Unit 6: China
Major Events Time Line
-1,766 BCE: Shang Dynasty is established.
-1,072 BCE: Zhou Dynasty is established.
-551 BCE: Confucius is born.
-403 BCE: Period of Warring States begins.
-221 BCE: Qin Dynasty becomes China’s first empire
-202 BCE: Liu Bang becomes the first emperor of the Han Dynasty.
GRAPES
Geography
-Early farmers settle in the river valleys of the Huang He and Yangtze Rivers.
-The Himalayas, Plateau of Tibet, Pacific Ocean, and Gobi Desert make contact with other parts of the world difficult.
Religion
-Shang kings were believed to have communicated with the gods.
-Respect for one’s parents and ancestors was very important.
-Chinese dynasties claimed to rule with the gods’ permission (Mandate of Heaven concept)
-Families believed sacrificing animals to their ancestors would bring them good luck.
-Buddhism would eventually spread to China via the Silk Road
Achievements
-Goods, ideas, Buddhism, and cultural practices move along the Silk Road.
-Legalism calls for strict control of people.
-Confucius teaches that the five relationships will bring harmony.
-Daoism promotes learning the way of nature to find harmony.
-The Chinese master the art of bronze working.
-Paper and silk are produced.
Political System
-Shang establishes the first dynasty.
-People accept the idea of the Mandate of Heaven
-Shi Huangdi and Qin unify China
-Han Dynasty rules with a bureaucracy for 400 years
Economic System
-Agriculture dominated the Chinese economy; improvements in farming led to huge a population.
-The Silk Road brought the Chinese economy in touch with those of Europe and Mesopotamia.
-Peasants were conscripted to build the Great Wall.
Social Structure
-Men ruled within the family
-Emperors, noble landowners, and priests held the most power.
-Peasants and laborers made up the lower class.
-A powerful government official class emerged under the Han Dynasty
Key Understandings
-The first Chinese civilization starts in the Huang- He Valley; the Shang Dynasty
-China was isolated from other people due to deserts, mountains, and the ocean.
-The Zhou Dynasty emerged with the concept of the Mandate of Heaven
-Taoism, Confucianism, and Legalism emerged during the Warring States Period.
-Emperor Shi Huangdi establishes the Qin Dynasty. He creates China’s first empire, standardizes Chinas money and writing system, burns Confucian texts, orders construction on the Great Wall, builds a terracotta army, and rules with strict Legalist rule.
-The Han Dynasty rules China with Confucian ideas in mind; a civil service exam is used to determine who could serve in the growing bureaucracy.
-The Silk Road connects China with India, Mesopotamia, and Europe. Goods and ideas (most notably Buddhism) flow between these regions.
Vocab
Oracle bones: animal bones or shells used by the Shang kings to communicate with the gods
Pictographs: pictures or drawings that represent words or ideas
Dynastic cycle: pattern of the rise and fall of dynasties
Mandate of Heaven: ancient Chinese belief that a good ruler had the gods’ approval
Favor: support or approval
Shang Dynasty: first Chinese family to control the Huang He Valley
Zhou Dynasty: second Chinese family that established the concept of the Mandate of Heaven
Warring States Period: a violent time in Chinese history in which warlords controls most of China
Philosophy: logical study of basic truths about knowledge, values, and the world.
Legalism: belief that a powerful, efficient government and a strict legal system are the keys to social order
Confucianism: belief system based on the teachers of Confucius, a Chinese teacher
Filial piety: respect for one’s parents and ancestors, an important teaching of Confucianism
Daoism: Chinese belief system said to have begun with Laozi, a philosopher in the 500s BCE, based on the idea of natural order in the world.
Harmony: agreement in feeling
Qin: state of ancient China
Shi Huangdi: Chinese ruler who came to power in 221 BCE and unified and expanded China by ending internal battles and conquering rival states
Great Wall: wall built by Shi Huangdi to link smaller walls and keep invaders out of India
Han Dynasty: Chinese dynasty begun in 202 BCE by Liu Bang, who reunified China
Bureaucracy: system of departments and agencies that carry out the work of a government
Terra cotta: baked clay
Assimilate: to adopt the cultural or social traditions of a group
Xiongnu: nomadic tribes people from north of China (ancestors of the Huns and Mongols)
Silk Roads: overland trade routes along which silk and other Chinese goods passed to Mesopotamia and Europe
Trans-Eurasian: involving the continents of Europe and Asia
Cultural diffusion: spread of cultural practices and customs to other areas of the world
Luxury: object or service that is not really needed, but gives enjoyment
Standards: rules or practices that are accepted as models
-1,766 BCE: Shang Dynasty is established.
-1,072 BCE: Zhou Dynasty is established.
-551 BCE: Confucius is born.
-403 BCE: Period of Warring States begins.
-221 BCE: Qin Dynasty becomes China’s first empire
-202 BCE: Liu Bang becomes the first emperor of the Han Dynasty.
GRAPES
Geography
-Early farmers settle in the river valleys of the Huang He and Yangtze Rivers.
