Upgrade to remove ads
Only $0.99/month

Ancient China

Key Concepts:

Terms in this set (42)

Huang He
(Yellow River) River that flows from west tow east across China and gets its name from the yellow soil it carries. It flooded frequently and is known as "China's Sorrow." This river was the center of the first Chinese civilization.
Chiang Jiang
(Yangtze River) River that flows west to east across China, south of the Huang He. It also has rich soil for farming.
Xia Dynasty
Probably the first Chinese Dynasty but little is known about it (a proto-civilization--had some but not all characteristics of civilization)
Shang Dynasty
The dynasty of Chinese rulers that probably built the first cities and had the first writing. The kings of this dynasty used warlords to help them rule, and they used oracle bones to ask for help from the gods. Their artisans were famous for their bronze artwork.
Anyang
First Chinese capital city, under the Shang Dynasty
warlords
Military leaders who commanded their own armies and governed the kingdom's territories.
aristocrat
A noble whose wealth comes from the land he owns and whose power is passed down from generation to generation
oracle bone
Animal bone on which Shang priests would scratch questions. Then they would insert a metal rod and heat it, which would cause the bone to crack. The priests would interpret the cracks to be the gods' answers to the questions.
Fu Hao
China's first female general; she lived during the Shang Dynasty and was famous for her strength, martial arts skills, and military strategy. Her tomb was discovered intact containing over 2,000 artifacts.
Natural disasters (severe floods and droughts)
Corruption in the government
Large gap between the rich and poor (which led to social unrest, distrust, and fear)
reasons for the weakness of the Shang Dynasty by c. 1000 BCE
Zhou Dynasty
Chinese dynasty that ruled for more than 800 years, with warlords ruling over different sections of the kingdom.
Era (Period) of Warring States
The last 200 years of the Zhou Dynasty, when the warlords stopped obeying the Zhou rulers and fought one another constantly
bureaucracy
The group of appointed officials who are responsible for running different parts of the government
Mandate of Heaven
The power to rule, given by the gods to the ruler, who was expected to rule well or the gods would take away this power.
Some signs that a ruler had lost the favor of the gods might be natural disasters or riots.
People then had the right to overthrow the ruler.
Introduced coins (often round with square hole in center)
Created a large bureaucracy
Introduced the use of iron (Iron plow → more food → population growth (Stronger weapons → more deadly warfare)
Introduced new weapons (Crossbow; Saddle and stirrups)
Accomplishments of the Zhou Dynasty
crossbow
A bow that uses a crank to pull the string and shoots arrows with great strength.
Qin (state)
One of the warring states, whose ruler defeated the other warlords and became emperor of China, starting a new dynasty
United warring states into one empire
Ruled according to Legalism (killed opponents and burned books with opposing views)
Created a single currency
Built roads
Build a canal
Created Great Wall of China by connecting existing walls
Accomplishments of Qin Shihuangdi (good and bad)
Qin Shihuangdi
Warlord of Qin state who became "First Qin Emperor" of China
Qin Dynasty
Dynasty of Qin Shihuangdi (included him and his son, who ruled for a few years before being overthrown)
Xian (or Xi'an)
Capital of China under the Qin Dynasty
Lingqu Canal
The canal that Qin Shihuangdi built, which connected the Xiang and the Li rivers
Xiongnu
Nomadic herders who lived in the Gobi Desert and were masters of fighting on horseback and who often attacked Chinese farms and villages. The Great Wall was built to protect the Chinee from these invaders. (Known in the West as the Huns)
Great Wall of China
A long wall built by peasant workers under the orders of Qin Shihuangdi by connecting existing walls. Its purpose was to protect China from the Xiongnu and other invaders from the Gobi.
Terracotta Army
An army of over 6,000 clay sculptures of soldiers and horses in fighting formation, which were placed underground in Xian to guard the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi
Liu Bang
A peasant who became a military leader and defeated his rivals to become emperor of China. He established the Han Dynasty
Han Gaozu
Title of Liu Bang, which means "Exalted Emperor of Han"
Han Wudi
The emperor under whom the Han Dynasty reached its peak
"Martial Emperor of Han"
meaning of the title Han Wudi
civil service examinations
A system of difficult tests (largely based on Confucianism) established by Han Wudi to make sure government officials were the most talented people. (The system still favored the rich because only the wealthy could afford the education necessary to pass the exams, but at least the people in the jobs were intelligent and hard-working.)
tenant farmer
people who work on farmland that is owned by someone else, and they pay rent in the form of crops
waterwheels (used to grind grain into flour)
iron drill bits (helped mine salt)
paper (made from wood pulp)
steel (a stronger, more refined form of iron)
rudders on ships
movable sails (that allowed ships to sail into the wind--tacking side to side)
Inventions during the Han Dynasty
acupuncture
A medical treatment in which pain is eased by sticking thin needles into patients' skin
Zhang Qian (pronounced JAHNG CHYEHN)
A general who was ordered by Emperor Han Wudi to explore areas west of China and to find allies for China against its enemies. After a journey of 13 years, he returned to describe his visit to the Roman Empire.
Silk Road
A large network of trade routes stretching 4,000 miles from western China to southwest Asia. From there, Arab traders carried the goods to the Mediterranean Sea. (So goods traveled from Han Dynasty China to the Roman Empire.)
Luoyang
The capital of China during the Han Dynasty
Kong Fuzi
Chinese name for Confucius
People are by nature good
Government should treat people fairly
Respect/obey parents, elders, and ruler
Importance of education
5 Basic Relationships
(Know the details on the Philosophers Chart)
Confucianism (Philosophy of Confucius)
Laozi
Founder of Doaism
Limit the government's power
Individuals should get in touch with nature
Nature is a balance between yin and yang
(Know the details on the Philosophers Chart)
Daoism
Han Fei
Founder of Legalism
People are by nature evil
Government must impose strict rules and harsh punishments
(Know the details on the Philosophers Chart)
Legalism
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...

Greece Key Terms

74 terms
Katie_Ward8TEACHER

India Unit

44 terms
Katie_Ward8TEACHER

Ancient Rome without pictures

53 terms
Katie_Ward8TEACHER

Prehistory Key Terms

30 terms
Katie_Ward8TEACHER