A civilization is the society, culture, and way of life of a group of people. It is a nation in which people advance to reach a level of social development and organization. During the Han (206 BC-220 AD) and Qin (221 BC-207 BC) dynasties, Ancient China became unified. The Chinese developed a strong government and powerful empire with the help of its geography, social hierarchy, and belief system. The geography provided protection and goods necessary for survival and trade. The social hierarchy affected the ways of life of the people by determining their wealth and education. The belief system influenced the choices of people by deciding whether something was appropriate. These three features were essential to the development and growth …show more content…
People used the rivers to build canals, which helped Ancient China advance in communication and trade by being closely connected and isolated from the outside world (Bednarz 470). The rivers also contained lots of salt, and people would drill it out for industrial development (Hall). This feature also served as a protection barrier against invaders because they were difficult to cross (Eno). China was able to create a strong military because of the decreased amount of attacks.
China contained many physical geographical features such as deserts and mountains that impacted their development. The two large deserts in Ancient China were the Taklimakan and Gobi deserts, and are located in the northern parts of China. The deserts isolated China from Europe and Central Asia, breaking off communication and trade with this part of the world. People had to change their lifestyles and adapt to different ways of living because of sand storms and harsh temperatures. The Himalaya Mountains, the highest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest, run along modern China’s south-western border. The mountains were abundant to iron and bronze, and this helped the industries grow and the economy to prosper (Knapp). This geographical feature also isolated China from India, which also caused there to be no communication and trade between the two civilizations. China’s isolation made is difficult to share and receive ideas from other civilizations to grow and
The geography of China has affected its people for thousands of years. Rivers such as the Huang He and the Yangtze have benefited its people because they were able to trade, get food and water and settle down in this area. These rivers were beneficial because they helped to facilitate trade. (“The Study Of History”). The Chinese traded goods such as silk, salt, teas, sugar, porcelain and other luxurious goods (“Ancient China”). While this was beneficial to the Chinese there were also many negatives effects that the geography had in China. The Himalayan mountains had some negative effects on the Chinese. The Himalayas kept them isolated for a long time. This then meant that there was a lack of cultural diffusion which was occurring (“Himalayan Mountains Documentary…”). The Chinese weren’t able to trade goods and ideas because it was hard for them and other civilizations
I. In the Classical period, China’s early empire was created on behalf of developed agricultural systems, better control over the country, and fending off invasions from the north. The rise and fall of the Zhou, Han and Qin dynasty has provided the foundation for the growing country of China. These dynasties has contributed agressively to China’s accomplishments. Such as, the Great Wall of China during the Qin Dynasty, expansion of Chinese Territory during many of the dynasties, and overcoming the invasions from the Nomads from the north, the huns.
The two great civilizations of Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E. - 476 C.E.) and Han China (206 B.C.E.- 220 C.E.) were two of the most successful dynasties that ever ruled. Although there were major differences in the methods of political control employed by Han China and Imperial Rome, it is apparent that the two dynasties also shared strategies for maintaining political authority. Despite the use of a centralized government and a military being similar aspects of political control among both civilizations. Han China based its rule on Confucianism, which emphasized the family unit and order, while Imperial Rome based their system upon law and order.
Both Rome and Han China rose from a smaller state. They achieved success through trade, discipline, and a strong military force. Agriculture was a main economic backbone, which supplied their government with tax funds and wealth. Overall, both empires encompassed a large amount of culture derived from the peoples derived and annexed into it. Imperial Rome and Han China’s similarities in social class, governing style, and technology helped aide its governmental power, but their differences in labor, job success, and ruling style caused for slight changes in societal standing.
The Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire were two grand empires that rose out of preexisting territories and provided relative peace over wide areas. The collapse of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE), which was the first great land-based empire in East Asia, came after a period of war, confusion, and tyrannical rule. Due to the political disorder that stemmed from the early dynastic activity, the emergence of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE- 228 CE) sprung to focus on restoring order. On the other hand, the rise of the Roman Empire (44 BCE- 476 CE) originated from consolidating authority over aristocratic landlords and overriding the democratic elements of the earlier Republic. Instead, the Roman Empire redefined the concept of “citizen” as subjects to
Numerous land-based empires and regional states had existed before 3rd century BC. However, none of these empires could be compared to the Han Dynasty in China and the Imperial Rome. The cultural identity built during the Han Dynasty such as the family-organized ancestor worship and culture centered on the Classic Confucian teachings had been influential for the development of China for several centuries . On the other hand, the Roman Empire had shown their authority over the Mediterranean Region and introduced the concept of “citizen” which influenced the development of states even after its fall . In general, both of these empires became powerful and influential forces during their times.
