Culture in China
Drew L., Sophia S., Grace S.
Culture Introduction
Culture is the beliefs and ways of life passed down within a specific group. Culture is important to put people into groups, determine their beliefs, and keep organization. The five main aspects of culture are religion, writing, architecture, innovations, and achievements. The four River Valley Civilizations, in particular China were impacted by culture.
The different components of culture had various effects on the people. Religion impacted daily routine, events, and beliefs. For example in China, people believed dead ancestors went to an afterlife and watched over them. Therefore, the people had to spend time and currency to give gifts to the ancestors. Writing affected the ways of communication and the way history was recorded. Architecture, like the Great Wall of China influenced education of science, mathematics, and engineering, along with offering protection. Innovations made life easier and performing tasks more productive. For example, in ancient China the people created compasses to help them place buildings and guide them through voyages. Innovations also formed a wider gap between social classes because the higher the social class, the more and better innovations available. Finally, achievements caused military and economical systems to advance, improve, and gain complexity. Cultural development during the River Valley Civilizations made the largest impact on the people.
Picture Gallery
Burials
Silk
Oracle Bone
The Great Wall
Gunpowder
Pottery
Monastery
Chinese Writing
Compass
Writing
Architecture
- The evolution of architecture was important for people to figure out more complex forms of engineering. It also helped them discover different forces of the Earth, and all architecture can only be made with precise mathematical measurements.
- The Chinese made monasteries and temples. These were religious places for people (especially men) to worship.
- The Great Wall is an amazing part of Chinese architecture and it offered the civilization protection from enemies. It was created between 476 and 221 B.C.
- The Chinese studied geometry and they learned this from working on building many different types of architecture.
- The Chinese used geometrical shapes and algebraic expressions to create their buildings and structures.
- All buildings during the Qin dynasty used advanced computation formulas to calculate volume, area, and proportion.
Innovations
Achievements
Achievements caused for complexity in economic and military systems.
Written language helped signify the amount of a currency and it let nobles communicate from a distance.
Gunpowder and bronze armor improved military efficiency.
During the Xia dynasty, the Chinese created sophisticated infantries and navies who conquered lots of land.
The compass allowed for a more efficient ways to travel and therefore, helped the Chinese conquer land and helped them establish trade.
The abacus helped the Chinese solve math equations and help them calculate important elements of architecture such as volume and area.