Ancient China Civilization - Visual Brand Learning LLC€¦ · Ancient Chinese Civilization Important to ancient Chinese civilization was the Yangtze River (Chang River), in southern

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Ancient ChinaCivilization

Ancient China’s civilization began about 4,000 years ago, along the Huang River.

The ancient Chinese probably didn’t know that any other civilization existed until about 200 BC.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4.Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other

domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context

relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.

Ancient ChinaGeographical Barriers

Ancient China’s geographicalbarriers isolated it from other cultures.• To the west were

the Himalayan Mountains

• To the north was the Gobi Desert

• To the east were the Yellow and East China Seas.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.7. Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text

with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).

Huang RiverAncient Chinese

Civilization

The Huang River (Yellow River) was essential to the growth of ancient Chinese civilization.

This is because of the fertile soil created by its floodwaters. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4.Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-

specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to

grades 6-8 texts and topics.

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Huang RiverFeatures

Features of the Huang River:

• Is about 3,000 miles long

• Has many tributaries on the North China Plain

• Ends in the Yellow Sea

• Third-longest river in Asia



Huang RiverChina’s Great Sorrow

The Huang River was called China’s Great Sorrow because it flooded every year and:

• Destroyed all nearby villages, which had to be rebuilt

• Killed thousands of people many times

• Caused deadly damage in the plains




Yangtze RiverAncient Chinese

Civilization

Important to ancient Chinese civilization was the Yangtze River (Chang River), in southern China.

Flooding of the river creates fertile soil and good farmland.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4.Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-



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Yangtze RiverFeatures

Features of the Yangtze River:

• About 4,000 miles long

• Longest river in Asia

• Ends in East China Sea

• Floodwaters drain into almost 700 square miles



Xia Dynasty

The Xia Dynasty is thought by some scholars to be China’s first dynasty and the civilization that first emerged near the Huang River.

However, there is no direct proof that the Xia was actually a dynasty from about 2100 to 1600 BC.



Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty is the first dynasty that has been authenticated with written records.

The Shang ruled much of the area along the Huang River from about 1600 to 646 BC.


specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades

6-8 texts and topics.

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Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is a period in ancient history when people began making bronze by smelting iron and copper.

Evidence of many bronze objects indicate that this period occurred in China during the Shang Dynasty.




AgricultureEarliest Methods

The earliest agricultural methods were based on controlling water of the Huang and Yangtze Rivers.

The ancient Chinese built dams to store floodwater and irrigation canals to distribute water to crops.



AgricultureClass Structure

Agriculture was based on class structure.

The majority of people were peasant farmers who labored on small plots of land.

They had to work for the government one month each year and also give a percent of their crops as taxes.




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Agriculture Major Crops

Major agricultural crops were rice and millet.

Rice:

• Grown mainly in the south, in paddies

• Became the main food staple

Millet:

• Is a grain

• Grown in the northCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4.Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-



Inventions

Inventionsinclude:

• Silk cloth

• Paper

• Printing

• Compass

• Gunpowder




New IdeasMedicine

New ideas about medicine:• Herbs and other

plants could cure illness

• Acupuncture could restore the body’ natural energy balance




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New IdeasFive Elements Theory

The Five ElementsTheory was a new idea that describes interactions of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

Each element in the pattern relates to many other things in the world.

The pattern describes relationships among these other things.



New IdeasChinese Writing

Chinese writing,called calligraphy, was a new idea.

Calligraphy:• Has characters, or

signs, not letters

• First made on bones, turtle shells, and wood

• Later made with brushes, ink, and paper




New IdeasMathematics

The ancient Chinese had new ideas about mathematics.They developed a decimal number system that:

• Was based on numbers 1 through 9

• First represented by bamboo rods

• Rods put in columns represented units of tens, hundreds, and thousands

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.7. Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in

words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram,

model, graph, or table).

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ArtworksBronze

Bronze artworks were elaborate and elegant.

Bronze vessels of all types, ornaments, mirrors, and weapons were works of art.




ArtworksJade

Jade artworkshad complex carvings made in the stone.

