Section+2-4+River+Dynasties+in+China

Section 2-4: River Dynasties in China Bold: loess- yellow silt. oracle bones- animal bones or tortoise shells that question were scratched on to the gods. Mandate of Heaven- a ruler That had divine approval. dynastic cycle- a pattern of rise, decline and replacement of dynasties. feudalism- a political system is which nobles, or lords, are granted the use of lands that legally belong to the king.

Key People: Shang- according to legend the first rulers of the Chinese civilization. Zhou- a people that overtook the Shang and ruled fr a number years but were then taken over by nomads.

Key Events/ Ideas: many rulers, one supreme gods with lesser gods, two main dynasties.

Setting The Stage: - this civilization in China Was built over 1,000 years after the other civilizations.

The Geography of China: - they were somewhat isolated from the rest of Asia. - They had the ocean and mountain and desserts to protect them. (Himalayas, Gobi dessert, Mongolia Plateau)

River Systems: - two rivers The Huang He or the yellow river and the Chang Jiang also called Yangtze. - the Huang He got it's name for it's yellow silt also called loess.

Environmental Challenges: - the Huang He's floods could destroy village and often times did - because they were so isolated early settlers had to supply their own goods because trading was hard. - their natural boundaries didn't protect them completely from outsides. Invasions from the north and west happened often.

China's Heartland: - about 10% of China's land is farmable. - a large piece of farmable land is a samll plain between Huang He and Chang Jiang. The plain is called North China Plain. China's heartland is still the center of China.

Civilization Emerges in Shang Times: - fossils show there was human life in China 1.7 million years ago. We know this because a skeleton was found called Peking man.

The First Dynasties: - this civilization started before Sumerians on the Huang He river. - sone villages grew into cities. - according to legend one of the first dynasties was the Xia dynasty. His flood control ad irrigation ditches helped the growth and production of crops. - people called the Shang rose to power in China. - the Shang dynasty lasted from around 1700 B.C. To 1027 B.C. - the Shabg kings built palaces and temples an tombs.

Early Cities: -Anyang a capital in the Shang dynasty. Built mainly of wood. Higher classes lived inside the city walls peasant lived outside the walls. - The Shang surrounded thie cities with earthen walls. These walls thy would huge show the Hang rulers' ability to rise and control large forces of workers. - these walls were necessary becausethe Shang people were constantly waging war. The Develpoment of Chinese Culture: - people lived out side the village were barbarians in the Chinese people eyes. They saw their city asthe center of a civilized world giving them the name of Middle Kingdom. - the people who lived outside the civilization had strong bonds.

Family: - a family was important o this socity. The elder man controlled the families property and made important decisions. Women were treat as inferiors.

Social Classes - this covizatuon was sharply divided into nobles and peasants.

Religious Beliefs: - the families were xlosly linkesro religion. - they thought family ancestors had the power to bring good fortune or disaster to living members of the family. - the Shabg consulted to the gods. Shang Di was the suprme god with lesser gods also.

Development of Writing: - in China one character generally stands for one syllable or unit of language. Their writin had no lol ks to thileir spoken language. - all the people of china would lean one wrtin Durham even though they may speak a different language. This helped unify diverse land an made control easier. - the problem was many characters ha to be memorized. A person needed to know over 1,500 characters to barely litterateur to be a true scolar you needed to know at least 10,000 characters.

Zhou and the Dynastic Cycle: - in about 1027 B.C. a people called the Zhou overthrew the Shang and made their own dynasty. They ha adopted much of the Shang culture so it disn change the culture much.

Mandate of Heaven: - the Zhou claimedthat tw Shabg were so poor thatthe goods took away their power and it gave it to the Zhou. A wicked or foolish king could loose his right to rule. - floods riots and other calamities could show the gods weren't please with ruler. Rebellion civil war and the rise of a new dynasty.

Control Through Feudalism: - the Zhou controlled far beyond the Huang Hein the north and to the Chang Jiang in the south. Members of the royal family and other nobles helped rule all this land. - the rulers grew stronger and so did the towns they were made into cities and expanded. People who did not supporters Zhou slowly started to and excepted their rule.

Improvements in Technology and Trade: - roads and canals were buildup help trade and agriculture. - coined money was made and made trade better in the long run. - furnaces were made to make cast iron. - this let ten made weapon. They could also make tools and sickles and knifed and spades. These tools made farming easier.

A Period of Warring States: - the Zhou was usually stable dis weaken. Nomads from the north and west attack the Zhou empire and kille the Zhou monarch. - some of the Zhou royalfamily escaped a wentti Luoyang where they were powerless.