Chinese River Valley Dynasties
Geography of China
• Natural Barriers
– Pacific Ocean to the East; Taklimakan Desert and
Tibetan Plateau to the West; Himalaya Mountains
to the Southwest; Gobi Desert to the North
Geography (continued)
• Ancient Chinese dynasties develop in the areas
around the Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze
(Chang Jiang) Rivers.
• Due to surrounding mountains and deserts,
civilization in China centered around these two
rivers (not much other land for farming)
• The Yellow River is named for the fertile yellowish
silt that it deposits when it floods (loess)
Geography (continued)
• Yellow River also
floods, but is
unpredictable like
the Indus (not
reliable like the
Nile)
Ancient Chinese Civilization
• People have inhabited China for nearly 1.7 million
years, but civilization developed later than Egypt
and Indus
• Xia Dynasty (no written records, so limited
information)
– Shortly after 2000 B.C. the first leader Yu was a
mathematician and engineer
– Used flood control methods and irrigation to harness
the Yellow River
– Agriculture flourished, lead to food surpluses, and
thus cities/civilization
Civilization (continued)
• Shang Dynasty (1532-1027 B.C.)
– First gained power in northern China
– First to leave written records (more known)
– Anyang is one of the oldest cities, and was one of
the capitals (built mostly of wood)
– Higher classes lived in wood houses with clay and
straw inside city walls (lower classes lived outside
walls in hovels
– Also used chariots (probably from contact with
western Asia, just like Egypt)
Shang Dynasty (continued)
• King and Nobles at
top and Peasants at
the bottom
• Nobles owned land,
and paid King for
right to control;
peasants farmed the
land with sticks,
hoes, and sickles
Shang Culture
• Begin ancestor worship (Veneration of the
Dead; not just Chinese)
– Believed that worshipping the ancestors would
help the ancestors in the afterlife, but also
appease them and help those still alive in the
afterlife
– This concept leads to filial piety; if the family is
respected on earth, by honoring, elders, father,
and continuing the lineage, then the family is
honored in the afterlife
Culture (continued)
• Eldest man controlled property and important
decisions; women were treated as inferiors
Religion
• Shang Di – supreme god
– Lesser gods worshipped as
well
• Used oracle bones to
consult gods
– Earliest writing was on
these, priests would write
questions, then poke with
hot poker causing bone to
crack, then the priest
would interpret what the
cracks meant
Chinese Writing
• First appeared on oracle bones
• Symbol represents idea not sound
• Very few, if any connection between the
spoken language, and the written language
• Possible to read but not speak language
(example from book: English and French
speakers under stand 2 + 2 = 4; but we may
not under stand “deux et deux font quatre”)
Writing (continued)
• Advantage: Even if spoken language was
different in different regions, the written
language could be shared
• Disadvantage: Since characters represented
ideas and not sounds, thousands of characters
had to be memorized, not just the ability to
form words from sounds
Art and Advancement
• Commoners who were
skilled in special crafts
were in a slightly higher
class, but still outside
the city walls.
• Bronze was the main
material used in art
• The early Chinese also
learned to get silk from
silkworms, and made
fine things (ex. shoes)
that they felt made
them civilized, if not
superior
Zhou Dynasty
• Pronounced Jo
• Overthrew Shang Dynasty around 1027 B.C.
• Zhou started Mandate of Heaven as
justification for overthrowing the Shang ruler
– Basically stated that Shang king was bad ruler, so
he fell out of favor with gods, and was replaced
Dynastic Cycle
• Lasts until 1900s A.D.
• People use mandate of heaven to justify
rebellion; new dynasty established; dynasty
gains power; peace and prosperity ensue;
dynasty becomes corrupt; natural disaster
occurs; dynasty overthrown
Feudalism Begins
• Early form of feudalism established
• Nobles given land because the area they ruled
was so large; nobles pledge loyalty to rulers,
and protection for the people on the land
• This system leads to fighting amongst nobles
for more land and power
Zhou Advancements
• Introduction of coined money
• Developed blast furnaces to
make cast iron; not done in
Europe until the Middle Ages
(used for making weapons and
agricultural tools)
• Advancements lead to higher
food production = bigger cities
End of The Zhou Dynasty
• Zhou ruled from about 1027 – 256 B.C.
• Hao, the capital city, was taken over by
nomadic tribes. Zhou leaders moved the
capital, and continued the dynasty in name
only
• War broke out amongst nobles all over the
country; much like the Middle Ages in Europe
• Order will be restored later through dynastic
cycle
Japan
• Though nearby, Japan develops differently;
mostly because of geography
• Samurai Warriors and Bushido (Way of the
Warrior)
– Basically classical chivalry; upper class, military
nobles
• Shoguns (generals)
– Actually held almost all of the power
Japan (continued)
• Economy based primarily on farming, though
only 20% of land is arable
• Oddly, trade was slow to develop on this
island country