Ancient China Flashcards
1
Q
Ancient China’s Social Order
What is their social order? (5 Ranks)
A
- The Emperor and The Imperial Family
- The Shi - Nobles and Officials
- The Nong - Farmers
- The Gong - Artisans and Craftspeople
- The shang - Merchants and Traders
2
Q
Ancient China
Why is there a great wall in China? (4 points)
A
- Protect China’s northern border from invaders
- Began as smaller walls and fortifications, built around the Zhou Dynasty
- Began construction during Qin dynasty as Qin Shi Huang ordered that the separate walls be joined to protect his empire
- Rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty
3
Q
Religion in Ancient China
Buddhism (2 points)
A
- Began from India
- They believe they are reincarnated and reborn into another life
4
Q
Religion in Ancient China
Taoism (2 points)
A
- Founder believed to be Laozi
- He preached that happiness came from living a simple life in harmony with nature
5
Q
Religion in Ancient China
Confucianism (2 points)
A
- Confucius taught that people should be honest, brave and knowledgeable and never violent or arrogant
- The path to happiness lay in obeying the law, fulfilling your duty and respecting your elders
6
Q
The Ancient Chinese Dynasties
The Shang Dynasty (5 points)
A
- The Shang were some of the first people to settle along the banks of the Yellow River and took over the entire Yellow River valley
- First ever dynasty which went on to rule China for 600 years.
- The Shang divided their city into different sections for different workers – where you lived depended on your job
- The Shang rulers who owned all the land developed a system that allowed local people to work on the land in return for taxes – this system is called feudalism
- The last ruler of the Shang Dynasty was cruel causing the people from Western China to overthrow him and start a new dynasty - the Zhou Dynasty
7
Q
The Ancient Chinese Dynasties
The Zhou Dynasty (4 points)
A
- The Zhou built a large empire that lasted 800 years
- They made the system developed by the Shang better – the divided the kingdom into hundreds of small states, each ruled by a noble who worked for the king
- The nobles agreed to send their soldiers to war if they were needed and paid taxes on their land.
- The nobles divided their land among the peasants who were allowed to live on it as long as they paid taxes and went to war if they were needed.
8
Q
Ancient China
The Warring States Period (4 points)
A
- The Zhou kings struggled to maintain control of the nobles
- The nobles created their own armies and used them to take over other states
- This became a civil war and eventually seven states were in charge by 300 BCE
- In 256 BCE, the Zhou king officially lost power and the Qin helped China to become one empire again
9
Q
Ancient Chinese Dynasties
The Qin Dynasty (3 points)
A
- The ruler of the Qin, Ying Zheng, renamed himself
- Qin Shi Huang means ‘The First Magnificent God of the Qin’
- This dynasty did not last for long, but it helped China develop a monetary system and a writing system that everybody could understand
10
Q
The Ancient Chinese Dynasties
Han Dynasty (3 points)
A
- The first ruler of the Han, Gao Zu, was very fair
- He set up schools and exams for people that studies to get jobs based on their skill, not who their parents were
- Under the Han Dynasty, social status in China
became linked to learning and skill, not who your
parents were
11
Q
Ancient China
The Geography of Ancient China (5 Points)
A
- China is the world’s third largest country after Russia and Canada.
- Even though it is so big, China began as a small area in the Yellow River valley.
- Most of Ancient China’s history was shaped by geographical features.
- These features acted as natural barriers and kept China isolated from the rest of the world for many thousands of years.
- Rainforests in the south
- Mountains in the west
- Desert in the north
- Ocean in the east
- 2 river systems - Yangtze and Yellow River
12
Q
Ancient China’s River Systems (4 points)
A
- Yangtze and Yellow River
- The early people of China mostly settled along these two rivers.
- The banks of the Yellow river are low – homes were destroyed during flooding and banks were better for growing rice.
- The Yangtze was better for growing rice and tea.
13
Q
How did Ancient China begin?
A
- Ancient China began from farming
- By 8000BCE, people were growing rice and millet crops in the fertile valley of the Yellow River.
- Over time, villages grew from these farming settlements.
- Beliefs and art forms developed over generations
- China slowly became one of the world’s most culturally rich and significant civilisations
