Ancient ChinaAncient China
5-2 Huang Ho Valley
1. Geography – large area
- coastal plains and river valleys provided good farmland
- barriers -Himalayas - Gobi Desert - rugged plateaus - subtropical forests - Pacific Ocean
- b/c of barriers and location they had limited contact w/others
2. Huang Ho Valley – developed around 2,000BC
- no records - legend - Yu the Great (man-god)
drove out dragons and serpents,drained the land
- founded the Xia Kingdom
- believed people settled near the river for soil - 1800BC villages & farms developed - trade and travel - clay ovens
- pottery - small round clay houses
3. Shang – 1st record of dynasty - 1766BC built cities - temple and palace - public buildings and high
government officials homes built around palace - cities were for rich, educated, &
skilled people
- most lived outside of city - produced silk - polytheistic - worshiped spirits - spirits controlled life - ancestors - decided peoples fate - great respect
- Kings received power from spirits & ancestors
- used oracle bones - social structure
- king - nobles - skilled workers - farmers - #1 occupation
- weapons - horse drawn bronze chariots - battles - bronze helmets - bow and arrows - soldiers - poor farmers
- very few people could read and write language
- over 50,000 symbols - houses faced south for sun
4. Decline – division of classes probably weakened the civilization
- they could not fight off invaders
- fell about 1122BC to the Zhou -Wu Wang the “Martial King”
5. Zhou – dynasty 1122BC-256BC - introduced the Mandate of Heaven
-theory invented by Zhou -The right to rule is granted by Heaven. -There is only one Heaven therefore only 1 ruler-The right to rule is based on the
virtue of the ruler-The right to rule is not limited to
one dynasty
-positive and negative effects-gives the ruler prestige and religious importance-gives the ruler supreme power-allows new to quickly become powerful b/c he has the blessing-power must be kept in check by virtue-justifies overthrow as long as it
is successful