Chapter 5 Ancient China

Maps PG. 135 The boundaries of ancient China are marked by seas and mountains. What other geographical feature do you notice about ancient China? Gobu and Taklimakan deserts, North China Plain, and Huang and Chang Rivers.

Geography of China’s River Valleys Ancient Chinese people believed that dragons were a respected spirit that brought people good luck.Ancient Chinese people believed that dragons were a respected spirit that brought people good luck. They felt that they were responsible for the rains to make the fields fertile.They felt that they were responsible for the rains to make the fields fertile. They use dragons to represent the rivers.They use dragons to represent the rivers.

Contrasting Climate and Landforms Ancient China covered a large area, and the climate, soil, landforms, and waterways varied greatly. North China Plain is located in East Asia and it’s a build up of soil deposits from the Huang River. It has a brief but intense summer rainy season caused by monsoon winds, but the rest of the year there is little rain so it is a dry climate. The climate in the South is warm and wet. Monsoons from south China Sea bring heavy rains to southern China from March to September. There is light rain the rest of the year.

Effects of Civilization Mountains and seas separate China from other lands. As a result China had little knowledge of the civilizations of Egypt, India, Greece, and Rome They believed so strongly that they were the center of the world that they called themselves the Middle Kingdom. Like Egypt, the first farming villages developed along the rivers of Haung and Chang (China’s longest river. PG137 Why do you think they grew crops on terraces in this part of China?

Yellow River Huang is the second-longest river in China. It is also the muddiest river in the world. It is called the Yellow River because of the loess or yellow brown soil that its waterways carry along. When it floods it deposits loess on the plain. The Chinese grow a grain called millet which has been a part of their diet for thousands of years. The Chinese also call this river China’s sorrow because it brings destructive floods without warning. These floods were so powerful at times that they would cut new paths into the land.

Flood Control Early Chinese people built dikes or a protective wall that holds back the water. Eventually the loess grew thicker which make the river rises and it overflowed the dikes causing even deadlier floods. Despite the danger, the early Chinese continued to settle along the banks.

Early Civilization in China Early farmers of the North China Plain probably were once nomads who moved from place to place to hunt and gather food. Historians do not know exactly when the first farming settlements developed in the Haung Valley. Some think it was early as 5000 B.C.

The Shang Dynasty The Shang Dynasty was the first civilization in China. It arose sometime around 1760 B.C. The Shang people built China’s first cities. Among their many accomplishments was the production of some of the finest bronze work of ancient China. They also produced the first Chinese writing system that could be used for different languages like cuneiform. This was helpful for communication, because China had many regional languages. About 600 years after the founding of the Shang Dynasty a new group emerged called the Zhou (joh).

Zhou Dynasty Territory partly bordered the Shang territory Sometimes they lived peacefully and the other times they fought over territory. They conquered the Shang in about 1122 B.C. The Zhou dynasty ruled over ancient China for almost 1,000 years. This long period is divided into 2 pars-the earlier Western Zhou and the later Eastern Zhou dynasty. Later a period known as the Warring States began. Small kingdoms fought for control over one another until a new dynasty emerged called Qin (chin).

Mandate of Heaven Sometimes Chinese rulers inherited the throne and others fought for it. Chinese believed that rulers came to power because it was their destiny, or fate. This idea was called the Mandate of Heaven. A mandate is a law, or an order. It supported a leader’s right to rule his people, and it gave a father authority over his family.

Importance of Family The family was the center of the Chinese family. It was considered to be of far more importance than the individual or the nation. A person’s firs responsibility was always to the family. A household may contain as much as 5 generations including the extending family or closely related people such as aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, and sisters. In rich families they may live together in one large home. But most of China’s people were poor. They lived in separate one room cottages walking distance from one another.

Family Authority The status of each person in a Chinese extended family depended on his or her age and sex. The center of authority was usually the oldest man. He had the most privilege and most power in the family. He decided who his children and grandchildren would marry. After the oldest male died all his lands were divided among his sons.

Women’s Roles Women were considered to be lower status than men. Women were bounded by what were called the three obediences: to obey their fathers in youth, their husband after their marriage and their sons in widowhood. Four virtues also guided women’s behavior in ancient China: mortality, modesty, proper speech, and domestic skills. When a woman married she left her family and became part of the husbands family. She must obey the husband and respect the wishes of her mother-in-law.

Family Names In the 300s B.C., Chinese established the practice of using inherited family names along with a personal name. The inherited name was passed down from father to child. The other one was for the individual. Examples of present-day family names include Mao, Chan, and Lu. In US we have 2 names also but the family name in the Chinese goes first. Example: the 1 st president would have been named Washington George. A great philosopher, or thinker, named Confucius had ideas about the role of the family in Chinese society that would have a great effect on the people.

Questions? How did the Huang River affect ancient Chinese civilization? Civilizations first developed there, flooding caused fertile farm land but killed thousands of people and cut new paths over the land. What was the importance of family in Ancient China? The family was the center of the society.