Ancient

China
Module 6
Lesson 1: Geography and
Early China
 Vocabulary

Huang He Chang Shang jade ancestor oracle

Jiang Dynasty worship
called the called the the first a hard a Shang religion a
Yellow River Yangtze Chinese gemstone that honored prediction
because of the River, the dynasty which ancestors in the
yellow silt in it longest river ruled from belief that dead
that is carried in Asia 1700 – 1122 ancestors had
by the wind B.C.E. the power to
from the Gobi help or harm the
Desert living
 Geography and Early China
The Big Idea

Chinese civilization began with the Shang dynasty

along the Huang He.

Main Ideas

• China’s physical geography made farming possible but travel

and communication difficult.

• Civilization began in China along the Huang He and Chang

Jiang rivers.

• China’s first dynasties helped Chinese society develop and

made many other achievements.
 Physical Geography
Varied Landscape
• China covers an area of almost 4 million square miles.
• The physical barriers that separate China from its neighbors:
 North: the Gobi Desert;
 East: the Pacific Ocean;
 West & South: the Plateau of Tibet with the Himalayan Mountains on its southern
edge.
 The Qinling Shandi Mountain Range separates northern China from southern China.
• Mountains, deserts, and oceans served as strong barriers to travel. Because of
these features, ancient China remained isolated from much of the outside
world.
• Low-lying plains make up one of the world’s largest farming areas.
• The weather and temperature vary from cold and dry to wet and humid, and
monsoons can bring up to 250 inches of rain each year. That’s enough water
to cover a two-story house!
What geographical features
shaped China’s civilizations?

rivers, mountains, and deserts

What effect did the mountains
and deserts have on the Chinese
people?

The mountains and deserts

separated the Chinese from
most other peoples.
 Two Rivers of China
Huang He Chang Jiang
• Stretches across northern China, • Flows across central China from
flows from east to west. the mountains of Tibet to the
Pacific Ocean.
• The river often floods, and the
floods leave behind layers of • It is the longest river in Asia.
yellow silt on the land (also
• Also called the Yangzi River.
called the Yellow River).
• Unpredictable flooding killed
many people, destroyed houses,
ruined crops, caused famines
(sometimes called China’s
Sorrow).
 Civilization Begins
Farming
• Frequent flooding made the land fertile around the Chang Jiang and Huang He
rivers.
• As early as 7000 BC, farmers grew rice in the middle of the Chang Jiang
Valley. North, along the Huang He, the land was better for growing cereals
such as millet and wheat.
• Along with farming, the Chinese people hunted with bows and arrows, fished,
and domesticated animals such as pigs and sheep.

Early Settlements
• Some small villages along the rivers grew into larger cities.
• Separate cultures developed in the north and the south.
• Over time people learned to dig wells and use potter’s wheels.
• The early Chinese believed in an afterlife (filled the tombs with objects) and
had a complex social order (the graves of rich people held beautiful jewelry
and other objects made from jade, a hard gemstone).
 China’s First Dynasties:
the Xia dynasty
● According to ancient stories, a series of kings ruled early
China. Around 2200 BC, one of them, Yu the Great, is said
to have founded the Xia (SHAH) dynasty.
● Writers told of terrible floods during Yu’s lifetime. They
said that Yu dug channels to drain the water to the ocean. He
created the major waterways of north China.
● Archaeologists have not yet found evidence that the tales
about the Xia are true.
What is a dynasty?

A dynasty is a line of rulers

who belong to the same family.
China’s First Dynasties: the Shang
dynasty
• The first dynasty for which historians have clear evidence is the Shang, which
was established by the 1500s BC. The Shang ruled a broad area of northern
China.
• Shang rulers moved their capital several times, probably to avoid floods or
attack by enemies.
• The Shang reorganized the social order in China:
 The royal family and the nobles were at the highest level. Warrior leaders
from the far regions of the empire also ranked high in society.
 Most people in the ruling classes lived in large homes in cities.
 Artisans settled outside the city walls. They were at a middle level of
importance in Shang society.
 Farmers ranked below artisans in the social order and slaves filled society’s
lowest rank.
• The Shang greatly respected the relationship between one generation and the
next. The ancestors were worshipped along with natural surroundings (rivers,
mountains).
Why did the Shang rulers
become powerful?

They controlled land and had

strong armies.
 Advances of the Shang dynasty
• The Shang made many advances:
 Some historians believe they may have used cowrie shells as a form of
common currency.
 The Shang also developed China’s first writing system. This system used more
than 2,000 symbols to express words or ideas.
 Priests carved questions about the future on cattle bones or turtle shells, which
were then heated, causing them to crack. The priests then “read” these cracks to
predict the future. The bones were called oracle bones because an oracle is a
prediction.
 Artisans made beautiful bronze containers for cooking and religious
ceremonies as well as axes, knives, and ornaments from jade. The military
developed war chariots, powerful bows, and bronze body armor.
 Shang astrologers invented a calendar system which had a 360-day year, with
12 months of 30 days each.
What were oracle bones and
how were they used?

Oracle bones were bones with

questions on them used to
interpret answers from the
gods.
 Focus on Everyday Life

The Role of Women

Zheng Zhenxiang was China’s first female archaeologist. In 1976 she
found the tomb of Fu Hao, China’s first female general. In the tomb
were more than 2,000 artifacts from the Shang dynasty, including
weapons, bronze vessels, jade objects, and bones with Chinese
characters carved on them. Fu Hao, the wife of King Wu Ding, was
given a royal burial. She was famous for her strength, martial arts
skills, and military strategies. She often helped her husband
defeat their enemies on the battlefield. Fu Hao was
the first female in China’s history to receive the
highest military rank. Her tomb and its artifacts
reveal the grand civilization of China’s Shang dynasty.
During this period, the Chinese developed writing, a
calendar, and musical instruments.
 Connecting to the Past

1. What was Fu Hao famous for during her life?

She was famous for her strength, martial arts
skills, and military strategies.

2. Describe what the artifacts found in Fu Hao’s

tomb might reveal about life during that time?

The Shang dynasty was a sophisticated

civilization, with bronze technology,
writing, a calendar, and musical
instruments.
 The Shang Dynasty Falls

• Warfare with neighboring territories was common during

the Shang era.
• For many years, the Zhou lived west of Shang territory.
• At times relations were peaceful, but war occasionally
broke out between the two states.
• Zhou rulers eventually defeated the Shang and seized their
territory.
 Review Ideas, Terms, and People
1. Identify: Name China’s two major rivers.
2. Analyze: How did China’s geography affect its development?
3. Explain: What made China’s river valleys ideal for farming?
4. Elaborate: What do Chinese artifacts reveal about China’s early civilization?
5. Describe: How do historians know about the Xia dynasty?
6. Evaluate: Considering the evidence, do you think the Xia dynasty was really China’s
first dynasty or a myth? Explain your answer.
7. Identify: What were the levels of Shang society?
8. Draw Conclusions: What does the use of oracle bones tell us about the early Chinese?
9. Summarize: What advances did the Shang make?
10. Compare and Contrast: Draw a diagram like the one below. Use it and your
textbooks to compare and contrast the Xia and Shang dynasties.