1. Ancient China River Valley Civilization

2. Geography of China
Huang He (Yellow River) is about 2,900 miles long and carries silt
Gained its name from the yellow soil it carries
Known as the “River of Sorrows” because it has unpredictable flooding
Yangtze River is about 3,400 miles long and is in central China
Rivers and valleys created a food-producing region
Brought with it fertile farming regions
Irrigation and transportation

4. Terrain
Only 10% of China’s total land area, located in the east, is suitable for farming
Most of China consists of mountains, deserts, and plateaus
Gobi Desert- created a natural barrier and helped to keep China isolated
Mountains: Tian Shan and Himalayas

6. Monsoons
China’s climate varied from region to region and was based on elevation

7. Isolation
Having little contact with other cultures meant that the Chinese believed their culture was the center of the Earth.
Chinese called themselves the Middle Kingdom
If they did have contact with other cultures it was often marked by conflict
Isolation leads to ethnocentrism

9. Xia Dynasty ( BCE)
Little is known about this dynasty, only have archaeologist evidence. There was no written language
Founder: Yu the Great
King: a strong royal authority who controlled irrigation
Performed rituals and sacrifices
Waged war
Mediated between the world of spirits and humans
Had walled towns
Contributions: assembled armies, built cities, carved jade, cast and worked with bronze, created pictograms, designed first calendar

11. Shang Dynasty ( BCE)
Historians have information about this dynasty
Government was run by a king but with clans
Clans- groups of families who claim a common ancestor
Had large palaces with tombs of rulers
Capital city: Anyang
King controlled small areas while nobles controlled most of the land
Warlike society

13. Social Structure

14. Religion Prayed to many gods and nature spirits
Prayed to dead ancestors to intercede with the gods help
Believed the universe was held in delicate balance between two forces: yin and yang
When these forces were in balance, peace and prosperity would result
Believed in supernatural forces with which they could communicate through oracle bones
Priests scratched questions on bones to be answered by gods
Written language began when priests wrote down questions addressed to gods or spirits

17. Contributions
Pictographs (drawings of objects) and ideographs (drawings of thoughts and ideas)
Only upper class learned to read and write
Famous for bronze works
Created axes, knives, spears
Horse-drawn chariots
Studied the movements of the planets
Created the calendar
Made silk- became China’s most valuable export

18. Zhou Dynasty (1100-256 BCE) Zhou Dynasty overthrew the Shang Dynasty
Zhou is the longest lasting dynasty in Chinese history
Had a feudal type of government
Feudalism- local lords controlled their own regions but owed military service to the ruler
Kings had great power and prestige

19. Mandate of Heaven and Dynastic Cycle
Zhou told the people the gods had become angry at the Shang for their cruelty
Right to rule: Mandate of Heaven
Each dynasty claimed the Mandate of Heaven
Dynastic cycle: the rise and fall of empires
King was seen as the link between heaven and earth
Kings were expected to rule in the proper way, known as Dao

21. Economy China’s economy grew
Used iron to make tools which led to the production of more food
With the production of food, the population grew
Trade occurred
Chinese had copper coins which is one of the earliest forms of a money economy
Made trade easier

23. Family in Ancient China
Family was a symbol of social order
Filial Piety: members of the family would subordinate their needs and desires to those of the male head of the family

24. Contributions Have two of the first written books:
Book of Documents: Zhou conquest of Shang
Book of Songs: Earliest poetry
Astronomers studied planet movement
Developed the calendar
Discovered how to make silk- most valuable export

25. Fall of the Zhou Had a decentralized administration
Left power in local lands
“Period of Warring States”