Chap 4.4

Question 1

What aided the development of civilization in early China?

Answer 1

China’s Geography

The development of civilization in early China was aided by features like long rivers, fertile soils, temperate climates, and isolated valleys

Question 2

Where did China’s first civilization develop?

Answer 2

•China’s first civilizations developed in river valleys

Question 3

What 2 major rivers supplied water for earliest civilization?

Answer 3

•Two major rivers supplied water for earliest civilizations

–Chang Jiang, also called Yangzi

–Huang He, or Yellow River

Question 4

What was geography in eastern China like?

Answer 4

Crops

•Most of eastern China covered with fertile soils

Question 5

What geographies isolated parts of China?

Answer 5

• Mountains, hills, desert protected China from invasion
• Himalaya Mountains separate southern China from India
• The vast Gobi Desert prevented reaching China from west

Question 6

How long ago did China civilization start?

Answer 6

•People started growing crops there 9,000 years ago

Question 7

What was the earliest China civilization?

How do we know?

Answer 7

• Legend says earliest Chinese ruled by Xia dynasty
• No written, archaeological evidence Xia dynasty existed

Question 8

What was the first Chinese dynasty?

When?

Answer 8

According to ancient Chinese records, the Shang dynasty formed around 1766 BC

Question 9

What ruled China?

Answer 9

•China ruled by strong monarchy

Question 10

What was the capital city of the Shang Dynasty?

Answer 10

•Capital city: Anyang

Question 11

How did the King impose order on the kingdom?

Answer 11

• King’s governors ruled distant parts of kingdom
• King also had large army at disposal

Question 12

What kind of society was Shang China?

What did most people do?

Answer 12

• Shang China largely agricultural
• Most tended crops in fields
• Farmers called on to fight in army, work on building projects—tombs, palaces

Question 13

Shang asked _________ for advice

Answer 13

As part of worship, Shang asked ancestors for advice

Question 14

Where did Shang seek advice from?

Answer 14

Oracle Bones

•Sought advice through use of oracle bones

Question 15

How did oracle bones work?

Answer 15

–Inscribed bits of animal bone, turtle shell

–Living person asked question of ancestor

–Hot piece of metal applied to oracle bone resulting in cracks on bone’s surface

–Specially trained priests interpreted meaning of cracks to learn answer

Question 16

What dynasty followed the Shang?

When did they start ruling China?

Answer 16

The Zhou (Djo) Dynasty

Beginning around 1100 BC, the Zhou rules China for several centuri

Question 17

What happened when Zhou conquered Shang?

Answer 17

•When Zhou conquered Shang, leaders worried Chinese people would not accept them

Question 18

What idea did Zhou dynasty introduce to China to rule?

Answer 18

•Introduced idea they ruled by Mandate of Heaven

Question 19

What was the Mandate of Heaven?

Answer 19

•Gods would support just ruler, dynastic cycle

Question 20

How did Zhou explain the change of dynasty?

Answer 20

it was the will of the gods that a dynasty be overthrown and a new one take power.

Question 21

What was Zhou’s best achievement?

What was Chinese metalwork before the Zhou?

Answer 21

• Zhou learned to use iron, became backbone of economy
• Before Zhou, Chinese metalwork done in bronze

Question 22

How did iron weapons strengthen the Zhou dynasty?

What did iron create?

Answer 22

•Iron weapons strengthened Zhou army, as did new weapons like catapult and creation of China’s first cavalry

Question 23

Who was the most famous teacher to Chinese?

What was the belief called?

Answer 23

Confucius

Confucianism

Question 24

What was Confucianism teachings based on?

Answer 24

•Should express love, respect for others, honor ancestors

Question 25

What was the Confucian concept of love and respect?

Answer 25

•Believed that love, respect had disappeared and was responsible for violence in society;

restoring respect for tradition would make society stable

Question 26

What was the book of Confucius thoughts called?

Answer 26

•Thoughts on how to improve society collected in book, Analects

Question 27

What were the ideas in Analects?

Answer 27

• Ruler should treat subjects fairly; subjects reward ruler with respect, loyalty
• Devote selves to public service

Question 28

Where did Confucian ideas spread to?

Answer 28

•Confucian ideas spread elsewhere in Asia, including Korea, Japan, Vietnam

Question 29

What was Daoism?

What was it focused on ?

Answer 29

•Heart of Daoism is concept of the dao, or the way (the Force in Star Wars again; by Laozi)

Focused on laws of nature

Question 30

How did Daoism differ from Confucianism?

Answer 30

•Unlike Confucianism, which focuses on improving society, Daoism encourages people to retreat from laws of society, yield to law of nature

Question 31

What is Dao?

Answer 31

Dao is the limitless force that is part of all creation

Question 32

What is achieved through Dao?

Answer 32

• Through the dao, all things in nature connected
• Finding one’s place in nature allows person to achieve harmony with universe

Question 33

What concept did Daoism embrace?

Answer 33

•Daoism embraced Chinese concept of yin and yang,

Question 34

What is Yin and Yang?

Answer 34

• Representing balancing aspect of nature—male, female; dark, light; hot, cold
• Neither can exist without other
• Important for two to remain balanced for perfect harmony