World History I

1. World History I Unit Four Block One lecture Ancient Chinese civilization (geography of a sustainable nation)

2. China Click me Introduction to Chinese Civilization (Geography of a sustainable civilization)

3. The Huang He River (The yellow River; River of Tears) Click me Early Chinese civilization was located in Eastern China along the Huang He River (North China Plain – 2000 BCE/BC) with migration south to the Yangtze River Valley and Delta

4. The river gives…..and the river takes away… The Huang He River supported significant agriculture yet was prone to deadly and destructive flooding (remind you of the Nile?)

5. Influence of The Huang He River on Chinese society • Chinese history began in the Huang He River Valley • In this Valley, Neolithic people Learned to Farm • The Loess is also partly responsible for the river’s nickname The River of Tears • The loess builds up on the river bottom causing dikes to break. The purpose of dikes is to hold back the water. When they break, they cause flooding which causes destruction of crops and mass starvation. • The need to Control the river may have led to the development of government

6. Geographic Barriers of early China • Protected by the Himalaya Mountains in the southwest (Like India?) • Protected by the Gobi Desert in the north and northwest • China’s location provided for geographical isolation (Similar to india?)

7. Geographic Barriers (cont.) • Despite these barriers- the Chinese still had contact with the outside world • They traded with neighboring people • Chinese goods reached past the middle east • The barriers provided protection; however, not all of time. Nomadic peoples repeatedly attacked the Chinese cities.