China is the third largest nation in the world it has 3,691,502 square miles. China boarders’ thirteen countries, including Russia and Mongolia to the north, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam to the south and India to the southwest, The Yellow Sea, the South China Sea, and the East China Sea to the east. The climate is extremely diverse, ranging from subarctic to the north and tropical to the south. Hills, plains and deltas characterize the eastern regions. China also hold the highest point in the world, the great and ever challenging Mount Everest, on the border between
The Himalayan Mountains as well as the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts isolated the Chinese civilization. This seclusion slowed cultural advancements from taking place in the region. Travelers did eventually arrive in China and brought with them new technologies and goods from outside the region. 1, 3
Before the Qin Dynasty, China was composed of a network of city states that were loyal to the Chinese king. The seven Warring States had their own institutions that were run by aristocrats. The Qin Dynasty took initiative to expand their territory and to unite the Chinese empire together. Through their ruthless military techniques the Qin Dynasty was able to conquer the city states in China. The Qin Dynasty ruled from 221 BCE – 206 BCE; during their regime, Emperor Qin’s primary goal was to unify the Chinese people. Even though the Qin Dynasty was a short-lived empire, it played a major role in unifying the Chinese empire and provided a foundation for succeeding regimes through a centralized government, standardized systems, and through infrastructure.
During the Song dynasty, many new forms of food found their way to the mouths of the Chinese people. Every sort of edible vegetable, insect, or offal was used in the cooking to compensate for the numerous famines. Only some extreme religious people had reservations about eating certain foods, fervent Buddhists and ascetic Taoists. The former ignored strong-smelling vegetables, meat, and eggs while the latter abstained from cereals. Coincidently, the people of Hangchow did not eat beef as the ox was a faithful companion of man, and quite difficult to raise in the south.
family would be the head of household. He would also be the one to perform
We live in a brilliant civilization, the centre of the world. Our civilization of Ancient China began 1766BC, and seems to come to an end now, in 220AD, the year of the fall of the Han Dynasty. The very first dynasty of Ancient China was the Shang Dynasty, founded in 1523BC, however, the traditional date of the founding is 1766BC. The Zhou Dynasty was then established in 600BC, beginning the dynastic cycle. This is our
As with all oracular processes, chance remains a pivotal aspect of divining the future. The use of divination in the context of Ancient China is a way of explaining the unknown. Known in the Western sphere as The Book of Changes, the Yijing/I Ching–conversely known as Zhouyi–is a document that was incepted during the Bronze Age for the purposes of divination. The contents of the Yijing holds “sixty-four short chapters, each consisting of three elements: a hexagram, a hexagram statement, and six line statements. The hexagrams are drawings of six parallel lines, some whole and some broken. The two kind of statements…explain the mantic value of each hexagram and each line.” The creation of the hexagrams were attributed to Fuxi, a ruler
To become a civilization, there were seven traits a society must endure. For example, the arts. It could have been pottery or a statue, and it taught people to value beauty. Each one of the seven traits brought something to contribute to a civilization. Technology was an invention, like the wheel, that impacted a civilization by making the people’s lives easier. Furthermore, there was government. Furthermore, there was government. Government was people like kings and rulers, who helped civilians run smoother lives by enforcing laws. Adding on to that, there was also social structure. Social structure distinguished people in classes. Those classes included the low class, the middle class, and the high class. Also, there was writing. Generally, writing was people, like scribes, and a type of writing called cuneiform. What scribes did was keep records of daily life, important events, and more. Nowadays, cuneiform helps us identify
China's geography was very large because it is a very large country. The have a lot of natural barriers including mountains, rivers and deserts. The south is wet and tropical, with some rainforest. North-west China is covered in desert. The chinese people adapted to this by making many unique civilizations that were separated from any other civilization. The civilizations were unique because the natural barriers caused them not to be able to get to any other civilization so each one had unique ideas and inventions. If there wouldn't have been natural barriers then there would probably be less civilizations or the civilizations would be similar because they get get to each other and copy ideas and inventions.