Ancient Civilization

in China

Ancient Civilization in China

Learning Objectives:
Understand how geography influenced early Chinese
civilization.
Analyze how Chinese culture took shape under the
Shang and Zhou dynasties.
Describe the origins, central ideas, and spread of
Confucianism and Daoism.
List some achievements made in early China.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

Terms and People

loess fine, yellow, windblown soil

clan a group of families that share a common

ancestor

dynastic cycle the rise and fall of dynasties

mandate of heaven the right to rule given by

the gods.

feudalism a system of government in which local

lords governed their own lands but owed military
service and other forms of support to the ruler

Confucius a Chinese philosopher who focused

on good government and social order

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

Terms and People

Laozi a Chinese philosopher who emphasized

living in harmony with nature

philosophy a system of ideas

filial piety respect for parents

oracle bone animal bone on which Shang priests

wrote questions addressed to the gods or to the
spirit of an ancestor

character a written symbol

calligraphy the art of beautiful handwriting

Geography Influences Chinese Civilization

In ancient times, the Chinese depended on rivers
for irrigation and transportation. They highly
valued the ability to control floodwaters and to
develop irrigation systems. The Chinese also prized
devotion to duty. The importance they placed on
these skills played a key role in the development of
Chinese civilization.

Geography Influences Chinese Civilization

Chinas geographic barriers made it difficult for both invaders and traders to make their
way to the center of Chinas emerging civilization.

What physical features acted as obstacles to outside contact with China?

Geography Influences Chinese Civilization

Invading nomads traveling by camel and horseback crossed Chinas northern

deserts. These nomads eventually became part of Chinese civilization.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

Chinese civilization began in the

valley of the Huang River.
Beyond this heartland were regions with
harsher climates, occupied mostly by nomads
who sometimes attacked Chinese cities.
When outsiders invaded, Chinese civilization
often absorbed them.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

The Huang River valley provided

the fertile soil Neolithic people
needed to farm.
The Huang is also known as the Yellow River,
because of the volume of yellow loess that
washed into its waters.
The river got the nickname River of Sorrows
because it often overflowed, destroying crops
and bringing famine.

The Great Yu
Yu the Great was a legendary ruler in
ancient China famed for his
introduction of flood control,
inaugurating dynastic rule in China by
founding the Xia Dynasty, and for his
upright moral character.
Like all the river civilizations of the
ancient world, the ancient Chinese had
to cope with flooding and design
systems for irrigating their fields.

Yu sacrificed a great deal to control the floods.

Yu had only been married for four
days when he was given the task of
fighting the flood. He said goodbye
to his wife, not knowing when he
would return.

This is Yu the Great

controlling the flood.

Thirteen years of flooding

passed. Yu walked past his
familys doorstep three times.
He did not step inside.
The first time he passed, he
heard that his wife was in labor.
The second time he passed, his
son called out to him. His family
urged him to return home.
The third time he passed, his son was
older than ten.

Each time, Yu refused

to go in the door. The
flood was rendering
countless numbers of
people homeless and
he could not rest.
The king was so impressed
by Yus irrigation and
engineering work - and his
diligence, that he gave his
throne to Yu.

The Xia Dynasty was replaced by the

Shang Dynasty. The Shang Dynasty began
in 1766 B.C.E. and lasted until 1122 B.C.E.
The Shang Dynasty is
the first dynasty for
which scholars have
found solid
archeological evidence.
This is the burial pit of a
Shang Dynasty queen.
It was unearthed in
1976.

The Shang Dynasty Begins to Form China

Shang dynasty artisans were skilled in creating detailed objects in

a variety of materials, including bronze and jade. This is a
ceremonial bronze axe head.

The Zhou Dynasty

created a new concept
to make their rule seem
legitimate.
The rulers of the Zhou
Dynasty claimed to have
the Mandate of
Heaven, or the right to
rule given by the gods.

An artists depiction of a ruler and his advisors.

The rise and fall of Chinas ruling

dynasties is called the Dynastic Cycle.
Many rulers have made similar arguments.
In Europe they called it the Divine Right of Kings.

The Zhou Dynasty

What causes a dynasty to lose the Mandate of Heaven?

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

Later, the Chinese

argued that the
dynastic cycle
reflected heavens
judgment of good
and bad
governments.

The Zhou Dynasty

Under the feudal system, feudal lords maintained their own armies
and lands while owing military service to the Zhou king.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

Under the Zhou dynasty, China

became a feudal state.
Feudalism was a
system in which
local lords governed
their own lands
but owed military
service to the ruler.

After 800 B.C.E.,

feudal lords had
more power than
Zhou kings.

When a dynasty
was threatened,
its ruler called
upon those
feudal lords for
military support.
Sometimes those feudal lords decided that the old
dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven. Then they
tried to overthrow the old dynasty and begin a new one.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

By the time of the Shang dynasty,

the Chinese had developed complex
religious beliefs.
The Chinese practiced many of these beliefs
for thousands of years
They prayed to many gods and nature spirits.
They called on their ancestors for good
fortune and made offerings of food and other
necessities to influence gods such as the great
Shang Di.

Religious Beliefs
in Early China
Shang Di was
considered the most
powerful of the
many gods
worshiped in
ancient China. This
statue is in Taiwan.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

Confucius developed his philosophy

during the Zhou period.
Confucius was concerned with worldly goals
such as maintaining social order.
He taught that the highest principle was filial
piety, respect for parents.
He believed people were basically good and
would be best led by moral example.
His teaching influenced the Chinese belief in yin
and yang, balance between two forces.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

The ideas of
Confucius dominated
China for thousands
of years.
Chinese rulers chose
Confucian scholars for
important government
posts.
Confucian ideas later
spread to Japan, Korea,
and Vietnam.

Confucius taught that harmony was created

when people accepted their place in society.
Confucianism teaches
rules for maintaining
good government and
social order.
Confucius did not write down
his ideas, but his students
collected many of his sayings
in the Analects. At left is a
page from the Analects of
Confucius. In Chinese,
analects literally means
edited conversations.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

Laozi lived at the same time as Confucius

and founded a philosophy called Daoism.

A Time of Achievements in Early China

The people of Shang and Zhou China are known for
numerous cultural achievements. For example, Shang
astronomers studied the movement of planets and
recorded eclipses of the sun. Their findings helped them
develop an accurate calendar with 365 and days. In
addition, the Chinese also improved the art and technology
of bronze-making, producing stunning bronze weapons and
ritual vessels covered with intricate decorations.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

The Shang and Zhou periods produced

many cultural achievements.
The Chinese learned to make silk by 2640 B.C.
It became their most valuable export.
Chinese writing appeared 4,000 years ago on
oracle bones.
Chinese writing consisted of thousands of
characters, each representing a single word or
idea. It developed into the art form calligraphy.

A Time of Achievements in Early China

Silk thread or silk woven into magnificent fabrics were key trading items for
the Chinese. Because of this, the process of converting raw silk to smooth
cloth was a closely guarded secret.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas.

Chinese writing fostered unity

among diverse peoples.
Under the
Zhou, the first
books were
made.

Books consisted of
bound strips of wood
or bamboo.
The Book of Songs, a
collection of poems,
depicted both farm
and royal life.