Transcript Ancient China

ANCIENT CHINA
CHAPTER 5
Geography of China’s River Valleys

When you think of Dragons….What comes to mind?
Chinese Dragons



Dragons were a respected spirit
Brought the life giving rains (China had Dragon rain
ceremonies)
China’s Explanation of rivers?
The Geography of China




Contrasting Climate and Landforms
North China Plain- Built by soil deposits from the
Huang River
Short Summer and rain season due to the monsoons
Climate is very dry most of the year
Contrasting Climates


Southern climate is the direct opposite of the North
(duh)
Very warm and damp
Effects of Civilization




Geographic Barriers?
Mountains
Rivers
What did these barriers do?/ Cause
Flooding Rivers


China’s flooding rivers did what for the people?
Based off of everything we have learned this year,
where do you believe the first Chinese villages were
established?
Yellow River





The Huang River carries deposits of loess
Loess- yellow-brown soil
When the river floods it leaves this yellow brown silt
all over the northern region
That’s why the northern region can still farm even
though it is dry
Millet is grown here (staple of Chinese diet)
China’s Sorrow


The Huang (Yellow) River was called China’s Sorrow
Why?
Flood Control


Dikes- walls to control the floods
Major issue as a result?
Early Civilization in China

It is unknown when the first nomadic groups began
settling and farming in the region, but it was
believed to be as early as 5000 B.C.
Shang Dynasty






1st Major Civilization in China
Arose around 1760 B.C.
Created the first Chinese writing system the writing
system was culturally universal, multiple different
Chinese groups could use the writing system
Built China’s first cities
Great Bronze workers
Ruled for about 600 years
Shang Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty






Bordered the Shang
Had times of War and Peace with the Shang
Conquered the Shang in 1122 BC
Ruled for 1000 years (Western Zhou/Eastern Zhou)
The end of the Zhou was marked by a perior of
time called the Warring States
This period lasted only a small time before the Qin
took over
Mandate of Heaven


The idea is that a King or Ruler gets his power by
fate, God has determined that person will be in
control.
Same goes for the father leading his family.
The Importance of Family

Family is the center of Chinese life, more important
than the individual and the nation.
Traditional Families




Could contain up to 5 generations
Extended family- closely related group of people
living in the same house
Wealthy families may live in one big house
Majority of the people were poor and lived in one
room cottages positioned close to one and other
Family Authority


Center authority was the eldest male
After the oldest man died, land was divided up
between his sons and they started their own families
at that point.
Women’s Roles


Women were considered lower status than men
Women were bound by the 3 obedience's
 1-
obey father in youth
 2- obey husband in marriage
 3- obey their sons if widowed
Family Names



Chinese tradition is that the family name is passed
on to each child then a personal name is given also.
When spoken, the family name comes first.
Example instead of Seth Whiting, I would be
Whiting Seth. What would your name be?
Confucius and His Teachings
Section 2
The Life of Confucius




Confucius- Chinese teacher and philosopher
Name- Kong Fu Zi (Master Kong) one of the earliest
Chinese thinkers (Confucius is the Latin translation)
Born to a Noble (yet poor) family in the North
China Plain (NCP)
Self taught (became a teacher)
Teaching Pioneer





First recognized paid teacher
Goal was to find a leader to follow his teachings
He never did
Believed his life to be a failure
Teaching lasted for centuries
The Teachings of Confucius


His goal was to pass on forgotten teachings of wise
men
Confucianism- A system of values and beliefs, a
philosophy, based on Confucius’s ideas
Bringing Order to Society


Confucius believed that if people could be trained
to behave properly, and orderly successful society
would follow
Too many of China’s leaders were more worried
about displaying power than intellegence
Respecting Others


People should know their place, and show respect to
those above and below them
The five human relationships:
 Ruler
and Ruled
 Father and Son
 Husband and Wife
 Older Brother and Younger Brother
 Friend and Friend
The Golden Rule

Very similar to Jewish and Christian belief that:
 “Do
not do to others what you would not want done to
yourself”
Religious Traditions




Confucianism is a philosophy but was followed much
like a religion, often along side another original
religion
Ancient China was home to many beliefs
Chinese people believed that you should live life in
harmony and happiness
Taoism- living in harmony with the earth (based off
of the writings of Laozi)
Influence of Confucianism




