Major Topics of China

Topic #1: Ruling China: Dynasties and the Mandate of Heaven

A dynasty is a line of rulers who belong to the

same family

Historians divide Chinese history into

periods ruled by dynasties.

Ancient Chinese believed dynasties (with an emperor at

the head of the govt.) were chosen by the gods

The Mandate of Heaven

Remember, ancient Chinese believed dynasties were chosen by the gods

The Mandate of Heaven gave them power to rule

A formal order from the gods choosing the emperor based on

talent and virtue

The Chinese believed that Heaven supported the dynasty for as long as

an emperor ruled well

Natural disasters such as floods, famines, plagues, and earthquakes

were taken as signs that Heaven was displeased

Topic 2:Protecting China:

The Great Wall

History Alive, The Ancient World- page 240-243

Topic #2: The Great Wall

The Great Wall is the world’s longest defensive barrier; and the longest

man-made structure in the world

The wall today was made by the Ming Dynasty

(1368-1644), but the idea of a wall goes back to the

Qin dynasty.

Topic #2: The Great Wall

• The wall represented one solution to imperial China’s biggest problem: the need to keep invaders from the North

out• It also helped preserve its culture from the customs of

foreign barbarians.

Why was it built?

Topic #2: The Great Wall

• The wall is an amazing engineering accomplishment by

mankind• The Great Wall not only symbolizes China’s effort to protect itself from outside

influences, but its effort to keep its people and culture contained

and protected

Why is this important?

Topic 3:

China’s Contact with the Outside World:

The Silk Road and Marco Polo

History Alive, The Medieval World, pages 210-213

Who is Marco Polo and what does he have to do with China?

Why is Marco Polo important?When he returned to Europe, he wrote a book that gave Europeans firsthand

knowledge of China and further stimulated interest in trade

What did he do in China?

Polo fascinated the Chinese Emperor (Kublai Khan), who sent Polo around China on inspection tours

Who was Marco Polo?

One of the most famous European travelers to reach China

The Silk Road was not an actual road, it was not paved, it was not even a single route!

The name was given to any trade route across China

to Rome.

The Silk Road provided a route to trade goods as well as

share ideas and cultures amongst the countries of Asia,

the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Europe.

The Bubonic Plague also spread along the Silk Road towards Western

Europe.

Romans discovered pieces of silk from the people they conquered and it quickly became popular.

• They had been looking for “the Silk People” for a long time, but did not know who was making this material.

• The people they conquered did not know who was making silk either. They simply traded for it.

The Romans sent out people to find the

makers of Silk which was the start of the connection between

China and Rome.

Traveling along the Silk Road was very

dangerous due to the geography and

robbery that existed along this route

Very few traders made the whole trip (4,000 miles)…they worked in relay with each trader going a

certain distance

The Silk Road helped spread ideas, enabled people to transport trade goods,

(especially luxuries such as slaves, silk, satins and other

fine fabrics, perfumes, spices and medicines, jewels, and

glassware), while at the same time helping the spread of knowledge, ideas, cultures,

and diseases between different parts of the world.