Teaching Notes---Early China
Shang China (1600-1045 BCE)
Background:
Around 1800 BCE you see an emergence of small states, and specifically the emergence of a territorial polity called ~Shang~ around 1600 BCE which was located in north eastern China
Through the claim of Mandate from Heaven, the Shang State maintained a patriarchal ruling lineage
The Shang dynasty was agricultural. It was built off the culture of the Longshan peoples.
Shang dynast had a lot of myths around how they took control over China from the
Xia Dynasty (Used as a tool to unify the state) Stories written on bamboo (which were collected and called Bamboo Annals) tell the story of the end of the Xia
Dynasty.
The story: There was a long drought, followed by a period of heavy rainfall and flooding. Tang, the first ruler of Shang Dynasty, defeated a king of the Xia dynasty. Afterwards, he offered to sacrifice himself so the drought would end. Tang survived though and proved to be a just and moral leader who unified his state
The political system gradually began to centralize from the 1600 to the 1200
Shang state did not have established borders, that being said, there were not territorial threats from other groups encroaching on its peripheries. So there was no real need for a strongly defended capital. The center of the Shang Dynasty was caked
Zhong Shang and which moved as the state’s size increased and decreased.
The Shang Dynasty (did not evolve out of city states like Mesopotamia and Egypt) grew because of population size. As the pop grew, the number of village conflicts grew, making it a necessity to have a central form of government. The Shang played on this by taking a governmental role
Shang culture was built off of 4 aspects that the Longshan people introduced.
1.
Metal industry a.
Based around copper
2.
Pottery making
3.
Walled towns
4.
Divination using animal bones
On top of these 4, the Shang dynasty added (two most important elements to success of Shang dynasty was Written records and metallurgy)

1.
2.
3.
Agriculture-Shang developed the agriculture of its state because it saw the importance. To best use land, they tracked the growing season which lead to the development of a twelve-month, 360 day lunar calendar. a.
Crops: millet, wheat, barely, and possibly rice b.
New implements: stone plows, spades, and sickles c.
Farmers cultivated silkworms and raised pigs, dos, sheep, and oxon
Hereditary rulers (who’s power is derived from their relation to ancestors or gods)
Large-scale metallurgy-began in northwestern China where copper and tin were available. Access to copper and tin and metallurgy techniques gave Shag dynast a one-up on neighboring civilizations.
They used copper, lead, and tin to produce bronze. They would cast bronze to make objects, which allowed elite to want extravagant bronze vessels for burial. Bronze was high quality and made anything from statues to weapons. (Even though bronze was in high demand, the laborers that mined copper were treated poorly.)
Shang controlled the tin and copper production, which prohibited their neighbors from making it. The Shang ended up having far more advanced weaponry which increased their power and allowing them to destroy competitors. Shag hired artisans to inscribe their winning on bronze vessels.
Written records-bureaucrats used this to oversee a large and 4.
5.
expanding population. Written records come from oracle bone inscriptions which are some of the earliest writing in china
Tribute-rulers wealth depended on tribute from elites and allies. a.
Elites-supplied warriors and laborers b.
Allies-supplied foodstuffs, soldiers, workers, and assisted in the kinds affairs c.
Commoners-sent tributes to the elites whole held the land as fiefs d.
Farmers-sent their surplus crops to elite landowners
Rituals—enabled rulers of the Shang dynasty to commune with 6.
ancestors and tell the future. There was the death ritual, which involved sacrificing humans to accompany the deceased into the next life. Rituals show the importance of male dominance. Members of the royal elite were buried with a full entourage including wives, servants, chariots, horses, drivers, etc.
All these elements combined created strengthened the dynasty, creating wealthy and powerful elite
Chariots-Chariots were used in other parts of Asia as a military tool however the
Shang dynasty used it for hunting or a symbol of power and wealth. The Shang dynasty preferred to have an army mainly composed of foot soldiers. Initially, the

Shang was able to hold out but outside forces using chariots prevailed causing the
Shang territorial domain to shrink.
Shang society and beliefs-core organizing principle was familial decent traced through common male ancestor. Women from other lines who married into the family won honor by becoming a mother, even more to a male. Rituals. The Shang dynasty was a theocracy, which prevented independent priesthood from developing. Shang rules practiced ancestral worship-major form of religious belief during the period. Rituals for this worship included offerings to the dead. Rulers relied on divination (like Mesopotamia) to communicate with ancestors and foretell the future. Diviners would apply intense heat to bones and would interpret the cracks. Based off the inscriptions around this ritual, it shows that they were most concerned with the weather. The gods to the Shang dynasty were ancestors so those that died were deified. The high god, Di, (primary god) was the founding ancestor of the Shang royal family.