china. where is china in the world? what continent is china on? which ocean borders china? which...
TRANSCRIPT
China
Where is China in the world?
What continent is China on?
Which ocean borders China?
Which countries border China?
In ancient times…
China was isolated from the rest of the world.
Why?
Himalaya Mountains (India)Barren plains (west)Pacific Ocean (east)If you were going to settle in China where do you think the best place would be to settle? (Think of where other societies have first settled)
Importance of rivers…
Huang Ho – “Yellow River”Yellow siltVery fertile when irrigatedWas carried onto fields when the
rivers flooded
Chang Jiang – “Long River”Cuts deep gorges through mountainsServed as transportation routeWater, drinking, washing, irrigation
Unpredictability of floods:
Egyptian people would experience floods once a year (the Nile)
Chinese had to deal with floods unexpectedly with summer rains
Dams, canals, and irrigation systems to control water flow
Discovery of the Shang Dynasty
“Dragon bones”WritingUsed in MedicineLater discovered as Dinosaurs
In search for dragon bones found a settlement that was believed to be the capital of the Shang dynasty
Complete Maps
Development of Writing
Development of Writing
Shang dynasty was earliest dynasty in China to communicate with writing
4500 characters have been found
Approx. 1000 can be translated to current characters
Bones told stories about past rulers
Historians believeDrawings of owned objects Pictographs
Later written language was standardized so that all Chinese people could understand
Make your own pictographs Create and draw at least four pictographs for four different words
on the back of your handout. Then create at least two new words/pictographs by combining two of your original pictographs. Do not label your combined pictographs and trade papers with someone else. See if they can guess what word you are displaying in your combined pictographs.
Learn Mandarin!
Government
Shang territory was ruled by a kingall decisions made by himbelieved to rule by the mandate of heaven or
divine right (descendant of Shang Ti)
Supreme God Shang Ti, sun and moon guided all kings decisions
Decisions were also made using oracle bonesPiece of ox bone or tortoise shell
would be written on, then heated, causing the bone to crack The cracks on the bone were read by the
king and could be read as yes, no, lucky, or unlucky
If king was irresponsible nobles would withdraw their support
Social OrganizationKing:Was also the religious leader
Nobles:Were the warrior leaders
Commoners:CraftspeopleCreated very fine bronze work and delicate
carvings from marble and jadeMade weapons, tools, jewellery, and potteryWeavers made fine silk cloth that the nobles
wore
Merchants:Used rice or cowrie shells to pay
for goods and servicesMetal coins invented in 5th c.
BCE.First coins were long, thin and
shaped like knivesLater coins were round with a
hole punched in the middle, was strung around belt or string around neck
Farmers:Largest group in societyGrew food for all members of societyOften poorly treated, rented land from
nobles, did not own itAt times of war became soldiers for kingHad to work on buildings of the kingdom**Building a new capital city took 10,000
men 20 years to build**
Slaves:Also worked on kings buildingsOwned by noblemen and kingsPrisoners of war, working under the
threat of deathUsed as human sacrifices and buried in
king’s tomb or within the foundation of a building as it was being built
Create your own unique representation of the Shang hierarchy. Include all five levels within the society and use pictures or symbols to represent each group. You must also label each section. /10
(5 marks for representing each area, 2 marks for creativity, 2 marks for neatness and 1 mark for it being on time (handed in tomorrow).
