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Chapter 7

Chapter 7. Ancient China. Section 1: Geography of China. In Chapter 6 you read about the Himalaya Mountains that separate India from the rest of Asia. These mountains are the tallest in the world and it is here where the Huang River begins.

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Chapter 7

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  1. Chapter 7 Ancient China

  2. Section 1: Geography of China • In Chapter 6 you read about the Himalaya Mountains that separate India from the rest of Asia. • These mountains are the tallest in the world and it is here where the Huang River begins. • The Huang River is a 3,000 mile river that floods and spreads silt throughout the North China Plain.

  3. The Huang River Valley • As the Huang River winds through the Chinese countryside, it passes through a desert named the Ordos Desert. • The area near this desert is made up of a dusty, yellow soil called loess. • This yellow color of the soil turns the Huang River a yellow color. For this reason, the Chinese had another name for the River; the Yellow River.

  4. Working With the Environment • Loess has been a blessing and a curse to Chinese farmers. • During the summer, huge amounts of it are washed into the river making it the world’s muddiest river. • There are two things about loess that makes it a blessing and a curse: • Farmers like it because it is fine, rock free, and very fertile. • Farmers don’t like it because it is very light and can blow away with the wind. This leaves behind a poor soil.

  5. Controlling the River • About 3,000 years ago, farmers began building earth levees to hold back the Huang. • A levee is a wall that keeps a river within its banks. • Over time however, mud and loess deposits would build up and cause the river to overflow. • Chinese farmers did use irrigation canals, but those too would become clogged by the loess.

  6. Crops Grow in Loess Soil • Loess was very fertile even though it caused other problems. • Many kinds of plants would grow in it: • Rice • Millet • Wheat • Green onions • Ginger • Grapes • Peaches • Plums • Wild chestnuts

  7. Farming Problems • Since the Chinese population began to grow sharply, food became more important. • Since food was important, land to grow it on was also important. • Farmers would begin to cut down trees to make farmland. One of the problems created with clearing trees is erosion. • Erosion is the wearing away of soil by wind or water. Erosion causes soil to lose its fertility making it difficult to grow crops. • If there are not enough crops for everyone to eat then a famine could happen. A famine is a time when very little food is available and people starve.

  8. Other Regions in Ancient China • Not all of China was as suitable for farming as the Huang River valley. • In northern China are windswept steppes. • Steppes are dry, treeless plains. • In these areas growing crops is difficult so farmers have to rely on other kinds of agriculture like herding sheep and cattle.

  9. Section 2: The First Dynasty • Along the same time that towns were growing in Egypt and Mesopotamia, towns were also springing up around China. • The largest towns became the capitals of their states. • By 1700 B.C. one kingdom had won control over the large Huang River delta. • The name of this kingdom was called Shang. • Since the Shang family ruled this kingdom for a long time, it became known as a dynasty. • A dynasty is a line of rulers who belong to the same family. • The Shang Dynasty would last for 600 years.

  10. Towns Along the Huang River • The Shang state spread along the Huang River until it ruled hundreds of towns. • The Shang kings created new towns by giving land to their relatives, or nobles. • These nobles oversaw the construction of the new towns and became their rulers. • These towns had several purposes: • They were centers of production • They supplied food and clothing • The kept invaders out of the state • People in these towns were also soldiers.

  11. An Ancient City • Near the end of the Shang dynasty’s 600-year rule, the capital was moved. • Its new site was near the town that is today Anyang. • Archaeologists have discovered “pit-houses”, houses buried halfway in the ground. • Palaces, bronze cups, stone carvings, and chariots were also found

  12. Buried Treasures • Archaeologists have discovered many things buried in graves at Anyang. • Some of the items found in one particular grave were hundreds of bronze containers, ivory statues, and other valuable objects. • This grave is believed to belong to a king’s wife named Fu Hao, or “Lady Hao”. • She was remembered as a successful leader because many records were kept about her life in her tomb.

  13. A Written Record • Much like cuneiform, early Chinese writing was simple, picture based objects. • Many ancient writings were written on bamboo and silk. • More recent writings were found on bronze pots and stone. • More writing however has been discovered on thousands of “dragon bones” found at Anyang

  14. The Oracle Bones • Many of these “dragon bones” were bones that came from cattle or sheep. • They were used by special priests who the Shang believed were oracles, or people who could predict the future. • These bones became known as “oracles bones” • Priests heated the bones over a fire until they cracked. The pattern of the cracks were used to answer questions about the future.

  15. Religion of the Shang • Shang Chinese believed that their ancestors lived in another world and controlled human life. • If, for instance, an oracle’s prediction came true, they believed that the king was being helped by his ancestors. • This proved to them that he was the right person to be king. • The people of Shang were also polytheistic. Many of their gods, they believed, controlled nature.

