river valley civilizations - world history€¦ · river valley civilizations ancient china....
TRANSCRIPT
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
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSAdvanced Cities:
Like other river valleycivilizations, cities in China hadhigh walls for protection
LASTING CONTRIBUTIONSSpecialized Workers:
–?
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