Chapter 7 Section 5Han Contacts with Other Cultures

The ForbiddenCity

Palace of theEmperors

• During the Han dynasty, Chinese society returned its focus to Confucian ideas, and new inventions were developed. In addition, increased trade allowed other countries to learn about the rich culture of China.

Farming and Manufacturing

• Questions/Answers• The iron plow and

wheelbarrow allowed the Chinese to till more land and raise more crops.

Silk

Silk Worm Cycle

They eatMulberry Tree

leaves

Final Product

Raw silkSilk fibersready to

weave intocloth

Ancient silk

making

Cleaningthe silk

cocoons

Collectingsilk

Silkextraction

Spinningsilk

SilkproductionWeavingsilk on a

loom

Silk-makingassembly

line

Checking silk fabric

fordefects

Ceremony tobless the silk

Silk threadswoven together tomake a beautiful

tapestry

Finalproduct

Trade Routes• Chinese goods,

especially silk and fine pottery, were highly valued by people in other lands. During the Han period, the value of these goods to people outside China helped increase trade.

Beautifulbronze lantern

Silk Road

Silk Road and other trade routes

• Answers/Questions

Caravans onThe

Silk Road

Check Your Facts about Chinese Tradeand the Silk Road

Chinese kept their procedure

for making silk a secret.

Revealing these secrets was

punishable by death. If the

“word” got out, the Chinese

would no longer dominate the

silk trade.

The Silk Road began in

China and ended at the

Mediterranean Sea.

Because of the popularity of

Silk in Rome, China became

wealthy.

Buddhism Comes To China• Questions/answers

Check Your Important FactsAbout China and Buddhism

• Buddhism would not have caught on in China if the people there weren’t suffering so badly.

• There was great suffering in China, and Buddhism deals with human suffering.

• Diffusion is the spread of ideas from one culture to another.

Modern China Today

Summary