1. Life in Ancient China

2. Things to be Answered What was filial piety in Chinese families?
What were the main social classes of ancient China?
How were men looked upon in ancient Chinese society?
How were women looked upon in ancient Chinese society?
Who were the 3 main philosophers of ancient China?

3. Life in Ancient China China had 3 main social classes
Landowning aristocrats
Peasant farmers
Merchants
Social Classes- people who share a similar position in a given society

4. Classes in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Classes in Ancient China
Aristocrats- owned large estates
Lived in large houses
Had fine furniture and silk hangings
Walls surrounded their houses to keep bandits out

5. Classes in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Classes in Ancient China
Aristocratic families divided their land among their sons
The sons owned less property than their fathers and grandfathers

6. Classes in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Classes in Ancient China
Aristocrat families relied on farmers to grow crops

7. Classes in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Classes in Ancient China
9 out of 10 people in China were farmers
Lived in simple houses
Surrounded by village walls

8. Classes in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Classes in Ancient China
Northern China they grew wheat and millet.
Southern China they grew rice where it was wetter and warmer

9. Classes in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Classes in Ancient China
To pay for the land farmers gave part of their crops to the land owner
Most farmers also had a small piece of land to grow food for their family.

10. Classes in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Classes in Ancient China
Farmers had to pay taxes and work one month a year on roads and help with other government projects.
Wartime farmers served as soldiers.

11. Farming in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Farming in Ancient China
Farmers learned to cut terraces like a series of steep steps.
Made more land available for farming and kept soil from eroding.

12. Farming in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Farming in Ancient China
Terrace farming was also a way to irrigate crops. As rain fell it flowed from one terrace to another

13. Farming in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Farming in Ancient China
Ancient Chinese farmers also were the first to use insects to protect their crops from other insects.
Used ants to protect citrus trees
Used frogs and birds for pest control

14. Classes in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Classes in Ancient China
Farmers were ranked above merchants in class.
Merchants- shopkeepers, traders, bankers

15. Classes in Ancient China
Life in Ancient China
Classes in Ancient China
Merchants became quite rich, but landowners and farmers looked down upon them.
Because of their concerns with money, merchants were not allowed to have government jobs.

16. Life in Ancient China Chinese Family Life
Family basic building block of Chinese Society.
Families were large to help produce more in order to become wealthier.
Even children worked in the fields.

17. Life in Ancient China Chinese Family Life
Older sons raised their own crops and provided for their food for their parents.
Chinese families also took care of those in need; the old, sick, and the young

18. Life in Ancient China Chinese Family Life
Many generations of the same family often lived under one roof; it was common for grandparents and grandchildren to live with aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws.

19. Life in Ancient China Chinese Family Life
Chinese practiced filial piety
Filial piety- This meant children were required to respect their parents and older relatives. Family members placed the needs and desires of the family head before their own
7-2A

20. Checking
Does filial piety exist today in the same way as it did in ancient China?
If not, what can be done to strengthen filial piety