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Study Guide: Chapter 6: Ancient China
Section I: China’s Physical Geography
1. Which landform separates China from its neighbors to the north?
2. Who were the first people in China to develop a writing system?
3. Look at the map on page 164. What natural feature formed part of the northern border
of Shang China?
4. What did the Shang period influence in China today?
5. What is jade?
6. Do the tales of the Xia Dynasty show that cooperation was important in ancient China?
Section II: The Zhou Dynasty and New Ideas
7. The Zhou leaders granted land in return for loyalty, military support, and other services.
What were the motives behind these acts?
8. Confucius stated that moral leadership, not laws, would bring order to China. What
does this mean?
9. Which belief was not a religious philosophy?
10. Was land ownership an important part of Zhou politics?
11. Define “lord”.
12. Who was the most influential teacher in Chinese history?
13. Who was the most famous Daoist teacher?
Section III: The Qin Dynasty
14. Was the “Qin dynasty bad for China”? Why or Why not?
15. Which belief was not a religious philosophy?
16. What activity increased during the Shi Huangdi’s rule?
17. Who built the first section of the Great Wall?
18. Who was the most famous Daoist teacher?
Section IV: The Han Dynasty
19. What was the difference between Liu Bang and all the other Chinese leaders before
him?
20. In what way did the social order of the Han dynasty differ from the social order of the
Shang dynasty?
21. How was the styles of the fu and shi styles of Chinese writing different?
22. What did Chinese painters become expert at during the Han dynasty?
23. What was shown in Han artwork?
24. How did the military rank in social class during the Han period?
25. What is the Shiji?
26. Define innovation.
Section V: Han Contacts with other Cultures
27. What led China to make contact with other cultures?
28. What was the effect on China of the popularity of silk in Rome?
29. What effect did the decline of the Han government have on the spread of Buddhism?
30. How much contact did China have with other cultures during the Han period?
31. What is the silk road?
32. Define diffusion.