Download Early China

Warm-Up
• Take out the Zhou dynasty
reading and answers to the
questions that were completed
on Friday. Review the reading and
answers to the questions.
• I will be coming around to grade
these when class begins.
Questions
• What is a dynasty?
• What is the Mandate of Heaven?
• When and how did the Zhou dynasty begin?
Which dynasty did they overthrow to take
control?
• Explain how the Zhou political system worked.
Write 3-4 complete sentences.
• Create a social pyramid explaining the social
system that was used during the Zhou
dynasty.
Questions
• Why and how did the political order break
down?
• What kind of internal problems did the Zhou
dynasty face?
• Explain the decline of the Zhou dynasty.
• How far south did the Zhou dynasty reach?
• Create a timeline with 5 important events
from the reading of the Zhou dynasty. Make
sure to include the year, describe each event
and put them in the correct order.
Ethnocentrism
• Believing other cultures were
inferior to their own
• Because they were isolated (by
themselves) = rejected other
cultures as inferior to their own
• AKA – WE ARE THE BEST
Feudalism
• A type of government based solely on land
• The MORE you own = MORE wealthy and
MORE power
Shang Dynasty
 Zhou
Dynasty
Shang China rose in the Huang River Valley (also
known as the Yellow River Valley)…and like
other river-basin communities, used its stable
agricultural surplus to build a trade-centered
civilization.
…and like other river-basin communities, used
its stable agricultural surplus to build a tradecentered civilization.
At its height, Shang controlled large parts of
northern China and was militarily quite
powerful.
Thousands of its workers built walls around the
towns and cities along the river; its warriors
used chariots to defeat their enemies.
The Shang dynasty controlled the Yellow
River Valley from around 1600 to around
1100 B.C.E.
The Shang were so isolated, in fact, they
believed themselves to be at the center of the
world, which explains why they called their
civilization
“All Under Heaven.”
This belief contributed to the Shang’s
ethnocentric attitude, which means they
considered themselves superior to all
others.
Around 1100 B.C.E., the Shang were ousted by
Wu Wang, who established the Zhou Dynasty
(Chou Dynasty), though the Zhou maintained
many of the traditions and customs developed
under the Shang Dynasty.
The Zhou ruled China for nearly 900 years,
longer than any other dynasty.
The Zhou Dynasty believed in what was
called the Mandate of Heaven, meaning
that heaven would grant the Zhou power
only as long as its rulers governed justly and
wisely.
Put another way, the Zhou Dynasty would
remain in power only as long as it had the
blessing of heaven.
The Zhou developed a feudal system in
China, similar to that of Europe during the
Middle Ages.
The king was the ruler of the entire empire,
but because it was too big for one person to
manage, nobles were given power over
smaller regions within the empire. This
worked out well for a couple hundred years.
The king gave each noble protection as long as
the noble remained loyal to him.
But as time passed, a number of the nobles
built up a lot of wealth and power within the
regions under their control and eventually
split off into independent kingdoms.
New Technologies
• The Great Wall of
China originated as a
defensive barrier
against tribal intrusions
• Construction started in
the seventh century B.
C. and spanned over 20
states and dynasties
– Two sections were built
during the Zhou era
– As China unified, the
various sections were
connected
New Technologies: Silk
• During the Zhou era, the
Chinese discovered how to
make silk from the
cocoons of silkworms.
– Silk would become China’s
most valuable export,
eventually linking them
with most of the world
through trade.
– We’ll talk more about the
Silk Road on Thursday
A bureaucratic form of government
remained popular in China for thousands of
years.
Eventually fighting and warfare among the
feudal kingdoms brought an end to the
Zhou Dynasty in 256 B.C.E.
The End
• With no central, powerful leader, the lords
fought each other over who would control
China.
• What do you think would happen if there
were no central, powerful leader in the US
(the president)?