Ancient China

How did geography influence the development of Ancient

China?

How did geography influence the development

of Ancient China?

• China is a very diverse land including deserts, mountains and fertile river basins.

• Most early people settled along the Huang He River.

Geographic Features

• Huang He River• Yangtze River• Loess (silt)• Gobi Desert• Pacific Ocean• Himalayan Mts.• Jungles

How did geography influence the development of Ancient China?

• Huang He & Yangtze Rivers were used for transportation and irrigation.

• Irrigation was very important to produce rice and wheat.

• Rivers deposited a layer of rich soil, called loess.

How did geography influence the development of Ancient China?

• Ancient China was very isolated from other civilizations.

• Because of their isolation, the early Chinese believed they were the only civilization in the world.

• Ethnocentrism: the belief that your culture is superior to all others;

How did geography influence the development of Ancient China?

• Only 10-12% of the land was usable for farming.

• Chinese farmers used terrace farming techniques to produce rice during the Ming Dynasty.