Settling Along the Huang River

Settling Along the Huang River Ancient China Chapter 14 Section 1

Geography of China • Covered by rugged mountains and vast deserts • Early people found the resources they needed along China’s River valleys

Geography of China Huang River River Systems • 2 main rivers: the Huang and the Chang – begin in western China • Good for farming and Transportation • Chang is the longest river • Huang has large amounts of loessfound in it to help to make the soil in North China Plain more fertile and better for agriculture. • Here people formed the first large settlement Chang River

Geography of China Isolation • Surrounded by physical barriers • Two deserts – the Taklimakan and the Gobi – lie to the north and west • Himalayas Mountains – wall between China and India • And more mountains and coastline to the south and east to the Pacific Ocean • This made travel and trade difficult • Ancient China was cut off from other civilizations and created its own traditions and way of life

The Shang Dynasty • Shang Dynasty was one of the early settlements along the Huang River • The language and culture would have a lasting influence on China • They had chiefs or rulers who organized workers and commanded warriors • Chiefs led warriors to take over nearby villages – creating small kingdoms • Around 1700 B.C. one began to expand • A ruler created the Shang Dynasty • It lasted for about 600 years

The Shang Dynasty The Government • Kept power within the family • Passed from brother to brother – from the youngest to the oldest • They organized groups to farm – clear and prepare land • With extra crops they could support large army and take over neighboring territories • Soldiers fought with bows, lances, and bronze axes and rode chariots into battle • They built large walled cites • Built dikes to control the floods along the Huang River

The Shang Dynasty Writing • Oracle bones is the earliest written record from China • Used animal bones or turtle shells carved with written characters • They did not use an alphabet for their written words, instead they used pictographs that represents words or ideas • Some symbols stood for meanings, while others the sound of the word • 1300 B.C. they developed writing system that would become the writing used in China today • With different forms of Chinese spoken all of the written characters are the same

The Shang Dynasty Bronze Metalworking • Decorated pots, cups, and weapons • Used expensive, beautiful bronze in religious ceremonies • Human and animal sacrifices were prepared with bronze blades

Settling Along the Huang River