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Chapter 2 Section 4River Dynasties in China
The Geography of China China somewhat
isolated Yellow Sea East China Sea Pacific Ocean Taklimakan (Talk
makan) Desert Plateau of Tibet Himalayas Gobi Desert Mongolian Plateau
River Systems Huang (hwan) He
(Yellow River) Chang (chon) Jiang
(g- ang) (Yangtze) Yellowish silt, or
fertile soil, called loess (loss)
Environmental Challenges Geographic
isolation China’s Sorrow Trading limited Invasions from the
west and north
China’s Heartland Farming land =
10%
Civilization Emerges in Shang Times Fossils show
ancestors 1.7 mya Near Beijing,
Homo erectus, Peking man, found
The First Dynasties• Before Sumerians,
settlements along Huang He being built.
• 1st dynasty = Xia Dynasty, led by Yu
• When, Meso., Egypt and Indus were falling to invaders, the Shang (short a sound) came to power in China– First to leave written
records
Early Cities Anyang, (on yawn)
one capital of the Shang Dynasty
Built of mainly wood
Walls built for protection
The Development of Chinese Culture People outside of
China were barbarians
Group more important than the individual
Chief loyalty lies with the family
Obedience and respect owed to the ruler
Family Respect towards
parents, the most important value
Eldest man in control, women inferiors
Marriages were arranged
Improve status by giving birth to sons
Social Classes Nobles and
peasants
Religious Beliefs Family linked to
religion Spirits brought
good or bad fortune
Shang worshiped Shang Di and consulted him through oracle bones – how did they do it?
Development of Writing One character
stands for one syllable or unit of language
Almost no links between spoken and written language (2 + 2 = 4)
Development of Writing Continued Advantage: could
learn same system of language no matter where they were from
Disadvantage: large amount of characters to remember 1,500 = literate 10,000 = scholar 50,000 Today
Zhou and the Dynastic Cycle Zhou (jow)
overthrew the Shang
They brought new ideas to the Chinese civilization
Zhou Wen Wang 1131- 1115 BC
Mandate of Heaven Zhou's justified
their conquest – what did they say?
This developed into the view that royal authority came from heaven
Mandate of Heaven ContinuedMandate of Heaven Continued Just ruler had divine approvalJust ruler had divine approval Non-just ruler lost the Mandate of Non-just ruler lost the Mandate of
Heaven and right to ruleHeaven and right to rule
Mandate of Heaven Continued This transferred to
the view of government
Natural disasters were seen as what?
Pattern of rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties were called the dynastic cycle
Control Through Feudalism Zhou’s dynasty
was large. To govern, control
was given to royal families and nobles
Feudalism developed
Control Through Feudalism Local lords at first
submitted to Zhou rulers.
Lords grew stronger and their dependency on the king became less
Rebellions developed
Improvements in Technology and Trade Road and canals Coined money Blast furnaces to
produce cast iron Used for weapons
and farming tools
A Period of Warring States Empire generally
peaceful Zhou monarch
murdered by nomads
Some family members escaped New capital set at
Luoyang (lou-o-yan)
A Period of Warring States Zhou kings were
not strong and couldn’t control lords who continued to fight each other
Fighting brought an end to traditional values