Ancient+China

Ancient China, (1800 BC - AD 200) By: Jordan Beck and Reed Cronin __**Terms**__ __Loess-__ fine yellow soil, found in the Haung He River __Oracle bones__- dragon bones, they tell fortunes, and record history __Silk Road__- 4000 miles long, trade route connecting China and Rome, traded silk, spices, and tea __Acupuncture__- insert needles in body points, calms you down __Dragon__- symbol of Chinese rulers

__**People**__ __1, Pan Ku__- 1st man, giant worked 18,000 years to create the universe __2. Yu the Great__- Hero-King tamed the Yellow River, introduced irrigation and flood control __3. Fu Hao__- Wu Ding's wife, greatest Shang general __4. Wu Wang__- Martial King, defeated the Shang King __5. Confucius__- lived during the Zhou dynasty, the gov. was based on his teachings called confucianism

The geography of China has a lot to do with there history. For example Yu the Great who was known as a hero-kind tamed the Yellow river and introduced irrigation and flood control. The Yellow River is one of the two major rivers in China the other river is the Yangtze river, the yellow river is also known for its loess or fine yellow soil it was also called the "River of Sorrows" because of the dealth and distruction it brought to the people. The Chinese people called their land the center of world, and said "China is a sea which salts all rivers that run into it." All people that couldnt speak Chinese were called barbarians.

The Zhou Dynasty was the longest in Chinese history and its capital city was Xian. The Zhou Dynasty was ruled by Wu Ding, who was the martial king and defeated the Shang king. The Zhou army was nicnamed the "Sons of Heaven." They believed in the mandate of heaven, which ment that the power to rule came from gods, and said to rule wisely and just. Although the power to rule came from the gods there was a right to revolution, which means you could overthrow corrupt and evil rulers. The government was based on the teachings of Confucius called confucianism. Confucian Code was based on duty and humanity. The teachings of Confucius are called Analects. One of Confucius's sayings was "What you do not like when done unto yourself, do not do unto others. There were multiple other important dynasties during ancient China besides the Zhou dynasty. The first dynasty was in 4000 BC and was named the Xia Dynasty which was the first Chinese dynasty and was known for its Legendary Sage Emperors. The Shang dynasty followed the Xia dynasty and lasted from 1750 BC to 1122 BC. It was the first historical dynasty, its capital was Anyang, and it used a bureacracy form of government which was organized by departments. The Period of Warring States was during 403 BC and lasted until 221 BC. During this period 7 feudal lords battled for control. The Qin dynasty is where the name of China comes from and existed from 221 BC through 207 BC. Qin Shi Huang Ti was the "Chinese Caesar" who unified China and was the first emperor. The Han dynasty was from 202 BC to 220 AD, during this time occured Pax sinica or "Chinese Peace" which lasted for 400 years. Also during the Han dynasty were the Trung sisters who led a revolt against Chinese in Vietnam in 39 BC. Laslty were the Six Dynasties during 220 AD and through 589 AD, during this dynasty there were civil wars and the Huns invaded.

__Quote__
"A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions." Confucius

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media type="youtube" key="bLMVZohnCwA" width="425" height="350" [|Ancient China]This website has many links, pictures, and powerpoints. It is easy to read and easy to move around the page. [|History of China]In this website there is a lot of information of chinese dynasties and historical

periods. It has many links and colorful maps. [|In Celebration of the Silk Road] In this website it talks about the importance of the silk road to the Chinese. There are many pictures and it is a easy website to read. [|Women and Confucianism]This website talks about the sayings of Confusianism and confucian ideas about women. This website has a classroom like setting. [|The Mandate of Heaven]This website is talking about the Mandate of Heaven and how it affected china. It is easy to maneuver around this site.



**__Timeline-__**
__1. 1750 B.C.-__ China is under rule by the Shang dynasty and was mostly a farming society ruled by an aristocracy whose major concern was war. __2. 1045 B.C.-__ The Zhou dynasty takes over China after last Shang ruler drinks away his power, this dynasty is the longest lasting one in all of Ancient China. __3. 551 B.C.-__ Kongfuzi is born and is upset with the violence and moral decay of his age so he develops a system of philosophy known as Confucianism. __4. 403 B.C.-__ Civil war in China breaks out as the Zhou rulers divide the empire into different states. Some of the states then challenge the Zhou rulers starting the "Period of the Warring States." __5. 221 B.C.-__ As China is in civil war, different states fight for control and ignore the authority of the Zhou kings. Eventually the Qin state defeats all of its rivals declaring itself a new dynasty. __6. 210 B.C.-__ The first emperor of the Qin empire has tried to establish a China that people would like for many thousands of years, but angers many and dies. His empire was soon overthrown. __7. 202 B.C.-__ The Han dynasty, one of the greatest and longest lasting dynasties in Chinese history is formed by Liu Bang, who was originated as a peasant man. 8. 87 B.C.- Han Wudi dies, he was responsible for driving off the Xiongnu nomads back beyond the Great Wall to the north. After his death China has 150 years of relative peace. __9. 170 B.C.-__ Wars and intrigues at the court, and peasant uprisings brought the virtual collapse of the Han dynasty. In 190, rebel armies sack the capital and nobody is able to capture legitimate control of the empire for nearly 400 years. __10. 1974 A.D.-__ Farmers find an underground pit near the burial mound of the First Qin Emperor which contained an army made of terra-cotta, which was one of the periods most phenomenal achievements.