A Blessing and a Sorrow: Huang He River Valley Civilization

E. Napp

Objective: To identify the location of the Huang He River in China and explain its impact on the development of civilization as well as describing key characteristics of early Chinese civilization

Do Now:

The Huang He River is also known as “China’s Sorrow”. Why do you think a river would be referred to as a “sorrow”? Isn’t a river a “blessing”? Explain your answer.

______

The Shang Dynasty, 1600 – 1050 B.C.E.

The Shang Dynasty was a dynasty that made great contributions to Chinesecivilization. Scholars do not fully agree on the dates and details ofthe earliest Chinese dynasties, but most accept that the ShangDynasty is the first one to have left behind written records andsolid archaeological evidence of its existence. The Shang is thesecond dynasty of the Three Dynasties Period. Legends speak ofthe earlier Xia dynasty, but no written records from that time havebeen found to confirm this. Even though texts written later than the

Shang Dynasty mention the Xia Dynasty, Western scholars arguethat they are not enough to prove it truly existed. Therefore, mostWestern scholars regard the legendary Xia as an early civilizationthat existed between the Neolithic and Shang cultures. But many

Chinese scholars firmly believe that the Xia did indeed exist evenif written records have never been found. ~stanford.edu

Oracle Bones

The king or professional diviners hired by the king used oraclebones to make predictions about the future or to answer questionssuch as, “Will the king have a son?”, “ Will it rain tomorrow?”, “Ifwe send 3,000men into battle, will we succeed?”, or even “Is thelong drought caused by ancestor X?”

The scribe carved the question onto a bone (most often the shoulder bones of water buffalo or other cattle) or a tortoise plastron. On the other side ofthe bone or plastron he would carve a number of small pits. Hethen inserted a hot metal rod into these pits until the bone cracked;and the king or diviner interpreted the cracks. Then, on the otherside of the bone, the scribe carved the answer and the eventualoutcome.

By analyzing oracle bone inscriptions, other artifacts, and archaeological sites such as tombs and ancient cities, scholars havebeen able to piece together many details of Shang civilization. They have confirmed the names of its kings, its style of government,its military history, its religious beliefs and rituals, and its society.

Questions:

  • Provide one example of a question asked on an oracle bone. ______
  • What kind of bone was an actual oracle bone? ______
  • Why was a hot metal rod inserted in the oracle bone? ______
  • Why are oracle bones important to archaeologists? ______

Civilization in China emerged around 1500 B.C. It emerged gradually out of Neolithic farming and pottery makingcultures that had long been present in the Yellow River region of East Asia. The establishment of the Shang kingdom at this point in time gave politicalexpression to a combination of civilizing trends. The appearance of a
distinctive and increasingly specialized elite supported by the peasantmajority of the Chinese people, the growth of towns and the first cities, thespread of trade, and the formulation of a written language all indicated thata major civilization was emerging in China.
Though the political dominance of the Shang came to an end in 1122 B.C.E. under the new royal house of the Zhou, civilized development in China was enrichedand extended as the Chinese people migrated east and south from their originalYellow River heartland. By the end of the Zhou era, which would lastofficially until 256 B.C., many of the central elements in Chinesecivilization, one of humankind's oldest, were firmly established. Some ofthose elements have persisted to the present day. ~Adapted Peter N. Stearns

Questions:

  • What happened in China that gave rise to civilization? ______
  • What were several characteristics of early Chinese civilization during the Shang dynasty? ______
  • What dynasty replaced the Shang dynasty? ______
  • Analyzing the Chart: The Dynastic Cycle and the Mandate of Heaven

  • What does a new dynasty bring and/or do? ______
  • By the new dynasty has become an old dynasty, what is occurring or happening? ______
  • What does the old dynasty lose? ______
  • Another term for the “Mandate of Heaven” is the “right to rule”. What do you think this means? ______
  • What are problems that occur as a dynasty becomes an old dynasty? ______
  • After the old dynasty is overthrown, what does the new dynasty claim? ______
  • So, why is this called the dynastic cycle? ______
  • Until 1911, China had dynasties and a dynastic cycle. For your summary, define the following terms:

Dynasty: ______

Mandate of Heaven: ______

Dynastic Cycle: ______