SS China Flashcards
Tell about the climate of outer China.
Outer China is very cold, the winters often last for a long period of time. It often has snow storms.
Tell me about Inner China and it’s climate.
It has many hills, valleys, and plains. It has plentiful water and good soil for crops.
Tell me about the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau.
It is very rocky and it has a lot of mountains. The Himalaya’s border it’s Southern edge and Mount Everest is part of it. It has very cold weather, the air is often thin and dry because of the high altitudes. In the plateau it has the Huang He (the Yellow River) and the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River). Even though it has these rivers it is still dry.
Name the two Northwestern Deserts.
The Taklimakan Desert and the Gobi Desert.
What is the definition of oasis?
A place, usually in a desert, where water can be found.
Tell me about the Taklimakan Desert.
It is very dangerous, it’s name means, “once you go in, you will not come out.” There are many sand storms and many sand dunes.
Tell me about the Gobi Desert.
It has lots of little stones instead of sand. It doesn’t has a lot of sand dunes. It is very big, it’s one of the largest deserts in the world.
The Northeastern Plain
It is also known as Inner Mongolia or the Manchurian Plain. It is made up of low hills and plains, so most of its vegetation is prairie grass. There are two rivers that run through it, the Liao and the Sungari. It has short, hot summers but in the winter it is dry and cold. The southern part has milder weather because of the river.
Tell me about the North China Plain.
It is a region of grassland, it is very cold in the winter but warm in the summer. It is also known as the, “Land of the Yellow Earth” because the ground in covered by yellow limestone silt. The Huang He River is very long and muddy. The silt is good fertilizer for crops, which makes the North China Plain good for farming but the river can often flood.
Tell me about the Chang Jiang Basins.
These are areas of low, wet coastal plains. The basins are located along the Chang Jiang River. There are many tributaries along the Chang Jiang, people used them to trade and transport goods. The River starts in the mountains, goes through three plains and ends up in a delta. The climate of the Basins is very warm and wet. People think that the vegetation may have been a thick rain forest.
Tell me about the early settlement in China.
Cave dwellers in northeastern China are known as either Peking man or Beijing man. Scientists believe that they were nomads who hunted and gathered. When farming was introduced people began moving to the North China Plain in Inner China. People grew crops and lived in villages.
Tell me about China’s isolation.
Inner China was isolated because outer China had such harsh climates that it was hard to travel through to get to inner China. Only a narrow, coastal plain linked the Northeastern Plain to Inner China.
What is the Shang’s capital city?
Anyang
Why did the Shang dynasty perform sacrifices?
They thought that the King should continue to be served in the after life so they killed people to protect the king.
Why were the Shang dynasties army so powerful?
They had weapons made from bronze
Tell me about Nobels in the Shang dynasty.
They were pretty high in ranking. They lived a life of luxury, if they had power they were given jade discs from the King. They often hunted and fought in the army.
Tell me about artisans in the Shang dynasty
They included potters, stonemasons, and workers. They often worked with jade and bronze. Special artisans made weapons for the army out of bronze. They also made containers for the King and his nobels to use in religious ceremonies.
Tell me about a traders life during the Shang dynasty
They used cowrie shells, a type of seashell, as money. They were valuable because they came from far away. People believe that the Shang dynasty traded a lot.
Tell me about Farmers during the Shang dynasty
They were the largest social class in the Shang dynasty. They grew millet, wheat, barley, rice, fruit, vegetables and nuts. They also raised cattle, pigs, and chickens. Most of the food they grew they gave to the nobels who later gave it to the king. They didn’t own the land they grew crops on, it belonged to the king.
Tell me about slaves during the Shang dynasty.
They spent their days building tombs and palaces. If their masters died they were sometimes sacrificed. They were prisoners of war usually.
Who did the Shang dynasty honor the most?
Ancestors
What did the Shang dynasty believe ancestors had power over?
They believed that ancestors had the power to help or harm the living.
What did the kings in the Shang dynasty use oracle bones for?
Kings used it to ask important questions
What is an oracle bone?
It is a piece of bone or shell heated and cracked by holy men to seek advice from the kings ancestors
What did Chinese writing start out as?
Pictographs, which are images that stand for objects
What else did they use during the Shang dynasty as writing. (Other than pictographs)
Logographs, which are characters that stand for words
What was the most common form of art during the Shang dynasty?
Animal masks
What materials did the Shang dynasty use to create art?
Bronze and jade
What war weapons did artisans make put of bronze during the Shang dynasty?
Arrowheads, spearheads, ax heads, and helmets.
What two big reasons caused the Shang dynasty to fall?
Uneven economy due to lots of spending by the upper class. Constant warfare weakened their army as well.
Which King didn’t look after his people and did recreational activities?
The last one
What military methods did Emperor Qin use to conquer land?
He used military might, bribery, spies, and alliances.
What was Emperor Qin known as before he became king?
Prince Zheng
What religion did he follow?
Legalism
