Ancient China

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Ancient China
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I. Introduction
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China has high mountains in the west, its
rivers flow east, thus China was isolated from
western culture.
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• Chinese civilization begins along the
• Huang He
• (Yellow) River.

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• Due to unpredictable flooding the river was know
  as the River of Sorrow.

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• China was known as Chung-kuo (Central
  Kingdom), and this term reflects the Chinese
  opinion of the world.
• The Chinese saw their country as the center of
  the world. The most advanced civilization.
• Thus, the Chinese turns their backs to the West
  and faces East, geographically
• culturally and politically.

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Ancient China map
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II. Lungshan Yangshao (Neolithic cities)
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Achievements

1. Developed the potters wheel.
2. Developed baked bricks for houses.
3. Harvested silk.
4. Developed irrigation systems.

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Hsia dynasty Mythological rulers of ancient
ChinaPan Gu (Pan-ku) Creator of the universe
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Fuxi (Fu-his) taught the people to hunt fish.
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Shennong (Shen-nung) taught the people
agriculture.
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Huangdi (Huang-ti) taught the people silk-making.
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Yu taught large scale irrigation flood control.
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III. Shang Dynasty First dynasty in China from
1700-1000 B.C.E.
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Yin the capital of Shang Dynasty. Founded ca.
1384 B.C.E.
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Achievements

• Oracle Bones
• Shamanism
• Writing System
• Bronze ware
• Sericulture

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Oracle bone Divination was practiced by heating
tortoise shells till they cracked, then studying
the cracks. The prediction was written on the
shell.
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Shamanism Shang Religion was based on ideas of
ancestor worship, as well as a belief in nature
gods, demons and magic.
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Ancestor worship the belief that your dead
relatives control and guide your destiny. Thus
respect and honor for them is necessary.
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• Rulers were buried with their court and wives in
  large tombs.

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Writing The Shang Dynasty developed a writing
system around 1766 B.C.E.
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Bronze The Shang dynasty had one of the most
sophisticated methods for smelting bronze. Their
bronze was extremely artistic.
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Shang Bronze
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Sericulture The Shang dynasty was the first to
actively cultivate silk.
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• Political Power
• The kings power was based on
• Land Ownership. Land and peasants were given to
  the nobility as payment for military service.

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Thus Hunting was a favorite pass time of the
Shang nobility since they did not have to work.
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• Monopoly of Bronze weapons manufacturing.
  Death was the penalty for making
• bronze
• without
• royal
• permission.

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• War Chariot, giving the kings army an advantage
  on the plains of china.

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• The religious authority of the king. It was
  believed that rulers received their authority
  from the gods. It was called The Mandate of
  Heaven. As dynasties weakened and new leaders
  arose, the Chinese believed that the gods were
  removing their mandate and giving it to another.
  

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The Shang Economy

• Built irrigation canals for crops
• Cowry shells were used as money.
• Long distance trade for copper, tin, lead, and
  salt
• Farming was based on peasant/serf labor.

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Society

• Women were subservient to men in Chinese culture.
• Common people had very few rights, and did all
  the work.

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IV. Chou (Zhou) Dynasty 1100s-200s BCE

• This was a time of Feudalism (Decentralized)
  government with competing warlords.
• There were few great accomplishments in
  science, art and literature, but China excelled
  in philosophy as great Sages (wise men) tried to
  bring about Unity, Peace Prosperity.

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The End!