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__Discover China__
**__Geography__**
 * natural barriers isolated China from others
 * to China's east lay the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and Pacific Ocean
 * 2/3 of China is dominated by deserts and mountains [[image:http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:YjrFH2BBUyGVRM:http://sol3.info/uploaded_images/Yellow_river_-_A._Holdrinet-790977.jpg width="194" height="209" align="right" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://sol3.info/uploaded_images/Yellow_river_-_A._Holdrinet-790977.jpg&imgrefurl=http://sol3.info/2007/01/one-third-of-fish-species-in-yellow.html&usg=__o5IgBohA1rhe0ludps9UbC4Y7yo=&h=600&w=402&sz=102&hl=en&start=10&um=1&tbnid=YjrFH2BBUyGVRM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dyellow%2Briver%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26um%3D1"]]
 * two major rivers are the Huang He(Yellow River) and Chang Jiang(Yangtze)
 * 'loess'-yellowish silt from the Yellow River
 * southwest-Himalayas
 * North-Gobi Desert and Mongolian Plateau
 * west-Takima Desert and the Plateau of Tibet


 * __Environmental Challenges__**
 * floods of Huang He:caused flooding and swept away villages
 * couldn't trade with other civilizations
 * China's sorrow = floods
 * continuos invasions from East and West
 * natural barriers did not protect them completely from invasions
 * only 10% of land good for farming


 * __How They Began__**
 * found skeleton dating back 500,000 years-1.7million years


 * __Government__**
 * 2000bc-first cities
 * dynasties:Xia, Shang, and Zhou
 * Xia:first dynasty, irrigation, engineer, mathmatician, Yu
 * Shang:first family to leave written records, 1700-1027bc
 * Zhou:roads, coin money, blast furnace
 * coin money made trading easier because everyone had the same money
 * "Mandate of Heaven" ruler had divine approval
 * "Feudalism" political system where nobles and lords were granted rights to royal land. In return for loyalty and service
 * dynastic cycle;ruler starts dynasty, dynasty is succesful, ruler is said to have mandate of heaven. When dynasty starts having trouble and disaster, ruler is said to have disapproval of mandate of heaven and the ruler is overthrown.


 * __Natural Barriers__**
 * mountains
 * desert
 * plateau
 * ocean and sea

__**Social Class**__
 * sharp divide between nobles and peasants
 * noble families owned the land
 * males were at the top of the social class
 * improve status of family by bearing sons


 * __Family__**
 * elder men controlled all affairs
 * inferior women;were expected to obey all males[[image:http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:G44Ttt5O8TcmQM:http://www.shengchikungfu.com/drupal/images/chinese_princess.jpg width="140" height="171" align="right" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.shengchikungfu.com/drupal/images/chinese_princess.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.shengchikungfu.com/about_sheng_chi&usg=__v3uKccv4tVuhrK-XR5fnSK_5TSA=&h=332&w=250&sz=27&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=G44Ttt5O8TcmQM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchinese%2Bprincess%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26um%3D1"]]
 * improve family status by bearing sons
 * central to Chinese society
 * respect elders


 * __Religion__**
 * believed dead ancestors spirit had power for good or bad fortune
 * paid respects to father's ancestors and had sacrifices
 * Shang Di-supreme god
 * 'oracle bones' animal bones and tortoise shells for communication with the gods
 * cracks in bones revealed future
 * polythistic
 * ancestor-elder family member that a person descendes from;father, mother, grandpa, etc.
 * ancestor-elder family member that a person descendes from;father, mother, grandpa, etc.


 * __Writing__**
 * each character stands for one syllable or unit of language
 * no link between spoken and written language
 * all peole could learn language
 * true scholar had to know 10,000 symbols
 * barely literate had to know 1,500 characters
 * nobles children were educated not the peasants kids


 * __Technology__**
 * roads and canals to increase trade and agriculture-Zhou
 * coined money to improve trade-Zhou
 * blast furnaces for cast iron-Zhou
 * iron to create knives, weapons, sickle, spades, etc.-Zhou


 * __Warfare__**
 * Zhou were peaceful and stable
 * 771bc nomads from north sacked and murdered Zhous
 * new capital created at Luoyang
 * new kings liked fights and had a growth in power
 * old, respectful, and traditional China, was lost to bad, rude, new kings