Chapter 7: China

Lesson #1 “China’s First Civilizations”

Section #1 China’s Geography

Question # 1

How did the Huang Ho get the nickname Yellow River?

Answer: It’s yellow soil.

Question # 2

What are the names of China’s 2 Largest rivers?

Answer: Huang He (Yellow) River and Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River.

Question # 3

Why did China’s farmers only use 1/10 of the land in China for farming?

Answer: Most of China is covered in mountains and deserts.

Question # 4

What geographical features might have made it difficult for people in Ancient China to trade with other civilizations?

Answer: The Gobi Desert, Himalayas, and other mountain ranges separated China from neighboring territories.

Question # 5

How did China become known as “The Middle Kingdom?”

Answer: The people of China called it that because they thought their kingdom was the world’s leading civilization.

Question # 6

Why was flooding a good and bad thing for the people in China?

Answer: Flooding gave them fertile soil, but also drowned people and destroys homes.

Section #2 The Shang Dynasty

Question #7

Where do archaeologist believe the first civilization in China was?

Answer: The Huang He Valley.

Question # 8

What makes archeologist believe that the Huang He Valley was the first civilization in China?

Answer: The oldest artifacts were found in that area.

Question # 9

Why do you think the earliest civilizations were in the Huang He Valley?

Answer: Fertile soil from the rivers.

Question # 10

What do you call a line of rulers that belong to the same family?

Answer: Dynasty

Question # 11

What evidence do archeologist have led them to thing that the Shang’s built the first cities in China?

Answer: The oldest palaces and royal tombs they’ve found are from the Shangs.

Question # 12

The Shang’s had a social class system. Who was at the top?

Answer: Kings and royal families

Question # 13

What type of religion did Ancient China have?

Answer: Polytheistic

Question # 14

According to Shang kings, where did they get their power from?

Answer: God

Question # 15

How did the Chinese kings ask questions to

the gods?

Answer:They had the priests scratch the questions on oracle bones and break the bones … then “read” the answers.

Question #16

What type of artwork are the Shangs most known for?

Answer:Bronze objects

Question #16

What name was used to describe wealthy landowners in China?

Answer:Aristocrats

Question #17

What was the occupation of the majority of Chinese people in Ancient China?

Answer:farmers

Question #17

Who did the Chinese farmers work for?

Answer:The aristocrats who owned the land

Question #18

Chinese people that poor crops or bad luck was controlled/caused by ___.

Answer:The gods

Question #19

Besides the gods, who else could Chinese people pray to to ask for help or good luck?

Answer:ancestors

Question #20

Name at least 3 items that Chinese artisans made.

Answer:Silk, clothes, ivory statues, jade statues and bronze objects.

Question #20

Name 3 technological advancements made during the Shang dynasty.

Answer:A system of writing, a calendar and musical instruments.

Section #2 The Zhou Dynasty

Question #21

Why didn’t many people in China support the Shang kings?

Answer:The kings lived in luxury and treated to people poorly.

Question #22

What makes the Zhou dynasty so important in Chinese history?

Answer:It lasted longer than any other dynasty in history – more than 800 years.

Question #23

According to Zhou kings, what gave them the right to rule China?

Answer:The Mandate of Heaven

Question #24

According to the Mandate of Heaven, what is the “proper” way to rule?

Answer:The Dao Way

Question #25

What “rights” did the Mandate of Heaven give the Chinese people?

Answer:If the king was dishonest or evil the people could overthrow the king.

Question #26

According to the Mandate of Heaven, was the king considered a god?

Answer:No

Question #27

What were technological advancements made during the Zhou dynasty?

Answer:Improved irrigation and flood control systems and iron plows.

Question #28

What was the most important item for trade during the Zhou dynasty?

Answer:silk

Question #29

How do archaeologists know that the Chinese people traded with people throughout Asia?

Answer:Pieces of Chinese silk have been found in the artifacts of many regions as far away as Greece.

Question #30

What was the major factor of the collapse of the Zhou dynasty?

Answer:Local rulers (aristocrats) became powerful and fought for control of their territory with Zhou kings.

Question #31 What term is used to describe the 200 years of battles over land between the aristocrats in China?

Answer:The Period of the Warring States

Question #32

What invention was a direct result of the battles during the “Period of Warring States?”

Answer:The horse saddle and stirrup

Question #33

Who founded the Zhou dynasty?

Answer:Wu Wang

Question #34

What do you call a group of officials who are picked to help run the government ?

Answer:bureaucracy

Question #35

How did the Zhou kings control their dynasties?

Answer:They had aristocrats in charge of their different territories.