Emperors & Dynasties
This first emperor of China created a uniform system of writing and currency and connected walls to help protect China.
Shihuangdi
During the Han Dynasty, the Chinese learned to make this material from things such as tree bark, hemp, rags, and old fishing nets.
paper
Wu Zhao arrived in this huge Tang Dynasty capital filled with crowded streets, foreign visitors, imported goods, and many different religions.
Chang'an
Shihuangdi ordered existing defensive walls to be connected and expanded to help keep northern invaders out of China.
Great Wall
China carefully guarded the secret of making this valuable fabric. Silkworm eggs were not allowed to leave the country.
silk
This ruler entered the imperial palace when she was only 13 and eventually became the first and only woman emperor of China.
Wu Zhao
This invention allowed the Chinese to make copies of writing by carving characters into blocks, covering them with ink, and pressing them onto paper.
woodblock printing
Farmers in southern China carefully planted seedlings and flooded fields to grow large amounts of this important food.
rice
Emperor Wudi sent Zhang Qian west hoping to find allies who would help China fight these northern nomadic warriors.
Xiongnu
This network of trade routes stretched thousands of miles across mountains and deserts and carried Chinese goods westward.
Silk Road
This Song emperor loved art and calligraphy, but his poor leadership contributed to problems that eventually resulted in his capture by the Jurchen.
Hui Zong
Chinese alchemists discovered this explosive substance while experimenting with different ingredients. It was later used in weapons and fireworks.
gunpowder
This prosperous Song Dynasty city had busy streets, restaurants, shops, entertainment, and consumed enormous amounts of rice each day.
Hangzhou
Hui Zong's government made an alliance with these people, but they later attacked the Song, captured Hui Zong, and took control of northern China.
Jurchen
More than 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers were placed near Shihuangdi's tomb to protect him in the afterlife.
Terracotta Army
This Mongol ruler became emperor of China and improved communication by building roads and creating a large postal system.
Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan built new roads and thousands of stations to create this system, allowing messages to travel quickly throughout his empire.
postal system
Zhu Di ordered this enormous complex to be built as the home of the emperor and his family. Ordinary people could not simply enter it.
Forbidden City
These warriors learned to ride horses and shoot bows from childhood. Under Chinggis Khan, they conquered an enormous empire.
Mongols
Zhu Di appointed this man “Admiral of the Western Seas.” He commanded a fleet of more than 300 ships and traveled as far as Africa.
Zheng He
Chinese rebels captured Beijing near the end of this dynasty. The Manchu later took control and established a new dynasty. Name both dynasties in order.
Ming Dynasty → Qing Dynasty
Name TWO important Chinese achievements or inventions that we studied during this unit.
paper, woodblock printing, gunpowder, the compass, porcelain, or other accepted achievements from the unit?
China changed greatly over the centuries, but agriculture remained extremely important. Give ONE reason rice farming was so important to China's growth.
It provided food for China's large/growing population.
Near the end of the Ming Dynasty, Chinese rebels captured Beijing. Explain how the Manchu were then able to enter China.
A Ming general opened the gates of the Great Wall and allowed the Manchu to enter China.
Put these events in the correct order from earliest to latest:
Shihuangdi unites China → Wu Zhao becomes emperor → Kublai Khan rules China → Manchu establish the Qing Dynasty