Ms. Susan M. Pojer
Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY
Edited by Ms. Steward
Gateway Middle School
“Peking Man”
(750,000 – 500,000 BCE)
Sinanthropus
pekinesis
The 4 Old-World
River Valley Cultures
Yellow River Civilization
Geographic Influences
• Isolated
River valleys
• 1. Yellow(Huang Ho)
earliest civilization damaging floods
• 2. Yangtze- very important
in unificationtransportation- irrigation
Yu, the Great – Founder
of the Hsia
Hsia
Only know about this
dynasty because of
legend
Associated with
invention of wheeled
vehicles, ships, armor,
pottery, and silk making
Hsia Plaque, 1700 BCE
Bronze Age Empires
Shang:
1523-1028 BCE
Distinct Characteristics
• Raised silk worms; production
of silk
• Bronze Age, daggers,
sculptures, jade
• Ancestor worship
• The family was most
important; not the government,
not the self, not the religion
Oracle Bones
Society
• Peasants support nobles,
officials, bureaucracy, etc.
• Government centered in
towns
• Warrior elite; Poor live in
primitive conditions
• Differences between rich
and poor
–price of civilization ?
The Evolution of Chinese
Writing during the Shang
Pictographs
Semantic-Phonetics
Axe Scepter – 1100 BCE - jade
Ceremonial Dagger – 1028 BCE
Shang Bronzes
Western Zhou:
1027-771 BCE
Eastern Zhou:
771-256 BCE
Zhou/Chou Dynasty
• Probable nomadic invaders
ended Shang dynasty
• the Zhou dynasty
–1027 B.C.
• replaced one ruling class with
another
–“meet the new boss...same as
the old boss.”
Zhou Characteristics
• Decentralized government
• Local nobility
• Long running problem
• 771 B.C. Chou driven east
Political Theory
• The mandate of Heaven
• Universal monarch
–favors consolidation
–xenophobic
• Emperor is the Son of
Heaven
• Feudal monarchy
“T’ien Ming”
The Mandate of Heaven
1.The leader must lead by ability and
virtue.
2.The dynasty's leadership must be
justified by succeeding generations.
3.The mandate could be revoked by
negligence and abuse; the will of
the people was important.
Period of Warring States
• 771 B.C.
• Dozen-plus states
• Balance of power until 500’s
• Period of consolidation by
warfare
–warfare chronic
Development of Intellectual
Movement
• Response to crisis and uncertainty
• Confucianism
– a sort of philosophy
• Taoism
– a sort of religion
Ritual Food Vessel, bronze
11c BCE (Western Zhou)
Ritual Wine Vessel – 4c
bronze, silver, gold, copper
Zhou Coins - bronze
Imperial China’s Impact on
History
• The Dynastic Cycle
• Secular Law
• Beginnings of political philosophy
through which a ruler must prove
he/she is legitimate
–Mandate of Heaven
Start here
Emperor is
defeated !!
Rebel bands find
strong leader who
unites them.
Attack the emperor.
Poor loose
respect for govt.
They join rebels
& attack landlords.
A new
dynasty
comes to power.
The emperor
reforms the govt.
& makes it more
efficient.
The
Dynastic
Cycle
Droughts,
floods,
famines occur.
Lives of common
people improved;
taxes reduced;
farming encouraged.
Problems begin
(extensive wars,
invasions, etc.)
Taxes increase;
men forced to
work for army.
Farming neglected.
Govt. increases
spending;
corruption.
Qin (Ch’in) Dynasty 221-206 B.C.
• Established China’s first empire
• Shi Huangdi (221-206 BC)
• Legalist rule
–Bureaucratic administration
–Centralized control
–Military expansion
–Built large section of the Great
Wall
Shi Huangdi’s Terra Cotta Army
Shi Huangdi’s Terra Cotta Army
Shi Huangdi’s Terra Cotta Soldiers
& Cavalrymen
Cavalry
Individual Soldiers
The Details of an Individual Soldier
The Great Wall with Towers
Han dynasty
• Ruled for 400 years
• New bureaucracy
• Emphasis on centralization
–weakening of the
aristocracy
• Imperial expansion
Han Dynasty, 206 B.C.E.-220 C.E
Paper invented [105 B.C.E.]
Silk Road trade develops;
improves life for many, cities
develops
Buddhism introduced into
China
Expanded into Central Asia
Han Dynasty 206BCE-220 CE (Roman
Times)
-Advanced in science and
literature
-Invented rudder, paper, magnetic
compass, acupuncture
-Short period of Civil War- Sui
Dynasty connected two rivers with
canal- over extended
Han – Roman Empire
Connection
Han Artifacts
Imperial
Seal
Han Ceramic House
Ceramics, Later Han Period
Trade Routes of the Ancient World
The Grand Canal
The Grand Canal Today
Tang Dynasty, 618-907 C.E.
Imperial examination system
perfected to recruit.
Liberal attitude towards all religions.

Spread of Buddhism in China
Golden Age of foreign relations with
other countries.

Japan, Korea, Persia
Tang Dynasty 618-907 CE Contributions
• Internal renewal(improved
lives of people) and external
expansion
• Set up university
• Tried to equalize land
holdings- fought corruption
Tang Dynasty 618-907 CE
Contributions
• Literature and art flourished
• Inventions- paper during Han- used for
clothes and writing
• Invented printing, gun powder,
encyclopedia
Song [Sung] Dynasty, 960-1279
A.D.
-Creation of an urban, merchant,
middle class.
-Increased emphasis on
education & cheaper
availability of printed books.
Magnetic compass
makes China a great
sea power!
Song Peasant Family
Song(Sung) Dynasty 960-1279
• Moved the capitol east
• Economic expansion- used paper
money,
• Used abacus
• Silk Road traffic at height
– when dangerous went to sea routes
– first period of great oceanic
commerce
– trades tea, silk and porcelain for
exotic woods and precious stones
Rice Cultivation Began Under the Song
Mongolian Steppes