Ancient china flashcards
What are the 2 main rivers in China
Yangteze river and yellow river
why is China isolated
Its surrounded by a ocean, deserts and mountians
Name 2 major desserts in China
Gobi and Taklamakan dessert
Name 2 bodies of water surrounding china
Sea of Japan, east china sea and south China sea
Main characteristics of outer China
Steep mountains, and dry desserts and hard to grow crops
Main characteristics of inner China
Green plains, rich soil and running rivers.
What was the name of the first dynasty in China?
Shang dynasty
what did archeologists find in the city of Anyang?
A palace, a temple, houses, and workshops for artisans
Why did they believe in human sacrifices?
Because they thought the king needed servants in the after life.
who lead the Shang government?
A powerful king
What where P.O.W’s used for?
Human sacrifices and slaves
What tool made the army so strong?
Bronze tools and weapons.
What groups made up the social classes in the Shang dynasty
The king, nobles, artisans, traders, farmers, and slaves
What was their religion centered on?
Ancestor worship
What are oracles bones?
Bones from turtle shells or shoulder blade of a cow which they heated up, and when the bone cracked the could make preditcions such as where to farm, build, or to go to war or not,
2 examples of artwork during the Shang dynasty
animal masks and vessels
What dynsaty took after the shang dynasty
The Zhou dynsaty
define- Mandate form heaven
a divine right to rule china
Define- feudalsim
A system of government based of landowners and tenants
Define- The Warring states period
Small city states fought each other for land and power, this was also know as the 250 years of disorder
Define- confucianism.
Teachings by a man named Kongfuzi know as Confucius who’s main beliefs strongly influenced china
What are the Analects?
Scared philosophies that confusious followed
What are the main teachings of confucianism?
To live a peaceful society by understanding your place and that rituals are important
What are the main teachings of Daoism?
rulers should be weak, accept what ever happens and concentrate on nature
Define yin and yang
True harmony comes for balancing two opposites forces in nature, an example is that there isn’t good without bad.
What are the teachings of legalism
People are naturally selfish and should be rewarded for kindness and strongly punished
Why was legalism adopted
They wanted a central government to keep china organized during the Warring states period
Who was the first emperor
Qin Shi Huangdi
How the emperor conquer other states
Military might, spies, bribery, and alliances
What philospghy did he believe in
Legalism
How did he divided the states
He divided china into 36 states which each had 3 officals
What does “standerdizing culture” mean
To make every thing the same
What are 3 ways the culture was standardized?
He made money, measurements such as weight and length.
He also standardized writing and language
Why was the great wall built
To protect the country from invaders
How long did it take to build the great wall and what where the work conditions
It took 10 year to build and the work contitions where harsh and rough because they had to build it on mountains and deserts.
What did the emperor do to those who believed in confucianism
He exiled and killed them and burned the book
What articles and artifact where found in his tomb
6,000 clay wariors, chariots, jelewry, and even a river of the radioactive liquid, mercury
