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1. What are the two main rivers of China called?
2. Describe on the map where most of the first Chinese cities
were located.
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answer on page
 Name
four countries that border China.
 Name one thing I can learn about Ancient
Chinese history from the map.
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answer on page


Name four countries that border China:
Name one thing I can learn about Ancient Chinese history from
the map and explain how you know that:
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answer on page


Zhou kings governed China much as Shang rulers
had. The king led the government, ruling with the
help of a bureaucracy. A bureaucracy is made up
of officials who carry out the tasks of government.
The king also put together a strong army to bring
weaker kingdoms under Zhou rule.
Soon the Zhou kingdom was larger than that of the
Shang. To govern effectively, the king divided the
kingdom into territories. He assigned loyal aristocrats
to govern each of the territories. The positions the
aristocrats held were hereditary. This meant that
when an aristocrat died, a son or another member
of his family governed the territory.
Questions:
1. What exactly is a bureaucracy?
2. What did the king do to his kingdom to help him rule it effectively?
3. The positions the aristocrats held were hereditary. In this sentence,
what does the word hereditary mean?
Chinese
Dynasties
Chapter 10 Lesson 1
Chapter 15 Lesson 1
The Shang Dynasty
1750 B.C.- 1045B.C.
 Progress
check question (PCQ): Why did
Shang kings have questions scratched on
oracle bones?
 What
types of goods did artisans of the
Shang Dynasty create?
 Define
Warlords:
 Define Ethnocentric:
The Shang Dynasty
1750 B.C.- 1045B.C.
 Progress
check question (PCQ): Why did
Shang kings have questions scratched on
oracle bones?
 To
get help from the gods and their ancestors
in making important decisions.
 What
types of goods did artisans of the
Shang Dynasty create?

Spoked wheel, pottery and silk
 Warlord: a military commander exercising civil

power by force, usually in a limited area
Ethnocentric:
The Shang certainly had reasons to be proud. Not only
were they accomplished bronze workers, but they
also used horse-drawn chariots…
What’s more, they devised a decimal system and a
highly accurate calendar.
This belief contributed to the Shang’s ethnocentric
attitude, which means they considered
themselves superior to all others.
… developed the spoked wheel, and became
experts in the production of pottery and silk.
Zhou Dynasty
1045 B.C. – 221B.C.
 PCQ:
What technology was developed in
China during the Zhou dynasty?
Zhou Dynasty (Joh Dynasty)
• What is the Mandate of Heaven?
• Describe the biggest change for the
Chinese people during the Zhou Dynasty.
• What technology was developed at this
time?
Zhou Dynasty
1045 B.C. – 221B.C.
 PCQ:
What technology was developed in
China during the Zhou dynasty?

New irrigation systems, Saddles and stirrups.
Zhou Dynasty (Joh Dynasty)
• What is the Mandate of Heaven?
• heaven would grant the Zhou power only as long as
its rulers governed justly and wisely
• Describe the biggest change for the Chinese people
during the Zhou Dynasty.
__The first dynasty to rule all the nations and the Mandate
of Heaven changes the expectation of the king ______
• What technology was developed at this time? New
irrigation systems, saddle and stirrup
Around 1100 B.C.E., the Shang were ousted by Wu
Wang, who established the Zhou Dynasty (Jou
Dynasty), though the Zhou maintained many of the
traditions and customs developed under the Shang
Dynasty.
The Zhou ruled China for nearly 800 years, longer
than any other dynasty.
The Zhou Dynasty believed in what was called the
Mandate of Heaven, meaning that heaven would
grant the Zhou power only as long as its rulers
governed justly and wisely.
Put another way, the Zhou Dynasty would remain in
power only as long as it had the blessing of
heaven.
Warring states Period
Qin dynasty
221B.C. – 202B.C.
 How
would you describe Qin Shihuangdi
(Chin Shee-hwahng-dee) as a ruler?

Why did Qin build
the Great Wall?
__________________
 How
did Qin rulers
unite China?:
Qin dynasty
221B.C. – 202B.C.
 How
would you describe Qin Shihuangdi
(Chin Shee-hwahng-dee) as a ruler?
Qin was a harsh ruler. He was ambitious and
had a vision of China that he was
determined to achieve- a vision of
greatness.
Why did Qin build the Great
Wall? _He wanted to keep


the empire safe from
invaders from the north.

