1. China’s First Dynasties
Main Idea:
The Shang and Zhou Dynasties helped shape China into the nation it would become.

2. The Shang Dynasty 1750 B.C. – 1045 B.C.
Rulers known as the Shang became powerful because they controlled land and had strong armies.
A dynasty is a line of rulers who belong to the same family.
Archaeologists have found huge walls, royal palaces, and royal tombs from the Shang Dynasty.
These remains show that the Shang might have built China’s first cities.

3. China’s First Capital
This dynasty was located along the Huang He River valley.
Anyang was China’s first capital located on the river.

4. The Aristocrats
The king, the warlords, and the royal officials made up the upper class, known as the aristocrats.
Warlords were military leaders who commanded their own armies.
Aristocrats were nobles whose wealth came from the land they owned.
The aristocrats passed their land down from one generation to another.

5. Spirits and Ancestors
People in Shang China worshipped gods and spirits.
People also honored their ancestors, or departed family members.

6. Telling The Future
The duty of the Shang king was to contact the spirits before making important decisions.
They used oracle bones. The priests would scratch questions on the bones. They then heated them until they cracked.
They interpreted the cracks for answers to their questions

7. Shang Bronze The Shang are best known for their works of bronze.
Shang bronze objects included sculptures, bells, vases, and urns.

8. End of the Shang
During the rule of the Shang, a great gap existed between the rich and the poor.
In 1405 B.C. an aristocrat named Wu Wang led a rebellion.
After defeating the Shang, Wu began a new dynasty called the Zhou.

10. Zhou Dynasty
In 1405 B.C., an aristocrat named Wu Wang led a rebellion against the Shang Dynasty.
Wu began a new dynasty known as the Zhou.
The Zhou dynasty was the longest dynasty in Chinese history—it lasted for more than 800 years.

12. The Zhou Government The Zhou king was the head of the government.
Under him was a large bureaucracy.
A bureaucracy is a system of appointed officials who run different parts of the government.
The Zhou king was in charge of defending the kingdom.

13. Mandate of Heaven
According to Zhou rulers, a heavenly law gave the Zhou king the power to rule. This was known as the Mandate of Heaven.
The people expected the king to keep the gods happy. A disaster or failed crops was a sign that he failed in his duty.
People could then overthrow the king.

14. Farming Tools
During the Zhou dynasty the Chinese developed an irrigation system.
The farmers could grow more crops than ever before

15. The Zhou Empire Falls
Over time the local rulers became more powerful and would not obey the king.
They set up their own states and in 403 B.C. fighting broke out.
This is called the “Period of Warring States.”

16. Chinese Inventions The Chinese invented the saddle and stirrup.
This allowed the soldiers to use spears and crossbows while riding horses.

17. End of the Zhou
In 221 B.C., the ruler of Qin, one of the warring states, defeated the other states and set up a new dynasty.