This district is very diverse about ruling and power. Whether its using their wisdom, spirits & harmony, or strict laws & harsh punishments. Mastering the concepts of each aspect will help you overcome this district.
Geography and Early Settlement of China
Outer China This area includes three regions in the western and northern parts of modern China: the Tibet-Qinghai, or Tibetan, Plateau; the Northwestern Deserts (the Taklimakan and the Gobi); and the Northeastern Plain. This area’s features—high mountains, a cold and rocky plateau, and large deserts—isolated Inner China. Inner China This area includes two regions in the southeastern part of modern China: the North China Plain and the Chang Jiang Basins. The plain has the best conditions for farming.
Early Settlement and Isolation Archaeologists have found remains of what may be the first inhabitants of China. These hunter-gatherers lived in caves more than 500,000 years ago. Later, farmers established the first permanent settlements on the North China Plain, near the Huang He, or Yellow River. Harsh geography and vast distances isolated these early inhabitants.
Different Regions and Ways of Life Because of a lack of farmland, most settlers in Outer China were nomads and herders. In Inner China, people farmed and raised animals in permanent settlements. Farmers in the Chang Jiang Basins grew rice.
The Shang Dynasty
A Shang Capital City The ruins and artifacts found at Anyang show that the Shang believed in an afterlife. Kings were buried with goods, people, and animals that would be useful to them in their life after death.
Shang Government Shang kings were powerful rulers who inherited their power and kept it through family ties and military might.
Shang Social Classes Shang society can be divided into six social classes: the king’s clan, nobles, artisans, traders, farmers, and slaves.
Shang Religion, Writing, Arts, and Technology The Shang practiced ancestor worship and, sometimes, human sacrifice. Their writing used logographs as well as pictographs. Shang artisans excelled in working with bronze and jade. The bronze weapons they created enabled the Shang to stay in power.
The End of the Shang Dynasty The Shang ruled in the valley of the Huang He for some five hundred years. They traded widely and grew wealthy. But constant warfare, lavish spending, and corruption in the ruling class may have led to the dynasty’s downfall.Around 1045 B.C.E., the Shang were defeated by the Zhou.
Three Philosophies of China
The Zhou Dynasty All three schools of thought developed in the later years of the Zhou dynasty. Zhou rulers believed they had the Mandate of Heaven, a divine right to rule China. For a time, the Zhou’s practice of feudalism helped stabilize China. But during the dynasty’s later years, China collapsed into disorder. Political unrest led many scholars to debate the proper way to rule.
Confucianism Confucius taught his followers that peace and order depended upon proper behavior. Those in authority must lead by example. Those lower in status must obey. Confucianism led Han leaders to hire civil servants based on ability and tested knowledge rather than on family relationships.
Daoism Daoists believed that people should live simply and in harmony with the ways of nature. Harmony could be reached by balancing yin and yang, the opposite forces of nature. Daoists said that the best rulers were those who ruled the least.
Legalism Legalists believed that people were driven by their own self-interest. Legalism taught that rulers could create order in society only through strict laws and harsh punishments.
The First Emperor of Qin
Creating an Empire Qin Shihuangdi was influenced by Legalism. He replaced feudalism with a strong central government under his control. He divided his territory into 36 districts, each governed by three officials. He used harsh measures to enforce his power.
Standardizing the Culture The Emperor of Qin unified China and also greatly expanded its borders. He standardized Chinese laws, money, weights, measures, and writing.
Protecting the Northern Border Among the emperor’s many construction projects was the Great Wall, which he built to protect China’s northern border from invaders.
Ending Opposition Many of Emperor Qin’s actions aroused opposition. He brutally censored and executed his critics, including Confucian scholars.
The Emperor’s Death and the End of the Qin Dynasty Although the emperor searched for a way to become immortal, he died in 210 B.C.E. He was buried in a huge tomb, along with many treasures and an army of 6,000 life-size terra-cotta figures. His amazing tomb was discovered in 1974. Revolt broke out after his death and civil war raged until the Han dynasty was established.
The Han Dynasty
Warfare and Government New weapons helped Han emperors succeed in war and expand their empire. They organized the government into a bureaucracy. Civil servants who were chosen for their ability worked in the bureaucracy.
Agriculture and Industry Several inventions improved production in agriculture and in the silk and salt industries.Farmers used the chain pump for irrigation and iron plows.Workers used foot-powered reeling machines to make silk thread, and iron tipped drills to mine salt.
Art, Medicine, and Science The invention of paper advanced the art of calligraphy and changed the way people communicated. Healers learned about the human body and developed techniques that are still used today. Chinese scientists made careful observations of the heavens, and invented the seismograph and the compass
The Silk Road
The Opening of the Silk Road The Silk Road was opened during the Han dynasty and remained a major route of trade for more than one thousand years. The eastern and western parts of the Silk Road presented many dangers and hardships for those who traveled along it. To make a profit from trade, goods had to be valuable and easy to carry. Silk and ornaments traveled from China to Rome, India, and central Asia. Gold, horses, cotton, and spices traveled back to China.
The Eastern Silk Road The Eastern Silk Road connected the capital of China to Kashgar. Travelers formed camel caravans for protection from bandits and the harsh conditions of desert travel.
The Western Silk Road From Kashgar, the Western Silk Road crossed mountains and a desert on its way to Mediterranean ports like Antioch. Travelers faced high, slippery mountain trails and dangerous desert wildlife, such as tigers and lions.
Cultural Exchanges Along the Silk Road Many goods were exchanged along the Silk Road, including both silk from China and glassware from Rome. In addition to new products, ideas and knowledge were exchanged. In this way, trade brought cultural changes to both East and West. One of the most important examples of cultural diffusion was the introduction of Buddhism to China.