Ancient China
Social
Social class was very important in ancient China. They believed that according to someone's social position they would behave a certain way. These beliefs were further reinforced by a great philosopher named Confucius. He taught that strict order and discipline was the key to a successful society. Beneath the emperor there was four main social classes consisting of nobles and officials,peasants, artisans and merchants. Slaves did exist in China but they take up a small percentage of the population.
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Political
Ancient China was ruled by dynasties. China's first dynasties helped Chinese society develop and made many other achievements.Many historians believe that the Xia dynasty is a myth and that it never existed.The first dynasty fit which we have clear evidence is the Shang.It was firmly established by the 1500s BC.The Zhou came from the west and overthrew the Shang dynasty during the 1100s BC.The Zhou established a new political order. The king granted land to lords in return for loyalty and military assistance. Lords divided their land among lesser nobles. Peasants received a small plot of land and had to farm additional land for a noble.
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Religion
LaoziConfucius |
Laozi is the most famous Daoist teacher. Daoism was a early Chinese belief that stressed on living in harmony with the universe.Daoists believed that people should be like what're and simply let things flow the natural way. They regarded humans as just a part of nature, not superior to any other thing. Confucius is the most influenced teacher in Chinese history. Confucianism are the ideas of Confucius. The basic beliefs of Confucianism are, your ancestors should be worshipped as they help provide you guidance, you should respect and follow your elders,and humans are naturally good.
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Innoventions
SundialAncient Chinese Seismograph |
The ancient Chinese created the wheelbarrow, paper, seismograph,compass, sundial, gunpowder, ice cream, and many more things. A seismograph is something you would use for measuring and recording the virbrations of earthquakes. A sundial is a early version of a clock. It tells the time of day by the position of the shadow from the sun. When icecream was first invented in ancient China it wasn't how it was today. Icecream then was actual ice mixed with fruit.
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Technology
In ancient China silk cloth was very valuable. Wearing silk symbolized that you were important. The ancient Chinese bred special moths to produce the quality of silk they wanted. Silk became a prized export from China. Nobles and Kings of foreign lands desired silk and would pay extravagant prices for it. Because of this, the emperors of China wanted to keep the process of making silk a secret. If someone was caught taking silk worms out of China or telling the secret they would be put to death. Silk was such an important product from China that the trade route from Europe to China became known as the Silk Road.
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Environment
China's physical geography made farming possible but it made travel and communication difficult.
Civilization began in China along the Huang He and Chang Jiang rivers.
China's first dynasties helped Chinese society develop and made many other achievements.China is a large country with many different geographical features. China is about the same size as the United States.These features include the Gobi Desert, which spreads over much of China's north, and rugged mountains in the western frontier. Low-lying plains in the east form one of the worlds most larger farming regions. Weather patterns vary widely across China.
Civilization began in China along the Huang He and Chang Jiang rivers.
China's first dynasties helped Chinese society develop and made many other achievements.China is a large country with many different geographical features. China is about the same size as the United States.These features include the Gobi Desert, which spreads over much of China's north, and rugged mountains in the western frontier. Low-lying plains in the east form one of the worlds most larger farming regions. Weather patterns vary widely across China.