STUDY GUIDE: ANCIENT CHINA
GEOGRAPHY OF ANCIENT CHINA
Inner China was more attractive to early settlers because its two major regions, the North China
Plain and the Chang Jiang Basins, contained rivers and flatter lands more suitable for farming.
Outer China had harsh climates and extreme landforms, such as the Himalayas and the
Northwestern Deserts.
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3 The Tibet-Qinghai Plateau: high, cold, large area, rocky, dry, sparse vegetation
4 The Northwestern Deserts: extreme temperatures, dangerous, sandy, dry, empty,
large area, stony, sparse vegetation
5 The Northeastern Plain: grassland, low hills and plains, shallow and deep rivers, varied
climates, cold and dry
6 The North China Plain: flat, grassland, range of temperatures, yellow silt, muddy river,
floods, fertile
7 The Chang Jiang Basins: low coastal plains, long river, fertile, warm and wet
SHANG DYNASTY
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Ruins of a Shang city were discovered at Anyang.
Shang cities included the king’s palace on a platform, royal tombs, a temple, houses, and
workshops.
Chinese writing was first found on oracle bones.
Logographs are characters that stand for words rather than sounds or objects.
A Shang artist might use bronze to make a vessel and use jade to make a pendant
(jewelry).
Shang artisans decorated vessels and other objects with geometric designs and with
pictures of mythical creatures, including an animal mask later called a taotie.
Farmers were held the lowest social status.
Archaeologist found bronze helmets, vessels, and tools; evidence of religious rituals;
ruins; Chinese writing on oracle bones, and more to prove there was a Shang Dynasty.
THREE CHINESE PHILOSOPHIES: CONFUCIANISM, DAOISM, AND LEGALISM
Confucianism …
Confucius was a philosopher whose teachings influenced Chinese government and culture.
 China was in chaos during his lifetime.
 The five basic relationships are ruler and subject, husband and wife, father and son,
older sibling and younger sibling, and friend and friend.
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People must respect and obey those above them in status. In return, those with
authority must set a good example.
 Civil servants had to take a test on Confucian teachings before they were awarded their
positions. Government jobs were no longer given only to the sons of nobles.
Daoism …
 Laozi was a great wise man and an adviser to the Zhou court.
 People discover how to behave by learning to live in harmony with the forces of
nature.
 Yin and yang are the opposite forces of nature.
 Under Daoism, rulers should rule as little as possible.
Legalism …
 According to Hanfeizi, the only way to create a strong society was for rulers to establish
strict laws and enforce them, either with rewards for good behavior or with
punishments for poor behavior.
 The Qin dynasty applied Hanfeizi’s teachings by passing strict laws and harshly punishing
people who disobeyed them.
THE FIRST EMPORER OF CHINA
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Qin Shihuangdi’s strategy of conquest helped China because it increased the size of
China. However, it also hurt China because it cost many lives, and he used harsh
measures to maintain his power.
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Qin Shihuangdi replaced feudalism with a government he controlled. He did this so that
powerful lords would not be a threat to him.
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The emperor created a unified set of laws as part of his standardization of China’s
culture. Because of his Legalist beliefs, the laws were detailed and harsh, and they
applied to all people.
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Qin Shihuangdi improved trade by standardizing money, weights, and measures. He
improved the writing system by reducing the number of Chinese characters.
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To prevent his subjects from learning about Confucianism, the emperor ordered all
Confucian books burned. Anyone who discussed Confucian teachings would be guilty of
criticizing the government and would be put to death.
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Soldiers, peasants, musicians, teachers, writers, and artists all helped build the Great
Wall. Many died because they built the wall across dangerous physical features (high
mountains, a desert, swamps, quicksand) and in extreme climate conditions.
THE HAN DYNASTY
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The Han were able to expand their empire because of their military methods and new
weapons. Their empire reached west into Central Asia, east to present-day Korea, and
south to present-day Vietnam.
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Improved iron armor was stronger and more flexible. Longer iron swords allowed Han
soldiers to swing at enemies from a safer distance. The crossbow was a more advanced
way to shoot arrows at enemies. The Han army used the kite to send messages for
military purposes and to frighten enemies at night.
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Han dynasty rulers softened the harsh ruling style of the Emperor of Qin and brought
Confucian ideas back into government.
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The Han government was a bureaucracy, which is a large, complex organization that
functions under a fixed set of rules and conditions. People at each level of the
bureaucracy direct those at the level below them. Han emperors used a civil service
exam to decide who would get government jobs. Every three years, civil servants were
evaluated to determine who would be promoted or demoted.
THE SILK ROAD
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The Han empire opened the Silk Road by defeating the nomadic people in northwestern
China.
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Three things Zhang Qian brought back to China were more powerful horses, grapes, and
cultural knowledge of such places as Persia, Syria, India, and Rome.
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Silk was China’s most valuable trade good because, at first, the Chinese were the only
people who knew how to make it. A Roman trading product that was new to the
Chinese was glassware.
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Traders had to travel long distances and then rest for days or weeks.
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Traders faced many dangers such as bandits, desert sandstorms, mountains, and
threats from animals.
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If traders were not carefully prepared, they could lose their camels and goods, and
possibly die.
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Products from different cultures were traded all along the Silk Road.
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It took a long time for goods from China andRome to reach the opposite location.
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Traders used local trade routes rather than using the entire Silk Road.
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Ideas, culture, and religion spread along the Silk Road.
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Chinese trade products: silk, dishware, jewelry, castiron products, and decorative boxes.
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Central Asian trade products: horses, jade, furs, and gold.
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Indian trade products: cotton, spices, pearls, and ivory.
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Roman trade products: glassware, gold, and asbestos.
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Egyptian, Arabian, and Persian trade products: perfumes, cosmetics, and carpets.