Chapter 8 Ancient China

The Shang Dynasty From the early settlements along the Huang He River, the Shang kingdom rose to dominate a large part of the region. The language and culture of the Shang would have a lasting influence in all of China

Rising Settlements Farming villages grew along the Huang He River In these villages, people used stone tools and made pottery and silk cloth There were chiefs who organized workers and commanded warriors Some chiefs led warriors to attack and capture nearby villages

Monday, February 10, 2014 Homework: sign and return chapter 7 quizzes / page 260 rise and fall of dynasties Do Now: Take out notes started Friday

Founding the Shang dynasty Around 1700 BC, a kingdom began to expand founding the Shang dynasty This dynasty lasted about 600 years This is the earliest dynasty we have written records for

Government Strong rulers ran the government Power stayed within the family Brother to brother, from youngest brother to oldest son Leaders organized groups of farmers to clear and prepare new land With large groups, more crops were grown. With more crops, more troops could be supported The Shang attacked neighboring lands and grew greatly. They grew rich and built walls around

Writing The earliest written records from China are on oracle bones from the Shang dynasty Animal bones or turtle shells carved with written characters used to tell the future Questions are written on the bones which were heated until cracked - the crack was interpreted by the king or priest

Oracle bones Oracle bones were also used to record important records and events related to their questions. The Shang did not use an alphabet, instead they used pictographs By 1300 BC, they developed a writing system

Bronze Metalworking Shang artisans created pottery and jade carvings, but are most known for their bronze metalwork. These objects include finely decorated pots, cups, and weapons The Shang used bronze in religious ceremonies offering food and wine to their gods and ancestors

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The Zhou Dynasty A lot of what we know about the fall of the Shang is written about the Zhou dynasty Around 1050 BC the Zhou overthrew the Shang Shang rulers grew corrupt and governed badly so warriors refused to fight The Zhou justified their victory over the Shang because they declared that heaven supported change in leadership and that it bestowed on them the Mandate of Heaven

Mandate of Heaven The Mandate of Heaven permitted a leader to seize control by force, if necessary Victory served as proof that heaven supported change in leadership To stay in power, the rulers of a new dynasty would have to act virtuously - serve the interests of the people

Losing the Mandate of Heaven If a dynasty lost its Mandate of Heaven, omens such as uprisings and natural disasters would occur

Government under the Zhou The Zhou king kept control of his large kingdom because he placed family members in charge of individual regions Overtime, the ties between the local nobles and the king weakened In 771 BC, a group of nobles joined nomadic invaders to try to overthrow the king

Weakened Power With help of other nobles, the Zhou survived the attack HOWEVER the power of the king decreased - they became dependent on the nobles who had helped them stay in power States that had once been part of the Zhou kingdom began to rule independently and fighting broke out between warlords of the smaller states

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 Homework: Poster due Friday Chapter 8 test Friday Do Now: Open to your notes from yesterday

The Warring States In the latter part of the Zhou dynasty, minor battles began to escalate to full warfare This time period became known as the Warring States period which lasted about 250 years Read page 260-261, Describe the Zhou society

Spiritual Traditions Some ancient Chinese viewed Earth as a flat square, with Heaven stretching above Both heaven and earth were populated with spirits Heaven was viewed as a home for the spirits of sun, moon, strs, and storms

Spirits: Good & Bad Good spirits made the rains fall and the crops grow, helped sailors travel safely and they brought happiness Harmful Spirits made it unsafe to walk the roads at night. They may hide in a house bringing bad luck During festivals, people used loud sounds to frighten evil spirits away

Honoring Ancestors The most important spirits to many ancient Chinese were their ancestors They believed that family members lived on after death They needed to be provided and cared for The key to a good relationship was for the living to honor the dead

Poster Directions You will be assigned either Confucianism or Daoism You are to complete the given worksheet comparing two viewpoints (Confucius and Laotzi) and then create a poster representing the goal of the philosophy Your poster should include the actions that will achieve the goal, the view of the government and authority, the view of education, and the view of the individual Your poster must also include a personal philosophical saying that would shape a solution to a current problem