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= {Chinese_man.png}
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Development of Civilizations
{River_progression.png}

{Rivers_map.png}
Geography
Chinese civilization begins in the second millennium BC with the expansion of agricultural villages in the Huang He River, also known as the Yellow River valley in the northern part of the country. ChinaChina has two river valleys. Geographically isolated by distance from other early centers of civilizations like Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley, Chinese civilization developed a distinctive style. Millet, the grain that became the staple of early Chinese life, grew so easily in the Yellow River valley’s rich soil that it did not need additional fertilizer. Population grew because of this and toward the end of the second millennium those characteristics emerged that signify a civilization: the creation of governments, the development of a religious tradition, the use of metals, and the erection of public buildings. Because wood
{China_Rivers.png}
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.
There is little historical evidence that existed about the Xia Dynasty, but Archaeologists have uncovered urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs that point to the possible existence of the Xia dynasty at locations cited in ancient Chinese historical texts.
The Shang Dynasty
The Chinese dynasty of the Xia was ended by descendants of the Shang. AroundAround 1650 BC took shape.
Social
Shang Social Classes and horse-drawn chariots. These were devastating weapons that allowed the Shang to control their territory without fear of being conquered by neighboring peoples.
Most people were peasants. They clustered together in farming villages where they led grueling lives. All family
Shang Religion
and drink.
The The Chinese believed and yang. Yin was linked to the earth, darkness and female forces, while yang stood for heaven, light and male forces. To the the balance.
Chinese
Shang Writing
The oracle bones. On animal bones or turtle shells, Shang priests wrote questions to the gods. Priests heated the bones until they cracked, and from the cracks the priests can provide answers to the questions. The Chinese to learn. But the amount of money it cost to learn left writing in the hands of the wealthy. At the schools they perfected reading, writing and calligraphy, which is an artistic form of writing.
The Zhou Dynasty
BC, the battle-hardened Zhou people
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.
The Zhou rewarded their supporters by granting them control over different regions. Thus, under the Zhou, China developed a feudal state. Feudalism was a system of government in which local lords governed their owned land but owed military service and other forms of support to the ruler.
In theory, Zhou kings ruled China, and for about 250 years, they did actually enjoy great power and prestige. After about 771 BC, though, feudal lords exercised the real power and profited from the lands worked by peasants within their domains.
{Ancient China RCS.ppt}

Development of Civilizations
{River_progression.png}
{Rivers_map.png}
Geography
Chinese civilization begins in the second millennium BC with the expansion of agricultural villages in the Huang He River, also known as the Yellow River valley in the northern part of the country. China has two major rivers, the Huang He and the Yangtze Rivers both allowed for civilizations to grow and prosper in these river valleys. Geographically isolated by distance from other early centers of civilizations like Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley, Chinese civilization developed a distinctive style. Millet, the grain that became the staple of early Chinese life, grew so easily in the Yellow River valley’s rich soil that it did not need additional fertilizer. Population grew because of this and toward the end of the second millennium those characteristics emerged that signify a civilization: the creation of governments, the development of a religious tradition, the use of metals, and the erection of public buildings. 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.
{Rivers_map.png}
{China_Rivers.png}
The Xia Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty
The Chinese dynasty of the Xia was ended by descendants of the Shang. 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.
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. These were devastating weapons that allowed the Shang to control their territory without fear of being conquered by neighboring peoples.
Most people in Shang society were peasants. They clustered together in farming villages where they led grueling lives. 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. Yin was linked to the earth, darkness and female forces, while yang stood for heaven, light and male forces. To the Chinese these forces were not opposition but were both needed to keep the balance.
Chinese 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. On animal bones or turtle shells, Shang priests wrote questions to the gods. Priests heated the bones until they cracked, and from the cracks the priests can provide answers to the questions. The Chinese system of writing has over 10,000 characters and takes years to learn. But the amount of money it cost to learn left writing in the hands of the wealthy. At the schools they perfected reading, writing and calligraphy, which is an artistic form of writing.
The Zhou Dynasty
In 1027 BC, the battle-hardened 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.

{Rivers_map.png}
{China_Rivers.png}
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.
There is little historical evidence that existed about the Xia Dynasty, but Archaeologists have uncovered urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs that point to the possible existence of the Xia dynasty at locations cited in ancient Chinese historical texts.
The Shang Dynasty
The Chinese dynasty of the Xia was ended by descendants of the Shang. 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.
The Zhou Dynasty
In 1027 BC, the battle-hardened 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.
The Zhou rewarded their supporters by granting them control over different regions. Thus, under the Zhou, China developed a feudal state. Feudalism was a system of government in which local lords governed their owned land but owed military service and other forms of support to the ruler.
In theory, Zhou kings ruled China, and for about 250 years, they did actually enjoy great power and prestige. After about 771 BC, though, feudal lords exercised the real power and profited from the lands worked by peasants within their domains.
{Ancient China RCS.ppt}

Development of Civilizations
{River_progression.png}
Geography
Chinese civilization begins in the second millennium BC with the expansion of agricultural villages in the Huang He River, also known as the Yellow River valley in the northern part of the country. China has two major rivers, the Huang He and the Yangtze Rivers both allowed for civilizations to grow and prosper in these river valleys. Geographically isolated by distance from other early centers of civilizations like Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley, Chinese civilization developed a distinctive style. Millet, the grain that became the staple of early Chinese life, grew so easily in the Yellow River valley’s rich soil that it did not need additional fertilizer. Population grew because of this and toward the end of the second millennium those characteristics emerged that signify a civilization: the creation of governments, the development of a religious tradition, the use of metals, and the erection of public buildings. 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.
{Rivers_map.png}
{China_Rivers.png}
{Ancient China RCS.ppt}

Chinese civilization begins in the second millennium BC with the expansion of agricultural villages in the Huang He River, also known as the Yellow River valley in the northern part of the country. China has two major rivers, the Huang He and the Yangtze Rivers both allowed for civilizations to grow and prosper in these river valleys. Geographically isolated by distance from other early centers of civilizations like Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley, Chinese civilization developed a distinctive style. Millet, the grain that became the staple of early Chinese life, grew so easily in the Yellow River valley’s rich soil that it did not need additional fertilizer. Population grew because of this and toward the end of the second millennium those characteristics emerged that signify a civilization: the creation of governments, the development of a religious tradition, the use of metals, and the erection of public buildings. 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.
{Rivers_map.png}
{Ancient China RCS.ppt}