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What you should know…
Ancient China
5 Themes of Geography in China
Location
Region
• Located in the east under Russia and above Vietnam
• Natural barriers isolate China from the rest of the world
• The landscape is mostly mountains and plateaus in the west and lower lands in the east
Human Environment Interaction
• Outer China is sparsely populated
• Agriculture China is where most people live
• Under Communist rule, the government (gov.) moved people to collective farms to produce more goods
• Chinese population: 1 billion +++ (most are farmers, but only 4% of the land can be cultivated)
Population Facts • In 1980, China passed a “one-couple, one-child” law
• Largest ethnic group is the Han
Place: What is the culture of China?
Confucianism
Major religions
• Belief in strong morals and consequences
• Influenced much of the behavior of the Chinese
• Buddhism (taught by Guatama Buddha, suffering is part of a cycle of life in which one day you reach Nirvana)
• Taoism (action by inaction; harmony with life
Buddhism
Buddhism founder
Buddhism beliefs
• Siddharta Gautama• He was born rich, and deserted
it to find personal peace or enlightenment
• He was called Buddha, meaning “enlightened one”
• Happiness is achieved by giving up worldly possessions
• Reincarnation—if you live a bad life, you’re reborn as animals or insects, etc.
• The cycle can be broken by reaching nirvana
Paper and Printing
• Invented by Chinese in 105 B.C. from silk rags
• Mass produced during Han dynasty
• Woodblock printing came along in 9th century—very similar to printing press
• Invented moveable type (Song dynasty)
• There are over 80,000 characters in Chinese
Paper
Other inventions
Chinese inventions • Compass• Gunpowder• Wheelbarrow• Chopsticks• Tea drinking• kites
Movement: Dynasties
The order of the major players • Shang (1550-1046 B.C.)—first written history
• Zhou (1045-256 B.C.)—first philosophers and interest in culture; LONGEST dynasty
• Warring States Period (no one group ruled) (256-222 B.C.
• Qin (221-206 B.C.) Shi-Huangdi becomes China’s first emperor. He orders building of the Great Wall
• Han (202-220 A.D.) Trade with Europe begins via the Silk Route begins. Paper is invented in 105 A.D.
More dynasties • Three Kingdoms (22-581 A.D.) China splits into separate states. Buddhism spreads across China
• Sui Dynasty (581-618 A.D.) China is reunited as a country; the Grand Canal makes it easier to travel around China
• Tang (618-907) Literature and the arts flourish
• Song (960-1279) Landscape painting, poetry, and calligraphy flourish. Mongols gain control of all China. Printing and gunpowder are invented.
• Last bit of dynasties… • Yuan (1279-1368) Marco Polo visits China b/w A.D. 1275-1292
• Ming (1368-1644) This period is known for its porcelain, architecture, and popular literature
The Silk Road
Mongols authority• From 1279-1368 Mongols
ruled China, thus allowing merchants to trade freely throughout the GIANT empire
• Silk was the major export out of China, and it was the only place it could be found due to its secret process
• Camels were the mode of transportation (as they could survive harsh conditions—lack of water…)
Marco Polo
Marco Polo • Traveled the Silk Road during the Yuan’s dynasty.
• He was a favorite of Kublai Khan’s and served as an official in his gov. for 20 years
• Wrote a book about his travels called Travels of Marco Polo in which he told of the fabulous wealth of the Chinese
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