What you should know…

Ancient China

5 Themes of Geography in China

Location

Region

• Located in the east under Russia and above Vietnam

• Natural barriers isolate China from the rest of the world

• The landscape is mostly mountains and plateaus in the west and lower lands in the east

Human Environment Interaction

• Outer China is sparsely populated

• Agriculture China is where most people live

• Under Communist rule, the government (gov.) moved people to collective farms to produce more goods

• Chinese population: 1 billion +++ (most are farmers, but only 4% of the land can be cultivated)

Population Facts • In 1980, China passed a “one-couple, one-child” law

• Largest ethnic group is the Han

Place: What is the culture of China?

Confucianism

Major religions

• Belief in strong morals and consequences

• Influenced much of the behavior of the Chinese

• Buddhism (taught by Guatama Buddha, suffering is part of a cycle of life in which one day you reach Nirvana)

• Taoism (action by inaction; harmony with life

Buddhism

Buddhism founder

Buddhism beliefs

• Siddharta Gautama• He was born rich, and deserted

it to find personal peace or enlightenment

• He was called Buddha, meaning “enlightened one”

• Happiness is achieved by giving up worldly possessions

• Reincarnation—if you live a bad life, you’re reborn as animals or insects, etc.

• The cycle can be broken by reaching nirvana

Paper and Printing

• Invented by Chinese in 105 B.C. from silk rags

• Mass produced during Han dynasty

• Woodblock printing came along in 9th century—very similar to printing press

• Invented moveable type (Song dynasty)

• There are over 80,000 characters in Chinese

Paper

Other inventions

Chinese inventions • Compass• Gunpowder• Wheelbarrow• Chopsticks• Tea drinking• kites

Movement: Dynasties

The order of the major players • Shang (1550-1046 B.C.)—first written history

• Zhou (1045-256 B.C.)—first philosophers and interest in culture; LONGEST dynasty

• Warring States Period (no one group ruled) (256-222 B.C.

• Qin (221-206 B.C.) Shi-Huangdi becomes China’s first emperor. He orders building of the Great Wall

• Han (202-220 A.D.) Trade with Europe begins via the Silk Route begins. Paper is invented in 105 A.D.

More dynasties • Three Kingdoms (22-581 A.D.) China splits into separate states. Buddhism spreads across China

• Sui Dynasty (581-618 A.D.) China is reunited as a country; the Grand Canal makes it easier to travel around China

• Tang (618-907) Literature and the arts flourish

• Song (960-1279) Landscape painting, poetry, and calligraphy flourish. Mongols gain control of all China. Printing and gunpowder are invented.

• Last bit of dynasties… • Yuan (1279-1368) Marco Polo visits China b/w A.D. 1275-1292

• Ming (1368-1644) This period is known for its porcelain, architecture, and popular literature

The Silk Road

Mongols authority• From 1279-1368 Mongols

ruled China, thus allowing merchants to trade freely throughout the GIANT empire

• Silk was the major export out of China, and it was the only place it could be found due to its secret process

• Camels were the mode of transportation (as they could survive harsh conditions—lack of water…)

Marco Polo

Marco Polo • Traveled the Silk Road during the Yuan’s dynasty.

• He was a favorite of Kublai Khan’s and served as an official in his gov. for 20 years

• Wrote a book about his travels called Travels of Marco Polo in which he told of the fabulous wealth of the Chinese