Early China

We are learning how the Chinese civilization was shaped by geography such as mountains and large rivers.

CHINA’S GEGRAPHY2 Main Rivers

- Huang He/Yellow

- Chang Jiang/Yangtze

Majority of land is mountains and deserts (only 1/10th of its land can be farmed )

Mountain Ranges - Himalaya - Kunlun Shan - Tian Shan

Desert and mounts. were “walls” around China - Gobi - Taklimakan

Middle Kingdom- Chinese people thought their kingdom was the center of

the world.

SHANG DYNASTY

• Huang He valley – first center of Chinese civilization.– Xia Dynasty – China’s first rulers (little is known

about this dynasty)

• Dynasty- line of rulers who belong to the same family

– Anyang – city in northern China built by the Shang

ZHOU DYNASTY

• Wu Wang- aristocrat led a rebellion against the Shang

– Zhou dynasty – ruled for more than 800 years– Bureaucracy – group of appointed members

of the government (not voted on by public)

Mandate of Heaven The Mandate of Heaven is based on four principles:

1. The right to rule is granted by Heaven.

2. There is only one Heaven therefore there can be only one ruler.

3. The right to rule is based on the virtue of the ruler.

4. The right to rule is not limited to one dynasty.

NEW TOOLS AND TRADE

• Chinese developed irrigation and flood control systems.– Iron plows – helped to break the land up

better than wooden plows– Chinese silk – very expensive and important

export of China. Chinese silk was traded as far away as Greece.

ZHOU FALLS

• “Period of Warring States” – all most 200 years of civil war.– Qin – 221 B.C. the ruler of one of the warring

states (Qin) defeated all the other states and set up a new dynasty.