Transcript Diapositive 1

Geography of China’s River
Valleys
John H. Clark IV
OMS
Chapter 5, Section 1
Dragons
• In ancient China
dragons were
considered to be
sacred because the
Chinese believed they
brought you good
luck.
Climate and Landforms
• The North China Plain is built up on soil deposits left by
the Huang River. It’s located in East Asia.
• The North China Plain has an intensely rainy summer
season which is caused by monsoon winds. The Plain is a
very dry place the rest of the year.
• The monsoon rains last from March through September in
South China. This gives South China a warm and wet
climate almost year round.
Climate and Landform Effects on Civilization
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Due to the steep valleys the early Chinese
civilizations settled in, they used a farming
technique called terrace farming.
Geographic barriers such as mountains and
seas separate China from the world around
it.
Due to these barriers they knew very little
about the outside world.
The Chinese believed that they lived at the
center of the world, so they called
themselves the Middle Kingdom.
China’s civilizations developed along its
two longest rivers, the Huang and its longest
river the Chang.
The Huang River A.K.A. Yellow River
The Huang River A.K.A. Yellow River Cont.
• The Huang is the second-longest river in China.
• It is the muddiest river in the world!!!
• Due to the loess – a yellowish-brown soil that is
carried along the river currents, the Huang is known
as The Yellow River.
• The loess that the river carries provides very fertile
farm lands to the North China Plain.
• The fertile farm lands allow China to grow millet – a
type of grain that has been part of their diet for
thousands of years.
Flood Control
• To help control flooding
China built dikes – a type
of protective wall that
holds back water.
• The loess that was carried
along the Huang River
built up to the point that
the river eventually rose
above the dikes causing
more flooding.
Early Chinese Civilizations
• Historians estimate that the earliest farming settlements
began around 5000 BC.
• As the settlements grew larger they began to control large
sections of the Huang River Valley.
• The early Chinese believed that rulers came to power
because it was their destiny. This belief was known as the
Mandate of Heaven, it supported the right of their leaders
to rule over their people and also gave fathers authority
over their families.
• The First Chinese Dynasties:
1) The Shang Dynasty (1760 BC – 1160 BC)
2) The Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC – 256 BC )
The Shang Dynasty
• The Shang Dynasty began around
1760 BC, and was the first civilization
in China.
• They built the first Chinese cities,
developed a writing system and were
very adept at making bronze pieces.
• For a period of time the Shang
Dynasty shared a border with the
Zhou Dynasty.
The Shang Dynasty Cont.
The Zhou Dynasty
• Like any bordering civilization
The Shang and Zhou Dynasties
were sometimes peaceful and
at other times created war with
one another.
• The Zhou Dynasty eventually
conquered the Shang Dynasty
and ruled over China.
• Later a period of warring states
began fighting for control of
China.
Family Life
• A household in ancient China might have up to five
generations living together. This is known as an Extended
Family – a group of closely related people of several
generations.
• Rich families tended to live in large houses but poor
families usually lived in one room cottages.
• The status of each family member depended on their age
and gender.
• The eldest man had the authority and decided who his
children and grandchildren would marry. Those who were
disrespectful were punished severely.
• Once the eldest male figure died his lands were divided
among his sons who then started their own families.
Family Life Cont.
• Women were considered to be of a lower status
then men were.
• Traditionally women were controlled by the 3
Obedience's:
1) Their fathers in their youth
2) Their husbands in marriage
3) Their sons in widowhood
• They also had to live by the 4 Virtues:
1) Morality
2) Modesty
3) Proper speech
4) Domestic skills
Family Names
• The Chinese were the first people to use a two
name system. Their first names are their family
names, the same as our last names today. Their last
name was used to identify the individual, same as
our first names today.
• Example: Yao Ming's, the basketball superstar,
family name is Yao and his individual name is
Ming. So if you wrote my name in the Chinese
tradition it would be Clark John instead of John
Clark.