ch.4 sec 1
TRANSCRIPT
China
Chinese Dynasties
• 1500-1046 BC Shang Dynasty
• 618 – 907 AD Tang Dynasty
• 960-1279 AD Song Dynasty
• 1279-1368 AD Yuan Dynasty
• 1368-1644 AD Ming Dynasty
• 1644-1911 AD Qing Dynasty
Founder of Song Dynasty
Founder of Tang Dynasty
Founder of Ming Dynasty
Agriculture
• Grow rice
• Barley
• Sorghum
• Millet
• Soybeans
• wheat
• Developed ways to irrigate their crops
• Used iron farm implements
– Made farming more effective
– Made more land available for farming
• Why is this important?
Commerce
• Trade with their neighbors
– Tin was imported to make bronze
– Cowry and turtle shells exported
– Exported iron ore products
– Exported silk
Money
• Silk, jade, pearls, metal leather, dogs and horses was used as money at first
• Began casting bronze into shapes
• First civilization to print paper money
Innovations
Paper
• Developed earliest known paper
• Developed toilet paper, tea bags, paper money
Compass
• First to use a compass
• Used it to align buildings
• Used it late to find direction – during the Song dynasty
Gunpowder
• Discovered it by accident
• Trying to come up with substance that would give them eternal life
• Quickly developed weapons
– Flamethrowers, rockets and crude bombs
• Developed guns during the Ming Dynasty
Printing
• First to develop woodblock printing
• Also developed movable type printing, but didn’t utilize it
• Johannes Gutenberg was the first to utilize it.
Earliest known book – Tang Dynasty
Iron
• Among the first to develop cast iron
Merchant Class
• Merchants were considered undesirable
• Thought to be dangerous because they were mobile and wealthy
• They weren’t allowed to own property or serve in the government
• Things changed during the Song Dynasty
• They took examinations and entered civil service
• They worked to become respected and influential members of Chinese society
• The growth of the merchant class brought benefits to China
1. Factories were built
2. Towns rose up near trading centers
3. Standard of living improved
Religion
Ancestor Worship
• Hoped their ancestors would bless and guide them
Confucianism
• 5 basic relationships
1. Father and son
2. Elder and younger brothers
3. Husband and wife
4. Friend and friend
5. Ruler and subjects
Confucius
Buddhism
• Founded on four truths:
1. Suffering is part of all existence
2. Suffering has a cause
3. Suffering can be overcome by destroying selfish desires
4. If man follows the eightfold path, he will destroy selfish desires and end suffering
Taoism
• Peace and harmony can be found by living in harmony with nature
• Very passive that rejects striving after power, wealth and learning
Lao-tzu