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