WORLD HISTORY
 Red Flag Questions
Pages 108-113
CHAPTER 4: ANCIENT INDIA AND CHINA
SECTION 4: China’s First Dynasties
2500 BC – 250 BC
By the end of this section, you will be able to answer these questions:
1. How did China’s geography affect its early civilization?
2. What where the achievements of the Shang dynasty?
3. How did China change during the Zhou dynasty?
4. What new philosophies were introduced in China?
CHINA’S GEOGRAPHY
Rivers, Soil, and Climates

Around what two rivers did China’s first civilizations develop?

How did flooding of the Chang Jiang and the Huang He affect the region?

loess

What crop was better suited to be grown in southern China along the Chang Jiang?

What crop was grown along the Huang He?
Isolation

What natural features isolated China and how did they protect these civilizations?
Beginnings of Civilization

When and where do historians believe Chinese civilization began?

Is their any evidence to support the legend that the first dynasty to rule China was known as
the Xia?

To what dynasty do most historians date the beginning of Chinese civilization?
THE SHANG DYNASTY
Government and Society

What type of government was Cina ruled by during the Shang dynasty?

court

How did the king keep order in such a vast area?

How did most people make a living in Shang China?

What leisure activities did the Shang elite pursue?
Beliefs

Where do historians get most of their information about the Shang?

What was found in the Shang tombs?

What was the focus of Shang religion?

What were oracle bones and how were they used?
Shang Achievements

How were oracle bones connected to early Chinese writing?

What did this writing look like?

What were some other achievements of the Shang dynasty?
Decline of the Shang

Why did the Shang dynasty come to an end?
THE ZHOU DYNASTY

Into what two periods do historians divide the Zhou dynasty?
Government

Mandate of Heaven

dynastic cycle
Zhou Achievements

How did the introduction of iron affect China?

How did new farming techniques increase the population?

Besides coins, what other Zhou achievement is still in use by Chinese today?
Decline of the Zhou

Describe the Warring States Period.

What dynasty followed the Zhou?
NEW PHILOSOPHIES

Why were many new philosophies created during this period?
Confucianism

From what scholar do the teachings of Confucianism come from?

What did Confucius believe about human relationships?

What did Confucius believe would bring stability and order to society?

What is the Analects?

How are rulers to treat their subjects? Children to their parents?

According to Confucius, what is the duty of all educated people?
Daoism

According to Daoism, what is the way of the dao?

What is the concept of the yin and the yang?

What happens when the yin and the yang are balanced?

Who was Laozi?

Dao De Jing