1.
The 5 important geographic features of China that affected the settlement of people:
The Yellow river, Yangtze River, Himalayas, Gobi desert,Taklamakan Desert.
2. The origins of Chinese civilization in the Huang He valley:
The Huang He valley has rivers so they were able to start farming and agriculture there.
Once the people knew how to use the water and prevent flooding, rulers were able to
control a large part of land and from there culture, government, and arts started.
3. The culture, government, social structure, religion, writing, art, and technology of the
Shang dynasty.
The Shang settled near the Huang He (Yellow River). The Shang government was led by a
powerful king.
To extend his power, a king established smaller kingdoms led by his younger brothers and
nephews.
Shang society can be divided into six social classes.
The king and his relatives were in the highest class. Below them were the nobles, artisans,
traders, farmers, and slaves.
Shang religion centered on ancestor worship. The treasures buried in kings' tombs show
that the Shang believed in a life after death. They also believed that dead ancestors had
the power to help or harm the living. For this reason, the Shang honored their ancestors. As
signs of respect, worshippers gave offerings of food, and sometimes made human
sacrifices. The inscriptions on oracle bones are among the earliest known examples of
Chinese writing. In Shang writing, as in modern Chinese, characters stand for words rather
than sounds. Early Chinese writing contained only pictographs, images that stand for
objects. By the Shang dynasty period. Shang artists showed great skill in working with
bronze. Shang artisans made beautiful vessels and other objects. Some bronze vessels had
geometric designs and pictures of mythical creatures. The most common picture was an
animal mask, later known as a taotie. It might have the horns of an ox, the ears of an
elephant, the talons of a bird, the eye of a man, or the crest of a dragon. Some scholars say
that these masks were symbols of all the beings in the world.Working with bronze was an
important technology for the Shang. Artisans used bronze to make many tools of war,
including arrowheads, spearheads, ax heads, and helmets. The bronze-making skill of the
Shang is one of the reasons they were able to remain in power for more than five hundred
years.
4. The origins of Confucianism, Daoism,and Legalism
Confucianism started when a person named COnfucius believed that if peace and order
were to exist, the government should rule wisely. Confucianism is based on respecting
elders, having proper behavior, and love for scholarship. Taoism was made by a man named
Laozi, who believed in the idea of “ the Dao” or “the way”. He believed that people should
follow the way of nature and live a simple life of quiet meditation. Legalism was made by
Hanfeizi, he believed that the way to solve problems was through order and good
government, so the idea of legalism is to be a harsh ruler and set an order, meaning that if
someone does something wrong he or she is severely punished and those who do good
they are rewarded. Working with bronze was an important technology for the Shang.
Artisans used bronze to make many tools of war, including arrowheads, spearheads, ax
heads, and helmets. The bronze-making skill of the Shang is one of the reasons they were
able to remain in power for more than five hundred years.
5. Confucius, Laozi and Hanfeizi
Confucius was a man who lived in the tiny state of Lu. He experienced the warring periods.
He believed that in order to achieve peace and just in the society, was to govern wisely.
His teachings state that we should respect our elders, have proper behavior, and love for
scholarship. Laozi was the man who created the philosophy of Taoism. HIs teachings
explain that we should follow “the Dao” and we should follow nature and live a simple life
with quiet meditation. Hanfeizi was the man who created the third biggest philosophy,
legalism. His ideas stated that the ruler should govern strictly and have absolute power.
6. Qin and Zhou empires
● The Qin dynasty was the first dynasty and was mythical.
● The Zhou dynasty were the successors of the Shang dynasty. After the Shang
dynasty split into states that were warring for power the Shang dynasty conquered
them all.
● The government said they owned the Mandate of Heaven to justify themselves.
● The Zhou used feudalism to increase stability in the country.
● They gave an amount of land to lords who in return would control the peasants and
give the King extra food and make sure to store food in case of a famine. However
in the 700’s B.C.E. The lords became more ambitious for power, eventually rivaling
their own King.
7. Policies and achievements of Emperor Shihuangdi
● Emperor Qin was the first emperor of China. His rules were based on legalism.
● He had harsh punishments for anyone who disobeyed his laws or opposed him. His
idea was the people are naturally evil and greedy, and that you need to train them
to become good.
● Emperor Qin ordered the creation of the Great Wall of China. He ordered that
laborers worked on the creation. The circumstances while building the wall was
harsh, and many died due to starvation, and unhealthy living conditions.
● Emperor Qin standardized modern weights, he created unified agriculture practices
and constructed roads, bridges, and dams.
8. The expansion of the Han Empire
Han emperors mostly expanded southwards a bit to the north and north east and a small
portion beyond the Great Wall.
9. The discoveries and inventions of the Han empire
Some of the discoveries and inventions of the Han empire are -.
● They learned how to make iron swords, crossbows, and kites which were mainly
used for wars.
● A foot-powered machine that allowed the mass production of large silk reils.
● Bamboo drills that could dig up salt from underground.
10. Silk Road from the Han dynasty to the Roman Empire
● The Silk Road expanded from China to the east and the west.
● The traders used the dangerous Silk Road to go to many cities and countries. For eg,
China would get spices and pearls from India.
● Rome would trade the glassware they owned and gold. They also got horses, jade,
and furs in return which they highly valued. From Arabia, Persia, and Egypt came
perfumes, cosmetics, and carpets.
11. Cultural diffusion of the Silk Road
● Multiple civilizations traveled on the silk road.
● These civilizations carried their beliefs and their products along with them, allowing
religions and products to travel along the silk road. For eg, Buddhism went to China
because of ancient buddhism texts from India which traders brought with them.
