Early Civilizations in China

Chapter 3: Section 3

Aim: Why was China called the Middle Kingdom?

Do Now:- Copy these locations

down- Locate these importantgeographical features onthe map of China.

- Map will be displayed on next slide

- Please take out homework to check

- Huang He River- Yangtze River- Gobi Desert- Himalayas- Tien Shen- East China Sea- Pacific Ocean

I. The Geography of China

A. The Middle Kingdom – Zhongguo

1. Belief that China was the center of the Earth

What geographical barriers separated China from the

rest of the world?

B. Isolated 1. Long Distances2. Physical Barriers

a. High Mountain Ranges (west and southwest)

- Tien Shen - Himalayas

b. Jungles (divided China from Southeast

Asia)

c. Desert -Gobi Desert-Taklamakan

d. Pacific Ocean – (east)

Yangtze River • The longest river of China and of

Asia, flowing about 3,450 mi from Xizang (Tibet) to the East China Sea. The river has been an important trade and transportation route since ancient times.

• The Gobi Desert is one of the driest deserts in the world. In the Gobi, there is at least the hope of water, although an oasis is rare. 

• The Taklamakan Desert, China's other desert, is nicknamed the Sea of Death. It offers poisonous snakes, frequent sand storms, boiling days, freezing nights, and intense water shortages. The Sea of Death is not a small desert. In fact, it is the second largest desert in the world. 

•

• Did the Chinese have any outside contact with the rest of the world?

C. Limited Contact with the Outside World

1. Nomadic Invaders –conquered China from time to time

a. Considered barbariansb. Absorbed into Chinese culture and society

2. Neighboring Countries – traded – reached the Middle East

How did contact with outlying regions affect the development of Chinese civilization?

B. Outlying Regions1. Xianjiang, Mongolia,

Manchuria, Tibeta. Consisted of nomads who constantly plundered Chinese

citiesb. Chinese rulers also extended their empires into many of these regions

Using your knowledge of other ancient civilizations, where do you think early Chinese civilizations developed? Indicate areas on the map?

Why did Chinese civilization begin in the Huang He valley?

Main Regions of ChinaA. Development of Early Chinese Civilizations

1. East Coast 2. Valleys between two major

rivers – Fertile farming regions

3. Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze River

Why was the Huang He River called the River of Sorrows?

River of Sorrows” – Huang He1. Chinese Civilization began in Huang He valley2. Strong Central Government needed to control the flow of river3. Loess – strong windblown yellow soil from Siberia and Mongolia

- Loess settles at the bottom of the river – water level rises-Huang He overflows

How did the overflow of the Huang He affect the Chinese

population?

- Chinese laborers in constant phase of rebuilding dikes to hold back rivers

- Dikes broke led to flooding, destroyed crops and mass starvation

- Fear of floods were reflected in Chinese writing – misfortune

Why did China call itself the Middle Kingdom?

Are the chinese ethnocentric?

• Ethnocentrism is the tendency to believe that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own.

1. Where is China located relative to the other civilizations we have discussed?

2. How did early man usually travel?3. Why might a geographical barrier make

is easier for a civilization to develop?4. How do you think geography led the

Chinese to believe they were the center of the earth?