Ancient China

Chapter 7 section 1

Geography and Early China

1. What were ancient China’s two great rivers?

• The Huang He and the Chang Jiang

2. Why is the Huang He sometimes called China’s Sorrow? • It often floods, killing people and

destroying land

3. Which region in ancient China do you think would have been the

hardest place to live and why?

• Possible answers:– The desert because it does not have water

and is hot– The mountains because it is hard to travel

and it is cold

4. How did the floods along the rivers help the Chinese?

• They deposited fertile silt, making the land ideal for farming

5. What information have burial sites provided about the culture of

early China? • Information about works of art, differences

in social order, and possibly belief in an afterlife

6. Why do you think some of the homes of the ancient Chinese were

partially underground? • Possible answer:

– To keep them cool; to protect from wind

7. According to ancient stories, what was the first Chinese dynasty,

and who was its founder?

• Xia dynasty; Yu the Great

8. Why were the ancient stories about the Xia rulers important?

• Explained geography that influenced lives and told of kings who helped people solve problems by working together

9. What advances were made during the Shang dynasty

• - China’s 1st writing system

• - use of oracle bones

• - war chariots

• - use of bronze

• - development of a calendar

Fragment of a ancient Chinese calendar

Oracle bone

Bronze sculpture

10. How difficult would daily life have been for farmers during the

Shang dynasty? • Farmers worked hard, had little money,

and occupied a low social rank