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Ancient China
Chapter 6
Physical Geography

Geography played a major role in the
development of China
–
Separated China from the rest of the
world
– Separated China from itself
Vast and Varied Land
Covers nearly 4 million square miles
 Nearly the size of America
 Contains deserts, mountains, beaches,
plateaus, and more

Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert ran along the northern
border.

Mountains to the west

Pacific Ocean to the east



Plateau of Tibet as peaks that reach past 26,000
feet
From this point smaller ranges spread eastward
Qinling Shandi
–
Separates northern China from Southern China
Weather and temperature

Vary across China
–
Northeast: Cold and dry


–
Northwest: Dry

–
–
Temperature can be below zero
Rivers freeze for half of the year
Due to the deserts
Eastern Plains: Heavy Rains
Tropical Southeast


The wettest region
Can bring 250 inches of rain a year
Rivers of China

Two major rivers
flow west to east
 Helped link people
from the east to the
west.
Yellow River

Huang He
–
Also known as the Yellow River
– Stretches nearly 3,000 miles across
northern China
– Often floods
 Can
be very destructive
Yangzi River
Chang Jiang
 Longest river in Asia

–

Runs from Tibet to the Pacific Ocean
Cuts through central China
Civilization Began

First settled along the rivers.

Farmed, built villages, and formed a
civilization
Development of Farming

As early as 7000 BC farmers grew rice
in the middle Chang Jiang Valley

North along the Yellow River millet and
wheat were better
Getting Food
Fished
 Hunted with bows and arrows
 Domesticated animals

–
Pigs, Sheep
With farming civilization grew
Early Settlements

Archaeologists found early villages by
rivers.
–

Houses partly underground, straw
covered roofs, animal pens, storage pens,
and cemeteries
As villages grew so did their defenses
–
Walls surrounded towns to defend against
invaders
Chinese Culture

Over time became more advanced
–
Pottery wheels
– Dig water wells

As population grew, villages spread
out, culture expanded
Burial Sites

Provided us with a lot of information
from this period

Filled their tombs with objects

Some included food
–

For the afterlife
Some graves had more than others
–
Social order
The Xia Dynasty

Around 2200 BC Yu the Great, a king,
founded the Xia [SHAH] dynasty

Tales of Yu helping the Chinese people
with the floods

Stories were important to ancient
China because told of a king who
–
–
Helped people
Explained the geography of the country
The Shang Dynasty

Established in the 1500’s BC

Ruled a broad area in Northern China

The King was the center of the political
and religious life
Royal Family / Nobles
Warrior Leaders
Artisans
Farmers
Slaves
The Shang Advances

China’s first writing system
–

Military advancements
–
–

War chariots
Bronze body armor
Ornaments from Jade
–

Today’s writing is based on this system
Jade- a hard gemstone
Developed a calendar based on the cycles
of the moon
Oracle Stone