China Flashcards

Vocabulary

217167626	Yellow River	Also known as the Huang-He river. The second longest river in China and the sixth longest in the world. The majority of ancient Chinese civilizations originated in the Yellow River Valley.	0
217167627	Yangshao	First of two - Early Neolithic Society based on farming near the Yellow River. 5000 - 3000 BCE.	1
217167628	Banpo Village	Oldest neolithic village in China.	2
217167629	The Xia Dynasty	First (legendary) dynasty of China. From 21st century BCE to 16th century BCE.	3
217167630	Bronze Metallurgy and Horse-Drawn Chariots	Bronze Metallurgy transformed Chinese society during the Shang times and indeed may well have enabled Shange Rulers to displace the XIA dynasty. Came to China from Southwest Asia.	4
217167631	Horse-Drawn Chariots	Horse-Drawn Charitos cam to China from Southwest Asia.	5
217167632	Shang Political Organization	Relied on political allies, NOT a centralized state, vast networks of walled towns whose local rulers recognized the authority of the shang kings.	6
217167633	The Shang Capital at Ao	One of the earlist capitals of the Shang Dynasty. Walls of this city stood 10 meters (33 feet) and a width of 20 meters (66 feet) thick.	7
217167634	The Shang Capital at Yin	Located near modern Anyang. Was the capital during the last two or three centuries of the Shang Dynasty. Shang kings had large and lavish tombs that were constructed for them similar to those that the Egyptian Pharos. A royal palaces complex, archieved writings and residential nighborhoods were identified by Archaeologists.	8
217167635	Yellow River Valley	Also known as the Huang He Valley, a very fertile valley created by the Huang He River where many farmers settled for good agriculture.	9
217167636	The Rise of the Zhou	The people and dynasty that took over the dominant position in north China from the Shang and created the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify their rule. Remembered as prosperous era in Chinese History. The imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC.	10
217167637	The Mandate of Heaven	Chinese religious and political ideology developed by the Zhou, was the prerogative of Heaven, the chief deity, to grant power to the ruler of China.	11
217167638	Political Organization	A Decentralized administration that entrusted power, authority, and responsibility to subordinates who in return owed allegiance, tribute, and miitary support to the central government.	12
217167639	Weakening of the Zhou	Subordinates gradually established their own bases of power: they ruled their territories not only as allies of the Zhou kings but aso as long-established and traditional governments. Subordinates later on become more indpendent of the Zhou dynasty and sometimes ignored their obligations to appear at the royal court or to deliver tax proceeds.	13
217167640	Ruling Elites	Ruling Elites possessed much of the bronze weaponry that ensured military strength and political hegemony, and through their subordinates and retainers they controlled most of the remaining bronze weapons available in northern China.	14
217167641	Specialized Labor	A small class of free artisans and craftsmen plied their trades in the cities of ancient China.	15
217167642	Merchants and Trade	Long distance trade routes reached China during Shang and probably Xia times. Trade networks linked China with lands to the west and south early in the third millennium B.C.E.	16
217167643	Peasants	Peasants did not own land but provided agricultural, military, and labor services. They lived in small subterranean houses excavated to a depth of about one meter (three feet) protected frpm the elements by thatched walls and roofs. Women's duties included mostly indoor activities such as wine making, weaving, and cultivation of silkworms, whereas men spent most of their time outside working in the fields, hunting, and fishing.	17
217167644	Slaves	Slaves were mostly P.O.W.s (Prisoners of War) who were captured during battles between the many competing states of ancient China. Slaves performed hard labor, such as the clearing of new fields or the building of city walls, that required a large workforce.	18
217167645	Veneration of Ancestors	Chinese had great respect for their ancestors. Offered sacrifices at graves. Head of family in charge of rites to honor spirits. Buried material goods with their dead.	19
217167646	Patriarchal Society	Chinese society vested authority principally in elderly males who headed their households. Chinese men weilded public authority, but they won their rights to through virtue of the female line of their descent. Although it did not vest power and authority in women, this system provided solid reason for a family to honor its female members.	20
217167647	Oracle Bones	Bones with questions on them for the gods that were given to fortune tellers. Fortune tellers would put these bones in a far and let them crack. After they have cacked, the fortune teller reads what they see.	21
217167648	Zhou Literature	Book of Changes, Book of Rites, Book of History, and Book of Songs.	22
217167649	The Book of Songs	The Oldest of the Five Classics, preserves 305 of the earliest Chinese poems. Poems deal with political themes, ritual, and romance.	23
217167650	Destruction of Early Chinese Literature	Writings deteriated over time and when the emperial house of Qin ended the chaos of the Period of the Warring States and brought all of China under tightly centralized rule, the emperor order the destruction of all writings that did not have some immediate utilitarian value.	24
217167651	Steppe Nomads	Herders from central Asia, that worked on the steppe lands; often invaded rich countries: small, autonomous tribes, raid other tribes (steal goods, not kill people); wanted silk, wine, and grain from Chinese; raid China which leads to China developing cavalry by trading horses with nomads; develop outer frontier strategy.	25
217167652	Nomadic Society	Went from place to place searching for food and water. Nomads owned herds of animals, which provied meat and milk as well as skins and bones from which the nomads made clothing and tools.	26
217167653	The Yangzi Valley	Southern China; supports more intensive agriculture than the yellow river basin; known in China as the long river; carries enormous volume of water.	27