3. Yellow River Civilization (Shang Dynasty)
Location: Yellow River (Huang He) Valley Area
Government: King
Farming
Fertile Soil called “loess”
Bronze-work
Writing
Oracle Bones

5. Early Religion NATURE ANCESTOR WORSHIP YIN and YANG
Many gods that related to the natural world around them
ANCESTOR WORSHIP
Reciprocity
“Hungry Ghosts”
YIN and YANG
Balance between:
MALE and FEMALE
DARK and LIGHT

6. Human Sacrifices?
sacrifices-discovered-at-torched-shang-dynasty-city- huanbei html

7. Shang Dynasty overthrown by the Zhou (1046 BC)

8. Mandate of Heaven Originated by the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE)
Justified the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty

9. Concept 1. Heaven grants the emperor the right to rule
2. There can only be one emperor at any given time
3. The emperor’s virtue determines his right to rule
4. No one dynasty has a permanent right to rule

10. Implications Incentive for emperors to act responsibly
Allowed for incredible social mobility
Explanation/scapegoat for natural disasters such as famine, flood, drought

16. Zhou
Ruled for almost 800 years
Peace and stability

17. The end of the Zhou was a period called the warring states (403 BC-221BC)
Warring states period ended with the rise of the Qin Dynasty

18. Shi Huang Di (The First Emperor of China)
QIN Dynasty ( BCE
Shi Huang Di (The First Emperor of China)
Strict Legalism (Began by Hanfeizi)
Laws should be very strict and punishments very harsh
Started GREAT WALL
Uniform: coins, language, weights