CHINA OVERVIEW:
A BRIEF HISTORY
OF CHINESE
DYNASTIES
Mr. Lubinski
FOUR THOUSAND YEARS OF CIVILIZATION

Chinese civilization extends backwards in history in an
unbroken chain for nearly four thousand years.
Throughout this time, the Chinese people have been
instrumental in developing new technologies and
advancing human knowledge.
GEOGRAPHY OF CHINA
Larger than the United States
 Climate varies


North


Temperate and cold
South
Subtropical
 Erosion
 Floods and droughts


Important rivers



Hwang ho (Yellow River) – north
Yangtze River – central China
Enclosed by high mountains, hot deserts, wide oceans
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Varied Landscape
•
China covers an area of almost 4 million square
miles.
•
The Gobi desert lies in the north.
•
Low-lying plains in the east make up one of the
world’s largest farming areas.
•
Mountain ranges lie in the west, including the
Plateau of Tibet and the Qinling Shandi. There
was limited contact between people in the east
and west.
•
The weather and temperature vary from cold and
dry to wet and humid, and monsoons can bring
up to 250 inches of rain each year.
GEOGRAPHY OF CHINA
•
China’s physical geography made farming
possible but travel and communication
difficult.
•
Civilization began in China along the Huang
He and Chang Jiang rivers.
•
China’s first dynasties helped Chinese society
develop and made many other
achievements.
T WO RIVERS OF CHINA

Huang He
•
Also called the Yellow River
•
Nearly 3,000 miles long across northern
China
•
Often floods, and has been referred to as
“China’s sorrow” because of the destruction
T WO RIVERS OF CHINA

Chang Jiang
•
The longest river in Asia; also called the
Yangzi River
•
Flows across central China from Tibet to the
Pacific Ocean
ANCIENT HISTORY
 By
4000 BCE
Village settlements along Hwang ho River
 Farming, stone tools, weapons (bow and
arrow), animal domestication, pottery

 Circa
1500 BCE
Picture writing (oldest writing in existence)
 Now circa 40,000 characters

WHAT ARE DYNASTIES?
A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family.
 Historically, royal rule was descended from father to son.
DYNASTIC CYCLE
1.
Emperor comes to power and gains the Mandate of
Heaven.
2.
Upward rise (wealth and population increase) to peak.
3.
Downward spiral (natural disasters, corruption, etc.).
4.
Emperor loses the Mandate of Heaven.
5.
Civil war until a new emperor, with the Mandate of
Heaven, comes to power.
MANDATE OF HEAVEN – Described by philosopher Mencius
 Belief that the emperor was chosen by heaven to rule.

XIA (A.K.A. HSIA) DYNASTY
(CA. 2070-CA. 1600 BCE)

China’s first dynasty

Founded by Yu

Built roads and irrigation projects dug channels to
drain floodwaters and created the major waterways of
North China.
SHANG DYNASTY
(CA. 1600-1046 BCE)

The Shang reorganized the social order in China: the
top ranking were the royals, then nobles, warriors,
artisans, farmers, and then slaves.

Many cultural advances were made, including China’s
first writing system, complex tools, metal pots,
ornaments, glazed pottery, and silk industries
ZHOU (A.K.A. CHOU) DYNASTY
(1045-256 BCE)
•
The Zhou people worked with other tribes to
overthrow the Shang dynasty in the 1100s BC.
•
Zhou leaders believed that their rulers were
mandated by heaven, and that heaven would find
another leader when necessary.
•
A new political order was established: the king
granted plots of land to lords, who in turn
provided soldiers and paid taxes to the king. Poor
farmers were granted land as well, and remained
under the rule of the lords.
•
The lords helped Zhou rulers keep control of the
dynasty.
ZHOU EXPANSION

The Zhou set up a new economy, rearranging the
affairs of the kingdom. As they did so, the borders of
their kingdom swelled, and they were able to maintain
control over the people they conquered effectively.

