Ancient China Study Notes
How Silk was discovered in China
Legend of How Silk was discovered in China- Legend says that Chinese Empress Lei Tzu discovered silk by accident. She was sitting under a mulberry tree one day drinking a cup of tea in the shade. A cocoon from a silk worm fell in her tea cup. The strands of the silk unraveled as she took it out of her tea cup. The soft, beautiful, thin silky strands were amazing. Garment makers then began making beautiful silk fabric from the cocoon strands. Silk was very expensive so only the wealthy could afford to wear silk garments. For about 2,500 years, only the Chinese knew how silk fabric was made. To keep the silk making process a secret, China created a law that anyone who told the secret of how silk was made would be put to death. The secret eventually got out though. In AD 440, a Chinese princess smuggled silkworms out of China in her hairpiece. In AD 550, two monks took silkworms out of China hidden in their walking canes. The Chinese wanted this secret of how silk was made kept a secret for their own wealth and greedy desires. If no one else knew how to make silk, they would have to trade with the Chinese for it and at the Chinese's prices.
First Paper made in Ancient China
Paper Making- Around AD 105, Ts'ai Lun found a way to make paper from tree pulp. He soaked chopped pieces of mulberry tree bark in water. Then mashed up the bark and pressed it flat to remove most of the water from it. Ts' ai Lun then let it dry in the Sun. This created very inexpensive sheets to write on. Later on other items such as; old rags and fishing nets were used instead of tree bark, as well as vegetable fiber, rice straw, and bamboo canes were also used to make paper.The Chinese kept this paper making process a top secret from the rest of the world for hundreds of years. It took 500 years before this paper making procedure reached Europe. This was because the Chinese made alot of economic gain by being the only one able to trade paper to other parts of the world.
Ancient Chinese Inventions (Continued)
The Ancient Chinese were the first to: A) First to use coal for heating B) First to make silk clothing from the cocoons of silkworms. C) First to use kites for communication, not just a fun toy on a windy day. D) First to create a compass using lodestone. This aided sailing ships' direction. E) Some believe the Ancient Chinese invented the first windmills, not the Dutch.
Emperor Qin Shi Huang, aka-(Emperor Ch'in)
Ancient China is one of the world's oldest civilizations. People have lived in China since 5,000 BC. Ying Zheng was born in 259 BC. He united all the different kingdoms of China by 221 BC. He was the first Emperor and was then named Emperor Qin Shi Huang, also called Ch'in. Ch'in is where the country's name China originated from. Ch'in was a harsh ruler. He forced all citizens to use the same writing system, money, weights and measures. He did build roads to connect different kingdoms. He built numerous beautiful places in the then capital of Xian. Ch'in did not like scholars and their books. He thought educating common people was a waste of time that they could be working and growing crops. Ch'in ordered all the scholars' books burned except for the books on medicine and farming. He buried some scholars alive and forced many others to work on the building of the Great Wall of China. Emperor Ch'in also did not like Confusius or his teachings. He also had all of his writings burned as well. He was so harsh a ruler and disliked by the Chinese people, that he lived in constant fear of his live being harmed or he would be murdered. So much so that he never stayed in the same palace more than one night in a row. He also made people that looked like him to stand in for him, at meetings where he thought his life might be in danger. He required thousands of workers to work for over 11 years to build his elaborate burial tomb. He died in 210 BC after he drank a potion that he believed would give him eternal life. He poisoned his own self.
China's Geography
China is part of the continent of Asia. China is the fourth largest country in the world. China is surrounded by the Gobi Desert on the Northwest side, the Himalayan Mountains on the Southwest side, and the Pacific Ocean on the Eastern side. These natural barriers helped China stay isolated from the rest of the world for many years in ancient times. China developed their own unique civilizations without much contact with other cultures.
Ancient Chinese Writing
Chinese Writing- In ancient times, Chinese wrote fortunes on turtle shells and ox bones. They then threw these items into a fire. The fire would make cracks in the shells and bones. Then a divine, a person trained to interpret the meaning of the cracks in the shells or bones. The divine would tell them if the fortune would come true or not.These earliest forms of writing date back over 3.500 years. Archaeologists learned that the pictures on these burned shells and bones did not represent letters and sounds but instead whole words. There were more than 2,500 characters that had to be learned in order to read a Chinese textbook. This made learning to read and write Chinese difficult in earlier times. Today the Chinese use an updated writing system called Pinyin. Pinyin is taught and uses the Roman alphabet for the various symbols. This makes it much easier for people to learn to read and write using the Chinese alphabet.
Ancient Chinese Inventions
Chinese inventions we use today: A)The Chinese invented the first firecrackers and used gunpowder to make them. B) The Chinese developed the first paper and block printing which made copying books easier. Before, they had to recopy everything by hand. The world's oldest paper book dates back to China in AD 256. C) Chinese invented the first toothbrushes thousands of years ago. D) Chinese invented the first Soccer game. E) Chinese invented the first paper money. F) Chinese invented eyeglasses. G) Chinese invented umbrellas and waterproof clothing. H) Chinese invented the harness and stirrups.
