China Study Guide!!

First Page

100

How did the mountains and deserts of China affect Chinese people?

-Mountains and deserts isolated China from the rest of the world, and made it possible for them to develop a unique culture. -Mountains and deserts also played a negative role by isolating Chinese people of each province from each other. therefore, civil wars kept on happening

200

What did Qin Shi Huang Di do to defend against invasion?

-Qin started work on the GW -He gathered 300,000 strong workforces to build the wall -He even forced scholars and peasants to build the wall - It did help defending against invasions

300

How did people get government jobs during the Han Dynasty?

- They took difficult Civil Service Test. - They were tested on Confucianism; chinese law, history and geography; basic Math; chinese rituals, and logic questions.

400

Why did China plunge into Civil War by B.C. 400? Reasons: Later Zhou rulers were weak, so no respect for the king

-Warlords because super powerful -did what they wanted to do - Geographic isolation didn't help -because people never united in a national spirit -so fighting continued.

500

Which Chinese dynasty built the first Chinese cities?

-Shangs Dynasty. First capital is Anyang.

Second Page

100

Which three religions/philosophies developed in Ancient China? WHat, according to Confucius, did people need to have in order to bring about a peaceful society in China?

-C/D/L -In order to bring about peace in society, people, according to Confucianism, MUST honor their promises, respect their elders, go back to the values of their ancestors, EDUCATE themselves, have a strong burreacracy, fulfill their responsibilities to make society peaceful, and not encourage bad peopleor bad influence

200

What inventions under the Han allowed China to set up trade as far as the Mediterranean Sea?

-rudders -wheel and stick mechanisms which helped ships to navigate and even turn in different directions through choppy ocean waters, and this enabled them to trade as far as the Mediterranean Sea.

300

What is the Silk Road?

-a network of trade routes, connecting Western China all the way to countries in SW Asia and beyond it. It was about 4,000 miles long. Started Han Wudi, and helped China get prosperous through international trade. ONLY expensive items were traded in, because otherwise it would not be worth it for traders to travel long distances through harsh weather, pay taxes, and also defend themselves against robbers. VERY IMPORTANT -MOVEMENT (MR.LIP) of ideas, items and cultural values took place through the Silk Road -Buddhism Jainism and Christianity spread to China, Partly because of the Silk Road!! The world came to know about Chinese paper that way, too!

400

Please explain Daoism, Confucianism, and Legalism, including their basic rules and beliefs.

Daoism -Chinese philosophy that promotes a peaceful society -based on the teachings of Laosi Confucianism -taught that all men with a talent for governing should take part in government -Believed that people needed to have a sense of duty Legalism -"School of Law" - this is what people called their way of thinking

500

What product developed by the Ancient Chinese was as valuable as gold?

PAPER -because of its importance in making currency, and writing (DUH?!) -record -making became easier - no more clay tablets to carve and dry!

Third Page

100

Why did Buddhism become popular in China after the end of the Han dynasty?

-During the later Hans, the rulers became weak (just like the Zhous), and the aristocrats started grabbing land from the poor tenants (meanies!!!!!!!), and bureaucrats started taking bribes. NO respect for rules. Northern nomads kept on invading, rebellions occurred every now and then. People felt unsafe and scared -and BUDDHISM gave them relief from fear and stress -by asking to give up desires, to let go, and forgive! That is why Buddhism became very popular in China at the end of the Hans.