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Location: Geography: Environmental Challenges: Culture: Social Class: Religion: Writing: Time Period: Dynasty: Technology: Trade: Warfare: Mandate of Heaven: Dynastic Cycle:
 * Located in modern day China.
 * Natural barriers somewhat isolated Ancient China from all over civilizations.
 * Mountain ranges and deserts dominate about two thirds of Chinas landmass.
 * Two major river systems flow from the mountainous west to the Pacific Ocean.
 * Yellow River deposits yellowish silt when it over flows the bank.
 * The silt is actually fertile soil called Loess.
 * Deserts
 * 10% Farm Lands.
 * Two Rivers= Yellow, Yangtze.
 * The Haung He's flood could be disastrous sometimes floods devoured whole villages, earning the nickname "Chinas Sorrow."
 * Because of Chinas early relative geographic isolation early settlers had to supply themselves with their own goods instead of trading to outsiders.
 * Chinas natural boundaries did not completely protect the settlers from outsiders.
 * In China people view people who lived outside the Chinese civilization barbarians.
 * China saw their country as the center of a civilized world, there name was The Middle Kingdom.
 * The culture that grew up in China had strong unifying bonds.
 * People owed obedience and respect to the ruler of The Middle Kingdom just as they did to the elders in their families.
 * The most important virtue was respect for ones families.
 * The elder men in the family controlled the family’s property and made important decisions.
 * Women were treated as inferiors, they were expected to obey there fathers, their husbands and later there own sons.
 * When a girl was between 13 and 16 years old her marriage was arranged and she moved into a house with her husband.
 * For women, the only way to improve their status was to bear sons.
 * Bearing sons raised your status.
 * Shang Society was sharply divided between Nobles and Peasants.
 * Closely linked to religion.
 * The Chinese believed that the spirits family’s ancestors had the power to bring good fortune or disaster to living members of the families.
 * Main God= Shang Di
 * Shane Kings consulted with the gods through the use of an oracle bone; a priest applied a hot poker to it which caused it to crack.
 * The priest interpreted the cracks to see how the gods answered.
 * Every family paid respect to the father’s ancestors and made sacrifices in their honor.
 * Ancestors could bring good or bad fortune.
 * The Chinese method of writing characters generally stands for one syllable or unit of language.
 * One could read Chinese without being able to speak a word of it,
 * People could use the same system of writing even if their spoken languages were very different.
 * A person needed to know 1,500 characters to be very literate.
 * Nobleperson children learned to write, a peasants did not.
 * 2,000 B.C.
 * Around 1027 B.C. the people called The Zhou overflew the Shang dynasty and established their own.
 * To justify their conquest The Zhou leaders declared that the final Shang King had been such a bad ruler that the gods had taken away the Shang’s rule and given it to Zhou.
 * Roads and canals were built to stimulate trade and agriculture.
 * Blast furnaces that produced cast iron were developed.
 * The ability to grow more food helped Zhou farmers support thriving cities.
 * Coined money was introduced, which further improved trade.
 * Had to trade within the community.
 * Constant waging war.
 * Chariot- Shouting plus driving.
 * Command of gods.
 * Repeating cycle that bring peace to their gods.
 * New dynasty gains power, restores peace and order, and claims to have mandate of heaven. --> Strong dynasty establishes peace and prosperity, it is considered to have Mandate of Heaven. ---> In time dynasty declines and becomes corrupt, taxes are raised power grows weaker. ---> Disasters such as floods, famines, peasant revolts, and invasions occur. ---> Old dynasty is seen as having lost Mandate of Heaven, rebellion is justified. --> Dynasty is overthrown through rebellion and bloodshed, new dynasty emerges.