheaply, quickly than bronze
• Iron weapons strengthened Zhou army, as did new weapons like
catapult and creation of China’s first cavalry
Growth
• Population grew under Zhou
• Farmers learned new techniques,
increased size of harvest, created
food surpluses; cities also grew
• Roads, canals allowed better
transportation, communication
• Introduced coins, use of chopsticks
Decline of the Zhou
• Conflict arose during latter part of
Zhou dynasty
• Clan leaders within China rose up
against king
• As time passed, more and more
local leaders turned against Zhou,
further weakening rule
Ancient India and China
Section 4
Small States Fight
Result of rebellions was Warring States Period
• 403 BC to 221 BC, number of small states
fought each other for land, power
• Zhou still nominally in charge, but power almost
nonexistent by mid-200s BC
• Qin, new dynasty, arose to bring end to Warring
States Period, Zhou dynasty
Ancient India and China
Section 4
Section 4
Ancient India and China
Analyze
How did China change under the Zhou?
Answer(s): iron technology, population grew, new
farm techniques, more food, cities grew, roads
and canals built, coins and chopsticks introduced