1. Early China
4th civilization on the rise = Yellow River Valley in China (Huang He River)
Oldest continuous civilization in the world

2. China’s Geography 1/3 mountains Vast deserts – Gobi Desert
These factors isolated China from other early civilizations
Prevented cultural diffusion
Promoted strong sense of national identity

3. Shang Dynasty ( BCE)
1st dynasty (line of rulers who belong to the same family) from which there are written records in China
Kings were also high priests
Performed special ceremonies for good weather, crops, etc.
Had special powers to call upon their ancestors
Used oracle bones

4. Shang Dynasty Had a writing system
Characters represented objects, ideas, or sounds
Had to memorize each character to understand script
Few people could read & write in ancient China

5. Shang Dynasty Produced some of the finest bronze objects ever made
Wove silk into beautiful colored cloth for the upper class
7 capital cities
Palace and temple stood at the center of each city

6. Shang Dynasty Collapsed under attack
Shang Dynasty lacked strong leaders
1000 BCE = ruler from the north named Wu marched in his armies and killed the Shang king
Set up his own dynasty called the Zhou Dynasty that ruled China for 800 years

7. Shang Dynasty Paved the way for many other dynasties to rule China
Dynasties ruled China until the early 1900s under the Mandate of Heaven
If rulers were effective, they received the authority to rule from Heaven
If not, they were overthrown & lost this mandate to someone else who started a new dynasty