1. Early Societies East Asia
Chapter 5
Early Societies East Asia

2. Huang He “Yellow” River
Loess, extremely fertile
China’s Sorrow, devastating floods and changes of course
Center of Early Chinese civilization
King Yu, dredging and canal work to control the flood effects
Develops largely in isolation due to:
Mountains, Deserts, and Seas

3. The Earliest Dynasties, 2200 BCE-256 BCE
Yellow River: 3000 Miles, Tibet to the Yellow Sea; Deposits fertile, light colored soil; Periodic flooding: “China’s sorrow”
Xia
Organized village network
Hereditary monarchy
Flood control
Shang
Written records and materials
Bronze metallurgy
Walled cities
Zhou
The mandate of heaven
Produced books

7. Xia Dynasty Thought for a long time to have been a myth
Built their cities out of wood and packed earthen works
Credited with establishing hereditary monarchical rule in China, effective flood control projects (Yu), and the early development of metallurgy
No writing or records

8. Shang Dynasty
Much more is known about them because they left written records in the form of Oracle Bones
Masters of Bronze Metallurgy, of which they kept a guarded monopoly
*Chariots from the Indo-Europeans* (what does that mean?)
Shang had a strong centralized rule
No formalized law code

9. Oracle Bones and Early Chinese Writing
Used for communicating with spirit world, determining future
Question written on animal bones, turtle shells
Then heated over fire, cracks examined for omens
Early archaeological evidence of Chinese writing
Evolution of Chinese script
Pictograph to ideograph, what is the difference?

10. Chinese Ideograms The dynamo of the ancient world
Effect upon the Chinese people, a unifier
Scribes were also the only ones who were taught to write

11. Oracle Bone from Shang Dynasty

13. Shang Bronze Amphora

15. Zhou Dynasty
Shang fell into decline and the Zhou dynasty took over establishing a new belief – the Mandate of Heaven.
The gods approval to rule
Justified their overthrow
Expanded south to the Yangtze River
Standardized spoken language

16. Zhou Dynasty Slowly overcame the Shang Dynasty
Established the Mandate of Heaven
Family rules because they have the approval of the gods. 
Dynastic Cycle – Kings could lose the Mandate of Heaven and be overthrown by new kings.

17. Zhou Dynasty Decentralized government, feudal in nature
Difficulty maintaining their bronze monopoly, why?
*Iron is introduced* and this really disrupts the power system in Zhou China

18. Zhou Dynasty The Period of the Warring States result
Zhou attacked by nomads, aid was refused from the vassal states, Zhou dynasty moved and the dynasty lost as it’s subordinate states fought amongst themselves for the right to rule
At this time the three major philosophical traditions of Chinese culture developed
- Later

19. Southern Expansion of Chinese Society
Yangzi Valley
Yangzi river: Chang Jiang, “long river”
Excellent for rice cultivation
Irrigation system developed
The State of Chu
Autonomous, challenged Zhou dynasty
Culture heavily influenced by Chinese

20. Social Order Ruling classes great advantage
Palatial compounds, luxurious lifestyle
Supported by agricultural surplus, tax revenues
Defended by monopoly on bronze weaponry
Hereditary privilege
Large class of peasants (high up because they produce food)
Support class of artisans, craftsmen
Evidence of long-distance trade, merchant class
Slave class

21. Cultural Beliefs
Concept of Tian, was an impersonal power responsible for bestowing or revoking the Mandate of Heaven
Not for monitoring or judging personal behavior
Polytheistic
Early gods represented the sun, moon, clouds, and wind
No large priestly class develops!

22. Family and Patriarchy devotion to family, ancestor veneration
connection of spirit world to physical world
Believed the spirit of their ancestors could speak to the gods
Ritual sacrifices to gain favor
Father ritual head of family rites
Earlier prominence of individual female leaders fades in later Shang, Zhou dynasties
No formalized religion ever develops, which serves to strengthen what beliefs they already have

24. Family
Gender, evidence of early matrilineal systems replaced by the Shang times for a patriarchal one
Patriarch and extended family possessed tremendous authority over the lives of its members

25. Economics Trade networks to India as of 2000 b.c.
Sail technology, interaction with Korea
By the Zhou Dynasty they are using star navigation
Crops: soybeans, rice, millet
Built irrigation systems
Silk, as early as 2600 b.c.e.
Domesticated chicken and pigs

26. Nomadic Peoples of Central Asia
Steppe nomads
Poor lands for cultivation, extensive herding activities
Horses domesticated c BCE, bronze metallurgy in 2900 BCE
Extensive trade
with sedentary
cultures in China
Tensions:
frequent raiding

27. Relationship with Nomads
Constant interaction
Weak China, nomads were an ominous force and often raided them.
Strong China, source of trade and interaction
Never adopted Chinese culture, why?