1. How does the Yellow River (Huang He) get its name?
The Yellow River gets its name because of the yellow windborne clay dust called loess that is blown across the north of China from the steppes of Central Asia. The loess is blown into the river and gives it a yellow appearance.
2. Click the "story" link and read the story of Nu Gua. List 2 things that compare to other "creation" stories you know.
Answers will vary. Students could compare to Mesopotamian creation story or the Biblical story of creation.
3. What were 2 of the most prized materials in China and why?
Jade and bronze were the most prized materials in Ancient China. Jade was believed to have magical properties and to preserve the dead. Bronze was used to make ritual vessels, pots, bells, mirrors, and weapons.
4. What was made in a Kiln?
Ceramics (pottery)
5. When did the Shang Dynasty rule?
From about 1500 to 1050 BCE
6. Who united all of China?
Qin Shi Huangdi
7. How were tombs arranged?
Tombs were arranged with the objects that people would need in the afterlife - weapons, ritual vessels and personal ornaments.
8. Why were your ancestors important?
Your dead ancestors lived in the spirit world with the gods. They had the ability to influence the gods to bring good or bad luck to the people on earth. The people on earth could make offerings and hold ceremonies for their ancestors, to persuade them to bring good luck.
9. Click the "Explore" link and list 3 things you learn about Chinese tombs.
Answers will vary.
10. How is Chinese writing different from an alphabet?use a very different writing system to English.
English words are made up of a collection of letters that each has its own sound. The Chinese uselogograms- where a symbol represents a meaning or a word.
11. Click the "Explore" link and choose one item. List three things about the item you chose. Answers will vary.
12. How many miles does the Great Wall stretch?
It stretches approximately 13,170 miles (21,196 kilometers) from east to west of China.
13. The Great Wall we see today was mostly built during which dynasty?
The Wall we see today was mostly built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644).
14. What does Confucius have in common with Buddha, Jesus and Socrates?
As with many other prominent figures such as Siddhartha Gautama, Jesus, or Socrates, we do not have direct access to Confucius' ideas. Instead, we have recollections by his disciples and their students. This factor is further complicated by the "Burning of the Books and Burying of the Scholars", a massive suppression of dissenting thought during the Qin Dynasty, more than two centuries after Confucius' death. What we now know of Confucius' writings and thoughts is therefore somewhat unreliable.
15. Why was Confucius a "King without a Crown"?
Confucius tried to amass sufficient political power to found a new dynasty, as when he planned to accept an invitation from a rebel to "make a Zhou dynasty in the East".
16. According to the timeline, when did the Neolithic era in China begin?
About 8000 BCE
17. According to the timeline, when did the Qin dynasty end?
203 BCE
18. In early Imperial China, how was the Zhou dynasty divided?
Western Zhou (1046-771 BCE) and Eastern Zhou (770-256 BCE)
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