Religious Beliefs
Believed in the spirit world and an afterlife
Worshipped deities
Most important god- Tien
Practiced ancestral worship (see video)
Filial piety- younger family members were respectful of elder members of the family and community
Commoners did not believe in same gods as the noblesworshipped gods that controlled the earth and crops
People consulted sorcerers (also known as a wu)provided spells to protect people from evil spirits could also provide the help of friendly spiritscould also work magic on nature
(e.x. wu danced under sun until he/she began to sweat. Sweat of the wu was supposed to bring on badly needed rain for crops)
The Burial of the KingWhen a ruler died a pit was dug with ramps
leading downwards (see page 112 in text)
Accompanied in death by all things he may need in the afterlife (weapons, ornaments, bronze ceremonial vessels, horses, chariots, and dogs)
Humans were sacrificed so they could continue to serve the ruler
**In one tomb 247 servants were found**
The MilitaryShang military often involved in battles with people living
along the Chang Jiang River (see page 105)
Nobles were the warriors and led the armies
Armed with bronze axes and daggers
Rode into battle on chariots
Troops were farmers and were called to serve whenever king needed them
Foot soldiers fought at close range using spears and knives
Military leaders were not always men
Noblewoman- Lady Hao, was the third wife of the last Shang ruler waged several military campaigns
When she died, she was buried in a large tomb surrounded by treasures of bronze and jade
What they ate:
Millet- kind of cereal, barley and wheat were also grown (also grown by Egypt)
Peasants grew beans and many other vegetables in their own gardens
Ate fish from rivers- carp
Hunted animals such as deer and bears
Used onions and garlic to add flavor
Domesticated pigs, goats, sheep, water buffalo, an some fowl similar to chickens
Often experienced famine or starvation due to droughts or flooding
Sometimes impossible to produce food
Had to turn to whatever they could find Included insects which eventually became a part
of their diet
Used chopsticks for eating
Food was usually boiled, steamed, or stir fried
TeaPeople from China have been drinking
tea for centuries (so have people fromIndia and Japan)
According to Chinese mythology an ancient emperor was sitting beneath a wild tea tree while his servant was boiling the drinking water. A leaf fell into the water and the emperor decided to have a taste.
Was originally very bitter, used for digestive problems
Later people began adding flavourings like ginger or orange
By the T’ang dynasty tea was China’s national drinkBecame a valuable trading product (English)
What They Wore
Made clothing from animal skins (like many other cultures)
Men - long, belted tunics with a jacket over top - style was same throughout classes - type of fabric and amount/type of decoration displayed social ranking
Women- plain jackets and belted skirts over simple tunic dresses
Peasants- wore similar styles to nobility but was made out of rougher materials (hemp or banana leaf)
Wool is used as padding in outerwear and was woven into thick fabrics
People that worked in the fields had to adapt their clothing so they could work
Also used hats or kerchiefs on their head until more elaborate hairstyles became popular
Men wore hair in a heavy roll with a short pig tail hanging down the back
Women’s hairstyles were more elaborateHeld in place with jade, bone, and ivory
combs or hairpins
Women also wore necklaces and pendantsshaped like birds-phoenix or hawk or animals- like a tiger or an elephant
Peasants wore straw sandals
Wealthy wore fine cloth slippers
SilkSericulture originated in China in about
5000 and became an important art and industry
For centuries only the ruler and his close family could wear silk
Eventually other members of society wore silk
Was also used for strings on instruments, fishing line, and bowstring
Highly valued- during Han dynasty silk was worth as much as gold
Became sought after item by 1000 BCE and was very important to the economy- those who revealed the secrets of sericulture were punished to death
“Silk Road”- route taken by traders going to and from China (and India) to trade silk and many other products (mainly silk and porcelain)Very difficult route as traders faced storms,
robbers, famine, dying animals, and hostile rulers
So why make the journey?
Traders could make 100 to 1000 times what they paid by selling the silk they bought
HousingCommoners lived in homes made from
wooden pillars, walls made of twigs plastered with clay, and thatched roofs
Homes were built around a central courtyard with some homes built on parallel streets
In the winter farmers lived in small villages in simple one-room huts with dirt floors, mud walls, and thatched roofs
In the summer farmers moved to their fields where they lived in bamboo huts
Many Shang cities had earth walls built around them to protect them from attack
The Fall of the Shang Dynasty
Dynasty ruled for more than five centuries
Last Shang ruler had a cruel wife - Ta Chi who was known for the torture she inflicted on those who did not show her proper respect
People began to revolt due to the poor treatment and it has been said that the king set fire to his palace and committed suicide
The First Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang Di (CHIN- shih- hwong- dee)
had longest lasting effect on China becauseof the changes he made
Rule from 221 BCE- 206 BCE, beginning when he was 13 yrs old
He unified the country and declared himself the first emperor of China
China was named after his dynasty Ch’in
He set standards for writing, weights and measures, money, and law and the entire country abided by these rules
Most of the emperor’s rules worked well tounify the country but people feared him
He did not support the teachings of Confucius and he burned many books as wellas people who supported Confucianism
If a man disagreed with an emperor he was killed and so was his family
Who was Confucius?
