River Dynasties in China

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River Dynasties in China

• Ch. 2, Sec. 4 (pp. 50 - 55)

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Geographic Features

• Many natural barriers
• Pacific Ocean Yellow Sea to east
• Himalaya Mountains to west
• Gobi Desert to north
• River Systems
• Huang He (Yellow River)
• Gets name from loess deposits
• Chiang Jiang (Yangtze River)

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The Yellow River
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Environmental Challenges

• Unpredictable devastating floods
• Known as Chinas Sorrow
• Isolation meant no trade
• Natural borders didnt always protect from
  outsiders
• Only 10 of China is suitable for farming
• Known as Chinas Heartland

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Chinas Heartland
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Settlements

• Shang Dynasty (1700 B.C. to 1027 B.C.) were
  first people to leave written records
• Anyang was a capital of Shang Dynasty
• Made mostly of wood
• Surrounded by giant earth wall

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Anyang Ancient City Walls
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Social Classes

• Society was sharply divided b/t nobles peasants
• Kings ruled (highest class)
• Warrior-nobles owned land, paid tribute helped
  govern (middle class)
• Villagers labored in the fields (lower class)

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Role of Family

• Family was central to society
• Men made familial decisions owned property
• Women were treated as inferior
• Respect for ones parents was crucial

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Filial Piety
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Religious beliefs

• Families paid respect to ancestors
• Shang kings consulted gods using scratched animal
  bones (oracle bones)

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An Oracle Bone
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Writing System

• All Chinese writing was the same, where as
  Chinese spoke different languages in different
  regions
• Think of it as English, French Spanish people
  can all understand when they read 2 2 4
  whereas only English speakers can understand when
  they hear two plus two equals four
• There is an enormous amount of characters (more
  than 10,000)

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Technological advances

• Developed bronze tools/weapons
• Used war-chariots
• Silk textiles

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Model of Shang Chariot
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Artistry

• Bronze jars, pottery plaques

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The Zhou Dynasty

• Around 1027 B.C., the Zhou overthrew the Shang
  established their own dynasty
• To justify their conquest, Zhou leaders said that
  the Shang king had been a poor king, so the gods
  had taken away his right to rule and given it to
  the Zhou
• Known as the Mandate of Heaven (the fact that god
  gives the ruler power to rule)

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The Mandate of Heaven
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The Chinese Dynastic CycleRise gt Decline gt
Replacement
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Feudalism

• Nobles (lords) were granted the use of the kings
  land
• In return, nobles (lords) had to give loyalty
  military service to the king

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Confucianism on Chinese CultureConfucius says

• Confucius believed that social order, harmony,
  good govt could be restored in China if society
  were organized around 5 relationships.
• 1. ruler subject
• 2. father son
• 3. husband wife
• 4. older brother younger brother
• 5. Friend friend
• (3 of these 5 based on family)

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Confucianism on Chinese CultureConfucius says

• Confucius the examination system
• Confucius said that education could transform a
  humbly (poor) person into a gentlemen.
• Before the Confucian Examination System, state
  officials were selected based on recommendations
  by prominent aristocrats or state officials.
  Theoretically, a person from any economical or
  social background had a chance to become a state
  official by passing the exam. The exam was used
  up until 1905 (fall of Qing dynasty), spanning
  over a course of 1300 years.

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The Warring States Period

• Zhou ruled a relatively stable empire from 1027
  B.C. to 500 B.C.
• By 771 B.C., Zhou kings began to lose their power
  to nomads regional leaders
• China entered a major period of Civil War known
  as the Warring States Period in which Chinese
  warlords constantly fought for control of
  territory

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