China

Where is China in the world?

What continent is China on?

Which ocean borders China?

Which countries border China?

In ancient times…

China was isolated from the rest of the world.

Why?

Himalaya Mountains (India)Barren plains (west)Pacific Ocean (east)If you were going to settle in China where do you think the best place would be to settle? (Think of where other societies have first settled)

Importance of rivers…

Huang Ho – “Yellow River”Yellow siltVery fertile when irrigatedWas carried onto fields when the

rivers flooded

Chang Jiang – “Long River”Cuts deep gorges through mountainsServed as transportation routeWater, drinking, washing, irrigation

Unpredictability of floods:

Egyptian people would experience floods once a year (the Nile)

Chinese had to deal with floods unexpectedly with summer rains

Dams, canals, and irrigation systems to control water flow

Discovery of the Shang Dynasty

“Dragon bones”WritingUsed in MedicineLater discovered as Dinosaurs

In search for dragon bones found a settlement that was believed to be the capital of the Shang dynasty

Complete Maps

Development of Writing

Development of Writing

Shang dynasty was earliest dynasty in China to communicate with writing

4500 characters have been found

Approx. 1000 can be translated to current characters

Bones told stories about past rulers

Historians believeDrawings of owned objects Pictographs

Later written language was standardized so that all Chinese people could understand

Make your own pictographs Create and draw at least four pictographs for four different words

on the back of your handout. Then create at least two new words/pictographs by combining two of your original pictographs. Do not label your combined pictographs and trade papers with someone else. See if they can guess what word you are displaying in your combined pictographs.

Learn Mandarin!

Government

Shang territory was ruled by a kingall decisions made by himbelieved to rule by the mandate of heaven or

divine right (descendant of Shang Ti)

Supreme God Shang Ti, sun and moon guided all kings decisions

Decisions were also made using oracle bonesPiece of ox bone or tortoise shell

would be written on, then heated, causing the bone to crack The cracks on the bone were read by the

king and could be read as yes, no, lucky, or unlucky

If king was irresponsible nobles would withdraw their support

Social OrganizationKing:Was also the religious leader

Nobles:Were the warrior leaders

Commoners:CraftspeopleCreated very fine bronze work and delicate

carvings from marble and jadeMade weapons, tools, jewellery, and potteryWeavers made fine silk cloth that the nobles

wore

Merchants:Used rice or cowrie shells to pay

for goods and servicesMetal coins invented in 5th c.

BCE.First coins were long, thin and

shaped like knivesLater coins were round with a

hole punched in the middle, was strung around belt or string around neck

Farmers:Largest group in societyGrew food for all members of societyOften poorly treated, rented land from

nobles, did not own itAt times of war became soldiers for kingHad to work on buildings of the kingdom**Building a new capital city took 10,000

men 20 years to build**

Slaves:Also worked on kings buildingsOwned by noblemen and kingsPrisoners of war, working under the

threat of deathUsed as human sacrifices and buried in

king’s tomb or within the foundation of a building as it was being built

Create your own unique representation of the Shang hierarchy. Include all five levels within the society and use pictures or symbols to represent each group. You must also label each section. /10

(5 marks for representing each area, 2 marks for creativity, 2 marks for neatness and 1 mark for it being on time (handed in tomorrow).

Religious Beliefs

Believed in the spirit world and an afterlife

Worshipped deities

Most important god- Tien

Practiced ancestral worship (see video)

Filial piety- younger family members were respectful of elder members of the family and community

Commoners did not believe in same gods as the noblesworshipped gods that controlled the earth and crops

People consulted sorcerers (also known as a wu)provided spells to protect people from evil spirits could also provide the help of friendly spiritscould also work magic on nature

(e.x. wu danced under sun until he/she began to sweat. Sweat of the wu was supposed to bring on badly needed rain for crops)

The Burial of the KingWhen a ruler died a pit was dug with ramps

leading downwards (see page 112 in text)

Accompanied in death by all things he may need in the afterlife (weapons, ornaments, bronze ceremonial vessels, horses, chariots, and dogs)

