Name _______________________
Social Studies—Period _________
Date ___________________
Teacher ________________
Reader’s Guide
Chapter Seven: Ancient China
Lesson One: China’s First Civilizations (Pages 224-231)
Directions: Define the following vocabulary terms, people, and places in your vocabulary
notebook.
Vocabulary/People/Places
Definitions
1. Huang He
Yellow River, flows across China for 2,900 mi. from Mongolia to
Pacific Ocean, deposits rich soil (loess)
2. Chang Jiang
Yangtze River, flows for 3,400 mi. across central China, empties
into the Yellow Sea, deposits rich soil
3. loess
Light fluffy yellow silt
4. Gobi Desert
Cold, rocky desert spreading east from the western mountains, in
northern China
5. Anyang
China’s first capital city built by the Shang dynasty
6. dynasty
Line of rulers who belong to the same family
7. Shang
Kings who ruled from about 1750 B.C. to 1045 B.C.(c. 700 years)
8. aristocrats
Nobles whose wealth comes from the land they own, usually passing
power and land from one generation to the next
9. Fu Hao
China’s first female general, wife of King Wu Ding. Tomb
discovered with many artifacts
10. oracles
priests
11. Oracle bones
Bones on which questions were asked, burned, and read from the
cracks
12. pictographs
Characters that stand for objects
13. ideographs
Two or more pictographs that represent an idea
14. alphabet
Characters that stand for sounds
15. Wu Wang
Chinese aristocrat who rebelled against the Shang and started the
Zhou dynasty
16. Zhou
Dynasty following the Shang, lasted for more than 800 years
17. Bureaucracy
Group of appointed officials who are responsible for different areas
(bureaucrats)
of government
18. mandate
Formal order
19. Mandate of Heaven
Formal order that stated the King was chosen by heavenly order
because of his talent and virtue and therefore he would rule with
goodness and wisdom
20. Dao
Proper “Way” to rule
21. levee
Walls built to prevent rivers from flooding
Directions: Complete the Reader’s Guide Outline as you read pages 225-231.
Part I. China’s Geography (pages 225-226)
1. What are the two main rivers in China?
Huang He River
Change Jiange River
2. Why is the Huang He called “China’s sorrow.”? When it flooded it destroyed crops and
Homes and killed people and animals.
3. Why is the flooding of the Huang He River both a good thing and a bad thing?
Good---_Left behind fertile soil so people could settle in the Huang He Valley. ( Loess)
1. Bad----- When it flooded it destroyed crops Homes and killed people and animals.
3. Why does China have very little farmland?
It is surrounded by many mountains and deserts.
Name the mountains: Himalaya Mountains, Kunlun Shan Mountains,
Tian Shan Mountains
Name the desert: Gobi Desert
What did these mountains and desert do? Created a wall around China and protected it.
5. What did the Chinese call their homeland once they united to form one kingdom?
Middle Kingdom
Part II. The Shang Dynasty (page 226-229)
I. Introduction
A. Archeologists believe the Huang He valley was the center of Chinese civilization.
B. The first rulers were probably part of the Xia dynasty, a line of rulers who belong to
the same family.
C. The Shang kings ruled from about 1750 B.C. – 1122 B.C.
D. Anyang was China’s first capital, built during the Shang dynasty.
II. Who Were the Shang?
A. People of the Shang were divided into groups:
1. Kings and their families
2. Warlords & Royal officials(aristocrats)
3. Traders & Artisans
4. Farmers
5. Enslaved people
B. Who was Fu Hao and for what was she famous during her lifetime?
China’s first female general, wife of king Wu Ding, military strategies, ran her own town,
archaeologists discovered her tomb with writing in it, able to learn about Shang dynasty
from her tomb (artifacts found were bronze vessels, jade objects, & bones with Chinese
characters carved on them).
C. List the artifacts found in Fu Hao’s tomb. Tell what they might reveal about life
during that time.
bronze vessels, jade objects, & bones with Chinese characters carved on them
II.
III.
Spirits and Ancestors.
A. People worshiped gods and spirits that lived in mountains, rivers, and seas.
B. It was necessary to keep the gods and spirits happy by making offerings of food
and other goods because if they were angry the farmers might have a poor harvest
or armies would lose a battle.
C. People also honored their ancestors, or departed family members by making
offerings so that they would help and bring good luck.
Telling the Future
A. Shang kings believed they got power and wisdom from the gods, spirits and
ancestors.
B. Shang kings asked for the gods’ help using oracle bones.
C. Describe how the oracle bones could predict the future.
 Kings asked questions to the gods
 Priests places hot metal rods to the bones
 The bones cracked
 The answer was written on cracks
IV.
