Major Dynasties of Ancient China: The Shang Dynasty
China’s 1st dynasty was the Shang Dynasty (approx. 1600 – approx. 1046 BC). The 1st Shang rulers conquered several separate citystates in China and unified them under one ruler. The Shang Dynasty was centered around the Huang He River and its capital
city was near what today is the Chinese city of Anyang. The Shang rulers created a simple govt system in which the king
symbolically gave all of the land in China to his followers. In exchange, the followers pledged loyalty to the king, performed
certain services for the dynasty, and paid taxes to the ruler. Chinese society in the Shang Dynasty was divided into three separate
classes. The First Class was made up of the aristocracy, which included the king and his family, government officials, wealthy
land owners called nobles, and great warriors in the military. The Second Class consisted of artisans (various types of artists)
and merchants (businessmen). The Third class was made up of farmers, who worked for the nobles. They often lived in poverty
and suffered greatly when the Huang He River flooded. For 1 month of each year, the farmers were forced to leave their farms
to work on government projects such as the building of roads, palaces and irrigation canals. The Shang economy was based
mainly on agriculture. During the Shang Dynasty, the Chinese learned to unwind silkworm cocoon fibers which they wove into
silk cloth. To keep demand high, the Shang and the dynasties that followed kept the secret of making silk to themselves. During
the Shang Dynasty, the Chinese developed their own written language that was written vertically. This form of writing is still
used today. Chinese writing even became a form of art, which came to be known as calligraphy (art of fancy lettering).
Calligraphy today is done in all languages but originated in China. The Shang were polytheistic and believed in many different
gods that represented the forces of nature. People in the Shang Dynasty sought out Chinese priests for advice about the future.
The priests would write out questions that people gave them on the bones of cattle (called oracle bones). They would then heat
the bones, causing them to crack. They would then analyze the oracle bones and based upon their findings, they would come up
with an answer to the original question. The Chinese in the Shang Dynasty had closely knit families, each of which was
controlled by the father, who arranged his children’s marriages, education and even careers. Children were taught to respect and
obey their parents and grandparents. The older a person became, the more honor he or she received. Even today, China
continues to revere its elderly. People in the Shang Dynasty believed that the Chinese gods gave the king the right to rule, a right
known as the Mandate of Heaven. Anytime rebels overthrew a dynasty, the rebels would justify their actions by claiming that
the dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven. The Shang Dynasty eventually collapsed in 1046 BC, when a rebellion led by a
group called the Zhou succeeded in overthrowing the Shang.
Map of Shang Dynasty
Oracle Bones
Calligraphy
Major Dynasties of Ancient China: The Zhou Dynasty
China’s 2nd dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty, was its most enduring (approx. 1046 – approx. 256 BC). The Zhou took over from the Shang
but did not create a unified empire as their predecessors had done. Instead, the Zhou created a central govt with many city-states
that owed obligations to the Zhou but were each semi-independent. The heads of each smaller city-state sent military and
financial assistance to the Zhou whenever they were requested to do so. The Zhou Dynasty also centered around the Huang He
River Valley and its capital city was called Luoyang. Under the Zhou, trade in China expanded. Perhaps the most important and
lasting thing that the Zhou did was to introduce iron into China, which helped transform and modernize China both militarily and
agriculturally. The Zhou introduced the use of iron chariots in warfare and built dozens of large-scale canals and reservoirs for
crop irrigation. The best example of this was the Grand Canal, which alone irrigated 1000 square miles of farmland. During its
existence, the Zhou Dynasty represented the most creative time in the history of China as major philosophies emerged in this
period. Philosophy is the study of problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and
language. The first of the Chinese philosophies created during the Zhou period was called Naturalism. Naturalists believed that
nature had 2 sides (Yin & Yang) that depended upon one another and maintained a balance. The second major philosophy to
emerge was called Confucianism, which was based upon the teachings and beliefs of a Chinese philosopher named Confucius.