How did Qin rulers unite China?
__Through force and war.
The Qin Dynasty
 China
was divided into 7 warring states
until Qin Shihuangdi conquered them all
and united them.
 The name Qin Shihuangdi means “first
emperor”, which he was China’s first.
 Qin is sometimes spelled chin. The name
China comes from the Qin dynasty.
Strengthening the
Empire



Qin had to protect his
new empire from
enemies.
China was constantly
under attack from
nomads to the North, so
Qin ordered the
construction of the Great
Wall of China.
The Great Wall has
different sections built by
different emperors.
Unifying Economy and Culture



The first emperor declared that China would
use one form of currency, or money,
throughout China.
Qin tried to unify the culture of China by
restricting how they think. He outlawed
Confucius thoughts and other thinkers other
than the Qin philosophers.
Qin commanded all books besides the Qin
philosophers books be burned. If you
disagreed with Qin, he would have you killed.
Han Dynasty
202 B.C. – A.D. 220
 How
did the civil service system change
China’s government?
 Why
did Han rulers create civil service
exams?
 What
time?
technology was developed at this
Han Dynasty
202 B.C. – A.D. 220

How did the civil service system change China’s
government? To stop the practice of having only
royal family members and other aristocrats run the
government.
(Up to this point, government jobs were used as a reward for loyalty to the
government. The civil service exam system opened government service to
other people with talent and ability.)

Why did the Han rulers create civil service
examinations?

The examinations made it so ordinary people with talent
and ability could work in government, not just aristocrats
and people who had connections.

What technology was developed at this time?

Cast-iron plow, waterwheels, wheelbarrow, silk
manufacturing and invented paper, the rudder to steer
ships and acupuncture
The Han Dynasty




After Qin died, the Qin dynasty fell apart until
a new ruler named Liu Bang took over.
Liu Bang was born a peasant and became
emperor in 202 B. C.
Bang was less harsh than Qin and this resulted
in the Han Dynasty lasting for 400 years.
Bang’s grandson, Han Wudi, the “Warrior
Emperor”, became emperor after Bang died.
Wudi strengthened the army and expanded
China in central Asia.
The End of the Han Empire
 After
Wudi died, the Han Dynasty lasted
until warlords challenged the Emperor.
 The warlords finally succeeded in
overthrowing the Han Dynasty and China
fell back into warring states.
Sui A.D.589-619
 Why
did Yangdi work to repair the
Great Wall and the city of Changan?
 How
did the Grand Canal help China’s
economy?
 How
did Yangdi pay to rebuild China?
Sui A.D.589-619
 Why
did Yangdi work to repair the Great Wall
and the city of Changan?
 They
had started to fall apart and needed to be
repaired in order to be effective. And bring back glory
to China.
 How
did the Grand Canal help China’s
economy?
 The
Grand Canal connected two important rivers and
allowed trade and travel that moved goods through
China that improved the economy.
 How
did Yangdi pay to rebuild China?
 Farmers
were forced to work on the great wall and the
grand canal and to pay higher taxes_
Tang A.D. 618 – 907
 How
did Empress Wu gain the support
from the people?
 What
was unique about the city Tang
capital of Changan?
 What
was the result of farmers revolts?
Tang A.D. 618 – 907
 How
did Empress Wu gain the support from
the people?
 With
her ability to rule and determination to make
China stronger.
 What was unique about the city Tang capital of
Changan?
 Grew to be the largest city in the world with about
a million people. Had wide tree- shaded avenues
and market squares
 What
was the result of farmers revolts?
 The
Tang rulers were weakened so the rulers hired Uighurs
(Turks) to fight for them, however the Tang still fell
 Civil: relating to the state or government
Song A.D. 960 - 1279
 What
challenge did Song emperors
face from the beginning?
 Why
did Song rulers move their
government?
 Where
did Song Rulers move their
government?
Song A.D. 960 - 1279
 What
challenge did Song emperors
face from the beginning?

They did not have enough military to protect the
Empire.
 Why
and where did Song rulers move
their government?

They moved the capital Hangzhou for protection
from nomads to the north.
 How
did the size of Song China
compare to that of the Tang China?
 Song
China was smaller than Tang China.
Chinese life
 Why
were merchants not respected in
ancient China?
 Filial Piety:
 Social Class: