what were the contributions of classical china?. m ap of china
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Ancient ChinaWhat were the contributions
of Classical China?
MAP OF CHINA
MAP OF CHINA
ChinaHuang He
River
Pacific Ocean
Silk Road
Geography of China The earliest civilizations in
China were centered along the Huang He River (or Yellow River) around 5000 BCE
China is located in Eastern Asia and was very isolated from other civilizations• Europeans knew little of
China until 1200 CE (AD)
Geography of China While geographically isolated, China still
influenced the western world via the Silk Road
The Silk Road Silk was a prized commodity in the
West and the demand for Chinese silk led to the development of arguably the most important trade route in ancient history• The Romans and Greeks even referred to
the Chinese as “Seres”—meaning the land where silk comes from
The Silk Road was so vast that many outposts had to be built along the way to relay trade• Goods moved from stage to stage
The Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China was
constructed through various stages to protect the Chinese from northern invaders, particularly the Mongols
Emperor Qin Shi Huang is credited with connecting and rebuilding many of these walls• Emperor Shi Huang is responsible
for building much of what is considered the Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China The Great Wall stretches over
4,000 miles along the northern border of China
The Wall was not effective at keeping invaders out• The wall was better suited for
signaling warnings and regulating trade
The Wall became a symbol of power and civility for the Chinese• Divided and protected the
civilized from the savage
Political Patterns of Ancient China: The Dynastic Cycle
China was ruled by a succession of ruling families—known as dynasties• Examples include the
Qin, Ming, Han, Zhou, etc.
The rulers were considered divine (holy)
Political Patterns of Ancient China: The Dynastic Cycle
The dynasties served under the Mandate of Heaven• The philosophy or belief that heaven
grants rulers the right to rule based on their ability to govern well and fairly
The rulers did not have to be of noble birth and at any point the mandate could be removed• This happened regularly during
times of famine and natural disasters
Contributions of China: Civil Service System
The Civil Service System was established to elect/appoint government positions• Jobs were given based on merit
(ability) rather than family or wealth
The Han Dynasty instituted the Civil Service System based upon the writings of Confucius
Contributions of China: Civil Service System
The Civil Service System consisted of an exam that could last days
The system was established to find the best people for the jobs, as well as recruit candidates from throughout the empire
In theory anyone could take the exam—in reality it was almost exclusive to wealthy males
Contributions of China: Trade Exports
The Chinese produced a variety of valuable and prized trade exports—including silk, paper, and porcelain