Ancient China Worksheet Packet

The map below shows the outline of modern day China. Label the major rivers:

Tang Dynasty: Women preparing silk, Tang Dynasty

King Wu of Zhou 周武王 ©Made By Liesl at The Homeschool Den (403BC - 221BC)

Confucianism Taoism Legalism

Oracle Bones: Oldest evidence of Chinese writing

Bronze casting advanced - used for vessels and weapons

Religious Beliefs: Family was closely linked to religion. Spirits of family ancestors had the power to bring good fortune or disaster

Family: respect for one's parent's Older men controlled the family's property and made important decisions

31 Kings ruled over an extended period of 17 generations Zhou Dynasty:

Mandate of Heaven: justified their conquest. Declared the last Shang king had been a poor ruler so the gods had taken away the Shang's rule and given it to the Zhou. A just ruler had divine approval -- or the Mandate of Heaven

Lasted for 8 centuries. In later years, lords of dependent territories began to think of themselves as independent kings

Confucius: Scholar who urged harmony. Born in 551 during the Zhou dynasty when it was being torn apart by warring lords. He believed in social order, harmony and good gov't could be restored if society was organized around five relationships:

1) ruler and subject 2) father and son 3) husband and wife 4) older brother and younger brother 5) friend and friend

A code of proper conduct regulated each of these relationships. Rulers should practice kindness; subjects should be law-abiding and loyal.

©Made By Liesl at The Homeschool Den Confucianism Taoism Legalism  Social order, harmony  The natural order is  A highly efficient and and good gov't should more important than powerful gov't is the be based on family social order key to social order relationships  A universal force guides  punishments are useful  Respect for parents and all things to maintain social order elders is important to a  Human beings should  thinkers and their ideas well-ordered society live simply and in should be strictly  Education is important harmony with nature controlled by gov't both to the welfare of the individual and to society

Qin Dynasty:

13 year old Qin Dynasty ruler came to the throne. He assumed the name Shi Huangdi (First Emperor) - used Legalist ideas. They believed that highly efficient and powerful gov't was the key to restoring order. Gov't should use law to end civil disorder

Crushed political opposition - all noble families had to live in the capital city (120,000 families) and seized their lands

Confucian scholars - silenced and murdered.

Book Burning of "useless" books (works of Confucian scholars and poets who disagreed with Legalists)

Centralization: built 4,000 miles of highway; uniform standards for Chinese writing, laws, currency, weights and measures

Irrigation projects

Great wall of China -- with forced labor, hundreds of thousands of peasant laborers

Terracotta Army -- work on this mausoleum began in 246 BC soon after Emperor Qin ascended the throne (then aged 13), and the full construction later involved 700,000 workers. Over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits near by Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum.

Stillness Movement Darkness Brightness Cold Heat

Earth Heaven Female Male Passive Active

Tiger Dragon

Photo and Clipart Credits:

 scroll clipart from: http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/  China Map from : http://d-maps.com/carte.php?num_car=166&lang=en http://d- maps.com/carte.php?num_car=166&lang=en  Zhou Dynasty War Scenes: http://history.cultural-china.com/en/182History5902.html  Most other photos, symbols and maps are from Wikimedia Commons