Ancient China
Geography of Ancient China
pp. 170 - 171
Do Now
• What do you know about
Ancient China?
• What do you want to learn?
• What will be your biggest
challenge in learning this
new content?
• What do you intend to do
about it?
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Ancient China
• 6.31 – Identify and locate the geographical features of Ancient China,
including:
• Gobi Desert
• Himalayan Mtns.
• Pacific Ocean
• Plateau of Tibet
• Yellow River
• Yangtze River
Chinese Civilization
• 6.32 – Analyze the origins and geographical features of Ancient
Chinese civilization in the Yellow River Valley.
• Explain how China’s geography helped create a unique yet culturally
diverse identity that was isolated from the rest of the world.
• Civilization began along the
Huang He (Hwang Huh) river.
• It means yellow river.
• The civilization was called
China.
• It cuts through rich, yellow
soil called loess (lehs).
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The Land of China
• The rich soil helps farmers
grow crops such as wheat.
Powerful Rivers
• Huang He often overflows its
banks.
• The floods kill millions of
people.
• Huang He is called “China’s
Sorrow”.
• People moved south to the
Chang Jiang (Chahng Jyahng)
river.
• Provided rich soil for
farming.
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Mountains and Deserts
• Mountains and deserts cover
much of the land.
• Himalayas separate China from
South Asia.
• Kunlun Shan and Tian Shan
mountain ranges slice through
Asia.
• Gobi desert lies to the North.
• Mountains and deserts acted as
barriers.
• Called “Middle Kingdom”.
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First Chinese Dynasty
• Settled here because of rich soil.
• Used river for travel and trade.
• Shang was the first dynasty.
• Royal capital of Anyang (Ahnyahng).
• King was political, religious, and military
leader.
• Warlords governed territories.
• Warlords – military leaders.
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Shang Dynasty
• Members of the Shang Dynasty were
farmers.
• Also had merchants, artisans, and slaves.
• Worshipped many gods.
• Gods lived in mountains, rivers, and seas.
• Gods could bring good or bad fortune.
• Chinese honored their ancestors.
• Made offerings to them and pay respect
by building small temples.
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Guidance
from
Ancestors
• Shang Kings believe power to
rule comes from Gods and
wisdom from ancestors.
• The king asked for help by
using oracle bones.
• They would scratch
questions on the bones and
then heat them up and read
the pattern of cracks.
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Shang Arts
• Chinese wrote in pictographs and ideographs.
• Pictographs – represent objects.
• Ideographs link two or more pictographs.
• Created bronze objects.
• Carved designs into clay called molds.
• Made urns, sculptures, daggers, and vases.
• Raised silk worms that produced silk.
• Also used green jade.
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Shang Arts
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• Silk worms and pictographs that form an ideograph.
Review Questions/Do
Now
Standards:
6.31 – Locate geographical
features of Ancient China.
6.32 –
What geographical features
impacted early China?
Why was China isolated?
1. China’s people settled where? (Hint – two
rivers)
2. Why did they settled there?
3. What mountains exist in China? Desert?
4. What did the mountains and deserts
provide?
5. First Chinese dynasty?
6. Who ruled? Who helped the king?
7. Why are ancestors important?
8. What are oracle bones? Why use them?
9. How are pictograph and ideograph
different?
10. Two things the Shang Dynasty created?
Growth Mindset – Not Yet, But Getting
There…
• How do you challenge yourself more in this class? Write about a way
that you could stretch to improve your performance or get better
results.
• How did you perform on the map? Did you complete as directed?
• Did you take notes and read over them after class?
• Are you being a distraction to others?
The Zhou (Joh)
Dynasty
• Wu Wang overthrew the Shang government
in 1045 B.C.
• The Zhou ruled China for 800 years.
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Do Now
6.33 – Describe how the size of
Ancient China made governing
difficult.
• Explain concepts concerning the
Mandate of Heaven and
Legalism.
• Based on the first slide, what do
you think the upcoming
information will be about?
