Himalayas

- The Himalaya Mountains in the southwest of China helps isolate from other countries.

- This isolation allowed China to develop its own culture without influence from other civilizations.
Huang He River

- Major river in the North of China
- The Huang He river is called the Yellow River because of the yellow tint it gets from the fertile yellow soil called loess.
- Chinese Civilization began around the Huang He River valley
- Helped isolate China from other civilizations

Chang River

- Major river in the South of China
- The Chang River is as called the Yangtze River.
- Helped isolate China from other civilizations

Loess

- Loess is a loamy deposit formed by wind, usually yellowish and calcareous
- The Huang He River is called the yellow river because of the loess in it.

Great Wall Of China

- The Great wall of China is numerous walls that were connected
- Ordered to be built by Emperor Qin Shi Huang di
- When finished it was about 1,500 miles long.
- To protect themselves from the Nomads in the North, the Chinese built the Great Wall of China
- Forced labor was used to build the Great Wall.

Mongols

- Mongols is the nomads in the north part of China
- The Great Wall of China was built to protect the Chinese from mongols.

Mandate of Heaven

- Belief that the god in heaven determined who should rule china
- This is where the Emperors got their power to rule.
- Chinese rulers were considered to be divine
- Emperors were autocrats. They had absolute (total) power.

Dynasty

- Chinese rulers were hereditary.
- The Mandate of Heaven was passed along in the same family for generations.

Emperor

- Emperor is a sovereign ruler of great power and ranks one ruling an empire.
- Most Chinese emperor ruled over a Dynasty.

Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi

- The Great Wall Of China ordered to be by built Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi
- Qin Shi Huangdi ruled by terror and spent massive amount of money to build extravagant palaces and his tomb.
- a famous leader in the Qin Dynasty

Xia Dynasty

- Begin from 2200 B.C.E. to 1500 B.C.E
- Famous Leader : Yu
- Xia Dynasty, improved the agriculture
- Xia Dynasty, developed 1st writing system
(China's 1st writing system)
- Major event.. Myth: - Flood waters are drained away to allow people to live in China
- Decline is the Xia Dynasty because the Shang invade and convince the Xia people to turn on their leader.

Shang Dynasty

- Begin from 1500 B.C.E to 1100 B.C.E.
- Famous Leaders: Tang & Di-Xin (last ruler)
- Other Famous Leaders : Shangdi (God that control human destiny)
- Shang Dynasty, created a bureaucracy
- Shang Dynasty, developed Kaolin ( Pottery)
- Shang Dynasty, Figured out the number of day in a year
- Major event.... Arrival in China and overthrow of the Xia Dynasty around 1700 - 1500 B.C.E
- Decline is the Shang Dynasty because it was over thrown by the Zhou Dynasty & smaller tribes

Zhou Dynasty

- Begin from 1100 B.C.E. to 256 B.C.E.
- Famous Leader : King Yu (Bad Ruler)
- Other Famous Leaders : Pao-Szu ( King Yu's mistress)
- Zhou Dynasty, begin the concept of the mandate of heaven
- Zhou Dynasty was longest lasting
- Major Event... 771 B.C.E the capital city is destroyed by local leaders
- Decline in Zhou Dynasty becaise weak kings beginning in the 700's lead to loss of control and by 400's warring states gain power

Qin Dynasty

- Begin from 221 B.C.E to 206 B.C.E.
- Famous Leader : Cheng Shih Huang Ti (Qin Shi Huangdi)
- Other Famous Leader: Liu Bang (Usurper)
- Qin Dynasty, establishes an autocracy (Emperor has total power)
- Qin Dynasty, had the great wall connected (built)
- Major Event... Rebels form an army and revolt against Emperor Qin in 206 B.C.E
Decline in Qin Dyansty because the use of forced labor angered many and caused a rebellion

Han Dynasty

- Begin 206 B.C.E To 220 C.E
- Famous Leaders : Liu Bang ( King Han), Liu-Ch'e & Wu Ti
- Han Dynasty, creates a civil service system and used exams used to find qualified employer
- Han Dynasty, started leveling helped control the prite of food
- Han Dynasty, created paper
- Major Event... Longest Reign of on Emperor !04 B.C.E. to 87 B.C.E. that of WuTi ( a Women
- Decline in Han Dynasty because nomadic invaders came to china and drove the dynasty out.

