Ancient China by Maria Backus illustrated by Corbin Hillam Author Maria Backus Illustrator Corbin Hillam Book Design and Production Good Neighbor Press, Inc. Copyright 2002 Milliken Publishing Company a Lorenz company P.O. Box 802 Dayton, OH 45401-0802 www.lorenzeducationalpress.com All rights reserved. The purchase of this book entitles the individual teacher/purchaser to reproduce copies by any reproduction process for single classroom use. The reproduction of any part of this book for use by an entire school or school system or for any commercial use is strictly prohibited.
Table of Contents Activities marked with an * can be used with one of the transparencies on at the back enclosed of the CD-ROM. book. Activities Timeline of Ancient China...................................1 * Facts About the Chinese Dynasties............................ 2 Family Life............................................. 3 Confucianism............................................ 4 Rural Life Versus City Life.................................. 5 The Four Social Classes.................................... 6 Building the Great Wall.................................... 7 Terra-Cotta Army......................................... 8 The Ancient Chinese Times................................. 9 Buddhism............................................. 10 Paper and Printing....................................... 11 Becoming a Civil Servant.................................. 12 * Chinese Symbols........................................ 13 Food in Ancient China.................................... 14 The Grand Canal........................................ 15 * The Silk Route.......................................... 16 Making Silk Cloth....................................... 17 Medicine.............................................. 18 Tangrams............................................. 19 * Chinese Inventions...................................... 20 * Chinese Calligraphy...................................... 21 * Chinese Architecture..................................... 22 The Mongols........................................... 23 The Ming Dynasty....................................... 24 Who s Who?........................................... 25 Chinese Projects......................................... 26 Learn More About Ancient China............................ 27 Answer Key........................................... 28 Transparencies Use with activities on... Map of Modern China A Picture Overview of the Chinese Dynasties page 2 The Great Wall page 7 The Chinese Dragon page 13 Mapping the Silk Route page 16 The Seismograph page 20 The Four Treasures of the Scholar s Studio page 21 Traditional Chinese Buildings page 22 ii
Teaching Guide for Transparency Pages Map of Modern China Let students become familiar with this area of the world by asking them to identify nearby countries, important bodies of water, major rivers, and cities. Mention that China s boundaries are formed by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Amur River to the northeast, two great deserts in the north and northwest, the Himalayas, mountains in the southwest, and several forested mountain ranges in the south. Ask students how these geographical barriers may have affected China for most of its history. A Picture Overview of the Chinese Dynasties This transparency can be used along with the activity, Facts About the Chinese Dynasties. The pictures on this transparency and the information in the activity help students gain an overview of both the order of the dynasties as well as a sense of the progression of ideas and events in ancient China. The Great Wall activity, Building the Great Wall. Note how the wall winds up and down the mountains and ask students what implications that had for construction. Ask students why they think the wall was so successful at keeping out invaders. The wall was supposed to be six horses wide at the top, eight at the bottom and five men high. Ask students to use that information to estimate the wall s height and width at the top. (The wall was, in fact, about 30 feet high and 15 feet wide at the top.) Roadways at the top of the wall were wide enough across to hold 10 soldiers side by side. The roadways connected the watchtowers, which were placed at 100-yard intervals. The forty-foot high watchtowers were large enough to house and protect a garrison of soldiers. Beacons for signaling were placed along the wall. Smoke signals were also used to call up reinforcements. The Chinese Dragon activity, Chinese Symbols. Ask students what symbols represent the United States. Then tell them that the dragon is a symbol that represents the country of China. Ask students to describe the characteristics of dragons in Western mythology. Explain that in Chinese mythology the dragon was not evil, although it could be powerful and sometimes fierce. In ancient China, the dragon was the god of rain who produced clouds when it breathed. It was the symbol of spring and new life. The dragon also became the symbol of the emperor. Mapping the Silk Route This transparency can be used after the activity, The Silk Route. Have students take turns at the overhead projector drawing in parts of the Silk Route with a nonpermanent marker. Begin at Chang an. Continue to Dunhuang and then past the Taklamakan Desert. Continue past the oasis city of Kashgar, through the Pamirs Mountains and on to Tashkent. Continue on to Herat, then to Baghdad, Damascus, and Tyre. Lastly, trace the route through the Mediterranean Sea from Tyre to Byzantium. The Seismograph This transparency can be used to motivate students to learn about other inventions in the Chinese Inventions activity. Cover the title and ask students what they think this invention iii
