1. Ancient China & Confucianism

2. Huang He (Yellow) River
Geography of China
Using this map as a guide, fill in the dominant physical features of China on your own map.
Based on China’s geography, where do you think the majority of people in ancient China lived? Explain your answer.
From which directions does China face the biggest risk of invasion?
Gobi Desert
Taklimakan Desert
China’s Heartland
Huang He (Yellow) River
Yellow Sea
Plateau of Tibet
Himalayas
Yangtze River
East China Sea
Kunlun Mountains
South China Sea

3. Geography of China (cont.)
Rivers:
Huang He (Yellow): north
Frequent violent flooding
Deposits of silt
good for agriculture
Yangtze: south

4. Chinese Culture Family Hierarchy Religion Writing
main loyalty for Chinese
respect, obedience & loyalty to ruler
Hierarchy
strict social classes
Religion
spirits of ancestors helpful or not
Oracle bones
Writing
characters
written language same for all spoken dialects

5. Early Chinese Dynasties
Shang (1700 – 1027 B.C.)
overthrown by the …
Zhou
(1027 B.C. – 256 B.C.)
justified conquest by Mandate of Heaven - ruler has approval of gods
Dynastic cycle - loss of Mandate of Heaven leads to new dynasty
lost power to nobles who gained power & fought
move away from ancient values

6. Confucianism
Confucius wanted to restore social order & moral living through good family relationships
Sayings of Confucius - the Analects
Five Constant Relationships:
Parent & child
Husband & wife
Older sibling & younger sibling
Older friend & younger friend
Ruler & subject
filial piety – respect for parents & ancestors

7. Confucianism (cont.) Government:
Created the bureaucracy – trained civil service who run the government
Examination system (later)– education valued; had to pass an exam on Confucian texts to serve in the government
Confucianism spreads:
spreads to Japan, Southeast Asia & Korea

8. Legalism highly efficient & powerful gov’t was the key to social order
punishments used to maintain social order
thinkers & ideas should be strictly controlled by the gov’t

9. Qin Dynasty Shi Huangdi
ended the fighting between Chinese states & united China
adopted legalism & burned Confucian books to prevent criticism
established an autocracy – government that has unlimited power
Forced peasants to work on the Great Wall of China