Ancient China
Geography and Early China
Vast and Varied Land

China covers an
area of about 4
million square
miles, about the
same size as the
USA. The north of
China is separated
from the rest of
Asia by the Gobi
Desert.
Vast and Varied Land

To the northeast, a
coastal plain lies
which is one of the
largest farming
areas in the world.
On the east, China
is bounded by the
Pacific Ocean. The
Himalayas make
up the western
border.
Vast and Varied Land

The southwest is
bordered by the
Plateau of Tibet, a
range that have
peaks reaching
26,000 feet. The
Qinling Shandi
separate northern
from southern
China.
Varied Climate
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Weather and temperature patterns vary
widely across China.
In the norhteast, it is cold and dry. In the
winter temps dropping below 0 and rivers
freeze.
In the northwest, the deserts are very dry.
In the northeast, heavy rains soak the
farmland.
The tropical southeast is the wettest
where monsoons can bring up to 250
inches each year.
The Rivers of China

Two great rivers flow
from west to east.
The Yellow or Huang
He stretches over
3,000 miles across
northern China. It
often floods leaving
silt. These floods can
also be destructive,
killing - creating the
nickname of China’s
Sorrow for the river.
The Rivers of China

In the south, the
Chiang Jiang or
Yangtzi River cuts
through central China,
flowing from Tibet to
the Pacific Ocean. It
is the longest river in
China. These two
rivers would link
people from east to
west. The mountains
would limit the
contact.
The Development of Farming

Farming will start
out around the
river valleys where
flooding would
drop silt, making it
ideal for crops. As
early as 7000 BC,
farmers grew rice
in the Chiang Jiang
Valley.
Farming

Cereal grains such as
millet and wheat
worked better in the
north along the Huang
He. Early Chinese
supplemented their
diets by fishing and
hunting. Later, they
would domesticate
sheep and pigs.
Surplus of food would
grow population.
Early Settlements

Archeologists have
found small
villages along the
Huang He. They
were partly
underground with
straw covered
roofs and had pens
for animals as well
as storage pits and
graveyards.
Early Settlements

Some of these villages
grew into large towns.
Walls surrounded the
cities protecting them
from floods and
invaders. These
towns left many
artifacts behind such
as bowls, tools and
arrowheads. Some
even provided
samples of cloth.
Early Settlements

Separate cultures
developed in the north
and the south. They
included Sanxingdui
and the Hongshan.
Little is known of
these people, but their
culture would be
absorbed by those in
the Huang He and
Chiang Jiang river
valleys.
Early Settlements

By 3000 BC,
people were using
potters wheels,
digging wells and
created better
tools. As the
population grew,
villages would
spread throughout
northern and
southeastern China
Early Settlements

Burial sites provides a
lot of information as
the tombs are filled
with items. Some
contained food,
suggesting the idea of
an afterlife. The
amount of items,
particularly jewelry
showed the division in
social order.
The Xia Dynasty

Around 2200 BC, Yu
the Great would found
the Xia Dynasty. The
story of Yu has him
digging the rivers to
drain the flood waters
into the ocean. In
reality, he dug
channels which would
become part of
China’s great
waterways. The task
would take 10 years.
The Xia Dynasty
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Archeologists
haven’t found
artifacts that prove
the story of Yu is
true. However, the
stories were
important as they
showed the rulers
helped the people
solve problems by
working together.
The Shang Dynasty
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The first dynasty we
have a lot of
information about was
the Shang, firmly
established by 1500
BC. They ruled a
broad area of northern
China. They moved
their capital several
times to avoid floods
and attack of
invaders.
The Shang Dynasty

The king was at
the center of
Shang political and
religious life.
Nobles served as
advisors and
performed specific
religious and
government duties.
Social Order
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The king and nobles were at the highest
level of the social ladder. Nobles owned
much of the land and passed this wealth
to their heirs,
Warriors, leaders from the far regions also
were on the high end. Most of the higher
classes lived in the cities.
Artisans lived just outside the city walls
and were in the middle level of society.
Farmers were just under the artisans.
They worked long hours, but made little
money. Taxes would take most of their
earnings.
The Shang Dynasty
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Slaves formed the
lowest rungs of the
social ladder and
performed most of the
labor during the
period.
The Shang made
many advances
including the first
writing system –
2,000 symbols
expressing words or
ideas.
Oracle Bones
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Shang writing has
been found on
thousands of cattle
bones or turtle shells.
Priests would write
questions on the
“bones” and then heat
rods and crack them.
The priests would then
read the cracks to
gain answers or
predict the future.
Shang Achievements
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The Shang made
beautiful bronze
containers for cooking
and ceremonies. They
also made axes,
knives and ornaments
from jade. They also
developed chariots,
bows and body armor.
In astronomy, they
made a calendar
based on cycles of
moon,
To sum up ….
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Exit: What is a historical difference
between the Xia and Shang
Dynasties?
Stay tuned nest time for The Zhou
Dynasty
The End