Ancient Chinese Civilization

Myth behind China

as ‘Miracle’!
 Ancient China Economy

•Farming and trade

•Traditional economy
•First to develop
terrace farming
•This method is still
used today for rice and
other crops.
Chinese Rice Terrace
dyn
Politics and Dynasty

•Shang dynasty – built first Chinese cities

– 1750 B.C. – 1045 B.C.
According to Chinese political theory,
every dynasty goes through the so-called
dynastic cycle:

• A new ruler unites China and founds a new

dynasty.
• China, under the new dynasty, achieves
prosperity and a new golden age.
• The royal family of the dynasty begins to decay,
corruption becomes rampant in the imperial
court, and the empire begins to enter decline and
instability.
• The dynasty loses the Mandate of
Heaven, their legitimacy to rule, and is
overthrown by a rebellion. The Mandate
of Heaven is then passed to the next
dynasty.
 Chinese Thinkers
• Three major theories about how to create a
peaceful society.

1. Confucianism (390 BC- 305 BC)

2. Daoism
3. Legalism
 Confucius’ ideas
• Restore family order and social harmony:
– Fathers should display high moral values to inspire
their families.
– Children should respect and obey their parents.
– All family members should be loyal to each other.
• Government:
– Moral leadership, not laws, brought order to China.
– A king should lead by example, inspiring good
behavior in all of his subjects.
– The lower classes would learn by following the
example of their superiors.
 Ancient Chinese Religion
• Believed in gods and spirits
• Had to keep them happy by offerings of food
and other goods
• Angry gods and spirits may cause a poor
harvest or armies to lose a battle
• Kings received power and wisdom from them
Ancient China
The Great Wall of China was built
to keep the Mongols out.
Many died building it, and their
bodies were used as filler for it.
Ancient Chinese Social Classes

Landowning
aristocrats

Peasant
farmers

Merchants
Chinese Invented Silk
• Silk was exotic and
expensive, so it was
good for trading with
the rest of the world.
• It is made from silk
worms.
• Silk also makes “pape
r”
Silk worm
 The Chinese Language

• Pictographs
• Ideographs – join together two or more
pictographs to form an idea
• Most characters in their language
represent whole words and not sounds.