Jade was thought to have magical powers, so jade artworks were often placed in burial sites.




ArtworksCeramic

Ceramic artworks were of very high quality because the ancient Chinese had learned to control the temperature of their kilns.

Ceramic artworks included pots, jars, and vases.




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Society Social Classes

Social classes:1. King or emperor

and nobles

2. Military

3. Craftsmen and Artisans

4. Merchants

5. Peasant-farmers

6. Slaves




SocietyFamily Life

Family life was ruled by the father of a home.

• Wife and children obeyed the father

• Wife took care of home and children

• Elders were treated with respect




Ancient ReligionAncestor Worship

Ancient religionwas supernatural ancestor worship.

Priests performed rituals to ask ancestors questions about future events on Earth.

Priests interpreted answers based on cracks in dried oracle bones.




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Later Religions

Three later religions arose between 400 and 600 B.C. Taoism Buddhism, and Confucianism are alike in major ways:• No belief in any gods

• Based on moral principles

• Goal is to become a better person



Confucianism

Confucius was a philosopher and teacher who founded Confucianism.

The main belief of Confucianism is social harmony, which is created by five virtues:Humanity, honesty, correct behavior, wisdom, and loyalty.




Buddhism

Buddhism is based on teachings of the Buddha. Buddhists beliefs include:• Karma, meaning that all

actions—good and bad—have equal consequences

• A cycle of rebirth until the self is free of karma

• Nirvana, a state of peace and freedom from the cycle of rebirth


domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical

context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.

7/23/2015

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Taoism

Lao-Tzu was a poet, philosopher, and founder of Taoism.

Taoists believe in:

• Living in harmony with the universe

• Being one with nature

• Simplicity, compassion, humility, moderation

• Yin Yang, the idea that opposites create balance CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4.Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and

other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or

technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.

Legalism

Legalism was a harsh philosophy formed in 338 B.C., during the “Warring States Period.”

Legalists rejected all forms of religion.

They believed in strict laws and severe punishment for disloyalty and disobedience to government.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4.Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms,

and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific

or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.

Great Wall of China

Around 220 B.C., China’s first emperor, Qin, ordered the building of the Great Wall of China.

The wall was built to protect China against foreign invasions from the north.

Made of stone, mud, wood, and bricks, the wall took 3,700 years to complete and is 13,170 miles long.



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Dynasty

A dynasty is a series of rulers who inherited their positions from members of the same family.




Mandate of Heaven

The Mandate of Heaven was a claim by early Chinese rulers that they had the right to rule based on the will of the gods.




Warring States Period

The Warring States Period (475 to 221 B.C.) was a time of constant wars among the seven states of the Zhou Dynasty.

This period ended when Qin defeated all the states, united China, and became its first emperor.



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Which image represents Legalism?

A. B. C.

A.This response is incorrect because the symbol

represents the Taoism belief that opposites

create balance.

B.This response is incorrect because the image

is a statue of the Buddha.

C.Legalism was based on strict governmental

laws and harsh punishment for breaking them.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4.Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words

and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.

The correct answer is C.

This image represents an understanding of medicine based on which of the following?

A.Using plants to

heal illness

B. Acupuncture

C.The Five

Elements

A. This response is incorrect because using plants

to heal illness wasn’t based on the five

elements.

B. This response is incorrect because acupuncture

restores the body’s energy balance as a whole.

C.The Five Elements Theory made connections

from the basic elements to many other things in

the natural world, including the human body.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4.Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words


The correct answer is C.

What does this image represent?

A. Ancestor

worship

B. Social classes

C. Calligraphy

D. Warring States

Period

A. This response is incorrect because the image

does not show a religious ritual.

B. The image shows workers who are under the

control of members of higher social classes.

C.This response is incorrect because calligraphy

is a form of writing.

D.This response is incorrect because the image

does not depict warriors at battle.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4.Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words


The correct answer is B.

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Ancient China Civilization - Visual Brand Learning LLC€¦ · Ancient Chinese Civilization Important to ancient Chinese civilization was the Yangtze River (Chang River), in southern