Ancient China

Mrs. Sullivan’s Core

Chinese Geography

• Wide range of different temperatures in central southern China

• The weather was usually mid warm• Summer not that humid• July very hot, 100 Fahrenheit

China Geography

• Had grain• Peas were grounded into flour• Had Mang beans eaten as a desert (red

bean soup) or side dish• Used soy beans to make curd, milk, dried

sticks, and soy sauce• The soy bean provided protein

China Geography

• Chili peppers added into foods to make it spicy

• Western China had peanuts for tasty snacks or added into cooked dishes

• They ate tea noodles which were made from grain

• The Star Anise was a popular native spice

China Geography

• Domesticated animals– Water buffalos

• Buffalos near the water– The Huang Ho river

– Cormorants– Bullocks

• The plows in the fields were pulled by water buffalos

China Geography

• Used hand tools– Hoes

• Shovels that dug the weeds out

– Plows• To dig up the fertile soil

• Had a machine to separate outer shells from husks

• Harvested grain by crushing them with tilt hammers like a sea saw

• Manually operated mill stones

China Geography

• Northern China covered with rich yellow soil called loess was blown from the Monaplian desert

• Farmers cut terraces into hill side to make fertile land

• The empire’s food was grown there• They had mountains terrains

China Geography

• People lived in the countryside and worked in fields

• Farm jobs spread from hoeing the ground to spreading manure

• Main tasks in the family was to maintain and regulate water supply for crops

• Irrigation machines were manually operated

China Geography

• In Northern China, crops were planted on narrow terraces carved in the hill sides

• Water raised terraces from wells and canals or irrigation machines.

• Rice grew in regions of the southern China• The well organized irrigation systems

creates a patchwork landscape flooded fields

Chinese Geography

• Wide range of different temperatures in central southern China

• The weather was usually mid warm• Summer not that humid• July was very hot, 100 Fahrenheit

China Jobs

Field Work– Most people in China worked in fields– People worked to pull water uphill using a

wheel like mechanism – If people didn’t do their share of work they

would lose their land – Workers spent there days working the water

wheel chatting away at the days

China Jobs

Silk Making– Wealthy people wore silk– Silk was taken from silk worms – When the silk worms made their cocoons they

were steamed– Then workers take the silk from the worms

China Jobs

The Grand Canal– The Yangzi And Yellow rivers were linked by

the Grand Canal which stretched across Chinas empire

– The Grand Canal was used to transport rice from the Yangzi delta to North China

– People had to keep canals levees from falling

China Jobs

Weapons Of War– They originally used chariots but when the

crossbows were invented they could fire from a safe distance

– They invented gun powder they used cannons – They had sword/dagger like things– China was made up of seven warring cities

China Jobs

Paper making– TheyBoiled plants in soupy pulp – Dipped a screen in pulp and let it dry and

harden– When solid enough the paper was hung up to

dry – People wrote on paper

China

Bronze Making– Made a center mold and outer mold to shape

the bronze– Put soft clay over the center mold– Poured liquid bronze into mold– Then polished bronze statue

China Government

• Obeying the Law• Ancient China was ruled by different dynasties• China was ruled under an emperor and his ministers• The government expected minor disputes to be settled

privately• Larger disputes were take to court and the accused

would be tried• A guilty criminal could be killed, beaten, and have a limb

severed

China Government

• Architecture• Lots of large public buildings, such as halls and temples

were built on raised platforms– This style made buildings slightly flexible, making

them resilient to China’s frequent earthquakes• The roofs of these buildings were a large part of their

design as they sloped and used dragons and cats for decoration

• Only imperial buildings could have yellow roofs.

China Government

• Health and Medicine• Acupuncture was used to treat illness for more than

2,000 years in China• They used Moxa sticks for heat treatments made by

burning the sticks.• Their medicine is based on herbs, acupuncture, and a

balanced diet• Mulberry was used for medicines for dizziness and inner

ear problems

China Government

• Health and Medicine• Chain Fern bark used to reduce stiffness and lower back

problems• Eural seed used to treat urinary problems• Bugbane treated common cold, headache, and measles• Wolf berry was used treated diabetes• Chinese Yam was used to treat fatigue

China Government

• Writing• Chinese words are written in symbols called characters• To create new vocabulary, combine words like

‘Fire’+ ‘Mountain’= volcano• Ancient Chinese characters are simpler versions of the

ones today• It was written on Mulberry bark

China Government

• Emperor • 221 BCE Chinese emperor was first• Qin soldier defeats last enemies, united warring states,

name is Zheng• He is first sovereign Qin emperor• Took title to show supremeness over the defeated king

