Transcript Geography of China and the Shang Dynasty

Geography of China and the Shang
Dynasty
By: Kevin Foley, Ava Demanes, and
Mary Tarantino
Geography Influencing Early Chinese
Civilization
• Geography made it difficult to spread ideas,
goods to China
– Chinese civilization developed very distinctly
• China was semi isolated by Mountains and
Deserts to the West, Rivers to the South, Seas
to the East, and Mountains to the North.
• the mountains helped maintaining the different
cultures
Geography influencing early Chinese
Civilization
• Two River Systems:
– Two major river systems flow toward the Pacific
Ocean –
• central Chang Jiang (Yangtze); northern Huang He
(Yellow River)
– River floodwaters deposit silt; create fertile soil
for farming –
• North China Plain is between rivers; is the center of
Chinese civilization
~Mountains and Rivers are two of the major
features in China.
~The mountains served somewhat as a barrier
and the rivers served as a big role in
transportation.
The Shang Dynasty
• It has the earliest recorded written history.
• The Shang dynasty ruled parts of northern and
central China
• Its capital city was located at Anyang near the
border of Henan
The Shang Dynasty
• Established by King Tang in 1675 BC
• Lasted over 600 years, ruled by over 30
emperors
• Once thought to be a myth, however it is now
considered a true dynasty.
• The king was overthrown by the Zhou dynasty
in 1028 B.C.
The Shang Dynasty
• One of most important developments of
Shang was the invention of writing.
– The first group of people from China that had
written records found today.
– Most common place writings are found is on
oracle bones used for divination.
• bones used for this originally came from a number of
animals, but were eventually done only on turtle shells.
The Shang Dynasty
• The Shang Dynasty was an Aristocratic society,
– King ruling over the military nobility
• Underneath the Aristocratic class was the priest
class.
– The priests kept the records of the government and
were also in charge of religion.
• Religion in the Shang dynasty was based on
ancestor worship and a worship of many gods
– Main god was known as Shang Ti, the Lord on High.
Video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huMMLyt
z8aw&feature=related
Work Cited
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http://www.kidport.com/reflib/worldgeography/China/China.htm
http://www.chinatownconnection.com/shang-dynasty.htm
http://www.travel-china.net/china-travel-attractions.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/12255/library/dynasty/shang.html
http://www.miktamchinese.com/englishvs/pictures.php
http://home.flash.net/~cameron/calligraphy/scripts/script_styles.ht
m
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16090957@N06/1797193886/
http://www.chinatownconnection.com/qin-dynasty.htm
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