Silk Road
What is the Silk Road?
A network of trade routes that connected
Asia to Mediterranean Region.
What types of materials were used in early
Chinese writing?
Early Chinese writers used tortoise shells, stones, animal bones to write on.
What are terrcotta soldiers?
Army of 1000s of life size, life like clay soldiers.
What is the Great Wall of China?
A wall structure that covers most of the northern border between Mongolia and China
What is a philosopher?
Thinker and teacher
What goods were graded on the Silk Road?
Silk, cotton, wool, horses, gems, spices, glass, porcelin.
What was the problem with some of the very early writing materials?
They were heavy and hard to carry around.
What does terracotta stand for?
Baked clay
Why was the Great Wall constructed?
To protect China from possible invaded people (particularly the Mongols from Mongolia)
Who is the most famous Chinese philosopher?
Confucius
What ideas were shared through the Silk Road?
Religions (Buddhism, Hinduism), Christianity, paper and printing, magnetic compass, HIndu Arabic number system.
What new writing material was invented in China?
Bamboo paper
What was unusual about the statues?
Each were individual and different. Each had different facial features, hairstyle, clothing.
When was the Great Wall of China built?
it was not built all at the same time. it was built in sections over hundreds of years. It was all connected under the rule of Qin Shi Huang.
Describe Confucius's background.
He was born poor, grew up a common person, got a job in government.
What is cultural diffusion?
The sharing of ideas through things such as trade and immigration.
Who invented bamboo paper?
It is not known who invented bamboo paper.
What was also discovered along with the terracotta soldiers?
Real weapons
Who actually physically built the Great Wall of China?
Millions of peasants, slaves, criminals, soldiers
Why was Confucius disillusioned while working for the government?
He saw abuse of power, greed, corruption, people taking bribes, and general poor behavior in the government.
Bonus: Who was the most famous trader/explorer on the Silk Road?
Marco Polo
How did the Chinese originally create multiple copies of writing?
They used Block printing.
How was this army of soldiers discovered?
It was discovered in 1974 by farmers drilling for water.
Many died in the building of the Great Wall. How were the dead treated?
They were just buried under and inside the Great Wall.
What did Confucius do when he quit his job in the government?
He created his philosophy of life - his own way of life and thinking.
Bonus: What deadly disease is thought to have traveled to Europe along the Silk Road?
Malaria
What is block printing?
Stamp-like blocks with individual Chinese characters on them, which ink is put onto, and it is stamped onto a piece of paper.
What do historians believe the terracotta soldiers were for?
To protect the emperor in the afterlife
Describe the Great Wall.
It averages 33 feet tall, 15 feet wide and is about 13,000 miles long. It has many watchtowers.
What was Confucianism based on?
It was based on kindness, fairness, hard work, respect.
Bonus: Silk was so popular in ancient Rome that the Roman leaders did what?
They tried to ban it.
What is a Chinese pictograph?
Chinese character writing
Bonus" What is the average height of a terracotta soldier?
5 ft 11 inches
Bonus: About how many tourists visit the Great Wall of China a year?
50 million visitors
How was his new ideas and philosophy accepted?
His philosophy was not widely accepted when he was alive. It was accepted after he died. It is now an important part of Chinese culture.
Bonus: What important world religion entered China through the Silk Road?
Buddhism
Describe a Chinese pictograph.
Each pictograph stand for an individual thing such as a table, sun, chair, sad, angry.
Bonus: In what year were the Terrracotta soldiers discovered?
1974
Bonus: Some say that the Great Wall of China is visible from space. Is this true?
It is NOT TRUE. While the wall is 1000s of miles long, it is only about 15 feet wide - making it impossible to see from space. It would be similar to seeing a single hair from 2 miles away!
What does Yin Yang symbolize?
It symbolizes the need for balance and harmony in your life.