  16. Section 3: The Emperor’s Clay Army • The Shang dynasty came to an end around 1100 B.C. • Slowly one region, called Qin, built up its strength. • Qin’s ruler led an army that controlled Northern China. • After Qin’s leader’s victory was complete, he set himself up as China’s emperor, or supreme ruler of an empire. • He celebrated his new role by taking the name Shihuangdi or “First Grand Emperor”.

  17. The Rise of an Empire • Geography played a big part in the Qin Empire’s ability to hold the empire together. • The Qinling Mountains protected one side while the Huang River on the other side. • This made it easier to protect.

  18. A New Kind of Government • Shihuangdi had new ideas on how to run his empire. • He split his empire in 36 provinces, or political divisions of land. • He also forced the nobles to move to the capital of the Qin empire, Xianyang. • He also created one system of writing and money.

  19. Farmers Build an Empire • Under Shihuangdi, the empire grew large and powerful. • Farmers were an important part of this building. They were required to do things like: • Grow food like wheat and rice • Serve as soldiers • Build roads to connect the empire • Build walls to protect the empire • The Great Wall of China was one such wall that protected the northern part of the empire.

  20. The Great Wall of China • The Great Wall of China was built to keep Mongolian invaders out of China. • It was a massive wall, 1500 miles long.

  21. Building the Emperor’s Tomb • One of the greatest projects in the Qin empire was the construction of the tomb for Shihuangdi. • He build a massive clay army that would serve him in the afterlife. • This clay army consisted of soldiers, horses, and chariots.

  22. Contents of the Tomb • The tomb was discovered with many things:

  23. Lesson 4: Confucius Changes China • The Qin dynasty would be overthrown by other groups in 206 B.C. • A farmer-turned-general named Han Gaozou would lead a new dynasty called the Han dynasty. • He would expand China further south into places we know today as Vietnam and North and South Korea. • He would model his government after the teachings of a man named Confucius.

  24. Confucius • Confucius lived between 551 B.C. and 479 B.C. • He lived during a time of great conflict and war. • Over time, Confucius suggested a more peaceful way to live. • He won many followers. • His teachings did not start a new religion, rather his ideas would reshape entire civilizations.

  25. The Followers of Confucius • Confucius’ ideas became known as Confucianism. • It taught that Chinese culture had lost its traditions. • The central idea of Confucianism was to have respect within the family. • This idea taught that children should obey their parents. • It also affected government. People should respect their rulers as a child should respect their parents.

  26. The Mandate of Heaven • Some Chinese people believed that some kings should not be able to rule because they came from a certain family. • Rather, each emperor received right to rule from the gods called the Mandate of Heaven. • This mandate echoed the Shang belief that the gods spoke to kings through the oracle bones.

  27. The Rise of the Han Dynasty • Under the Han dynasty, Confucianism was widely accepted. • The Han did keep the Qin dynasty’s system of government. • Wudi was the first strong emperor of the Han dynasty. • Wudi believed strongly in education, building school all over the Han Empire. • Very good students were sent to the emperor’s school, the Grand School.

  28. An Amazing Invention • One of the most remarkable achievements of the Han inventors was the seismograph. • The seismograph is an instrument that detects earthquakes. • It looks like a bronze pot but inside it had a pendulum that swung when the ground moved. • When the pendulum swung it would hit a dragon that had a ball in its mouth. • Whichever dragon was struck by the pendulum, that would indicate which direction the earthquake came from.

  29. The T’ang Dynasty • Another empire that was influential in Chinese history was the T’ang Empire. • During their rule block printing was invented. • Chinese characters were carved into a block of wood. Ink was then rubbed on carved block wood. • Finally, paper was pressed onto the inked wood blocks. • The T’ang also invented gunpowder. They mixed together saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. • They would adapt it eventually to be used in fireworks.

  30. The Song Dynasty • During the Song period printing was encouraged by the government. • Books were printed using the wood block printing system developed by the T’ang. • Bi Sheng invented a new modification called movable type. This allowed thousands of characters to be used to make books. • The Song Dynasty took the gunpowder invented by the T’ang and used it in weapons such as flaming arrows, grenades, and cannon balls.

  31. Taoism • Taoism started in China around 400 B.C. • Lao-tzu was its founder. • The main book of Taoism is the Tao-te Ching. • According to Taoism, Tao is an energy that guides the universe. • This energy is the union of two opposite forces, yin and yang. • The goal of Taoism is to find a balance of Tao. • To do this, one must live a simple life and shun distractions such as ambition, greed, fame, and desire.

  32. Shinto • Shinto is Japan’s oldest religion. • Followers of Shinto worship many nature gods called kami. • Followers will worship the kami at shrines set up for the god. • Shinto began to mix with Confucianism and Buddhism and began to create myths. • Two books, the Nihongi (The Chronicles of Japan) and the Kojiki (The Record of Ancient Matter) record the teachings of Shinto.

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