CHAPTER 3Section 3 Notes
The Geography of China
The ancient Chinese called their land “Zhongguo”---Middle Kingdom
China was isolated by long distances and physical barriers---the ancient Chinese believed that China was the center of the Earth and the sole source of civilization
The Geography of China
Physical barriers--- West and Southwest---high mountain
ranges (Tien Shan and Himalayas) Southeast---thick jungles North---Gobi desert East---Pacific Ocean All of these physical barriers helped
to contribute to Chinese isolation
Himalayan Mountains
Himalayas
Mt. Everest (29,035 ft.)
Mt. Everest
Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Geography of China
The Chinese heartland lay along the east coast and the valleys of the Huang He River (Yellow River) and the Yangzi River
In ancient times as today, these fertile farming regions supported the largest populations
The rivers provided water for irrigation and served as transportation routes
Yangzi River
Yangzi River
Yangzi River
Geography of China
Beyond the heartland are the outlying regions of Xinjiang, Mongolia, and Manchuria
China also extended its influence over the Himalayan region of Tibet, which the Chinese called Xizang
Tibet
Flag of Tibet
Dalai Lama
Tibet
Tibet
Tibet
Protests for a Free Tibet
The Geography of China
Chinese history began in the Huang He (Yellow River) valley, where Neolithic people learned to farm
The needed to control the flooding of the river
The Yellow River got its name from the loess that it carries eastward from Siberia and Mongolia
Nicknamed the “River of Sorrows”
The Geography of China
As loess settles to the river bottom, it raises the water level
Chinese peasants labored constantly to build and repair dikes that kept the river from overflowing
If the dikes broke, flood waters burst over the land, destroying crops and bringing mass starvation
Huang He (Yellow River)
Yellow River (Huang He)
China Under the Shang
The Shang dynasty ruled from 1650-1027BC
Shang China probably more closely resembled the city-states of Sumer than the centralized government ruled by the Egyptian pharaohs
Shang society---royal family, warriors, artisans and merchants, peasants
Religious Beliefs
Prayed to many gods and nature spirits (polytheistic)
The prayers of rulers and nobles to their ancestors were thought to serve the community as a whole, ensuring good harvests or victory in war
Many westerners saw this as “ancestor worship”
Religious Beliefs
The Chinese believed the universe reflected a delicate balance between two forces, yin and yang
Yin was linked to Earth, darkness, and female forces
Yang stood for Heaven, light, and male forces
The well-being of the universe depended on maintaining balance between yin and yang (they were not opposing forces)
Yin and Yang
System of Writing
Writing, like religious beliefs, was an early development that continued to influence cultures in China throughout history
The system used both pictographs and ideographs
Shang priests wrote on oracle bones The questions were addressed to the gods or
the spirit of an ancestor Priests heated the bone or shell until it cracked
and then interpreted the pattern of cracks to provide answers or advice from the ancestors
System of Writing
Written Chinese took shape almost 4,000 years ago and it evolved to include tens of thousands of characters
Each character represented a word or idea and was made up of a number of different strokes
The Chinese have simplified their writing over the years
Chinese is one of the most difficult languages to learn---students must memorize over 10,000 characters to read a newspaper!!!
Chinese Writing
The Zhou Dynasty
Battle-hardened Zhou people overthrew the Shang dynasty
Last from 1027-256BC Used the Mandate of Heaven idea to
justify their overthrow of the Shang Mandate of Heaven---rulers got the
divine right to rule from the gods---if a ruler was cruel or unjust Heaven would withdraw its support for the rulers
The Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou rewarded their supporters by granting them control over different regions
China became a feudal state Feudalism---system of government in
which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other forms of support to the ruler
The Zhou Dynasty
China’s economy grew Iron axes and ox-drawn iron plows
replaced stone, wood, and bronze tools allowing farmers to be more productive
New crops such as soybeans Began to use money, built new
roads, built new canals Economic expansion led to an
increase in population and territory
Chinese Achievements
Calendar was composed of 365 ¼ days
By 1000BC, the Chinese had discovered how to make silk thread from the cocoons of silkworms
Women did the laborious work of tending the silkworms and processing the cocoons into thread and weaving the threads into a smooth cloth that was then dyed
Only royalty and nobles could afford this silk
Silkworms
Processing the Cocoons
Spinning the Thread
Final Product (thread)
Chinese Achievements
Silk became China’s most valuable export
The trade route that eventually linked China and the Middle East became known as the Silk Road
To protect their control of this profitable trade, the Chinese kept the process of silk-making a secret
The Silk Road
Chinese Achievements
Under the Zhou, the Chinese made the first books
They bound thin strips of wood or bamboo together and then carefully drew characters on the flat surface with a brush and ink
Among the greatest Zhou works is the Book of Songs---many of its poems describe such events as planting, harvesting, praise kings and describe court ceremonies, and also includes sad love songs!!!
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