Chapter 4

1. Chapter 4 Lesson 2 China’s Past

2. Picturing Chinese History • No other civilization is believed to have lasted longer than China’s. • Chinese language is written in pictographs or pictures that represent words.

3. Ancient Voices • According to Chinese legend, Pangu was the creator of the universe. • Later stories of superheroes who taught people how to survive followed. • These stories showed how important the domestication of animals, agriculture, and inventions were to people of that time. • Stories date back to a time known as the Xia Legendary period. (2000-1700 B.C.)

4. Shang Dynasty • 1st dynasty in China began between 1760 and 1500 B.C. • Before the discovery of the tortoise shells in 1899 the Shang people were considered part of a different period.

5. Shang Dynasty Cont. • In the Huang River Valley, were early Chinese people lived, people grew grains such as millet and rice, and raised animals. • Made cloth from silk • Capital of Shang settlement was Anyang.

6. Shang Dynasty Cont. • Ancient Shells and bones were called oracle bones, used to predict the future. • People would write questions on the bones, heat them, and then examine them for any cracks. • After the event was predicted it was written down.

7. Bronze Age • Bronze was used for many tools, cups, and weapons in the Shang Dynasty. • Also used as trade materials.

8. The Longest Dynasty • Zhou dynasty. See p. 109 for territory changes. • Lasted more than 800 years. Separated into 2 periods.

9. Western Zhou • Called this because capital was in Hao, in western China. • People were farmers of wheat, rice, beans, and fruit. • Silk was very important to the economy • Women were in charge of producing silk, which is made from cocoons of silkworms. • Women cultivated mulberry trees to feed the silkworms, then boiled the cocoons to get the silk fibers then wove cloth from these fibers.

10. Eastern Zhou Dynasties • Capital in Luoyang. • Referred to as the “golden age” in China. • Encouraged trade • Government started projects that included flood control, irrigation, and canal building. • People built huge walls around some towns along the northern border to keep out nomadic people. • Began to use iron to make farm tools and weapons.

11. Eastern Zhou Dynasties Cont. • Kings power was weakened by warfare between rival states. • Traditions were being challenged and new ideas emerged. • More people were becoming scholars, teachers, and government officials.

12. The First Emperor • Qin dynasty started started in 221 B.C. by Qin Shi Huangdi. (bio p.113) • He centralized the government by forming new states to bring all areas under his rule. • Very Harsh (Forced Labor and Burning of Books are Examples) • Systems of money and weights and measures were standardized which helped trade.

13. The First Emperor Cont. • Building of the Great Wall of China started during his reign. • Connected existing defensive walls that had been built earlier. • Built to protect the empire from northern invaders. See timeline and route on p.110.

14. Han Dynasty • 206 B.C. to 220 A.D. • First Han ruler was a peasant named Han Gaozu meaning “high ancestor” • Took the throne after joining a revolt against the Qin Shi Huangdi. • Lifted a ban on books by Qin Shi Huangdi

15. Han Dynasty Cont. • Wu Di ruled about 141-87 B.C. • Took away power from those who opposed him. • Taxed imported and exported trade goods. • Built new roads. • Wu Di valued scholars and teachers. • Civil service exams were started under Wu Di. • Anyone who passed the exam could work for the government.

16. Inventions • New ways involving middlemen were used in trading. • Porcelain, paper, and ink were also invented, for the Chinese during the Han dynasty, making books available.

17. Silk Road • Road that went through northern China and across central Asia to the lands of the Roman Empire. • Exported silk and porcelain. • Imported glass, gold, and horses.