Ancient China
And Other Cool Things That You Didn't Know
Farming Methods
China has a farming history of over 10,000 years. China is one of the three major centers for development of farming techniques in the ancient times. China is also notable for being the first country to cultivate rice. Because China's land was very rugged and not very suitable for farming, about only 10 percent was suitable for farming, they developed advanced way to cultivate their crops. They were designed to get maximum efficiency for their growing population. The Chinese invented row crop farming, and terraces, which are flat stair-looking platforms built into hills.
Top 7 Major Cities Near Water
- Zhouzhang
- Xitang
- Tongli
- Wuzhen
- Luzhi
- Nanxun
- Mudu
Major Settlements
The principle settlements of Ancient China were located along rivers, such as the Yellow River. The first notable people to settle along the river were the Jiahu people, who first started to farm the grain millet around 7000 BC.
Geography of China
Occupying most of East Asia , China is the fourth largest country, with rolling hills, flat plains, river deltas in the east and deserts, high plateaus and mountains in the west.
Methods of Trade
China had a huge network of trade routes, more commonly known as The Silk Road. The Silk Road, or the "Seidenstrassen" named by the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen. The Silk Road stretched all the way across Central Asia, until the Ottoman Empire boycotted trade and closed all of the routes.
Artwork
Chinese art was in many forms; painting, calligraphy, architecture, pottery, sculpture, bronzes, jade carvings, and other fine decorative art. The painting below is called the Great Wave Off Kanagawa. I bet many of you have seen this painting, as it is very famous. The artist who painted this is Hokusai. This is one of his most famous works is this most recognizable. At the age of eighteen, born in 1760, he was accepted as an apprentice to the artist Katsukawa Shunsho, one of the most formidable ukiyo-e artists at the time. After a year, the artist gave him the name Shunro, which he used a pseudonym. His most famous pseudonym, Kokusai, is what he is know as most commonly around the world. Hokusai died at the age of 89, in 1849.
Writing Forms/ Communication
The earliest forms of writing in Ancient China were at least from the Sui and Tang Dynasty's'. The strange inscriptions were on the scapula (shoulder blade) of a turtle and occasionally on the scapula of oxen. The strange inscriptions now became what we know today as Chinese characters. They evolved over thousands of years to today. For example, when the inscriptions were first discovered, there was a fish looking character. That symbol now became the character today that is slightly different.
Ancient Chinese: Fun Facts
- The Ancient Chinese were the first to discover Halley's Comet, in 240 BC.
- The three main Chinese religions are Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism.
- The royal physicians were not allowed to touch the emperor; it was forbidden.
- Giant pandas are considered to be a symbol of bravery.
- There were more than 10,000 rivers in ancient China.
- The Chinese were responsible for the invention of paper and the science of printing.
- Chinese people have used chopsticks as utensils for over 4,000 years.