River Dynasties in ChinaChapter 2 Section 4

p. 46 –51

Focus Question

Today is 9/11. What do you remember? What do you know about

this date? How does it make you

feel?

Terms to Know:

Loess Oracle Bones Mandate of Heaven Dynastic Cycle Feudalism

The Geography of China

Natural barriers isolate China: Taklimikan Desert Plateau of Tibet Himalaya Mountains Gobi Desert Mongolian Plateau Pacific Ocean

China’s Heartland

Much of China is isolated by mountains and deserts

Most of the population live in the eastern half of the country, near rivers

90% of the arable land lies between the Huang He and Yangtze Rivers

Environmental Challenges

Huang He – “Yellow River” carried huge deposits of wind-blown silt called loess

The river floods and is nicknamed “China’s Sorrow” An 1887 flood killed nearly a million people.

Isolation has forced the Chinese to develop and supply goods on its own rather than getting them through trade.

Civilization Emerges in Shang Times

Fossil remains show evidence of humans in China 1.7 million years ago.

“Peking Man” = a Homo erectus skeleton found near Beijing shows settlement over 500,000 years ago

The First Dynasties

First dynasty was the Xia, founded by an engineer and mathematician named Yu

Legend states that Yu planned flood control and irrigation projects that made farm surpluses possible

The Xia dynasty left no written records

Shang Dynasty

China’s first historical dynasty Written records from oracle bones 1532 to 1027 B.C.E.

Early Cities

Shang capital was Anyang Anyang was a walled city built mostly of

wood Chariots were used by the Shang in

warfare

Social Classes

Shang society divided between nobles and peasants

Noble families controlled the land Peasants worked the land using digging

sticks Bronze was used to make weapons, but

not farm tools. It was thought too valuable

The Origins of Chinese Culture

Chinese culture tends to stress the importance of the group over that of the individual

Peoples lives are governed by their duties to their families and to their king or emperor

Family and Society

Elder male family members made the important decisions concerning property

Women were treated as inferior Women were married between 13 and 16

and could raise their status only through bearing male children

Religious Beliefs

Ancestor worship Belief that the spirits of family ancestors

could influence daily life Family members paid respect to the

father’s ancestors by making sacrifices in their honor

Oracle Bones

Animal bones and tortoise shells were used to consult the gods

Questions were written on bones which were heated till they cracked

The cracks were then interpreted as messages from the gods

Oracle Bones

Development of Writing

Earliest evidence of Chinese writing comes from oracle bones

Characters stand for ideas not sounds One can read Chinese without being able

to speak it Speakers who speak different dialects of

Chinese can read the same written language

Pictographic Language

An English speaker and French speaker can both understand

2+2=4 But the English speaker may not know

what Deux et deux font quatre means

Advantages and Disadvantages of Chinese Written Language

People from all parts of China can read it even if they speak very different dialects

You need to know more than 10,000 characters to be barely literate

Literacy tended to keep social classes separate

Shang Technology and Artistry

Bronze working was their main focus Mostly used as religious articles Shang dynasty developed silk making

technology

Shang Bronze

Zhou Bring New Ideas

Overthrew the Shang around 1027 B.C. Justified their takeover with the “Mandate

of Heaven” Belief that the gods had ordained them to

rule Disasters, floods, wars and other

calamities were seen as evidence of the loss of the mandate

Dynastic Cycle

The pattern of rise, decline and replacement of dynasties

Control Through Feudalism A system in which nobles, or lords are

granted the use of lands belonging to the king in exchange for a pledge of military service and loyalty

Improvements in Technology and Trade

Zhou rulers built roads and canals They stimulated trade and agriculture Coined money was invented Civil servants worked for the government They developed iron-making technology

Improved tools and weapons

A Period of Warring States

The later years of Zhou rule (771 – 256 B.C.) are known as the period of “warring states”

Law and order declined as warlords took power in various regions of the country

A new dynasty would come to restore order