Confucius
Confucius was a great Chinese wiseman and philosopher. He was born in 551 BC and was named Kong Qiu. He became a great thinker and philosopher for his wisdom and wise saying and quotes.He taught that one must respect those in authority, such as: government leaders, teachers, and your parents. He believed the need of society and family should come before one's own needs. He thought the best way to live one's live could be summed up with this very well known saying, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Confucius also said, "Seal your mouth three times before speaking." Another quote he is noted for is, "By nature, people are pretty much alike- it is learning and practice that sets us apart." ***Remember that Emperor Ch'in did not like Confucius or his writings because Ch'in was threatened by the power Confucius' words had on other people and his popularity. He had his writings burned in China.
Forbidden City of Beijing
The Forbidden city was the home to 24 emperors of the Qing and Ming dynasties. It's building was started in 1406 and lasted for 14 years. The building used millions of workers to construct it. It had a 26 foot high wall and 20 foot moat all the way around it to keep people out of the city. The city had 9,000 rooms and 800 buildings within the wall. This made it the largest palace complex in the world. No one was allowed to visit the Forbidden City for over 500 years, unless invited by the Emperor. That did not happen often though. It was punishable by death to try to get in the city. The Forbidden City was opened in 1949 to all Chinese citizens and today it is open to tourists as a museum.
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China- This wall was started in 220 BC by Emperor Ch'in. This wall stretched close to 4,300 miles long. The wall was 25 feet high and 15-30 feet wide. Watch towers were built every so often along the wall. Watchmen used smoke signals to communicate during the day and fires to communicate with each other at night. The Great Wall of China was the longest ever built. The wall was built to protect China and help defend it against invaders. It was also a way for men and supplies to be transported to many different parts of China. The wall was built entirely by hand. The Great Wall of China went up and down mountain ranges, down into valleys, and across the deserts of China and enclosed all of the Chinese Empire. The Great Wall of China was viewed from space by astronauts. It is said that the wall if constructed today, all the dirt and stone used to build the wall could build an 8 foot wall all the way around the Earth.
The Silk Road
The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that ran between China and lands to the west of China such as: India, Persia, Arabia, North Africa, and Europe. Monks, missionaries, and soldiers would trade with people from these countries along the Silk Road. Merchants also gave items such as silk and spices to nomadic people for them to trade during their journeys on the Silk road. Travelling on the Silk Road was dangerous because of bandits robbing them, tough terrain, and harsh climates that they experienced on their journeys there. People not only shared goods with one another on the Silk Road, they also shared their cultures with others they traded with as well.
Terracotta Soldiers Army
The Terracotta Soldiers were discovered in 1974 near Xian, by local people digging wells in the area. There were 8,000 life size soldiers and hundreds of life sized horses also made of terracotta. No two soldiers were the same, they all had different hairstyles and facial expressions. The bottom half of the soldiers were solid and the top half were hollow. Terracotta is a type of clay.These Terracotta Soldiers were created to guard the burial tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, (Emperor Ch'in.) Archaeologists also found wooden chariots, and various weapons as well. Today, this is a popular tourist attraction in China.
The Ancient Chinese mummified their dead.
The ancient Chinese used the mummification process for preserving their dead, much like the Egyptians.Archaeologists have found more than 100 well preserved mummies in China to date. Takla Makan- Mummies discovered in 1980's in north western China. These were very well preserved. These mummies were more than 4,000 years old. This would have been more than 100 years older than Egypt's King Tut's mummy. Another mummy was found that was 6 feet and 6 inches tall. This was very tall for that time). The mummy had long reddish hair. It had on a purple-red suit. It had horizontally striped striped stockings of red, yellow, and blue. This mummy was buried with 10 hats within the tomb with it. Archaeologists found the mummy of a baby girl with red wool in her nostrils of her nose and little blue stones covering her eye sockets. She was buried with a cow horn cup and a bottle. ***The most unusual and unexplained thing about all of these mummies was that the bodies were not Chinese people but Caucasian, white complexioned people. Archaeologists still cannot figure out how these caucasian skinned, tall, thin, with pointed noses, blond or red hair, and deep set eyes, found their way to China so many thousands of years ago. This is still a great mystery today...
Three Gorges Dam, in China
Today China is the highest populated county in the world with more than 1.3 billion people. This creates a huge problem creating enough energy for all these people. China built the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric dam to help provide the much needed energy for the Chinese people.The dam is 600 feet tall and its reservoir stretches over 400 miles. The building of the Three Gorges Dam caused more than a million people to have to leave their homes in order for the dam to be built. Building the dam also submerged hundreds of cities, towns, and villages as well, in order for the dam to provide the necessary power to the Chinese people. Everyone did not agree with its being built.
Chinese Rivers
Two most important rivers in China are the Yangtze River and the Huang He or (Yellow River). The Yangtze River is the largest river in China. Today, the capital city is Shanghai. Shanghai is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River. The Huang He (Yellow River) is also known as the River of Sorrows because when it floods, it destroys many things. As the river floods, it collects silt(mud) as it flows. This makes this the muddiest river in the world.In 486 BC, the Chinese workers built what is now the oldest and longest canal. The canal connects the Yangtze and the Huang He Rivers. The canal is 1,114 miles long. This canal is still an important waterway in China today.