Download Chapter 5 Ancient China

Chapter 5
Ancient China
Section 1 China’s river valleys
I. Geography
A. North China Plain built up by soil deposits
of the Huang river ; dry climate
B. Southern China, Monsoons make the area
warm and wet
C. Mountains and seas separate China from
other civilizations; called themselves the
Middle Kingdom
D. Civilization in China grew up along the
Huang and Chang rivers
E. The rivers provide good soil (loess) for
farming but also bring floods
F. The soil helps to fertilize the ground but is
lightweight and is easily blown away. It
tended to clog the irrigation canals
G. Early peoples built dikes/ levees to hold
back the flood waters
II. Early civilization
A. People of North China Plain were probably
nomads who hunted and gathered food
B. First farming settlements in the Huang River
Valley probably began around 5000 BC
C. Shang dynasty first known civilization in
China; arose some time after 1760 BC
D. Shang people built first cities, did fine bronze
work, and developed first Chinese writing,
which could be used for different languages
E Around 1160 BC, the Zhou Dynasty
conquered the Shang
F. Sometimes rulers inherited the
throne, others fought for the right to
rule.
G. Chinese believed one came into
power because it was their destinyMandate of Heaven (mandate is a
law or an order)
H. Mandate of Heaven supported a
leader’s right to rule and gave a father
the right to lead his family
III. Families
A. Family was the center of early Chinese
society; a person’s first responsibility was to
family
B. Households might contain five generations of
extended family
C. In farming communities, extended families
might live in separate cottage within walking
distances
D. Status of a person in a family was based on
age and sex, with the oldest male being the
center of authority
E. Women’s lives were governed by
men: first by their father, then by
husband, then by sons
F. Chinese were first people known to
use two names-one for the family and
one for the individual. Family name
was 1st