Zhou kings assigned nobleman, who were usually
members of the royal family, to serve as regional
rulers. These nobleman owned the land, and were
given absolute authority over it. The peasants could
not own land, but instead worked the land for the
noblemen.
DECLINE OF THE ZHOU DYNASTY
•
As the lords’ power grew, they became
uninterested in serving Zhou rulers. Many
refused to fight against Zhou enemies.
•
In 771 BC, the Zhou suffered a loss to invaders.
The dynasty survived, but morale weakened, and
the Zhou began to fight among themselves.
•
The Warring States Period marked power
struggles between the ruling-class families.
•
Problems within the government paralleled
problems within large family systems, which
were breaking down. Bonds of loyalty weakened
within even small families, and disorder fell upon
China.
QIN (A.K.A. CHIN) DYNASTY
(221-206 BCE)

By 221 B.C.E. a man by the name of Qin had
overthrown all remaining members of the Zhou
Dynasty, and all other opposition, allowing him to
place himself as the ruler of China.

The Qin Dynasty would only last about 11 years. Yet
during these short years, this dynasty would make
changes that would effect the history of China for
thousands of years. So influential was Qin, that the
name of the nation, China, is a derivative of his name.
REFORMS

Qin again reorganized the affairs of China. Instead of
a system of nobleman, Qin wanted everything to be
under his direct authority and control.

He established a strict set of written laws that were
recognized throughout China, and setup military
control in each region of China so that local nobleman
could not rebel against the emperor.
THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

To make China the most glorious nation on Earth, Qin
needed labor. He used the peasants, forcing them to
work under slave conditions, so that he could build
roads, bridges, canals, buildings, and his most famous
building project of all, the Great Wall of China.

Early emperors had built walls in the northern
territories to protect their nation against attack from
outside forces. These walls were spread across the
landscape, and not connected. Qin ordered his people
to connect the existing walls together, and to expand
them, eventually covering a distance of over 4000
miles.
HAN DYNASTY
(206 BCE -220 CE)

In the year 207 B.C. a new dynasty began to rule
China. This dynasty was led by a peasant whose name
was Liu Bang. Liu Bang had grown tired of the brutal
leadership of the Qin Dynasty. Many other people also
were tired of the Qin

Liu Bang proclaimed that the Qin had lost the
mandate of heaven, or the right to rule the nation. He
was able to overthrow them, and establish himself as
the new emperor of China, and the first emperor of the
Han Dynasty.
HAN DYNASTY

The Han Dynasty would rule China for the next 400
years. During this time period they would be one of the
wealthiest and most powerful nations on Earth. Their
achievements would only be surpassed by the Roman
Empire.
THE SILK ROAD
The Silk Road was a network of routes
stretching more than 4,000 miles across
Asia’s deserts and mountain ranges, through
the Middle East and stopping at the
Mediterranean Sea.
 Chinese traders only used the road until they
reached Central Asia, and then gave their
goods to local traders.
 China grew rich from trading silk with other
lands.

CONFUCIUS
(551-479 BCE)
Considered China’s greatest philosopher
 Ethics – correct way to live
 Human nature – good
 Men should be kind, tolerant, and love their elders
and ancestors (filial piety)
 Golden rule: “Do not do to others what you would not
have others do to you.”
 Analects
 Confucianism – code of behavior and religion


Education, good manners, right morals, respect for others,
love of tradition, obedience to one’s parents
CULTURE
 Literature,
poetry, history, philosophy
 Tang dynasty – poet Li Po
 Printing invented – books produced cheaply
in great numbers
 Paper – 1st century BCE
 “China” or “Chinaware”
 Known for glazed pottery and porcelain
 Music
 Paintings
SCIENCE
1000-1500 CE – civilization superior to that of
medieval Europe
 Paper and ink



“India” ink really Chinese ink
Movable type

Movable blocks with cut-out raised characters
Compass
 Gunpowder


Originally for firecrackers
Silk manufacturing
 Irrigation and farming techniques
