Early Chinese History

1. Early Chinese History World History December10, 2012

2. China’s Geography • China is located on the continent of Asia, became one of the largest countries in the world • It has a great variety of climates and terrains • South China • Wet and tropical climate with some rainforest coverage • Northwest China • Covered in desert land • Northeast China • Arctic climate (close to Russia) in the winter • West China • Himalayas borders China in the west • China’s Rivers • Yellow River • Yangzi River

3. China’s First Peoples • First people arrived around 50,000 BC • About the same time the first people settled in Europe • These people were hunter/gatherers living in caves • Between 4,000-3,000BC, the people of China began farming rice and keeping animals • People settled in miniature cities along the Yellow River in northern China • They began living in small farming villages • At this time people in China began to use silk to make clothes • Shortly after, the early people settled into a unified kingdom • Under a dynasty • Dynasty = a family or group of rulers

4. Xia Dynasty • The first dynasty of China • 2070-1600 BCE • Established by legendary Yu the Great • He was able to unite approximately 13.5 million people • Spent 13 years stopping the great flood and brought irrigation to the Yellow River Valley • They had many accomplishments for an early civilization • Irrigated the Yellow River • Had a calendar • Created a wheeled vehicle • The last king, Jie, was overthrown by the people, and the Shang dynasty was founded

6. Shang Dynasty • United the Yellow River Valley • 1600-1046 BCE • Archeological sites at Anyang – the capital city – have uncovered eleven major royal tombs and the palaces • The amount of bronze, jade, stone, bone, and ceramic artifacts show an advanced civilization • The Shang dynasty rose to power under Qi • He helped control the Great Flood and was granted a place called Shang as a plot of land • The Shang dynasty united people of the Yellow River Valley and defeated those who rose against them • The Dynasty ended when the last Shang king, Di Xin, was overthrown by Wu of Zhou

8. Zhou Dynasty • Ruled China from about 1027 – 221 BCE – the longest dynasty in Chinese history • The Zhou dynasty appointed “lords” to control certain plots of land and the people who lived there • This spread the power to many upper-class men • The Zhou dynasty has many advancements • Ox-drawn plows, iron, horseback riding, coins, chopsticks, and the crossbow • Roads, canals, major irrigation projects • The philosophies of Confucianism and Taoism emerged • Originated the “Mandate of Heaven” • An ancient Chinese philosophical concept that determines whether a Chinese ruler is able to rule

10. Qin Dynasty • Lasted from 221 – 206 BCE • Saw China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang • He started out as king of the Chinese State of Qin, and became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BCE at the age of 49 • He is a pivotal figure in China’s history • Unified China • Passed a series of major economic and political reforms • Built and unified sections of the Great Wall of China • Famous city-sized mausoleum guarded by the life-sized Terracotta Army • Massive national road system • To ensure his political stability, he outlawed and burned many books and buried scholars who opposed him alive • After Qin Shi Huang’s death in 210 BCE, civil war broke out, ending the Qin Dynasty