ancient china Flashcards
What isolated china’s civilisation from the rest of the world?
natural barriers
How did the natural barriers influence China?
china had little outside cultural influence. It helped unify chinese culture and establish a firm foundation.
name two vast deserts in ancient china
gobi and the talimakan
What did the gobi and talimakan do?
they discouraged invaders and immigrants
name three mountain ranges in western china
himalaya, tian shan, pamir
What waters separated china from its neighbours
pacific ocean, yellow sea, east china sea
between which two rivers did China’s civilisation arise on?
Huang He and Chang Jiang
Where does the hunag he lie?
northern china
What is Hunag he also known as?
Yellow river
Why is huang he called the yellow river?
for its high concentration of yellow silt
Where is the yellow silt diposited?
along its floodplains, creating good farmland
is the huang he predictable?
no
What are some negative points about huang he?
heavy rains cause the river to flood
What is the chang jiang also known as?
Yangtze river
What’s the third longest river in the world?
Yangtze river
What is a similarity between yangtze and yellow river
they both carry fertile yellow silt
What’s a difference between yangtze and yellow river?
yangtze river maintains a relatively predictable course
What influences did the yangtze river have on china?
It helped unify china by serving as a useful transportation and trade network
What is the area between the huang he and chang jiang called?
north china plain
What is the north china plain?
It’s the birthplace of chinese civilisation
name 3 cultures that developed around the north china plain
longshan, liangzhu, honghsan
What did the longshan, liangzhu, honghsan cultures contribute to?
the development of china’s unique civilisation and to the rise of its earliest rulers- the shang and the zhou
What dynasty emerged along the banks of the Huang he?
Shang dynasty
What’s a dynasty?
a line of rulers from the same family
What kind of society did the Shang dynasty establish?
a king at the top, warlords next, and farmers at the bottom
What did farmers do for china?
they helped advance agriculture in china
What did the shang develop?
a system of writing using characters
What is the basis for modern chinese writing?
the shang’s system of writing
Where did the shang’s form of writing first appear on?
oracle bones
What are oracle bones?
animal bones used to consult the gods they worshipped
how were the oracle bones used?
priests carved a question on the bone then heated it. they believed the pattern of cracks revealed the god’s answer
What did the shang worship?
the spirits of their dead ancestors
Why did the shang worship the spirits of their dead ancestors?
they believed these spirits influenced everything from the king’s health to farmer’s harvests
What did priests do to keep spirits happy?
they conducted ceremonies often using bronze vessels
What did the shang craftspeople make for the dead?
elaborate tombs
Who overthrew the shang?
the zhou
What was China’s longest ruling dynasty?
the zhou
What did the rise of the zhou mark in chinese history?
the beginning of china’s classical period
What is china’s classical period?
a time of great social and cultural advances
What concept did the zhou develop?
the Mandate of Heaven
What was the mandate of heaven?
a guiding force for rulers
What did the mandate lead to?
the dynastic cycle, a pattern in the rise and fall of dynasties
name all 6 steps of the dynastic cycle
1 people believe the gods have approved of the new dynasty
2 the dynasty weakens
3 disaster occurs
4 people believe the dynasty no longer has the approval of the gods
5 dynasty is overthrown
6 new dynasty re-establishes order
What did the zhou establish?
a strong central government
What did the zhou do with their land?
they divided it among local lords
What happened after the lords received the land?
they grew too powerful, fought with each other, and disobeyed zhou kings
What did china descend into?
the warring states period, a time of constant war
Who was Confucius?
a teacher and government official
What did Confucius believe?
Chinese society was breaking down as a result of constant conflict
What did Confucius teach, in an effort to restore order?
he taught people to respect authority and each other
What did Confucius’s beliefs form the basis of?
Confucianism
What 5 relationships did confucianism focus on?
father and son, older brother and younger brother, husband and wife, friend and friend, ruler and subject