Art & Architecture: Shang valued bronze more than gold. Bronze ritual vessels were symbols of kingship.
Invented porcelain wares. Practice of jade carvings.
Like Egypt, cities were political and religious social centers. Most people did not live there.
Zhou learned to produce glass.
Shang: Horse-drawn chariots, with spoke-wheels. Technology:
Had a calendar system with a 360-day year of 12 months of 30 days each.
Made silk cloth. China enjoys a monopoly of silk for the next thousand years.
Invented the first compass. Zhou:
Created acupuncture.
Agricultural based. Northern crops wheat and millet. Southern crop rice.
Land divided into small plots. Plots owned by a nobles. Farmed by peasant or slaves.
Social Stratification.
Extended families; (multi-generations living in the same household. Oldest male was head of the house.
Marriage often an economic and political tool to promote power. Land passed from father to sons.
Children required to be respectful, obedient, and never argue. Wrong actions brought disgrace and punishment to family.
Fu Hao (Lady Hao), wife of Shang king Wu Ding served as a military general and high priestess.
That concludes Ancient China. Any questions before the quiz on the next slide?