Socials 8 China Unit 1 Flashcards
What is a civilization?
An advanced state of development in a human society
What is a dynasty?
A succession of rulers from the same family. A period of time during which they ruled.
What are steppes?
A vast treeless plain of Europe or Asia
What is loess?
Packed silt that was deposited by glaciers, makes very fertile land good for crops
What are the eight features of civilization
Social structure, Central government, religion, commerce, pubic works, technology, knowledge transfer, Art/Culture
What are the four types of maps?
Political, physical (topographical), thematic, historical
What is a political map?
A map that shows political boundaries such as provinces or countries. Shows names of cities and towns
What is a physical or topographical map?
A map that shows physical land form features, mountain elevations, rivers
What is a thematic map?
A map that displays information such as a population distribution, pollution levels, weather map, a temperature map,
What is a historical map, such as past boundaries or moves of an army during war?
A map that shows how things were in the past.
How did mountains promote settlement on the North China Plain?
they gave protection from enemies
How did desert promote settlement on the North China Plain?
it gave protection
How did jungle promote settlement on the North China Plain?
it gave protection
Name the two major rivers in China
Huang He (means yellow river) in the north, and the Yangtze river in the south
How did being near ocean promote settlement on the North China Plain?
transportation, food, protection, and able to see invaders coming
How did being between two rivers promote settlement on the North China Plain?
transportation, very fertile land for growing food, because the rivers flood
How did being near a river promote settlement on the North China Plain?
a freshwater source, and food
How did flat land promote settlement on the North China Plain?
easy to build homes on and easier for farming
How did temperatures promote settlement on the North China Plain?
warm temperatures is good for farming and for survival
What is China’s climate like?
There is a big difference between north and south. North is sub-artic cold winters and dry summers, south is subtropical with mild temperatures and lots of rain.
How did rainfall promote settlement on the North China Plain?
moderate rainfall is good for growing crops
What are the six Chinese Dynasties
Shang, Zhou, Qun, Han, Sui, Tang
What philosophy did the Shang Dynasty follow?
Animism, they believed that people should have a positive relationship with nature spirits. If you don’t, bad things will happen.
What are ‘dragon bones’ writings?
the earliest writing that showed how Chinese culture started 1600-1050 BCE
Around 1600 BCE what happened to the people in the little villages
Warriors called the Shang, who ruled from a fortress at Anyang, took over
What did the Shang warriors do to these people and their homes?
Divided them up into regions ruled by nobles who pledged loyalty to the Shang king
How did you get to be a noble?
You had to be the head of a clan, which often claimed to have a common mythical ancestor
Where did nomadic (wandering) warriors live and fight?
The northern steppes
What is a society?
A community with the agreed upon customs and organization
What is a noble?
A person who receives a high rank in society because of the family they were born into, often the head of a clan
What is a clan?
A group of people who are descended from the same ancestor
In Shang times, what kind of houses did kings and nobles live in?
Wood or stone
Where did artisans live?
Near the capital where rich people lived, so they could sell what they made.
What did most people do for a living?
Most people were farmers in the Huang He valley
How did the fertile land help people?
The farmers could grow more food than they could eat (a surplus) which let the population grow
How did a surplus of food change what jobs people could do?
Other people could have new jobs such as metal worker and trade tools for food
Did peasants have a nice life?
No it was harsh. Houses were dug into the oil and roofed with thatch (reeds/twigs), they labored for food, and were forced to build roads or fight with no pay
What did peasants have to build to prevent flooding?
Dikes along the Huang He river to keep the water out of the fields
Why was Emporer Yu a good leader?
He did not take a break even to see his family for 13 years, he worked to stop the flooding, and people respected him
How was Shang culture a ‘hotbed’ of ideas?
developed a new system of writing, they made fine pottery, new dish shapes that are still used, metalworking in bronze
What was unusual about the metal working?
Making bronze ‘monster masks’ representing gods and spirits, used to make religious items used by royalty
What material did the Shang perfect?
silk making
What is a surplus?
What is left over after requirements are met ie extra crops that a farmer can sell
What is a thatch roof?
a roof made of straw or reeds
What is a dike?
A construction made to hold back water
What is silk?
A delicate cloth made from the strands of silk spun by silkworms to make their cocoons
What is animism?
the belief that natural things, such as trees, rocks, rivers, starts and locatins have a spiritual existence as well as a physical one.
What were the three things Shang felt surrounded by?
Many gods, nature spirits, ancestor spirits
Who was Shang Di
the high God, who sent good harvests and victory in battles. He controled thunder and rain. He could also make you lose and have bad harvests
Who was Huang Hi
a nature spirit (this is a form of animism)
Who would the Gods only listen to?
The king’s dead ancestors’ spirits could talk to the Gods, and the king could only talk to his ancestor’s spirits.
Did the Shang worship their ancestors?
No they just asked them for help
How did the Shang communicate with spirits?
They wrote on ‘dragon bones’
What are the two parts of Shang religion that are still used today?
Feng Shui and Yin/Yang
What is Yin/Yang?
Opposites. Yin is earth, dark feminine. Yang is heaven, light and masculine
Are yin/yang in conflict?
No, they are part of the whole and the two forces depend on each other.
What is Feng Shui?
Feng means wind and shui means water. They represent how the environment has an affect on human well being
What is Qi?
(Chi) the natural force that travels in wind and water
Who defeated the Shang Dynasty?
The Zhou
What happened to the last Shang king?
He was captured by the Zhou and beheaded!!!
