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The First Dynasties of China
Shang towns were important because they served
as important production centers; the farmers of the town supplied food, and the workers made clothing and other products for
the Shang rulers.
One can see that the Shang rulers were quite wealthy as archaeologists have found (what appear to be) palaces,
bronze cups, chariots, stone carvings, royal tombs, and evidence of slavery, all of which are signs of wealth.
 Early Chinese writing and
 <cuneiform are alike simply because both used signs that looked like pictures of objects.
Priests utilized
oracle bones to answer questions about the future!
Shang
Beliefs
The people of the Shang dynasty believed their gods controlled nature and their ancestors lived in
another world but had no power over life.
The highest order of Shang gods were the nature spirits which included
the wind gods, earth gods, river gods, and thunder gods.
There were also gods in charge of specific natural features
such as the "Sire of the Ho, " who was the god of the Huang River.
The Mandate of Heaven assisted the
Zhou dynasty in winning the confidence of the people because it gave the Zhou the approval of Heaven to replace the "evil"
Shang king so long as they ruled fairly, helped the people, and performed proper religous rituals.
The Duke of Zhou kept the infant son of Wuwang in power and defended the kingdom by defeating a Shang rebellion thereby
showing great leadership.
 The Duke of Zhou
The production of iron and iron products was important to the Zhou dynasty because iron
was used to make weapons including swords and daggers which were used in the border wars fought by the Zhou.
Ironworkers made sculptures of animals and also manufactured agricultural tools such as knives.
Under the Zhou
Dynasty, irrigation improved, and farmers started using organic fertilizers. People also learned how to drain swamps
and lakes which created more farmland.
The Zhou people began using horses which allowed them to send messages and
travel faster, to conquer neighboring areas, and to keep control more effectively.
If you compare the Zhou's system
of government with that of the Shang's you'll notice that what they have in common is the smaller states in the kingdom were
ruled by the king's relatives and friends.
What is different about the 2 kingdom's government's is that the Zhou
ruler's couldn't control that much land! They said that their right to rule was based on the Mandate of Heaven.
Interestingly enough, the Shang believed that the king received help from his ancestors.
The "Warring States
Period"lasted from 475 B.C. to 221 B.C. and it was a time when many local rulers in China went to war with each other!
During the Warring States Period it was mostly terrible. However, philosophy advanced.
Local rulers
tried to obtain the best thinkers and scholars to help them rule their state of the kingdom wisely. Ultimately, local
rulers wanted to bring PEACE and UNITY to China!
Lao Zi believed in following the order of nature and did not especially
value wealth or worldly power.
(Above: Lao Zi)
China changed from the Shang dynasty to the Warring States Period in many great ways!
The Chinese developed many new skills such as:
*an improved system of writing
*acquiring a larger empire
However, the empire began to collapse when war began!
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