2,000-200 B.C.
I.
Geography of China:
A. Two major river systems are:
1. Yangtze River
(AKA—Chang Jiang)
2. Huang He
(AKA—Yellow)
I.
Geography of China:
B. China, like the Indus
Valley, is surrounded
by natural barriers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
C. Deserts and mountains dominate
2/3 of the geography of China.
1. 90% of the remaining available
farmland lies between these
two rivers.
“China’s Heartland”
II.
Chinese attitude:
A. Chinese saw anyone who
was not Chinese as
barbarians. They considered
themselves to be at the center
of the civilized world.
II.
Chinese attitude:
ex. Called themselves the
“Middle Kingdom”
III.
Environmental Challenges:
A. Huang He River- AKA - Yellow River
would deposit
yellow silt called
loess along its
banks. This
caused
flooding or
drought.
Ex. 1887—a flood killed
nearly a million people
B. Geographic isolation did
not allow trade.
IV. Chinese Dynasties
Achievements/Contributions:
1. Xia Dynasty—flood
control, irrigation and no
written records
A. Dynasty = Ruling Family
Father
Son
2. Shang Dynasty—(15321027 B.C.) gained
control of N. China
A. Polytheistic – believed
in many god(desses)
and nature spirits.
1. ancestor worship – offered
sacrifices to dead
ancestors
2. Ying and Yang – believed
that universe was held in
delicate balance between
two forces, yin and yang.
B.
st
1
Ancient Chinese Writing
dynasty to leave written
records – characters, not
letters
3. Zhou Dynasty—about 1027
B.C., the Zhou family overthrew
the Shang and claimed that the
gods had become angry with
Shang cruelty and had chosen
the Zhou’s to rule.
A. This is called the
MANDATE OF
HEAVEN:
1. Theory that it is
justified to overthrow a
bad government with
the approval of the gods.
2.
Chinese later expanded
Mandate of Heaven to explain
the rise and fall of families:
* The Dynasty Cycle:
B. Other Contributions:
1. Created iron tools
2. Expanded trade – built
roads and canals
3. astronomy – accurate calendar
4. silk – made from the cocoons of
the silkworm – became valuable
Chinese export
4. Qin Dynsty: built the Great
Wall of China
A. Built to keep out nomadic
invaders
B. Recent surveys determined
that it stretches 5,500.3 miles
3,500
B.C.
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
Sumerians
Egyptians
Indus
Yellow
500
0
Use the following notesheets to complete the
review packet:
1. Neolithic Revolution
2. Sumerians
3. Egyptians
4. Indus
5. Yellow
Attach these completed worksheets to your
review packet:
* Vocabulary Sheet
* Sumerian and Egyptian
Comparison Chart