China has two major rivers, the Huang He and the Yangtze Rivers both allowed for civilizations to grow and prosper in these river valleys. Because wood rather than stone or mud brick was the preferred building material, far fewer architectural monuments of early China survive than in India and the Near East.
The Xia Dynasty
The first Chinese dynasty was called the Xia. It appeared around 2200 BC and fell around 1780. The Xia Dynasty thus began a period of family or clan control.
The Shang Dynasty
Around 1650 BC the Shang controlled a corner of northern China along the Huang He River. The Shang Dynasty dominated this region until 1027 BC. It was under the Shang Dynasty when Chinese civilization first took shape.
Shang Social Classes and Peasant Life
Shang society mirrored other early civilizations. Alongside the royal family was a class of noble warriors. Shang warriors used leather armor, bronze weapons, and horse-drawn chariots.
Most people in Shang society were peasants. All family members worked in the fields, using stone tools to prepare the ground for planting or to harvest grain. When they were not it the fields, peasants were used to repair the dikes, or fight in the armies of their lords.
Shang Religion
The Shang developed a complex religion that focused on the worship of gods and nature. Chief among the gods was Shang Di and a mother goddess who brought plants and animals to earth. Gods like Shang Di would not respond to the pleas of mortals. Only great mortals like the family of the king could get the gods to listen. Thus, the prayers of rulers and nobles were used to bring good to the community as a whole to ensure good harvests and victory in war. The Chinese began to call on these spirits to bring them good fortune in times of need. To honor these spirits and gods the Chinese offered the gods sacrifices of food and drink. The Chinese believed that the universe reflected a delicate balance between two forces, yin and yang. To the Chinese these forces were not opposition but were both needed to keep the balance.
Shang Writing
The ancient Chinese developed a system of writing. The system uses both pictographs and ideographs, signs that expressed thoughts or ideas. Some of the oldest examples of Chinese writings are oracle bones. The Chinese system of writing has over 10,000 characters and takes years to learn.
The Zhou Dynasty
In 1027 BC, the Zhou people marched out of their kingdom on the western frontier to overthrow the Shang Dynasty. They set up the Zhou Dynasty that lasted until 256 BC. To justify their rebellion against the Shang, the Zhou promoted the idea of the Mandate of Heaven, or the divine right to rule. The cruelty of the last Shang king, they declared, had so outraged the gods that they had sent ruin on him. The gods then passed the Mandate of Heaven to the Zhou, who “treated the multitudes of the people well.” The Chinese later expanded the idea of the Mandate of Heaven to explain the dynastic cycle, or the rise and fall of dynasties. As long as a dynasty provided good government, it enjoyed the Mandate of Heaven. If the rulers became weak or corrupt, the Chinese believed that heaven would withdraw its support. Floods, famine, or other catastrophes were other signs that a dynasty had lost the favor of Heaven. In the resulting chaos, an ambitious leader might seize power and set up a new dynasty. His success and strong government showed the people that the new dynasty had won the favor of the gods, and the Mandate of Heaven. Then the dynastic cycle would begin again.
=
Development of Civilizations
Geography
China has two major rivers, the Huang He and the Yangtze Rivers both allowed for civilizations to grow and prosper in these river valleys. Because wood rather than stone or mud brick was the preferred building material, far fewer architectural monuments of early China survive than in India and the Near East.
The Xia Dynasty
The first Chinese dynasty was called the Xia. It appeared around 2200 BC and fell around 1780. The Xia Dynasty thus began a period of family or clan control.
The Shang Dynasty
Around 1650 BC the Shang controlled a corner of northern China along the Huang He River. The Shang Dynasty dominated this region until 1027 BC. It was under the Shang Dynasty when Chinese civilization first took shape.
Shang Social Classes and Peasant Life
Shang society mirrored other early civilizations. Alongside the royal family was a class of noble warriors. Shang warriors used leather armor, bronze weapons, and horse-drawn chariots.
Most people in Shang society were peasants. All family members worked in the fields, using stone tools to prepare the ground for planting or to harvest grain. When they were not it the fields, peasants were used to repair the dikes, or fight in the armies of their lords.
Shang Religion
The Shang developed a complex religion that focused on the worship of gods and nature. Chief among the gods was Shang Di and a mother goddess who brought plants and animals to earth. Gods like Shang Di would not respond to the pleas of mortals. Only great mortals like the family of the king could get the gods to listen. Thus, the prayers of rulers and nobles were used to bring good to the community as a whole to ensure good harvests and victory in war. The Chinese began to call on these spirits to bring them good fortune in times of need. To honor these spirits and gods the Chinese offered the gods sacrifices of food and drink. The Chinese believed that the universe reflected a delicate balance between two forces, yin and yang. To the Chinese these forces were not opposition but were both needed to keep the balance.
Shang Writing
The ancient Chinese developed a system of writing. The system uses both pictographs and ideographs, signs that expressed thoughts or ideas. Some of the oldest examples of Chinese writings are oracle bones. The Chinese system of writing has over 10,000 characters and takes years to learn.
The Zhou Dynasty
In 1027 BC, the Zhou people marched out of their kingdom on the western frontier to overthrow the Shang Dynasty. They set up the Zhou Dynasty that lasted until 256 BC. To justify their rebellion against the Shang, the Zhou promoted the idea of the Mandate of Heaven, or the divine right to rule. The cruelty of the last Shang king, they declared, had so outraged the gods that they had sent ruin on him. The gods then passed the Mandate of Heaven to the Zhou, who “treated the multitudes of the people well.” The Chinese later expanded the idea of the Mandate of Heaven to explain the dynastic cycle, or the rise and fall of dynasties. As long as a dynasty provided good government, it enjoyed the Mandate of Heaven. If the rulers became weak or corrupt, the Chinese believed that heaven would withdraw its support.
Floods, famine, or other catastrophes were other signs that a dynasty had lost the favor of Heaven. In the resulting chaos, an ambitious leader might seize power and set up a new dynasty. His success and strong government showed the people that the new dynasty had won the favor of the gods, and the Mandate of Heaven. Then the dynastic cycle would begin again.