Chinese Dynasties
Learn about the Chinese!
Overview of China
Geography & Climate:
Rivers:
- The Yellow River stretches across China for more than 2,900 miles. The Yangtze River flows for about 3,400 miles across Central China. Their silt creates great farming area for the Chinese.
- Only 10% of China is suitable for farming.
- Consists of mountains & deserts that surround the country on it's northern and western frontiers. (These isolated the Chinese people from the other parts of Asia.
- Human Environment Interaction
- The Chinese praised their precious farmland.
- Mountains and deserts became Geographical barriers and isolated the Chinese.
- Vary from region to region based on elevation and monsoons.
- Winter: Monsoons blowing from the mountainous regions are cold and dry.
- Summer: The Monsoons blow from the south across the seas, bringing rain.
- Dry season alternating with the wet monsoons bring significant temperature differences in winter and summer.
- The Chang Kiang serves as a dividing line between the northern region and the southern region of the country.
- North: Winters are long and cold, but the summers are short, sunny, and hot.
- Central China: Four season, including hot summers and cold winters.
- South: Has the warmest temperatures year-round and has a subtropical climate with hot summers and mild winters.
Religion:
- Chinese believed in supernatural forces from which the rulers could obtain help in worldly affairs.
- To communicate with the gods, the priest made use of oracle bones. They were bones on which priests would scratch questions asked by the rulers. Heated metal rods were then stuck in the bones, causing them to crack.
- The priests recorded answers from the answers and stored the bones.
- The inscriptions on the bones are a valuable source about the Shang Period.
Political & Social Structures
- Shang king ruled from the capital city, Anyang.
- Real was divided into territories governed by aristocratic military leaders (warlords).
Dynasties
Xia Dynasty
- The founding dynasty of the Chinese civilization.
- Little is known about them.
- Ruled over four thousand years ago, only for a short period of time.
Shang Dynasty
Accomplishments; Religion:
- Chinese believed in supernatural forces from which the rulers could obtain help in worldly affairs.
- To communicate with the gods, the priest made use of oracle bones. They were bones on which priests would scratch questions asked by the rulers. Heated metal rods were then stuck in the bones, causing them to crack.
- The priests recorded answers from the answers and stored the bones.
- The inscriptions on the bones are a valuable source about the Shang Period.
- Created a political and social structure.
Political & Social Structures
- Shang king ruled from the capital city, Anyang.
- Real was divided into territories governed by aristocratic military leaders (warlords).
Fall/Decline
- Fell in 1050 BC
- The Zhou came in and toppled their dynasty.
- The Zhou claimed they were evil & tried overthrowing them for moral reasons
Zhou Dynasty
Religion
- Mandate of Heaven: The king could have all of the power but only if he satisfied the gods and his people.
- Strongly believed in this & so they put a LOT of trust into their king.
- Ran by Daoism (The Way)
Accomplishments
- Made a huge impact on the Chinese culture
- Confucius and many other great thinkers of China.
Fall:
- during the Warring States period in 256 BCE, when the army of the state of Qin captured the city of Changzhou and the last Zhou ruler, King Nan, was killed.
Qin Dynasty
- Accomplishments
- First ruler Conquered six opposing states.
- First unified, multinational state.
- Great Wall
- Terra-Terracotta horses
- Everything was in the emperor's hand; Economy, military affairs, politics, and culture.
- Defeated and unified states
Fall:
- Uprising after 15 years; emperor was tyrant.
Han Dynasty:
Political:
- divided into two major periods: the Western or Former Han (206 B.C.–9 A.D.) and the Eastern or Later Han (25–220 A.D.)
Philosophy:
- Flourished under the reign of emperor Wudi.
Accomplishments:
- The monumental Shiji (Historical Records) written by Sima Qian (145–80 B.C.) set the standard for later government-sponsored histories.
- Wudi also established Confucianism as the basis for correct official and individual conduct and for the educational curriculum.
- China regained control of territories, first conquered by Qin Shihuangdi, in southern China and the northern part of Vietnam.
- Expand of Diplomacy
Fall of the Han Dynasty
- The Han government became unstable.