Transcript Chapter 5 Section 1 Ancient World

Chapter 5 Section 1
Ancient World
Geography of China’s River valley
The Chinese Dragon
A respected
spirit, and a
friendly beast
that brought
good luck.
Responsible for
the rains that
made the fields
fertile.
1
Dragon Rain Ceremony
Climate of North China Plain
• Short, but
intense, rainy
season brought
on by the
monsoon winds.
• Remainder of the
year is very dry
2
Climate of Southeast China
• In the south it is warm and
wet
• Monsoons from South
China Sea bring heavy
rains from March to
September
• Light rains the rest of the
year.
2
The Middle Kingdom
• Mountains and seas separated China from
the other great civilizations of Egypt,
Rome, Greece etc.
• Chinese saw themselves as the center of
the world and called themselves the
Middle kingdom.
3
Civilizations along Rivers
• Why did early civilizations
in China arise along rivers?
• China’s rivers overflowed
and brought rich topsoil to
the land.
• Topsoil called Loess
4
The Forbidden City
The Chang River (Yangtze)
Longest river in China and third longest in the world.
5
The Huang River ( Yellow River)
6
The 2nd longest river in China
Huang River
Grain crop of The North China
Plain
Millet - Gluten-free with a slightly nutty flavor
7
China’s Sorrow
When the Huang floods
it can kill millions of
people
Flooding is controlled by
a system of Dikes
The build up of Loess
(silt), has caused the
river bottom to rise
above the surrounding
land in some areas.
8&9
Loess Plateau is Shaded
Highly erosion-prone soil
The Huang valley
• Farming began
in the Huang
valley around
5,000 years ago.
10
The Shang Dynasty
• Dynasty - A series of rulers from the same
family or ethnic group.
• Arose around 1760 B.C.
• Built China’s first cities
• Produced fine bronze work
• Produced the first Chinese system of
writing. (Written language the same even
though there are many different
languages.)
11& 12
Turtle shell showing one of the
earliest examples of Chinese
writing.
Bronze wine vessel from the Shang
dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty
• Conquered the Shang Dynasty about
1122B.C.
• Ruled for almost 1,000 years
• The Qin took over China after the Zhou
Dynasty
• Mandate of Heaven - Chinese believed
that rulers came to power because it was
their destiny.
13 & 14
Chinese Families
• More important than the individual or
nation
• The extended family was the norm. As
many as five generations lived together.
• How does this compare to American
families today?
15
Nuclear Family
• a woman and/or
husband and
dependent
children
16
Extended Family
• A family
consisting of
parents and
children, along
with either
grandparents,
grandchildren,
aunts or uncles.
16
Most common in ancient China.
Chinese Family Authority
• Age and sex determined status
• Oldest man had most power
• He decided who his children and
grandchildren would marry.
• He punished disrespectful children
• Upon his death his land was divided
among his sons
18 & 19
Women in Early China
• Considered of lower status than men.
• Were bound by three obediences.
– Obey their fathers in youth
– Their husbands in marriage
– Their sons in widowhood
Guided by four virtues. Morality
proper speech
modesty
domestic skills
20 &21
Family Names
• Some common family names are Mao,
Chan and Lu
• In China the family name is spoken first
followed by your first name.
• For example: Thomas Jefferson would be
Jefferson Thomas.
22