Teaching Guide for Transparency Pages might be. Introduce the term seismograph and explain that this invention was important because China experienced many devastating earthquakes. Next, have students study the picture and explain how they think this device worked. The seismograph looked similar to a bronze vase covered with dragons and toads. There were eight dragons heads evenly spaced around the outside of the vase. Each dragon had a ball in its mouth. A toad with its mouth open was below each dragon. When an earthquake occurred, a long metal pendulum inside the vase would swing in the direction in which the earthquake occurred. The pendulum would hit a rod inside the vase, which in turn would knock a ball out of a dragon s mouth. The ball would fall into the toad s mouth below. The ball came out in the direction in which the earthquake had occurred. This would tell the Chinese people in which direction to send supplies and aid. The Four Treasures of the Scholar s Studio activity, Chinese Calligraphy. In ancient China, calligraphy, poetry, and painting were known as the three perfections. These arts were considered the greatest accomplishment of an educated person. The Chinese would often combine these three arts in the form of a poetically inspired landscape painting with calligraphy running down the side. Show students examples of these types of paintings. The three perfections flourished under the Song Emperor Hui Zong, who was a gifted poet and painter. Ink Cake or Ink Stick Ink was produced by mixing pine soot with lampblack obtained from other burned plants. Next, animal glue was added to the mixture and then molded into a cake or sticks. The cakes were often molded into the shapes of dragons or mythological birds. Paper Paper was made from fibrous materials such as bamboo, hemp, or mulberry bark. Ink Stone Ink stones were made from stone or pottery. Calligraphers made ink by grinding the ink sticks or ink cakes with a small amount of water onto the ink stone. Writing Brush Writing brushes could be made out of lacquered wood and might be inlaid with mother of pearl. The brush hair might be made of wolf hair. Calligraphers and painters had many sizes and styles of brushes. Traditional Chinese Buildings activity, Chinese Architecture. Ask students to point out traditional architectural features. Mention the multi-tiered pagoda (Buddhist temple), the curved overhanging tile roofs on the residences of wealthy people or on official buildings, and the raised platforms of rammed earth, brick, or stone. Ask students to speculate why the pagoda had so many tiers, why the houses had curved overhanging tile roofs, and why they were built on platforms. iv
Name Timeline of Ancient China about 6000 B.C.E. about 5000 B.C.E. about 3000 B.C.E. PREDYNASTIC CHINA Farmers settle in the Yellow River valley. Rice is cultivated in southern China. The plow is first used in China. Silk fabric is produced. DYNASTIC RULE Shang Dynasty Bronze age kingdom is centered near the Yellow River. 1766 1122 B.C.E. Writing emerges. Zhou Dynasty Chinese literature begins. Confucius teaches about duty, 1122 256 B.C.E. honor, and public service about 500 B.C.E. Warring States Period 481 221 B.C.E. Nobles from separate states fight for control of China. Qin Dynasty Shi-Huangdi becomes China s first emperor. He orders 221 206 B.C.E. the building of the Great Wall. Han Dynasty Trade with Europe via the Silk Route begins. Paper is 202 B.C.E. C.E. 220 invented in C.E. 105. Three Kingdoms C.E. 220 581 Sui Dynasty C.E. 581 618 Tang Dynasty C.E. 618 907 Song Dynasty C.E. 960 1279 China splits into separate states. Buddhism spreads across China. China is reunited as one country. The Grand Canal makes it easier to travel around China. Literature and the arts flourish. Landscape painting, poetry, and calligraphy flourish. The Mongols gain control of all China. Printing and gunpowder are invented. Yuan Dynasty Marco Polo visits China between C.E. 1279 1368 C.E. 1275 1292 Ming Dynasty C.E. 1368 1644 This period is known for its porcelain, architecture, and popular literature. 1
Name Facts About the Chinese Dynasties China s first dynasty, or ruling family, was the Shang (1766 to 1122 B.C.E.). During this dynasty, the Chinese developed fine metalwork. A system of writing also emerged. Nobles ruled the rural population from walled towns. The main form of transportation was the horse and chariot. Emphasis was placed on ancestor worship. The Zhou dynasty began in 1122 B.C.E. During this dynasty, two philosophers greatly influenced Chinese thought. Confucius stressed duty, honor, and public service. Lao Tsu taught that people needed to live a simple life in harmony with nature. The Zhou dynasty lasted until 256 B.C.E. Between 481 and 221 B.C.E., war broke out between separate states or areas in China. Nobles fought each other for supremacy. Hundreds of thousands of men were killed in battles. This period is called the Warring States period. The Qin dynasty lasted from 221 to 206 B.C.E. Shi-Huangdi from the state of Qin, gained control over the warring states to become the first emperor of China. He kept out invaders by building the Great Wall. Because he was such an oppressive ruler, he made many enemies. Civil war broke out after his death. The next dynasty was the Han (202 B.C.E. C.E. 220). Trade with Europe began during this dynasty. Paper was invented around C.E. 105. A rebellion ended the Han dynasty in C.E. 220, and China split into separate states again. During this period, Buddhism, a religion originally from India, spread across China. The Sui dynasty (C.E. 581 618) followed next. During this period, the Grand Canal was built. During the Tang dynasty (C.E. 618 907), literature and the arts flourished. Diplomats, scholars, and poets from many countries gathered in Chang an, the largest city in the world. Rebellions weakened the empire and China again split into several states. China was brought back together in C.E. 960 by the Song dynasty. Poetry, painting, and calligraphy reached new heights of perfection during this dynasty. By C.E. 1279, the Mongols controlled all of China. The last Chinese dynasty was the Ming, which lasted from C.E. 1368 to 1644. It was famous for its exquisite arts and crafts. On another sheet of paper, list the dates and the names of the Chinese dynasties in order. Next to each dynasty, write a key word or phrase that tells something important that happened during that dynasty. 2