The Land of China Huang He River Valley Powerful Rivers “Yellow River” 2,900 miles long Rich, yellow soil: Loess Creates fertile land for farmers Often floods; enormous floods “China’s Sorrow”

The Land of China (cont.) People moved south Chang Jiang River, or Yangtze River Almost 4,000 miles long Also provided rich soil; rice Major transportation way trade

The Land of China (cont.) Mountains and Desert Only 1/10th of China’s land is farmable Several mountain ranges: Himalaya, Kunlun Shan, and Tian Shan Desert: Gobi Both acted as barriers; limited contact between China and other civilizations “Middle Kingdom”

Pictures of China

Pictures of China

Pictures of China

Pictures of China

Pictures of China

Pictures of China

First Chinese Dynasty Why did China’s Shang rulers become powerful? Myths and Legends Created myths to explain creation of their world Celebrated deeds of great heroes Yu the Great Chased away dragon that created floods dug channels to control floods Aided by other dragons Took 13 years Founded China’s first dynasty; named it Xia Historians have found no evidence of this dynasty Written records state the first dynasty was the Shang (1750 BC – 1045 BC)

Shang Dynasty Royal capital, Anyang King most powerful Aristocrats Palace, temple in center Public buildings and homes of gov’t officials surrounded King most powerful Political, religious, and military leader Appointed warlords to govern local territories

Shang Dynasty (cont.) Worshipped many gods Shang Ti, supreme god Gods were admired and feared Could bring good or bad fortune Offered gifts of food and other goods Honored their ancestors (long dead family members) Seeking Guidance from Ancestors Shang kings believed they got their power from ancestors Religion and Government closely linked Oracle Priests heated bones to find answers

Shang Dynasty (cont.) Pictographs: characters that represent objects Ideographs: link two or more pictographs to express an idea Shang Arts bronze; used molds of clay Silk; for the wealthy Vases, dishes; kaolin Jade sculptures

Zhou Dynasty: China’s Longest Dynasty Wu Wang Helped overthrow the last of the Shang rulers Ruled for over 800 years (longest in Chinese history) How did Zhou rule? King led gov’t; assisted by Bureaucracy King created strong army to obtain weaker kingdoms Kingdom too large Aristocrats assigned to govern local territories Positions were hereditary Zhou claimed Mandate of Heaven

Zhou Dynasty: China’s Longest Dynasty (cont.) Mandate of Heaven Chinese believed king’s right to rule Gods chose a wise and good person to rule Will rule honestly and well Changed what Zhou people expected from king King must rule by proper “Dao” (Way) Duty was to honor and please the gods Natural disasters meant king had failed and could be replaced

Zhou Dynasty: China’s Longest Dynasty (cont) Technology and Trade Chinese learned new systems of irrigation Better water supply allowed more crops than ever Trade expands; central Asia and Greece War Between the States Aristocrats grew more powerful; ignored king Began fighting each other War lasted over 200 years “Period of the Warring States”

Society and Culture in Ancient China Period of Warring States brought too much death. Chinese Philosophies Confucianism Daoism Legalism All had the same goal: create a well- run and peaceful society.

Society and Culture in Ancient China (cont.) Confucius Born to farming family (550 BC) Criticized misrule of kings Urged people to follow beliefs of ancestors Would bring peace and harmony to China Confucianism Duty is central Needs of family and community come before self If duties fulfilled, society would do well According to Confucius: Be good Behave moderately Keep promises Honor traditions Respect elderly Seek knowledge

Society and Culture in Ancient China (cont.) Influence of Confucius Golden Rule Gov’t service should be open to all subjects; not just nobility Over time, civil service test developed Analects: collections of Confucius sayings Teachings spread throughout China until early 1900s

Philosophy of Daoism Promoted peaceful society Dao means “path” (The Way) Laozi Lived same time as Confucius Believed that people should free themselves from worldly desires and live simply. Return to nature; enjoy happy life

Daoism vs. Confucianism People should work hard to make the world better Turn away from worldly affairs an live in harmony with nature. Many follow both! They believe two philosophies support each other

Philosophy of Legalism Stressed the importance of system of laws Hanfeizi Introduced Legalism around 200s BC Believed humans were naturally evil Strict laws and punishments necessary Legalism supported; emphasized force Did not require rulers to consider needs of people

Chinese Life Four Social Classes Farmers Aristocrats Wealthy; owned land (estates) Male heirs inherited family’s land Farmers 90% of population Rented fields Taxes; work one month on public works projects Serve as soldiers

Chinese Life (cont.) Artisans and Merchants -crafted iron tools and weapons, silk cloth, vessels -skills taught by fathers, passed down to sons -some merchants became wealthy; not respected -believed merchants worked for gain, not betterment of society. -merchants barred from gov’t jobs

Chinese families Center of society All members helped with farming Filial piety: son/daughter’s responsibility to respect and obey parents -also required them to take care of them when they grew older Head of the household first Respect for parents, elderly central to Confucianism

Chinese families (cont.) Roles of Men and Women Men respected because of their jobs Considered more important than work done by women Women raised children, saw to their education Maintained family finances, took care of household.

The Qin and the Han Dynasties Qin Emperor Defeated the Zhou Dynasty Declared himself “First Qin Emperor” Wanted to unify China Only emperor could appoint governors Censors Writings and speech limited Created a currency Simplified rules for writing Building projects Terra Cotta soldiers canals

The Qin and the Han Dynasties (cont.) The Great Wall Qin wanted to keep empire safe from invasion Joined previous walls to keep out nomadic tribes End of Qin Rule Aristocrats, farmers rebelled shortly after Qin death

Han Rulers Liu Bang Family ruled China for over 400 years Han Wudi First strong emperor Ended practice of hereditary positions Recruited for civil service Workers selected based on performance on test Candidates recommended from scholars and officials System raised quality of govt System favored rich due to education availability.

Han Rulers (cont.) Education Empire Expands Peace for almost 150 years Schools created to prepare for civil service test Studied law, history and ideas of Confucius Passing exam brought gov’t jobs, respect Empire Expands Population rises to about 60 million Need more food; farms Generational division of land; small estates Unable to grow enough food for own family Tenant farmers; poor Peace for almost 150 years

Han Rulers (cont.) Chinese Inventions Han Culture Literature, art Artists create works for less prominent families Ideas of Confucius gained influence Filial piety Chinese Inventions Cast-iron plow Iron tools: drained land, redirect water Waterwheel, wheelbarrow Silk, paper RUDDER, SAILING IMPROVEMENT

On the Silk Road Trade grows throughout Han dynasty Exploration West Han Wudi sends Zhang Qian Goal was to recruit new allies Qian returns 13 years later; no allies Learned great deal about western kingdoms; horses Traded for horses; silk, spices, luxury goods Later named Silk Road

On the Silk Road (cont.) Buddhism Reaches China Trade Expands Network of roads; dangerous and difficult China encounters other civilizations; Roman Empire Chinese connection to Europe for 1000 years Buddhism Reaches China Emperors of Han dynasty were weak, dishonest Corrupt officials; greedy aristocrats Rebellion destroys capital city Luoyang in AD 190 Civil War divided China for next 400 years Buddhist ideas influence Chinese people