RIVER VALLEY
CIVILIZATIONS
ANCIENT CHINA
Essential Question: What were the important characteristics of the civilization of China?
China
China began along the Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze Rivers in the North China Plain; only 10%
of China is suitable for farming
The Yellow River flooding was
unpredictable and was called
“China’s Sorrow” because its floods often
destroyed entire villages
China was protected and isolated from outsiders by deserts and the Himalayan Mountains
The Chinese referred to themselves as the “Middle Kingdom” and rarely
traded with outsiders
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSAdvanced Cities:
Like other river valleycivilizations, cities in China hadhigh walls for protection
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSAdvanced Cities:
Chinese buildings were madeof wood rather than brick orstone
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSSpecialized Workers:
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Unlike other river valley
civilizations, the Chinese
held peasantshigher than artisans or merchants
because they produced
food (which they felt was more vital)
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSGovernment:
Like Egypt, China was ruled by families called dynasties
Rulers justified their power by claimingMandate ofHeaven (approval of the gods)
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSGovernment:
Kings could lose the Mandate ofHeaven and be overthrown by anew king; this was called the “Dynastic Cycle”.
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSGovernment:
China was also ruled by the ethical system, Confucianism,based on the philosophy of the teacher, Confucius (born 551 BCE)
Confucianism focused on filial piety (respect for elders)
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSGovernment:
Confucius taught social order through 5 keyrelationships:
1) ruler-subject 2) father-son 3) husband-wife 4) brother-brother 5) friend-friend
These ideas were written in The Analects
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSReligion:
Chinese believed in ancestor worship, that the spirits of family ancestors should be honored and consulted
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSWriting:
Like hieroglyphics, Chinesecharacters stood for sounds butthe 10,000 characters made ithard to learn to write
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSTechnology:
–Cast iron tools and weapons –Standardized coins–The Grand Canal (man-
made waterway) connected north and south China
The Great Wall of China was
built to protect China from invasions by
northern tribes
