Ancient China

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Ancient China
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Introduction
Ancient China was a fascinating mix of extreme
extravagance and extreme poverty. The
ancient Chinese invented paper, gunpowder,
matches, umbrellas, and the compass. They created
incredible art, wrote marvelous literature, and
held splendid festivals.
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Natural Barriers
For thousands of years, the ancient Chinese
thought they were pretty much alone on the
planet, except for the barbarians to the north,
the Mongols.
Chinas natural barriers to the west, south, and
east helped protect these early people from
invasion.

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Deserts
Chinas natural barriers include deserts.
The Gobi is one of the driest deserts in the
world. In the Gobi, there is at least the hope
of water, although an oasis is rare.
The Taklamakan is called the Sea of Death. It
is the second-largest desert in the world. It
offers poisonous snakes, sandstorms, boiling
days, freezing nights, and intense water
shortages.
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Mountains
Chinas natural barriers include huge mountains.
The Himalayas are very rugged, with ten of the
tallest peaks in the world. Mount Everest is the
highest mountain in the world.
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Seas
Chinas natural barriers include three vast seas
the China Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the Pacific
Ocean.
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Rivers
Not all of Chinas geography acted as barriers.
Some of its geographic features provided fertile
soil and safe drinking water.
China has two major river systems the Yellow
River (Huang He) and the Yangtze River.
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Rivers
The Yangtze (Long River) is the fourth-longest
river in the world. Its nearly 4000 miles long.
It has high banks.
The Huang He (Yellow River) is about 3000 miles
long. It has low banks.
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Rivers
The ancient Chinese called all rivers in China
The Great Sorrow because each year during the
annual flood season, the towns along the rivers
were destroyed. Each year, they were rebuilt.
Over time, people learned the techniques of flood
control. Some built their homes high above the
river to avoid flooding.
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Early People
Civilization in ancient China began along the
Yellow River about 5000 years ago. These early
people harvested silk and used it to weave fine
fabrics. They used a potters wheel to make
beautiful pottery. They baked strong bricks and
used them to build their homes. They worked
together on flood-control and irrigation projects.