Transcript Ancient China

Ancient China
The Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty
Migration to the Yellow River
Valley:
Archeological evidence
suggests that there were
small agricultural
settlements in the
Chinese river valley as
early as 4, 500 B.C.E.
The Shang Dynasty dates
from 1,700 B.C.E.
Like the river valleys of the
Nile and the Fertile
Crescent, the Huang He
river valley invited early
settlement.
Geography of Ancient China
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Mountains make up 1/3 of
China’s area
The Himalayas close off
China to the southwest
The western boarder is
closed off by the Kunlun
Shan and Tian Shan ranges
To the east of these
mountains lies the vast
Gobi desert
China’s coastline touches
the Pacific Ocean, though
not many of the early
Chinese became seafarers
Huang He River Valley
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The Huang He (Yellow River) is associated with great sorrow and
great blessing. The floods produced by this river were often
completely devastating, killing whole towns and cities of people.
Three major
rivers drain
eastern China:
 Huang He
(Hwong huh)
 Yangtze
 Xi Jiang (Shee
Jyang)
The Huang He
flows nearly
3,000 miles, from
the northern
highlands to the
Yellow Sea
Geography Affords Nationalism
Nationalism:
loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a
sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others
and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and
interests as opposed to those of other nations
What about the geography of China would help to foster
nationalism?
Ruling Power
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Monarchy and Dynasty
The Shang dyansty was an
aristocrastic society, with a king
ruling over the military nobility.
Territorial rulers were appointed by
him in return for their support in his
military campaigns. Underneath the
aristocratic class was the priest
class.
The priests kept the records of the
government and were also in charge
of religion.
Religion
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The Shang worshipped the "Shang Ti."
This god ruled as a supreme god over
lesser gods, the sun, the moon, the wind,
the rain, and other natural forces and
places.
Highly ritualized, ancestor worship became
a part of the Shang religion.
The king served as chief priest (theocratic)
Sacrifice to the gods and the ancestors was
also a major part of the Shang religion.
When a king died, hundreds of slaves and
prisoners were often sacrificed and buried
with him. People were also sacrificed in
lower numbers when important events,
such as the founding of a palace or temple,
occurred.
Chinese Mythology
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Over the centuries, the
Chinese have developed
many myths to explain
their remote past
The most famous myth is
regarding the founding of
China’s Xia Dynasty. No
record has yet supported
the existence of this
dynasty, thus the Shang is
the first official dynasty.
Crops and Food
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This dynasty was
based on agriculture;
millet, wheat, and
barley were the
primary crops grown.
In addition to the
crops, silkworms,
pigs, dogs, sheep,
and oxen were raised.
Art and Technology
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Vertical writing (columns
from right to left)
-Perfected metal-casting
-Produced some of the
finest bronze objects ever
made
-Ivory and jade carvings
-Wove and colored silk
-Excellent pottery makers
(white clay)
The End of the Shang
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The fall of the Shang dynasty was much like that of the
legendary Xia dynasty, the last king was a cruel tyrant.
Instead of the people overthrowing the king, he was killed
by a king from a rival kingdom, the Chou kingdom in 1000
B.C.E.
The Chou dynasty was part of the Shang kingdom; its
civilization was a combination of the Shang culture and that
of non-Chinese civilizations.
** During the later dynasties (Qin- Ming, Chinese led the
world in engineering, production, and technology).