1. Chapter 6
Section 1

2. China’s Physical Geography
Civilization developed in North China Plain (area between Chang Jiang & Huang He rivers).
Physical landforms isolated land.
Civilization developed with few outside influences.
Eastern border…
Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and Pacific Ocean
Northern and western borders…
Gobi and Taklimakan deserts
Pamir, Tian Shan, and Himalaya mountain ranges

3. The Shang Dynasty
Around 2000 B.C. - farming settlements along Huang He began to grow into cities.
About 1766 B.C. - Shang family kings began to control some of these cities.
Set up a dynasty.
Kings controlled central North China Plain.
Their relatives ruled distant areas.
Shang defended their lands against nomads (like the Zhou).
Did you know???
Shang kings claimed to be able to influence gods.
Received messages through oracle bones!

4. Shang Dynasty Writing System
Shang developed Chinese writing system based on pictographs (used a huge number of symbols).
Had to know at least 1,500 characters!
Educated person had to know 10,000 characters!
Writing system helped unify a large, varied land.
Could read language without speaking it.
Could learn the written language, even if their spoken languages were different.

5. The Zhou Dynasty Around 1027 B.C. - Zhou defeated the Shang.
Established a new dynasty in China.
Chinese dynasties rose and fell in a pattern, called the dynastic cycle.
Zhou declared that the last Shang king had been a poor ruler and lost heaven’s favor.
Good ruler had approval from the gods.
Became part of Chinese culture (Mandate of Heaven).
Rebellions, invasions, or natural disasters meant that a ruler had been bad and lost the Mandate of Heaven.

6. Zhou Dynasty Government
Zhou did not have a strong central government.
Kings used family members as local rulers, or lords.
Lords grew stronger.
Began to fight among themselves.
771 B.C. - invaders destroyed capital and killed king.
Following kings were weak - lords continued to fight.
Period known as Time of the Warring States (began around 403 B.C.)