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Early Chinese civilization was shaped by its geography of major rivers and mountain ranges. The Huang He and Chang Jiang rivers provided fertile land for farming, though only 10% of China's land was arable, with the rest being mountains or desert. The first centers of Chinese civilization emerged in the Huang He valley, including the Xia Dynasty, though little is known about this early period. The subsequent Shang Dynasty established the city of Anyang in northern China. The Zhou Dynasty then ruled for over 800 years, developing bureaucracy and the concept of "Mandate of Heaven" to justify their right to rule based on virtue. During this period, the Chinese developed new tools like iron plows and engaged in extensive trade of silk along
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- 1. Early China We are learning how the Chinese civilization was shaped by geography such as mountains and large rivers.
- 2. CHINA’S GEGRAPHY 2 Main Rivers - Huang He/Yellow - Chang Jiang/Yangtze Majority of land is mountains and deserts ( only 1/10 th of its land can be farmed ) Mountain Ranges - Himalaya - Kunlun Shan - Tian Shan Desert and mounts. were “walls” around China - Gobi - Taklimakan Middle Kingdom- Chinese people thought their kingdom was the center of the world.
- 3. SHANG DYNASTY Huang He valley – first center of Chinese civilization. Xia Dynasty – China’s first rulers (little is known about this dynasty) Dynasty- line of rulers who belong to the same family Anyang – city in northern China built by the Shang
- 9. ZHOU DYNASTY Wu Wang- aristocrat led a rebellion against the Shang Zhou dynasty – ruled for more than 800 years Bureaucracy – group of appointed members of the government (not voted on by public)
- 10. Mandate of Heaven The Mandate of Heaven is based on four principles: The right to rule is granted by Heaven. There is only one Heaven therefore there can be only one ruler. The right to rule is based on the virtue of the ruler. The right to rule is not limited to one dynasty.
- 11. NEW TOOLS AND TRADE Chinese developed irrigation and flood control systems. Iron plows – helped to break the land up better than wooden plows Chinese silk – very expensive and important export of China. Chinese silk was traded as far away as Greece.
- 12. ZHOU FALLS “ Period of Warring States” – all most 200 years of civil war. Qin – 221 B.C. the ruler of one of the warring states (Qin) defeated all the other states and set up a new dynasty.