Brief History
- The Xia dynasty was the first dynasty which lasted from 2100-1600 BCE
- The written history of china began with the Shang dynasty which lasted 1600-1050 BCE
- The Zhou lasted 1122-256 BCE
- The Qin lasted 221-206 BCE
- The Han lasted from 206 BCE-220 CE
- The era of disunity lasted 220-618 CE
- The Sui lasted 589-618 CE
- The Tang lasted 618-907 CE
- The Song lasted from 960-1269 CE
- The Yuan lasted 1279-1368
- The Ming lasted 1368-1644
- The dynastic system of China ended in 1911 after which China became communist
- China has not ended yet but imperial China ended after the last dynasty
Geography
- China has many natural barriers
- China also has a massive man made barrier called the great wall
- The great wall covers the northern border of China
- The Chang Jiang and Huang He are important Chinese rivers
- China is in Asia
Economy
- Trade was used
- The silk road allowed for even more trade
- Goods such as jade, silk, cloth, and Chinese spices were traded by the Chinese on the silk
- The Chinese also used coins and invented paper money.
Social Structure
- China had social classes
- Emperors are at the top of the classes
- Peasants are at the bottom of the classes
- Some merchants became very wealthy
- 4 main classes
Government
- Ruling families were called dynasties
- There were multiple Chinese dynasties
- Confucianism allowed for scholars to take a test to get a government position
- This test was called the civil service exam
- The Song dynasty had a bureaucracy which is a body of unelected government officials
- The government had the great wall built by peasants
Religion
- China practiced Buddhism and Confucianism
- During the Zhou dynasty, people believed that the emperor was chosen by heaven
- This is called the mandate of heaven
- Confucian ideas said that everyone played a part in society
- Confucianism evolved into Neoconfucianism
- Confucianism suggested that one must honer their family
Achievments
- China invented a writing system
- China also invented the compass
- Paper money, flamethrowers, crossbows, and rockets
- The chinese also were great architects
Architecture
- The Chinese built the great wall of china
- They also built the forbidden city
- During the construction of the great wall, dead people were put inside of it
- The Chinese government hired peasants to build things