Summary+China+SC


 * Intro || Summary || Maps || People and Events || Opinions || Sources ||

=Summary- =

China's first civilization developed in a river valley. Because of China's relative geographic isolation, early settlers had to supply their own goods rather than trading with outside peoples. China's natural boundaries did not completely protect these settlers from outsiders. Invasions from the north and west occurred again and again in Chinese history. About the time the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley fell to outside invaders, a people called the Shang rose to power in northern China. The Shang Dynasty lasted from around 1700 B.C. to 1027 B.C. It was the first family of Chinese rulers to leave written records.

In the Chinese view, people who lived outside of Chinese civilization were barbarians. Because the Chinese saw their country as the center of the civilized world, their own name for China was the Middle Kingdom.

Shang society was divided between to social class: nobles and peasants. A ruling class of warrior-nobles headed by a king governed the Shang. These noble families owned the land. They governed the scattered villages within the Shang lands and sent tribute to the shang ruler in exchange for local control.

In the Chinese method of writing, each character generally stands for one syllable or unit of language. One could read Chinese without being able to speak a word of it. The Chinese system of writing a major advantage. People in all parts of China could learn the same system of writing, even if their spoken languages were very different. Thus, the Chinese written language helped unify a large and diverse land, and made control of the country much easier.

Around 1027 B.C., a people called the Zhou overthrew the Shang and established their own dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty controlled lands that stretched far beyond the Hunag He in the north to the Chang Jiang in the south. To gober this vast area, it gave control over different areas to members of the royal family and other trusted nobles. The Zhou Dynasty produced many inovations. -Roads and canals were built to stimulate trade and agriculture. -Coined money was introduced, which further improved trade. -Blast furnaces the produced cast iron were developed.

The Zhou ruled from around 1027 to 256 B.C. The Zhou empire was generally peaceful and stable. Gradually, the Zhou rule weakened. In 771 B.C., nomads from the north and west sacked the Zhou capital and murdered the Zhou monarch. The lords sought every opportunity to pick fights with neighboring lords. As their power grew, these warlords claimed to be kings in their own territory. Amidst the bloodshed, traditional values collapsed. The very heart of Chinese civilization--love of order, harmony, and respect for authority--had been replaced with chaos, arrogance, and defiance. The dynastic cycle was about to bring a new start to Chinese civilization.