The Chinese Language
A. Early Chinese writing used pictographs, or characters that stand for objects.
B. Ideographs represented an idea and were a combination of two or more
pictographs.
C. Chinese writing today still uses these pictographs and ideographs, rather than an
alphabet like we do in which each letter represents a sound.
D. It is written in a vertical column and read from top to bottom.
V.
Shang Artists
A. Farmers produced silk that was woven into colorful clothes.
B. Vases and dishes were made from fine white clay.
C. Statues were carved from ivory and jade.
D. Shang are best known for their sculptures, vases, drinking cups, and urns made of
bronze.
Part III. The Zhou Dynasty (ruled for 800 years) (page 229-231)
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Introduction—During the rule of the Shang, people began to object to the cruelty
of the rulers and the gap between the rich and poor. Wu Wang, an aristocrat,
defeated the Shang and started the Zhou dynasty.
The Zhou Government
A. Zhou King head of the government, in charge of defending the kingdom
and carrying out religious rituals.
B. Bureaucracy of appointed officials were responsible for different areas of
government. Kingdom divided into smaller territories. Positions were
hereditary.
C. Believed king link between heaven and earth.
What Was the Mandate of Heaven?
A. According to the Mandate of Heaven, Kings were chosen by heavenly order
because of talent and virtue(goodness) and would therefore rule with virtue
and wisdom.
B. People expected king to rule according to the proper “Way”, called Dao
and keep the gods happy.
C. Mandate of Heaven also gave people rights, such as the ability to overthrow
the dynasty if the king were dishonest or evil.
New Tools and Trade
A. Developed irrigation and flood-control systems (levees or walls)
B. Developed iron plows to replace the wooden plows
C. Trade and manufacturing grew—silk, which was traded throughout Asia and
as far west as Greece
The Zhou Empire Falls
A. Different territories fought for almost 200 years—known as “Period of the
Warring States”
B. Invented crossbows, saddle and stirrup during Period of Warring States.
C. In 221 B.C., ruler of Qin region defeated other states and set up a new
dynasty.
Main Ideas:
c. 1750 B.C.
Shang dynasty begins



1045 B.C.
Wu Wang starts Zhou dynasty
221 B.C.
Qin dynasty begins
China’s first civilizations formed in river valleys. The Chinese were isolated from other
people by mountains and deserts.
The rulers of the Shang dynasty controlled the area around the Huang He valley.
The Zhou dynasty replaced the Shang and claimed to rule with the Mandate of Heaven.
During the Zhou dynasty, farming methods improved and trade increased.
What Did You Learn?
1. What is a dynasty? A line of rulers from the same family.
2. What were oracle bones and how were they used? Used to predict the future and to write
symbols on.
3. How did the Mandate of Heaven allow for the overthrow of kings in ancient China? If the
kings were cruel dishonest or evil they could be overthrown.
4. Describe members of Shang society.
Enslaved people
King and Family
Traders & Artisans
Shang dynasty
Farmers
Warlords or aristocrats
5. What were some important technological changes during the Zhou dynasty, and how did
they lead to a larger population? Iron plow = more food = increase population
Irrigation canals = more food = increase population
6. How did ancient Chinese kings maintain control of their dynasties?
 Mandate of heaven kings had to rule with virtue and wisdom
 Strict rules and consequences
7. How were the Chinese able to become successful farmers in a land that is surrounded by
mountains and deserts?



Levee or walls to control rivers
Irrigation canals and flood control systems
Huang He and Chang rivers left behind much silt used for farming
8. Complete the following chart summarizing the characteristics of the Shang and Zhou
Dynasties.
Shang Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty
1750 B.C. – 1045 B.C.
1045 B.C. -221 B.C.
Fu Hao
Wu Ding
Wu Wang
Dates
Leadership
Accomplishments
First capital-Anyang
First Chinese cities
Written language
Silk trade
Bronze statues, vases, urns
-Developed irrigation and
flood-control systems (levees
or walls)
-Developed iron plows to
replace the wooden plows
-Trade and manufacturing
grew—silk, which was traded
throughout Asia and as far
west as Greece
9. What factors influenced the rise of China’s first civilization? Huang He River and Chang
Rivers provided fertile land to farm on. The floods left fertile silt (loess) behind which provided
a moist soil for good crops. Technological improvements also contributed to the rise of this
civilization-irrigation system, levees, iron plow, & the growth of the silk trade.
Loess
Good-provided fertile soil
Bad-lightweight and easily carried away by wind- it clogged irrigation canals when it got wet.
10. Why were China’s rulers so powerful? -strong army, Mandate of Heaven (they were the
link between heaven and earth).
Shang oracle bones
Bronze Vessel
From Fu Hao’s Tomb
Fu Hao’s tomb Animals in tomb