Early China
Becca, Bridget, Amy, Hailey
Geography
Was on the coast of the Yellow Sea and the Pacific Ocean
West and South- deserts and high mountain ranges (Tian Shan and Himalayas)
Southeast- thick rain forests
North- Gobi Desert
East- big and open Pacific Ocean
Had fertile farming regions by the East coast valleys of Huang(Yellow) River and Chang River (in heartland of China)
Rivers provided water for irrigation and transportation routes
Harsh climates and rugged terrain in regions of Xinjiang and Mongolia
Huang(Yellow) River flooded many times
Society of Early China
- social classes much like other civilizations with royal family at top and peasants at bottom
- peasants worked in fields, repaired dikes, fought in civil wars
- artisans made weapons, silk robes, jewelry, and other goods
- merchants exchanged food and crafts for salt, shells, and other goods
- civilization was based on agriculture
- women had considerable status during this period
- prayed to their many gods and nature spirits
- promoted idea of Mandate of Heaven and expanded to dynastic cycle
- type of government: feudalism- local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other forms of support to the ruler
- rewarded by being granted control over certain areas of land
- iron axes and plows, new crops, and money economy that made trade easier
- developed two major beliefs of Confucianism and Daoism
Violatti, C. (2014, January 3). Zhou Dynasty. Retrieved December 17, 2015, from http://www.ancient.eu/Zhou_Dynasty/
Early China. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2015, from http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/China1.html
Interesting Information
Confucius
- “Do not do to others, what you do not wish yourself” (pg 97)
Copper Coins
Book of songs
Lives of farming
Praise kings or describe ceremonies
- Tender or sad love songs
Shang Di
Oracle Bones
Yin and Yang
Yang is Heaven, light, and male forces.
Fascinating Facts
- Ironworking developed in the 600s B.C.
- Feudal lords made a large-scale irrigation works for farming
- To honor ancestors spirits they offered food and other necessities
- Movement of planets
- Recorded eclipses of the sun
- 2640 B.C.- make silk thread the cocoons of silkworms
Complex system of writing
Oracle bones
Characters
Calligraphy
- Writing of an elegant art
- Waterwheel