Shang Dynasty Research Paper

China during the classical period, a span of time stretching from 1000 B.C.E.-500 C.E., was ruled by many families, each having their own dynasty. The very first dynasty of this period was the Zhou, coming into power after overthrowing the Shang. The last Shang emperor, Di Xin, had essentially abandoned matters of the state in favor of hedonistic activities, using tax money to fund them and therefore becoming very unpopular. This caused the Zhou uprising which led to the establishment of the Mandate of Heaven, a concept that not only allowed the Zhou to gain and maintain cultural power of the Chinese people, but led to widespread notions in Chinese society of the validity of autocracy and a need for extremely centralized government that would

Classical China was a breeding ground for new ideas, inventions, and most importantly, religions. Although Classical China was littered with different religions and beliefs, Confucianism was the most prominent. Confucianism is based on the teachings of a philosophical

The Chinese were able to learn from their mistakes from the past and turn them into positives in order to better improve their economy for the future. With the opened ports and foreigners free to visit China, the educated citizens class was increasing in numbers. Many of these people were not happy with the progress of the Qing Dynasty and started to form groups in order to help find alternatives to certain situations. By 1912 the last Chinese emperor stepped down and the order that had ruled over China for two thousand years had finally fallen. This was a new start for the China. The rebuilding of China was very difficult, but using what they had learned, China was able to modernize themselves in many aspects, including military, improve their economy, and overall developed themselves into a superior country.

China’s population was growing rapidly, almost doubling between 750 and 1100. Because of this huge population boom, paper money was established, and the trade industry grew. There were many advances that were made, such as technological improvements

The following are the Chinese dynasties in order from oldest to most recent: Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing. The legendary dynasty is the Xia, which is believed to be around 2000 BC. The Shang (1700-1000BC) developed the first written Chinese language. The Zhou (1028-221BC) built the first roads, expanded trade contacts and trade routes, and also developed plows and irrigation systems. Trade at this time was expanding in China. The Qin Dynasty (221-207BC) built the famous Great Wall of China as a defense mechanism and also united all of China under one central government. Next is the Han Dynasty (207BC-AD220), which did a lot for China in terms of trading. They developed the Great Silk Road, a trading route that stretched from China all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. The Sui Dynasty (589-618) united almost all of China. Followed in suit by the Tang Dynasty (618-917) discovered one of Chinas' leading exports, porcelain. During the Tang Dynasty, the first block-style printing press was invented. The Song Dynasty (960-1279) came next, which took over all of China and later took the southern rule after being conquered by the Jin. The Song Dynasty is responsible for developing Chinese cuisine as we know it today. During this time period the compass and gunpowder were also discovered. The Jin Dynasty (1127-1234) took rule over Northern China from the Song. The Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) brought a long period of peace to

The first ever knowing emperor of china was Shi Huangdi, His named applied to the country, while in Zhou’s dynasty he created the feudal system Shi abolished it was no more. Shi was a strong emperor and he expanded the country of Vietnam, during his reign he built the Great wall and a lot of different things that china is revolved around. During the Shi dynasty there where strict laws. If you didn’t go to school you were killed.

This was a result of China being extremely ethnocentric as shown by its nickname, “Middle Kingdom,” which means that China is the center of the world. The products that China exported before the end of trade around the world were silk, iron, and bronze (document 1). The goods that were brought into China were gold, glass, ivory, animal hides, horses, and cattle (document 1). One positive impact that this trade did have on China was that as it traded with places like India, the cultures began to mix, resulting in the introduction of Buddhism to China (document 1), which is now a very popular religion although it was not accepted at first. A negative impact of trade was the bubonic plague or

The three qualities of Buddhism; awareness, kindness, and wisdom made China a happier, more pleasant place to live as it quickly spread around Ancient China. The Persian invention of the Irrigation System allowed farmers to provide enough food and decreased the chances of famines gigantically. Not only did the Silk Road bring new goods to China but the Chinese inventions began appearing all over. During the Tang Dynasty (618 -907) printing techniques were introduced in Ancient China. In the thirteenth century many Europeans picked up those techniques, via the Silk Road, and those same printing techniques made a debut in Europe (travelchinaguide.com).

Some of the positive things about China’s location was that it was separated from the rest of the world which caused very few conflicts to occur with other early civilizations. However due to this separation from other civilizations, China did not have as much influence in technology or culture from other civilizations.

Although China has a complex history, it was one of the most economically stable countries in the world. Chinese’s current complex form of government started with different principles for each city-state and was later unified by dynasties. However, even before the establishment of modern-day China, its success can be contributed to its geographic features, earliest historical record in the Oracle bones, as well as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. China’s several geographic features contribute to its isolation and success.

Ancient China is one of the oldest and longest lasting civilizations in the world. The Ancient Chinese have thrived for thousands of years because of the geography, their skills, and their talents. Throughout history, rivers such as the Yangtze and Huang He rivers made China thrive for thousands of years. While other features such as deserts and mountains like the Gobi, Himalayas, and the Taklimakan isolated the Chinese and kept other civilizations from culturally diffusing into Chinese lifestyle and culture.

Chinese Dynasties: 1. Shang: Also called Yin, dynasty that was China's earliest historically verifiable state 1766 B.C. to 1122 B.C. A. Reason's for Rise: Unlike the early accounts of history by the Chinese, there is archaeological evidence of the Shang, who built their cities in northern China around the eastern parts of the Yellow River. For this reason they are called the Yellow River civilization. They were a bronze age people; bronze-working seems to have entered China around 2000 BC (about one thousand years after its invention in Mesopotamia). B. Territorial Location & size at height of power (map): The Shang ruled the area from the North China Plain northward into present-day Shantung Province and westward to the tip of Honan

From the below freezing temperatures of northern China, to the sand deserts of the south, China has it all. The diversity in the climates shaped the way modern day China has evolved, and will continue to evolve in the future, as we keep discovering more, and more. China is home to some of the tallest mountains, and some of the deepest valleys, which allows for multiple native resources and imported species to be grown there, including plants and animals. They had thousands of miles of fertile coastline with a major abundance. This various resources allowed the empire to do more internal trading than they needed to do externally.

China had such a great influence on its neighbors in the Middle Ages. Some of the ways that China spread their innovations and ideas was by trade, voyages, and tributes. One example of them having a great influence is China spreading culinary arts. They had the “wok” which was a pan that heated stir fried rice. They grew certain types of rice to eat, this rice grew quicker than rice they used from the past.

In china there has been no central rule in China for 70 years until the Song Dynasty created in 960. Things started to change in China, for example, the government started to aid the poor a lot more than what they have in the past. They were getting this money from the newly introduced income tax. This made a lot of people happy and everyone started to have more patriotism and pride. This pride gave the government a feel of legitimacy. Some of the major things the government is paying for is the roads, food, and education. Pottery at this time helps out the economy in China, because the pottery is so advanced that it was being exported for good money and it also led more people to come to China. Even though China was number one in the world for many things like technology and a sophisticated culture they were weak military wise (Holcombe p.127).