Download ANCIENT CHINA

ANCIENT CHINA
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The third largest country in the world in terms of land area
The Himalayas ("Abode of Snow") form a natural boundary on the southwest
between China and the Indian subcontinent.
The fertile river valleys and plains are located in the eastern part of China, called
China Proper, which supports the vast majority of the Chinese people.
China has many rivers, among the most important being the Huang He (Yellow
River), the Chang Jiang (Yangzi River), and the Xi Jiang (West River) which rise
in the highlands and flow east to the seas which border China: the Yellow Sea,
the East China Sea, and the South China Sea.
The Huang He (which means "Yellow River") received its name because it
carries the yellow-colored loess (silt). It is called both "China's Savior" as well
as "China's Sorrow" since its frequent floods, which deposit rich soil for farming,
also caused much death, destruction, and havoc in Chinese history.
Throughout Chinese history, farmers and government officials constructed dykes
to keep the Huang He in its course
Agriculture has historically been the main economic activity of the vast majority
of the Chinese people (80-90%).
I. PREHISTORIC CHINA
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Archaeologists have found the remains of a prehistoric population, dating back
approximately 690,000 years.
Since the remains of this early hominid was first found near Beijing (Peking), he
was called Peking Man.
Peking Man was a nomadic hunter-gatherer who had already learned to control
fire.
By 5000 B.C. (nearly 7,000 years ago) agricultural settlements began to appear
along the fertile river valleys of China
Many archaeologists believe that the need to control water, such as through
irrigation or flood control projects, led to the development of more complex
governments.
Such governments were needed in order to organize, control, and supervise the
laborers who would build these projects.
In China, as in India and the Middle East, civilizations first developed in the
fertile river valleys where enormous projects were necessary to manage the water
resources for both irrigation and flood control.
II. CHINA'S EARLY DYNASTIES: AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
A) The Xia
 The first dynasty was the Xia dynasty
 (Stone Age--2000-1500 B.C)--a period in prehistory when people in China
were still using stone tools.
B) The Shang
 The reign of the next dynasty, the Shang (c. 1500-1000 B.C.), has been
characterized by archaeologists as Bronze Age China.
 The first use of bronze tools, vessels, and weapons is found in the Shang
period.
 Chinese lacquerware, as well as blue-and-white porcelain, were also developed
during this period.
 Historical records from this period are found inscribed on oracle bones in an
early form of Chinese script.
 The use of silk dates back as far as the Shang dynasty.
C) The Zhou
 The next dynasty, the Zhou (c. 1027-256 B.C.), witnessed the beginning of
China's Iron Age. Archaeologists have found the first use of iron tools from
the Zhou, the longest reigning dynasty in China's history. The Zhou period
also witnessed the development of the three major schools of philosophy in
China: Confucianism, Daoism (Taoism), and Legalism. Political turmoil arose
during the latter part of the Zhou dynasty, leading to its downfall.
D) The Qin
 the Qin was the first dynasty to unite China under one ruler
 the Qin standardized Chinese script, weights, and measures.
 Began construction of the Great Wall
E) The Han
 The short-lived Qin dynasty was succeeded by the Han dynasty (206 B.C. 220 A.D.).
 The Han dynasty saw a revival of learning and the beginning of papermaking.
 printing was invented in China around 550 A.D., and China began to trade
with countries to the west.
 The Silk Road facilitated travel, communications, and commerce between
China and the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Central Asia, and India.