Civil Service System

- System that runs the day to day business of the g government
- Had to take an exam to get a job as a civil servant.

Civil Service Exams

- Used for the civil service system
- exams used to find qualified employer
- A form of legacy of Confucianism

Confucius

- Confucianism was founded by K'ung-fu-tzu or as Westerners know him "Confucius"
C- He lived from 551- 479 BCE
- Confucius was a philosopher and teacher
- Taught that harmony would result when people accepted their place in society
- Confucius believed that everyone had a duties and responsibilities depending on their position in different relationships.

Confucianism

-Confucianism was founded by K'ung-fu-tzu or as "Confucius"
- Confucianism is not concerned with issues of faith or life after death
- Instead it is focused on social order and good government such as filial piety, 5 basic relationships, and Analects

Characteristic of Confucianism

- Confucianism placed a great deal of emphasis on education
- Confucianism urges leaders to take the advice of educated, wise men... education would become the road to advancement in Chinese society
- Never became a religion, but it has influenced Chinese government for centuries
- Confucianism spread in the centuries after Confucius' death

Analects

- Analects is the teachings of Confucius written by his followers about 300 years after his death
- Which helped spread Confucianism to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

5 Basic Relationships

The 5 Basic Relationships or Principles are ruler to subject, father to son, husband to wife,older brother to younger brother and friend to friend (only relationship with equality)
- Confucius believed that everyone had a duties and responsibilities depending on their position in different relationships.
- Superiors should care for and set a good example for their inferiors, while inferiors should owed loyalty and obedience to their superiors.

Silk Road

- Trade route that Stretched from China's eastern coast all the way to Rome!
- So called because, Silk was a major export of China over time (it was made no where else in the world until the Middle Ages)
- Facilitated trade and communication, this interaction of different people through trade causes Cultural Diffusion

Acupuncture

- A Chinese Achievement
- Acupuncture is the practice of placing needles into pressure points to improve circulation. Heals injuries and illness.

Paper

- A Chinese Achievement
- The Chinese were the first people to make paper from wood pulp.

Porcelain

- A Chinese Achievement
- Porcelain is A fragile, white, type of pottery. Usually decorated with elaborate scenes of daily life or mythology.

Taoism

- Founded by Lao Tzu
- Focus is on oneness with nature.
- Many people that follow Taoism turn away from the "unnatural ways" of society. (They become hermits)
- Sacred text --> Dao De Jing "Book of Virtues"

Characteristic of Taoism

- Taoists believe that best government is the one that governs the least
- According to Taoists the universe is full of opposing forces that balance one another ( Ying and Yang )
- Over time the teachings of Lao Tzu changed and Taoism came to include the worship of gods and goddesses.
- Peasants began to turn to mystical Taoist priests ,that practiced magic, to protect them from unseen forces.
- Taoist priests practiced alchemy

Lao Tzu

- Founded Taoism
- Mystical figure that we know little about, but is supposed to have lived about the same time as Confucius.
- There was a natural balance to nature that humans upset because they fail to follow the Tao.

Legalism

- Founded By Han Fei
- Based on the idea that people are by nature evil, and goodness is acquired (opposite view of Confucianism)
- Called legalism because of its emphasis on law.

Characteristic of Legalism

- Legalism was the official policy of the Qin dynasty
- Legalism supported the oppression of scholars
- Discouraged analysis of the government by subjects"The prince was to govern, and the people to obey"
- However, Emperor Qin's ruler were so cruel that later generations came to despise legalist principles.

Han Fei

- Founded Legalism
- Han Fei felt that strength, not goodness, was a ruler's greatest virtue.
- He disagreed with the Confucist idea that people would follow the good example of a leader.
- Believed that only strict laws and harsh punishment would ensure order in society
- Contrary to Taoism, Legalism states that a strong government is needed. Especially one with an absolute ruler (King as all the power)

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	Created by R Naomi about 8 years ago

wowwwwww test tomorrow and i needa study so this may b helpful!

Ancient China Review