Chapter 5

Early Society in East Asia

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The Yellow River Huang He 3000 miles: Tibet to the Yellow

Sea Deposits fertile, light-colored

soil Periodic flooding: “China’s

sorrow”

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Prehistoric Society: Yangshao

5000-3000 B.C.E. Middle region of the Yellow River valley Banpo village Painted pottery Bronze tools

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The Earliest Dynasties

Xia ca. 2200 B.C.E. Organized through

village network Hereditary monarchy Flood control

Shang 1766-1122 B.C.E.

Zhou 1122-256 B.C.E.

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Shang Dynasty Bronze metallurgy

State monopoly Horse-drawn chariots, other wheeled vehicles Large armies Political organization: network of fortified

cities, loyal to center 1000 cities Capital moved six times

Impressive architecture at Ao, Yin Other regional kingdoms coexist: Sanxingdui

5

Shang Dynasty Burial Practices

Hierarchical social structure Burials alongside deceased member of ruling

class Sacrificial victims, mostly slaves Wives, servants, friends, hunting companions Later replaced by statuary, often monumental

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Zhou Dynasty, 1122-256 B.C.E.

No law codes: rule by decree “Mandate of heaven”

Aggregation of villages opposed to Shang leadership Decentralization of authority

Development of cheap iron weaponry ends Shang monopoly on bronze

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Decline of the Zhou Dynasty

Decentralized leadership style allows for building of regional powers Increasing local independence, refusal to pay Zhou

taxes Iron metallurgy allows for widespread creation of

weaponry Northern invaders weaken Zhou dynasty,

beginning eighth century B.C.E. Internal dissention: the Period of the Warring

States (403-221 B.C.E.)

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China During the Period of the Warring States, 403-221 B.C.E.

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Social Order

Ruling classes great advantage Palatial compounds, luxurious lifestyle Supported by agricultural surplus, tax revenues Defended by monopoly on bronze weaponry Hereditary privilege

Support class of artisans, craftsmen Evidence of long-distance trade, merchant class Large class of semi-servile peasants Slave class

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Family and Patriarchy

Devotion to family, ancestor veneration Connection of spirit world to physical world

Ritual sacrifices Father ritual head of family rites Earlier prominence of individual female leaders

fades in later Shang, Zhou dynasties

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Oracle Bones and Early Chinese Writing

Used for communicating with spirit world, determining future Question written on animal bones, turtle shells Then heated over fire; cracks examined for omens

Early archaeological evidence of Chinese writing Evolution of Chinese script

Pictograph to ideograph

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Oracle Bone from Shang Dynasty

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Zhou Literature

The reflections of Confucius Book of Changes

Manual for divination Book of History Book of Etiquette (Book of Rites) Book of Songs Little survived

Often written on perishable bamboo strips Many destroyed by emperor of Qin dynasty in 221 B.C.E.

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Nomadic Peoples of Central Asia

Steppe nomads Poor lands for cultivation, extensive herding activities Horses domesticated ca. 4000 B.C.E., bronze

metallurgy in 2900 B.C.E. Extensive trade with sedentary cultures in China Tensions: frequent raiding

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Southern Expansion of Chinese Society

Yangzi valley Yangzi River: Chang Jiang, “long river” Excellent for rice cultivation Irrigation system developed

The state of Chu Autonomous, challenged Zhou dynasty Culture heavily influenced by Chinese

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