China Government

• Warfare• Chinese invented crossbow• They were the deadliest weapon on battlefield• Before Chinese armies charged, crossbowmen hailed

the enemy with arrows• Used short heavy arrows• Armor made of small leather plates • Chinese invented bombs, guns, gunpowder, fireworks,

and mines

Chinese Family and Society Clothing

• Clothes were meant to keep away evil spirits

• Chinese relied on clothes for warmth rather than heating

• Boys wore red and pink for protection against evil spirits

• Boys required more charms than girls

Chinese Family and Society Birth ceremonies

• The Chinese had a varied birth ritual• When a boy was born he was given a

piece of jade and a bow was hung on the door

• When a girl was born she was given a curved roof tile and a handkerchief was hung outside the door

Chinese Family and Society

Eating • Poor people ate mostly rice and cabbage• Rich people ate a huge variety of food• Rich people also drank tea, honey, ginger,

and fruit juices• They stored winter rice in earth mounds

for the summer

Chinese Family and Society

Family Housing• Lots of people in the family lived together

for multiple generations• They had strict family rules about how

people behaved• The rooms on the sides of the courtyards

were for guests• The inner courtyard was for the family

Chinese Family and Society

Accessories• Women used jade and bronze ear scoops

to clean their ears• Bronze tweezers were for plucking

eyebrows• Also they used tongue scrapers• Men and women loved fans with flower

and tree decorations made of ivory

Chinese Family and Society

Shoes• Chinese women had their foot binded to a

certain shape• Some women’s feet were binded at the

age of five • When their foot was in the slipper their foot

looked elegant• When they took it out it looked deformed

Chinese Family and Society

Dressing• The poor wore loose garments made of

hemp• The rich wore robes of silk• At the end cotton became popular but it

never replaced silk• The rich who traded silk could not wear it

Chinese Family and Society

Social Structure• Rich people were buried with their

servants, money, pots, and jade statues• Poor people learned how to do their

parents job• Wealthy people had private tutors and

some tried to be the king’s servant

Chinese CultureAncient Chinese Music

• Music based on – Bells, flutes, drums, and gongs– Lutes, zithers, and viols

• Music was important in ancient Chinese education

Chinese CultureAncient Chinese Artists

• After scholars and farmers, artists were thought to be the most important people to society (besides king)

• Ancient Chinese artists made– Weapons for army– Tools for agriculture– Items for household beauty

Chinese CultureSilk

• Chinese were the first people to create silk• The Chinese discovered that some

caterpillar's cocoons could be weaved into strong, smooth cloth

• Silk comes from silkworms

Chinese CultureJade

• Most valued gemstone in China• Colors

– Soft greens– Grays– Light browns

• Extremely hard; had to be carved with wooden tools

• Jae stands for jadeite and nephrite

Chinese CultureInk

• Ink made of – soot – coal– oil – hair – bones

• To make an ink cake, grind all of the above and add water

Chinese CultureColor of Clothing

• Only emperor could wear yellow• Common people wore black and dark blue• White was considered unlucky and only

worn at funerals• Red was the color of happiness

Chinese CultureArchitecture in China

• Buildings were made from wood• Yellow was only used on imperial buildings• All building were symmetrical• Temples had large statues on the inside

and out

China Culture :Great Wall 1

• Early rulers believed that the world was centered around them; they called these people barbarians of the east, west, north, and south.

• The Great Wall was built by the commoners; some labored and died; 5 out of 10 wanted to rebel

Chinese CultureGreat Wall 2

• The Great Wall was 3,000 miles long and took 300,000 workers to build

Chinese CultureWomen in China 1

• When a girl was 3 days old, her families placed her under a bed to show she was lowly and weak; they gave her a piece of pot to play with to show she would work hard, and announced her birth to the gods

• Sons wanted more than daughters• Daughters were temp members of the

family and considered an expense to raise

Chinese CultureWomen of China 2

• Most woman made and served food

Arts and Crafts of China

• The Ancient Chinese prized these items:– Chinese bronze– Silk– Jade– Lacquerer

• Artists were well thought of • The silk road was a series of trade that

thrived across China

Art of China

• Paper printing was the most important Chinese invention

Chinese CultureReligion

• The three religions were Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism

• They were all important in Chinese art

Chinese CultureCalligraphy

• There were 5 main types • Zhuan shu, one written language used all

over China; developed by the First Emperor.

• Seals used as personal signatures• Li shu developded ordinary writing