Confucius taught people to develop responsibility, honesty & virtue. Confucius spearheaded the idea that only the most
qualified, well-educated and virtuous persons should be appointed to help run the government rather than the people who had
special connections or familial ties to current government officials. His teachings were written down by his followers in a
collection called the Analects and are still read and followed today. Another philosopher, Laozi, also lived at this time and
founded a philosophy called Daoism (sometimes spelled Taoism, but always pronounced with a D sound), from the word Dao,
meaning “Way of Nature.” Laozi believed it was important to understand and recognize “the way things are” within each
person. For example, in the story of "The Ugly Duckling", when does the duckling stop feeling ugly? When he discovers that he
is really in fact a swan, he finds his way to inner happiness. Many in China today believe in a combination of all 3 philosophies
(Naturalism, Daoism, and Confucianism).
Map of the Zhou Dynasty
Confucius
Yin & Yang
Activities for Ancient China: The Shang & Zhou Dynasties
The Shang Dynasty: Activity
Illustrate the Mandate of Heaven being given to the Shang and then being taken away by the Zhou
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Zhou Dynasty: Activity on Confucianism
Match the passage from the Analects to each hypothetical situation
Passage #1: Exemplary persons understand what is appropriate; petty persons understand what is of personal advantage.
Passage #2: Lead the people with excellence and they will develop a sense of shame and will order themselves.
Passage #3: Exemplary persons make demands on themselves, while petty persons make demands on others.
Hypothetical Situation #1 –
Daniel loves to play basketball. He tried out for the team and with a lot of hard work, made the varsity squad. The team had a
great season and Daniel really enjoyed playing with his teammates. However, one of the star players, Nathan, is often hard on
the other players when they lose. Daniel can usually ignore it but after one playoff game loss, he criticized Daniel harshly in the
crowded locker room for missing a free throw in the last minute of the game.
Which passage would Confucius use for this situation? ____________________________________________
Hypothetical Situation #2 –
Beth has a small group of friends. One morning she walks with two of her closest friends to Math class. Approaching the class,
they see an unfamiliar teacher standing in front of the door, a substitute teacher. At the same moment, her two best friends make
the same observation. Julia, on Beth’s left, suggests that they keep walking past the class and skip this period. Mary, waling on
Beth’s right, warns that the substitute will take attendance and their absence will be noticed.
Which passage would Confucius use for this situation? ____________________________________________
The Zhou Dynasty: Activity on Daoism
In 1982 Benjamin Hoff published a book called The Tao of Pooh, showing the correlation between Daoism and the children’s
book The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne. Use what you just learned about Daoist Philosophy to match the philosophy to
the excerpt from The House at Pooh Corner. Explain why you think this philosophy matches the excerpt.
Taoist Philosophy
1. A clever mind is not a heart.
2. There is more to knowing than just
being correct.
3. The wise know their limitations; the
foolish do not.
The House at Pooh Corner
A.
Roo and Tigger were walking along the forest one morning, and Tigger was talking
about all the things that Tiggers can do....
"I can swim," said Roo. "I fell into the river, and I swimmed. Can Tiggers swim?"
"Of course they can. Tiggers can do everything."
"Can they climb trees better than Pooh?" asked Roo, stopping under the tallest Pine
Tree, and looking up at it.
"Climbing trees is what they do best," said Tigger. "Much better than Poohs."
And the next thing they knew, they were stuck in the tallest pine tree.
B.
"Lot's of people talk to animals," said Pooh.
"Maybe, but..."
"Not very many listen, though," he said.
"That's the problem," he added.
C.
"Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully.
"Yes," said Piglet. "Rabbit's clever."
"And he has Brain."
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain."
There was a long silence.
"I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything."
_____1. A clever mind is not a heart.
Explanation: ___________________________________________________________________________
_____2. There is more to knowing than just being correct.
Explanation: ____________________________________________________________________________
_____3. The wise know their limitations; the foolish do not.
Explanation: ____________________________________________________________________________