-The Himalayas, Plateau of Tibet, Pacific Ocean, and Gobi Desert make contact with other parts of the world difficult.
Religion
-Shang kings were believed to have communicated with the gods.
-Respect for one’s parents and ancestors was very important.
-Chinese dynasties claimed to rule with the gods’ permission (Mandate of Heaven concept)
-Families believed sacrificing animals to their ancestors would bring them good luck.
-Buddhism would eventually spread to China via the Silk Road
Achievements
-Goods, ideas, Buddhism, and cultural practices move along the Silk Road.
-Legalism calls for strict control of people.
-Confucius teaches that the five relationships will bring harmony.
-Daoism promotes learning the way of nature to find harmony.
-The Chinese master the art of bronze working.
-Paper and silk are produced.
Political System
-Shang establishes the first dynasty.
-People accept the idea of the Mandate of Heaven
-Shi Huangdi and Qin unify China
-Han Dynasty rules with a bureaucracy for 400 years
Economic System
-Agriculture dominated the Chinese economy; improvements in farming led to huge a population.
-The Silk Road brought the Chinese economy in touch with those of Europe and Mesopotamia.
-Peasants were conscripted to build the Great Wall.
Social Structure
-Men ruled within the family
-Emperors, noble landowners, and priests held the most power.
-Peasants and laborers made up the lower class.
-A powerful government official class emerged under the Han Dynasty
Key Understandings
-The first Chinese civilization starts in the Huang- He Valley; the Shang Dynasty
-China was isolated from other people due to deserts, mountains, and the ocean.
-The Zhou Dynasty emerged with the concept of the Mandate of Heaven
-Taoism, Confucianism, and Legalism emerged during the Warring States Period.
-Emperor Shi Huangdi establishes the Qin Dynasty. He creates China’s first empire, standardizes Chinas money and writing system, burns Confucian texts, orders construction on the Great Wall, builds a terracotta army, and rules with strict Legalist rule.
-The Han Dynasty rules China with Confucian ideas in mind; a civil service exam is used to determine who could serve in the growing bureaucracy.
-The Silk Road connects China with India, Mesopotamia, and Europe. Goods and ideas (most notably Buddhism) flow between these regions.
Vocab
Oracle bones: animal bones or shells used by the Shang kings to communicate with the gods
Pictographs: pictures or drawings that represent words or ideas
Dynastic cycle: pattern of the rise and fall of dynasties
Mandate of Heaven: ancient Chinese belief that a good ruler had the gods’ approval
Favor: support or approval
Shang Dynasty: first Chinese family to control the Huang He Valley
Zhou Dynasty: second Chinese family that established the concept of the Mandate of Heaven
Warring States Period: a violent time in Chinese history in which warlords controls most of China
Philosophy: logical study of basic truths about knowledge, values, and the world.
Legalism: belief that a powerful, efficient government and a strict legal system are the keys to social order
Confucianism: belief system based on the teachers of Confucius, a Chinese teacher
Filial piety: respect for one’s parents and ancestors, an important teaching of Confucianism
Daoism: Chinese belief system said to have begun with Laozi, a philosopher in the 500s BCE, based on the idea of natural order in the world.
Harmony: agreement in feeling
Qin: state of ancient China
Shi Huangdi: Chinese ruler who came to power in 221 BCE and unified and expanded China by ending internal battles and conquering rival states
Great Wall: wall built by Shi Huangdi to link smaller walls and keep invaders out of India
Han Dynasty: Chinese dynasty begun in 202 BCE by Liu Bang, who reunified China
Bureaucracy: system of departments and agencies that carry out the work of a government
Terra cotta: baked clay
Assimilate: to adopt the cultural or social traditions of a group
Xiongnu: nomadic tribes people from north of China (ancestors of the Huns and Mongols)
Silk Roads: overland trade routes along which silk and other Chinese goods passed to Mesopotamia and Europe
Trans-Eurasian: involving the continents of Europe and Asia
Cultural diffusion: spread of cultural practices and customs to other areas of the world
Luxury: object or service that is not really needed, but gives enjoyment
Standards: rules or practices that are accepted as models
Lessons By Topic |
Day 1 - Geography of China: u6d1_cw_chinese_geography.docx
Day 2 - Shang Dynasty: u6d1_cw_shang_dynasty.docx Day 3 - Zhou Dynasty: u6d3_cw_zhou_dynasty.docx Day 4 - Three Chinese Philosophies: u6d4_cw_three_chinese_philosophies.docx Day 5 - Confuciansm: u6d5_cw_confuciansim.docx Day 6 - Scholar-Officals: u6d6_cw_scholar-officials.docx Day 7 - Qin Dynasty: u6d7_cw_qin_dynasty.docx Day 8 - Han Dynasty: u6d8_cw_han_dynasty.docx Day 9 - Silk Road: u6d10_cw_silk_road_d1.docx Day 10 - Amazing Race: u6d12_cw_amazing_race.docx TN Ready Writing Practice (Great Wall): u6d9_cw_great_wall_5_point_paragrpah.docx |