Transcript 27.2 Part 1 - History of China

Today’s Schedule – 4/26
1. CNN Student News
– 27.1/27.2 Vocab and Standards Re-writes Check
2. PPTs
– 27.2 Part 1: History of China
– 27.2 Part 2: Culture of China
• HW:
– 27.3 Vocab
EARLY HISTORY
The Chinese have the longest known
continuous history of any culture
As early as 6,000 BC
People began farming along the Chang River
Evidence suggests the first dynasty in China was the
Shang Dynasty (1700s – 1100s BC)
During the 200’s BC China’s first emperor conquered
most of eastern China
He ordered the connection of
the ancient walls to protect
against invaders from the
north.
This would become the Great Wall of China
This dynasty was called the Qin, or the
Ch’in.
The term China comes
from this dynasty.
The first emperor’s name was Cheng
He was buried in a tomb near a clay army of unique
soldiers and horses.
The Han Dynasty
(202 BC – 220 AD)
• Was a high period of Chinese culture.
• Cities grew rapidly, and art and architecture
flourished.
During the first millennium
China was the most
advanced country in the
world.
Mongol invaders under Genghis Khan
invaded China
And by 1279 they ruled all
of China.
The Chinese rebelled and retook control of
China
After this period, China’s rulers forbade trade with the
outside world.
For centuries China had contact with the
outside world only through overland trade
routes.
The Silk Road extended through China to Central Asia to
the Black Sea.
MODERN HISTORY
During the 1500’s Europeans began to
reach China by sea
The Chinese largely
ignored these visitors.
The Chinese, however, were unprepared to deal
with the aggressive nature of the Europeans.
During the 1800’s
China lost several wars
and was unable to
keep out the
Europeans, U.S., and
Japan
China lost Hong Kong to the British
Taiwan was conquered by
Japan
In 1912 rebels overthrew the last Chinese
dynasty and formed the Republic of China
• A man named Chiang Kaishek became China’s leader
under the Nationalist Party
• Tried to defeat warlords that
controlled part of China
• Also faced opposition from
Communist Party
During the 1930’s Japan took over much of northern
and eastern China and set-up a puppet government
Japan committed many atrocities in China during this period.
After Japan’s defeat in WWII
China fell into civil war
between the
Nationalists (under
Chiang Kai-shek) and
the Communists led by
a man named Mao
Zedong.
•The Communists won in 1949 and
established the People’s Republic of China
(PRC)
The Nationalists retreated to the island of Taiwan.
Memorial to Chang
Kai-Shek
• Nationalist Party members called it Taiwan, The
Republic of China
– Still has this name today
Communist rule in China
Resulted in the loss of many personal freedoms.
People were forced onto large government
farms
And all private property
was seized.
Communism also changed the family
structure in China
Men and women were now equal, and the government tried to
slow the growth of families, limiting each family to one child.
Mao tried to rapidly industrialize the
Chinese economy
This plan was called the
Great Leap Forward.
Mao’s plans for the Chinese economy was
a disaster
The economy and the environment suffered.
Mao also undertook a “Cultural
Revolution”
Where people who he
suspected of being his
enemies – intellectuals,
scientists – were put to
death, imprisoned, or
sent to work in the
countryside.
After Mao died in 1976
• Deng Xiaoping came to
power
• He realized much of Mao’s
plans had been mistakes
– Widespread famine
– Environmental disasters
China began to modernize its economy
And he moved the country towards a market economy.
•Today many farmers grow their own crops
although the land is leased from the
government
And China is self-sufficient
in food.
China has attracted much foreign investment in
manufacturing and textiles.
While China has opened its economy
Politically it is still very closed.
In 1989 students protested for democracy in
Tiananmen Square
The government sent in troops and tanks to crush
the protestors – and hundreds were killed.