CBChina

HOMEPAGEE **__Geography-__** **__River__**//-// **__Enviromental Challenges-__** **__Culture-__** __**Family-**__ **__Social Classes-__** **__Religious Beliefs-__** __**Writing-**__ __**Heaven-**__ __**Technology-**__
 * many natural barriers isolated ancient china from the other civilizations
 * East lie the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and Pacific Ocean
 * Mountain ranges and deserts made up 2/3's of its land mass
 * west lay the Takimakan Desert and icy 15,000ft Plateau of Tibet
 * southwest was the himilayians
 * north were the gobi desert and mongolian plateau
 * 10% farmland
 * two major--->the Huang He known as Yellor River flowed from the west to the Pacfic Ocean in the east
 * located in the central china, chang jiang also called Yangtze flowed eat to the yellow sea
 * the yellow river deposits huge amounts of yellowish silt when it over flows its banks
 * this is called loess, which is blown by the winds from deserts to the west and north
 * the Huang He floods were disatrous, sometimes its floods brought down whole villages
 * early settlers had own goods due to such isolated place instead of trading with outside people
 * outside invasions occured again and again despite the natural boundries
 * people who lived outside the Chinese Cilvilization were barbarians
 * people who lived in the cilvilization called it the Middle Kingdom
 * had strong unified bonds
 * a persons chief loyalty was to their family
 * most important virtue was respect for one's parents
 * elder man in family controlled all properties and other important decisions
 * women had to obey fathers, husbands, and sons
 * whn girl was between 13-16 he marriage was arranged and moved to husband home
 * only by hearing sons she could hope to improve her status
 * Shang society was sharply divided between nobles and peasants
 * ruling class of warrior-nobles headed by a king, governed by Shang
 * these noble families owned lang
 * governed scattered villages within Shang lands amd sent tributes to Shang ruler in exchange for local control
 * the family was closely linked to religion
 * believed that the Spirits of Family ancestors had the power to bring good fortune or diaster to living members of the family
 * the spirits were more troublesome or helpfulo neighbors who demanded attention and respect
 * every family paid respect to the father's ancestors made sacfrices in their honor
 * Supreme god, Shangi Di, worshipped through animal bones(oracle bones;they tell the future)
 * each character generally stands for one syllable or unit of language
 * practicall no relation between written and spoken language
 * the Zhou leaders declared that the final Shang king had been such a poor ruler that the gods had taken away the Shangs rule and given it to the Zhou's
 * roads and canals were built to stimulate trade and agriculture
 * coined money were introduced, which further inproved trade
 * blast furnaces that produced cast iron were developed