The first Great Wall of China was built morethan 2,000 years ago to keep out invaders.The current wall, which is about 4,000 mileslong, was built about 500 years ago.

c. 1750 B.C. Shang dynastybegins

1045 B.C.Wu Wang creates Zhou dynasty

551 B.C.Confuciusis born

c. A.D. 100Silk Roadestablished

1800 B.C. 1150 B.C. 500 B.C. A.D. 1501800 B.C. 1150 B.C. 500 B.C. A.D. 150

EEarly arly CChinahina

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Chapter PreviewThe ancient Chinese, like the Egyptians, established

long-ruling dynasties. The Chinese valued three greatphilosophies: Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.

View the Chapter 7 video in the World History:Journey Across Time Video Program.

Chapter Overview Visitjat.glencoe.com for a previewof Chapter 7.

Organizing Information Make this foldable to help you organize informationabout the important people in the early history of China.

Reading and WritingAs you read the chapter,list important people andwhat they did or taughtduring these periods inChinese history.

Step 1 Fold asheet of paperin half fromside to side.

221

This will makethree tabs.

China’s FirstCivilizationsChinesePhilosophers

Qinand Han

Fold it so the leftedge lies about inch from the

right edge.

12

Step 2 Turn the paperand fold it into thirds.

Step 3 Unfold and cut the top layer only along both folds.

Step 4 Turn the paperand label it as shown.

China’s First CivilizationsChinese civilization was shaped by geography suchas mountains and large rivers. Long-lasting dynastiesgained power through strong armies.

Life in Ancient ChinaEarly Chinese society had three main social classes:aristocrats, farmers, and merchants. During periodsof unrest, ideas such as Confucianism and Daoismdeveloped.

The Qin and Han DynastiesBoth the Qin and Han dynasties created strongcentral governments. New inventions developedduring the Han dynasty helped to improve the lives of Chinese people.

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222

Headings and PunctuationAs you read this chapter, pay attention to bold headings and

punctuation. They are used by authors to help you better understandwhat you are reading. Look at the heading on page 235, ChineseThinkers. By putting these words in red, the author lets you know,even before you begin reading, that this part of the chapter is aboutfamous thinkers in Chinese history. Paying attention to punctuationmarks also can help you understand the text. Look at the punctuationmarks in the paragraph below.

Quotation markshave several uses.Here they are used toset off words takenfrom another source.

Text Structure

A colon (:)tells you thatthe words thatfollow are anillustration oran explana-tion of thefirst part ofthe sentence.

Words areindented toshow wherea new para-graph and a new ideabegin.

To Confucius, the bestway to behave was simi-lar to an idea known asthe Golden Rule: “Dounto others as you wouldhave others do unto you.”

—from page 236

Read a section out loud.

Say the names of the

punctuation marks as

you read. This will help

you remember why cer-

tain punctuation marks

are used.

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file photo

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Winged dragon from Zhou dynasty

Punctuation CluesLook at the heading and punctuation in the following

paragraph and answer the questions that follow.

As you read the chapter, jot downpunctuation or section headings thatyou do not understand. Write themin your notebook to discuss later.

Suppose you had ayounger brother, sister, or friend who was justlearning to read. Howcould you explain the use of punctuation marksto this person? Write astep-by-step explanationof what he or she wouldneed to know aboutperiods, commas, colons,and quotation marks.

Read to Write

1. Based on the heading, what do youthink this section will be about?

2. Why do you think the phrase“Period of the Warring States”is in quotation marks?

3. How will you know when a newparagraph begins?

The Zhou Empire Falls Over time,the local rulers of the Zhou territoriesbecame powerful. They stoppedobeying the Zhou kings and set uptheir own states. In 403 B.C. fightingbroke out. For almost 200 years, thestates battled each other. Historianscall this time the “Period of theWarring States.”

—from page 231

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