Confucian ideas became the basis for Chinese
government civil service
Civil Service- group of people who carry out the work
of the government
Merit System- Govt. positions were given based on how
well you did your job and if you passed the exams
Rising to high Positions- In order to take the exam you
had to read and write, this left poor people out of
govt. office because most lacked the ability to read
and write
THE WARRING KINGDOMS UNITE
Comparing Detail of Chinese Rulers
QIN DYNASTY
•
•
•
•
HAN DYNASTY
•
•
•
•
Comparing Rulers
QIN DYNASTY
• Had an Emperor (Shi Huangdi)
• Dynasty was short lived (15 years)
• Very Controlling govt. (restricted
freedoms)
• Wanted a strong military
• Created common currency/ law system/
weights and measures/ improved writing
system
• Outlawed Confucius ideas
• Built Great Wall
HAN DYNASTY
• Had an Emperor (Liu Bang)
• Long Lived (400 years)
• Open govt. (educated the people)
• Wanted a strong military
• Govt. based on Confucius ideas
• Did not keep up with road and canal
repairs
•Extended Great Wall
SHI HUANGDI


The first Emperor of China
6000 piece terracotta army
SHI HUANGDI


The emperor had this army created to protect his
tomb and help him gain control in the afterlife.
He had grand plans for real life as well, he said his
dynasty would last for 10,000 generations
THE QIN DYNASTY
QIN DYNASTY





Lasted only 2 generations
Shi Huangdi was the first emperor
He conquered and united all the warring states
First task was to enforce strong rule and protect his
people
He ordered the construction of the great wall of
China
GREAT WALL
GREAT WALL FACTS




The Great wall is one continuous structure built by
the QIN Dynasty…? False- it was started by the
Qin and added to by many other dynasties. The
wall is built in segments some attached others
detached.
Death Toll- 1,000,000. Referred to as the longest
cemetery in the world!
Length of the Defense walls- 31,070 miles
Circumference of earth- 24,854 miles
More Great Wall Facts


The wheelbarrow was invented and used
extensively to build the great wall
25ft tall and up to 30 ft wide.
Organizing the Government



To stop rebelions, Huangdi had farmers build miles
of road so his armies could quickly get to any
uprising and stop it.
Huangdi killed any official who opposed him
Divided China into districts run by his trusted
officials
Unifying Economy & Culture
Huangdi declared that one currency would be used
Currency- type of money
Why would he want one currency for all of China?
Also called for:
common weights and measures
improved writing system
law code
Restricting Freedoms






Outlawed philosopher who was not QIN
Confucius's teachings were banned
Qin taught legalism, the Idea that you are punished
for bad behavior and rewarded for good behavior
People should work to serve the govt. and the
emperor
Huangdi burnt all books except those containing
medical, technical, or farming information.
The people who protested were killed
The End of the Qin





Huangdi died in 210 B.C.
It was followed by 4 years of chaos 9 (both his sons
were killed)
His grandson takes over but cannot maintain control
Rebellions broke out and the dynasty fell
The 10,000 generation dynasty only lasted 15
years
The Han Dynasty




Emperor- Liu Bang (rebel who helped overthrow the
Qin)
Less Harsh than Qin
Open to education (Han Rulers new it was necessary
for success)
Govt. set on Confucius ideas (civil service/Merit
Based)
Liu Bang’s Death





Wudi (woo dee) Liu Bang’s grandson has come to
power after Liu Bangs death
He was 15 years old
Name means “Warrior Emperor”
Improved the Great Wall
Extended the Empire to its largest size yet
The End of the Han





Wudi dies (the empire continues to develop for a
short time)
Weak leadership leads to a collapse
One leader took control at (100 days old)
Govt. struggle led to a lapse in upkeep of roads
and canals
Warlords and armed groups take control
Cao Pei




Warlord who took control as emperor
220 A.D. he calls an end to the dynasty
220 A.D. starts his own dynasty called the “Wei”
Lasted 50 years
Chinese Achievements




“THE SILK ROAD”
An ancient trade route between China and Europe
(China to Mediterranean sea)
Wudi’s western conquest put China in contact with
Europeans and Middle Eastern people
Name comes from the trade of silk, a valuable cloth
made only in China (closely guarded by the
Chinese)
SILK ROAD
A route for goods





Most traders never travelled the whole length
Goods passed from trader to trader, the price goes
up each time
Why?
Things other than goods travelled the route
Explain!
Tradition and Learning




Writing of Chinese history
Creating a Dictionary
Advancement in the arts
Sima Qian- wrote the Chinese history including the
myths and fact from the beginning of Chinese time
to the reign of Wudi (Historical Record)
Advances in Technology



The arts: silk weaving, jade carving, architecture,
bronze work
Medicine- acupuncture, herbal remedies, circulatory
system
Technology- paper, iron plow, rudder, seismoscope,
wheel barrow, compass
Assignment


Pg. 161- Key Terms 1-8
Pg. 162- (9 b/c) (10 c) (11 b) (13 a/b/c)