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Zhong Guo
EQ –
Why did the Chinese call themselves the
“Middle Kingdom?”
Preview –
In a brief paragraph, examine the
“Dynastic Cycle” and the “Mandate of
Heaven” as they relate to the Chinese
Dynasties.
Zhong Guo = Middle Kingdom
Gobi
Desert
desert
CHINA IS
GEOGRAPHICALLY
ISOLATED
Himalayan
Mountains
Thick
Jungles
Pacific
Ocean
Huang He = Yellow River
River of Sorrows
Deposits yellow silt called loess
Location of China’s earliest civilization
New Dynasty
gains Mandate
of Heaven
New Dynasty
Rebellion is
justified
Old Dynasty
loses Mandate
of Heaven
Period of peace
& prosperity
Period of decline
& struggles
Shang Dynasty
(1600-1027 BC)
First recorded dynasty in China
Period of constant warfare
Expert bronze casters (ceremonial vases)
Wove silk into fabric
Developed a system of writing where
symbols = ideas
(no direct connection w/ spoken language)
Oracle Bones
The Shang consulted
the gods by writing
questions on bones or
shells and then
interpreted the
fragments after they
were cracked.
Shang Bronze
Zhou Dynasty
(1027-c.256 BC)
Developed “Mandate of Heaven” theory
Established feudalism
(ruler exchanged land for loyalty)
Produced cast iron, built roads/canals,
developed a uniform currency
App. 500 years of disunity and struggles
Spring & Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC)
Warring States Period (476 – 221 BC)
Legalism, Confucianism, Daoism emerge
Sun Tzu’s Art of War
The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of
its own accord before there are any actual
hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.
- “Planning a Siege”
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while
defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
- “Strategic Assessments”
Qin Dynasty
(221-207 BC)
Est. by Shi Huangdi – “First Emperor”
Forced the nobility to move into the capital.
Autocratic (absolute) govt. based on Legalism
Divided empire into 36 military districts
Unified existing walls creating 1st “Great Wall”
Promoted unity by…
standard weights/measurements; uniform written
language; good transportation; very harsh rule
Shi Huangdi’s Tomb
Scale model of his
kingdom
Flowing river of
liquid mercury
Accurate star map
made of diamonds
Life size army of
terra cotta warriors
Terra Cotta Army
Han Dynasty
(206 BC – AD 220)
Pinnacle of Chinese power & prosperity
Est. by a peasant named Liu Bang
Wudi – “martial emperor” – expanded
the empire through warfare
Strong central govt. where people got
jobs based on their education
Encouraged assimilation (conquered
peoples become a part of Chinese culture)
Han Achievements
App. eastern equivalent to Roman Empire
Invented paper, collar harness,
wheelbarrow, water-mills
Traded with the west over the Silk Road
Govt. ran businesses- salt, iron, coinage, silk
Confucian civil service exams
Anyone could take them – but very difficult
Used for govt. appointments until AD 1912
China Vocabulary
Oracle Bones – earliest examples of
Chinese writing – how Shang contacted
their gods
Mandate of Heaven – divine authority to
rule China
Dynastic Cycle – theory detailing the rise
and fall of Chinese dynasties
Assimilation – one group is made a part
of another group’s culture
Silk Road – overland trade route from
China to the Mediterranean
Processing
Choose one of the following
Imagine you are a poor farmer and one day
you stumble across Shi Huangdi’s tomb.
Write a journal entry for that day. What did
you see? What were your thoughts?
Imagine you are a merchant on the Silk Road.
Write a journal entry depicting several days of
your journey. What have you encountered?
Are you going to or from China? What types
of goods do you currently have in your
possession?