China+Chen

Home Page CHINA NOTES __ Environ Chall __
 * China's sorrow = floods
 * Isolated does not equot trade
 * natural barrierdid not protect them completely from Invasaind
 * 10% farmland

__Natural Barrers = isolated = not much trade__
 * desert
 * plateawl
 * mtns
 * drean, fea

__Culture__
 * They were exoected to obey their fathers, their husbands, and later, their own sons. When a girl was between 13 and 16 years old, her marriage was arranged, and she moved into the house of her husband. Only by bearing sons for her husband's familt could she hope to improve her status.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 120%; color: #58bffd; font-family: Impact, Charcoal, sans-serif;">__Writing__
 * <span style="color: #ffa3f7; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">In the Chinese method of writing, each character generally stands for one syllable or unit of language. In contrast, there were practically on links between China's spoken language and its written luaguage.
 * <span style="color: #ffa3f7; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">The Chinese system of writing had one major advantage. People in all parts of China could learn the same system of writing, even if their spoken luaguages were very different. Thus, the Chinese writting language helped unify a large and diverse land, and made control much easjer.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 120%; color: #58bffd; font-family: Impact, Charcoal, sans-serif;">__Technology__
 * <span style="color: #ffa3f7; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">The Zhou empire was generally peaceful and stable. Zhou kings at luoyang were almost powerless, and they could not control the noble families.
 * <span style="color: #ffa3f7; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">Amidst the blooshed, traditional values collapsed. They very heart of Chinese civilization - love of order, harmony, and repect for authority - had been replaced with chaos, arrogance, and defiance.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 120%; color: #58bffd; font-family: Impact, Charcoal, sans-serif;">__Social classes__
 * <span style="color: #ffa3f7; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">Shang society was sharply divided between nobles and peasants.

<span style="color: #58bffd; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #58bffd; font-family: Impact, Charcoal, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 120%; color: #58bffd; font-family: Impact, Charcoal, sans-serif;">__<span style="color: #ffa3f7; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">Religion __
 * <span style="color: #ffa3f7; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">In China, the family was closely linked to religion. The Chinese believed that the spirits of family ancestors had the power to bring good fortune or disaster to living members of the family.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 120%; color: #58bffd; font-family: Impact, Charcoal, sans-serif;">__Geography__
 * <span style="color: #ffa3f7; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">China's east lay the Yellow sea, the East China sea, and the pacific Ocean Mountain ranges and deserts dominated about two - thirds of Chins's landmass. In west China lay the Taklimakan Desert and the icy 15000 - foot plateau of Tibet. To the southwest are the Himalaya. And to the north are the desolate Gobi Sesert and Mongolian plateau.
 * <span style="color: #ffa3f7; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">Only about 10 percent of China's land is suitable for farming. Much of the land lies within the small plain between thr Huang He and the Chang Jiang in eastern China. Yet the heartland of China remained the center of its civilization.