What did he believe/preach?
Why do you think Qin Shi Huang Di did not approve of his ideas?
ConfuciusSpoke of a philosophy of living that involved
doing what was best for everyone not just yourself (very similar to Golden Rule)
Confucianism involved strong family loyalty, ancestor worship, and respect for elders.
Supported idea of powerful emperor but wanted to lessen the emperor’s power to encourage people to be honest and tp believe that change was possible
Many rulers did not approve of Confucius’ ideas so he was not welcome in many areas in China
When he died many people started to follow his teachings, creating temples in his name
Contributions of Qin Shi Huang Di
Qin Shi Huang Di had many things built during his reign: Grand Canal, Great Wall, and the Terra Cotta Soldiers of Xi’an
The Grand CanalWorlds largest and oldest human made
canal system
1795 km long and has 60 bridges
Took approximately 100 years to build
Runs from Hangzhou, southwest of Shanghai, north to Tianjin and then to Beijing
Runs along the most fertile and heavily populated areas
Was used as a transportation route for trade and goods unifying the country
Still serves as a transportation for goods today
The Great Wall
One of the few objects that can be seen from space
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Chinese say it looks like a giant dragon as it winds across deserts, mountains, and grasslands, stretching approximately 6700 km from East to West
Walls are about 12 m high
Hundreds of watchtowers
Built more than 2000 years ago so some parts are ruins
Giant defense project
All rival kings had built walls around their territories but when Qin Shi Huang Di unified China these walls were joined to form one
Took about a million people to build (out of a population of 5 million)
Many workers died and are enclosed within the wall
Terra Cotta Soldiers of Xi’an
Discovered in 1974 when farmers were trying to sink a well
Bronze weapons and pieces of terra cotta were the first things found
2000 life size statues of soldiers have been found
Also found life size statues of horses, chariots, wagons, and lots of weapons (bows, arrows, and spears)
All of these were part of the burial grounds of Qin Shi Huang Di
Underground pit was full of statues of people and animals to go to the next life with him
Burial ground employed at least 720,000 people and took about 39 years to build
Many laborers died during the building of the tomb
It has also been said that many were killed when the project was finished so they would not be able to come back and rob the tomb
Contributions China Has Made to the World!
PaperEnabled them to keep records of the property
they owned and communicate ideasBefore paper and printing was invented
pictographs were written on silk clothEventually it was found that old rags, hemp, and
tree bark could be made into paperStarch was added to make paper strongerEgyptians started using Chinese paper in the 9th
c.
PrintingUsed pear or jujube wood and cut the wood to
the size of two book pages Carved the design into the wood so that the
area that was to be printed was raisedPrinter brushed wood with ink on the
characters then pressed onto a piece of paper
PorcelainInvented during the T’ang dynastyAdded a mineral called feldspar to the clay
which made the finished product a lot stronger
Used today in expensive dishes called china, and in industrial products such as electrical insulators
Gunpowder and FireworksGunpowder was initially used as entertainment in
the form of fireworksIn the 7th c. the Chinese had learned to combine
potassium nitrate with charcoal to make an explosive
Did not use technique for war until 11th c. The Europeans were not aware of this invention
until the 1300’s
“Fun” Fact for the Day! Footbinding
Was a custom applied to girls of the wealthy class
Involved binding strips of linen around very young girls’ feet causing the feet to become crescent or lotus- shaped
Tiny bound feet were a sing of beauty and reminded women that they were not free
Mothers began binding feet at 3yrs oldGoal was to have feet shorter than 10 cm1st toe was usually brokenWomen with bound feet were often unable to workMore popular in the north than in the south because wet rice fields in south