Ancient China

Chapter 6

Physical Geography

Geography played a major role in the development of China– Separated China from the rest of the

world– Separated China from itself

Vast and Varied Land

Covers nearly 4 million square milesNearly the size of AmericaContains deserts, mountains, beaches,

plateaus, and more

Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert ran along the northern border.

Mountains to the west

Pacific Ocean to the east

Plateau of Tibet as peaks that reach past 26,000 feet

From this point smaller ranges spread eastward Qinling Shandi

– Separates northern China from Southern China

Weather and temperature

Vary across China– Northeast: Cold and dry

Temperature can be below zero Rivers freeze for half of the year

– Northwest: DryDue to the deserts

– Eastern Plains: Heavy Rains– Tropical Southeast

The wettest regionCan bring 250 inches of rain a year

Rivers of China

Two major rivers flow west to east

Helped link people from the east to the west.

Yellow River

Huang He– Also known as the Yellow River– Stretches nearly 3,000 miles across

northern China– Often floods

Can be very destructive

Yangzi River

Chang JiangLongest river in Asia

– Runs from Tibet to the Pacific OceanCuts through central China

Civilization Began

First settled along the rivers.

Farmed, built villages, and formed a civilization

Development of Farming

As early as 7000 BC farmers grew rice in the middle Chang Jiang Valley

North along the Yellow River millet and wheat were better

Getting Food

FishedHunted with bows and arrowsDomesticated animals

– Pigs, Sheep

With farming civilization grew

Early Settlements

Archaeologists found early villages by rivers.– Houses partly underground, straw

covered roofs, animal pens, storage pens, and cemeteries

As villages grew so did their defenses– Walls surrounded towns to defend against

invaders

Chinese Culture

Over time became more advanced– Pottery wheels– Dig water wells

As population grew, villages spread out, culture expanded

Burial SitesProvided us with a lot of information

from this period

Filled their tombs with objects

Some included food– For the afterlife

Some graves had more than others– Social order

The Xia Dynasty

Around 2200 BC Yu the Great, a king, founded the Xia [SHAH] dynasty

Tales of Yu helping the Chinese people with the floods

Stories were important to ancient China because told of a king who – Helped people– Explained the geography of the country

The Shang Dynasty

Established in the 1500’s BC

Ruled a broad area in Northern China

The King was the center of the political and religious life

Royal Family / Nobles

Warrior Leaders

Artisans

Farmers

Slaves

The Shang Advances

China’s first writing system– Today’s writing is based on this system

Military advancements– War chariots– Bronze body armor

Ornaments from Jade– Jade- a hard gemstone

Developed a calendar based on the cycles of the moon

Oracle Stone