Humans were sacrificed so they could continue to serve the ruler

**In one tomb 247 servants were found**

The MilitaryShang military often involved in battles with people living

along the Chang Jiang River (see page 105)

Nobles were the warriors and led the armies

Armed with bronze axes and daggers

Rode into battle on chariots

Troops were farmers and were called to serve whenever king needed them

Foot soldiers fought at close range using spears and knives

Military leaders were not always men

Noblewoman- Lady Hao, was the third wife of the last Shang ruler waged several military campaigns

When she died, she was buried in a large tomb surrounded by treasures of bronze and jade

What they ate:

Millet- kind of cereal, barley and wheat were also grown (also grown by Egypt)

Peasants grew beans and many other vegetables in their own gardens

Ate fish from rivers- carp

Hunted animals such as deer and bears

Used onions and garlic to add flavor

Domesticated pigs, goats, sheep, water buffalo, an some fowl similar to chickens

Often experienced famine or starvation due to droughts or flooding

Sometimes impossible to produce food

Had to turn to whatever they could find Included insects which eventually became a part

of their diet

Used chopsticks for eating

Food was usually boiled, steamed, or stir fried

TeaPeople from China have been drinking

tea for centuries (so have people fromIndia and Japan)

According to Chinese mythology an ancient emperor was sitting beneath a wild tea tree while his servant was boiling the drinking water. A leaf fell into the water and the emperor decided to have a taste.

Was originally very bitter, used for digestive problems

Later people began adding flavourings like ginger or orange

By the T’ang dynasty tea was China’s national drinkBecame a valuable trading product (English)

What They Wore

Made clothing from animal skins (like many other cultures)

Men - long, belted tunics with a jacket over top - style was same throughout classes - type of fabric and amount/type of decoration displayed social ranking

Women- plain jackets and belted skirts over simple tunic dresses

Peasants- wore similar styles to nobility but was made out of rougher materials (hemp or banana leaf)

Wool is used as padding in outerwear and was woven into thick fabrics

People that worked in the fields had to adapt their clothing so they could work

Also used hats or kerchiefs on their head until more elaborate hairstyles became popular

Men wore hair in a heavy roll with a short pig tail hanging down the back

Women’s hairstyles were more elaborateHeld in place with jade, bone, and ivory

combs or hairpins

Women also wore necklaces and pendantsshaped like birds-phoenix or hawk or animals- like a tiger or an elephant

Peasants wore straw sandals

Wealthy wore fine cloth slippers

SilkSericulture originated in China in about

5000 and became an important art and industry

For centuries only the ruler and his close family could wear silk

Eventually other members of society wore silk

Was also used for strings on instruments, fishing line, and bowstring

Highly valued- during Han dynasty silk was worth as much as gold

Became sought after item by 1000 BCE and was very important to the economy- those who revealed the secrets of sericulture were punished to death

“Silk Road”- route taken by traders going to and from China (and India) to trade silk and many other products (mainly silk and porcelain)Very difficult route as traders faced storms,

robbers, famine, dying animals, and hostile rulers

So why make the journey?

Traders could make 100 to 1000 times what they paid by selling the silk they bought

HousingCommoners lived in homes made from

wooden pillars, walls made of twigs plastered with clay, and thatched roofs

Homes were built around a central courtyard with some homes built on parallel streets

In the winter farmers lived in small villages in simple one-room huts with dirt floors, mud walls, and thatched roofs

In the summer farmers moved to their fields where they lived in bamboo huts

Many Shang cities had earth walls built around them to protect them from attack

The Fall of the Shang Dynasty

Dynasty ruled for more than five centuries

Last Shang ruler had a cruel wife - Ta Chi who was known for the torture she inflicted on those who did not show her proper respect

People began to revolt due to the poor treatment and it has been said that the king set fire to his palace and committed suicide

The First Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang Di (CHIN- shih- hwong- dee)

had longest lasting effect on China becauseof the changes he made

Rule from 221 BCE- 206 BCE, beginning when he was 13 yrs old

He unified the country and declared himself the first emperor of China

China was named after his dynasty Ch’in

He set standards for writing, weights and measures, money, and law and the entire country abided by these rules

Most of the emperor’s rules worked well tounify the country but people feared him

He did not support the teachings of Confucius and he burned many books as wellas people who supported Confucianism

If a man disagreed with an emperor he was killed and so was his family

Who was Confucius?

