10.1 The Birth of Chinese Civilization People in China first settled along the Huang He or the Yellow river. This river flows to the Pacific Ocean and provided early China with loess.

The rich soil helps farmers grow large amounts of food on small plots of land. As a result the Huang He valley emerged as one of the great wheat- producing areas of the ancient world. The Huang He has also often flooded and cost millions of lives. The Chinese call the Huang He “China’s Sorrow” in honor of the people who have been killed by the floods.

Over time, the people of China moved south and settled near another great river the Chang Jiang or Yangtze River. This river is the longest in Asia and about 3,915 miles long! It was an important waterway for trade and transportation.

Mountains and deserts cover most of China so only 1/10 th can be farmed. The mountains and deserts limit contact between China and other civilizations. East of the Tian Shan is a vast, rocky desert known as the Gobi. The Chinese called their land the “Middle Kingdom” and thought it was the center of the world.

Myths and Legends According to myths, Yü the Great dug the first channels to control the flood waters of the Huang He.

Legend has it that Yü founded China’s first dynasty. That dynasty was named Xia.

China’s first Dynasty 1750 BC To 1045 BC

Archaeologists have unearthed long buried walls and buildings. These ruins show that the Shang built the first Chinese cities. The royal capitol was Anyang and the King was the political, religious, and military leader. They sent out large armies to defend the kingdoms boarders.

Warlords, are military leaders who lead their own armies, and ruled the territories that the king appointed. Shang kings relied on the warlords to govern local territories. Aristocrats, people of noble birth whose wealth came from the land they owned, passed their land and power to their children or younger family members.

Most Shang people were farmers. There were much smaller groups of merchants, artisans, and slaves. Farmers worked the land that belonged to the aristocrats.

The Shang honored their ancestors, or long dead family members. Today, the Chinese still pay respect to their ancestors by going to temples and burning small paper copies of food, clothing, and other items.

Chinese artists of the time made beautiful objects of bronze. They made vases and dishes from clay and carved statues from ivory and jade.

The king led the government, ruling with the help of a bureaucracy which was made up of officials who carried out the tasks of the government. The Zhou king assigned loyal aristocrats to govern each of the territories. These positions were hereditary. This meant that when an aristocrat died, a son or another member of the family governed the territory In 1045 B.C. rebels led by an aristocrat named Wu Wang overthrew the Shang government. Wu declared the new dynasty called the ZHOU

The Chinese believed their king represented them before the gods. Zhou kings claimed that kings ruled China because they had the Mandate of Heaven. Zhou kings claimed that the Mandate of Heaven gave them the right to rule.

The period from 400 B.C. to 200 B.C. is known as the “Period of the Warring States.” During this time, aristocrats ignored the king’s commands and fought with each other.