• What is giving you difficulty with
previous information?
• Are you trying as hard as you
should? Give examples that are
negative or positive.
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Zhou Rule
• Bureaucracy help to rule – government officials.
• Aristocrats held hereditary positions.
• The king represented the people before their
gods.
• Mandate of heaven – Right to rule came from
heaven.
• Must rule by the proper way – “The Dao”
• Honor and please the gods.
Technology and War
• Developed new ways to irrigate their crops.
• Farmers grew more crops.
• Over time the aristocrats power grew
stronger.
• “Period of Warring States”
• Saddle and stirrup were used.
• A new dynasty would emerge.
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Review/Do Now
1. China’s longest dynasty?
2. Who was the first king?
3. Bureaucracy?
4. Mandate of Heaven?
5. New Systems?
6. Trade?
7. What were the “warring
states?”
• 6.33 – Describe how the size of
Ancient China made governing
difficult.
• Explain concepts concerning the
Mandate of Heaven and
Legalism.
Mulan
• As you watch the video “look for” things in the video we’ve
covered in class.
• Be sure to discuss when the video is over.
• Pay attention to temples, gods, dragons, duty, and culture.
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Chinese Philosophies
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Do Now – Growth
Mindset
• What is philosophy?
• Why is important to listen to what other people tell
you?
• How do philosophies help you grow as a person?
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• Confucius lived when kings
fought each other for power.
• Urged people to follow the
beliefs of their ancestors.
• Duty was a central idea.
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Confucianism
• A person will place the
needs of the family or
community above his or own
needs.
• Parents love their children.
• Husbands support wives,
wives obey husbands.
• A ruler must rule justly and
set an example of right
living.
• Urged people to be good.
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Confucianism
• Keep promises and honor
traditions, respect the
elderly.
Influence of Confucius
• Chose government officials through civil service tests.
• Shaped Chinese society for hundreds of years.
• Sayings written down in Analects.
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Daoism
• Means “The Path” or “The Way”.
• Began with Laozi.
• Live a good life.
• Free yourself from worldly desires.
• Turn to nature and the Dao.
• Treat nature with respect and reverence.
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Legalism
• Importance of laws.
• Hanfeizi introduced legalism.
• Believed humans are
naturally evil.
• Strict laws and punishments
are necessary.
• Emphasizes force.
• Rulers do not consider the
needs of the people.
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Compare and Contrast
• Are people good or evil?
• Which philosophy do you support? Give two reasons
with examples.
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Review/Do Now
The Qin (Chihn) Emperor
6.35 - Explain the significance of the unification of Ancient China into
the first Chinese empire by Qin Shi Huangdi, beginning the Qin Dynasty.
• The Qin controlled China
from the Huang He to the
Chang Jiang.
• The First Qin emperor – Shi
Huangdi.
• He ruled with absolute
control.
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• Anyone that disagreed with
him was punished or killed.
• He appointed censors.
• He created a currency.
The Qin Emperor
Shi Huangdi
• He built his own tomb that housed
thousands of soldiers.
• He built a great wall to keep out the Xiongnu
(Syehn-Noo).
• He vowed he would rule China forever in
221 BC.
• He died in 210 BC.
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Han Rulers
• Liu Bang was the founder of
the Han Dynasty.
• The first strong emperor was
Han Wudi.
• He recruited people by
having them take civil
service exams.
• Only wealthy people could
afford to send their children
to school.
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The Han Dynasty
• Tenant farmers worked land owned by someone else so
they remained poor.
• Han empire took in new territory to the north and south.
• Artists created beautiful works of art for less prominent
families.
• Filial piety became very strong.
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• Cast-iron plow
• New iron tools and
techniques.
• Waterwheels to grind more
grain.
• Wheelbarrow.
• Silk manufacturing and
paper.
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Chinese Inventions
• Rudder and a new way to
move the sails.
Medical Advances
• Certain foods prevented disease.
• Herbs to treat illness.
• Acupuncture.
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The Silk Road
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