What did he believe/preach?

Why do you think Qin Shi Huang Di did not approve of his ideas?

ConfuciusSpoke of a philosophy of living that involved

doing what was best for everyone not just yourself (very similar to Golden Rule)

Confucianism involved strong family loyalty, ancestor worship, and respect for elders.

Supported idea of powerful emperor but wanted to lessen the emperor’s power to encourage people to be honest and tp believe that change was possible

Many rulers did not approve of Confucius’ ideas so he was not welcome in many areas in China

When he died many people started to follow his teachings, creating temples in his name

Contributions of Qin Shi Huang Di

Qin Shi Huang Di had many things built during his reign: Grand Canal, Great Wall, and the Terra Cotta Soldiers of Xi’an

The Grand CanalWorlds largest and oldest human made

canal system

1795 km long and has 60 bridges

Took approximately 100 years to build

Runs from Hangzhou, southwest of Shanghai, north to Tianjin and then to Beijing

Runs along the most fertile and heavily populated areas

Was used as a transportation route for trade and goods unifying the country

Still serves as a transportation for goods today

The Great Wall

One of the few objects that can be seen from space

One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Chinese say it looks like a giant dragon as it winds across deserts, mountains, and grasslands, stretching approximately 6700 km from East to West

Walls are about 12 m high

Hundreds of watchtowers

Built more than 2000 years ago so some parts are ruins

Giant defense project

All rival kings had built walls around their territories but when Qin Shi Huang Di unified China these walls were joined to form one

Took about a million people to build (out of a population of 5 million)

Many workers died and are enclosed within the wall

Terra Cotta Soldiers of Xi’an

Discovered in 1974 when farmers were trying to sink a well

Bronze weapons and pieces of terra cotta were the first things found

2000 life size statues of soldiers have been found

Also found life size statues of horses, chariots, wagons, and lots of weapons (bows, arrows, and spears)

All of these were part of the burial grounds of Qin Shi Huang Di

Underground pit was full of statues of people and animals to go to the next life with him

Burial ground employed at least 720,000 people and took about 39 years to build

Many laborers died during the building of the tomb

It has also been said that many were killed when the project was finished so they would not be able to come back and rob the tomb

Contributions China Has Made to the World!

PaperEnabled them to keep records of the property

they owned and communicate ideasBefore paper and printing was invented

pictographs were written on silk clothEventually it was found that old rags, hemp, and

tree bark could be made into paperStarch was added to make paper strongerEgyptians started using Chinese paper in the 9th

c.

PrintingUsed pear or jujube wood and cut the wood to

the size of two book pages Carved the design into the wood so that the

area that was to be printed was raisedPrinter brushed wood with ink on the

characters then pressed onto a piece of paper

PorcelainInvented during the T’ang dynastyAdded a mineral called feldspar to the clay

which made the finished product a lot stronger

Used today in expensive dishes called china, and in industrial products such as electrical insulators

Gunpowder and FireworksGunpowder was initially used as entertainment in

the form of fireworksIn the 7th c. the Chinese had learned to combine

potassium nitrate with charcoal to make an explosive

Did not use technique for war until 11th c. The Europeans were not aware of this invention

until the 1300’s

“Fun” Fact for the Day! Footbinding

Was a custom applied to girls of the wealthy class

Involved binding strips of linen around very young girls’ feet causing the feet to become crescent or lotus- shaped

Tiny bound feet were a sing of beauty and reminded women that they were not free

Mothers began binding feet at 3yrs oldGoal was to have feet shorter than 10 cm1st toe was usually brokenWomen with bound feet were often unable to workMore popular in the north than in the south because wet rice fields in south