6th+hour+2011-2012+Shang

6th hour Shang 2011-2012

(McGlinn, 2011)

The Shang Dynasty was one of the first most civilized dynasties ever formed in the history of China. Most people believe that it was the first chinese civilization, but it was not. It was, however, one of the most civilized dynasties formed. It was still a very early dynasty in the ancient Chinese period, but not the first. It set the basis for a lot of Chinese life today, and it had great influences on items such as clothing, architecture, and other important Chinese items. The Shang Period lasted from around 1600 B.C., to around 1100 B.C.. It ruled for 500 years, and was and still is considered the greatest dynasty ever in China.
 * Introduction (Logan)**

//Above//: This is a drawing of the great Shang Dynasty. The shaded purple part is it'sd area, and the surrounding tan parts are parts of China, etc. (No More Void September 2007)
 * Written Language**

The Shang Dynasty were one of the first dynasties to ever have ruled China. One thing that seperates a simple settlement from a civilization is a written language. In 1899 two archaeologists stumbled across a find that would reshape history. One archeologist, being ill with malaria, was taking traditional Chinese medicine called “decayed tortoise shell”. When examining the shell he noticed there were ancient Chinese markings similar to modern day Chinese language. From this point on many researchers and archeologists worked and unearthed over 200,000 artifacts from many provinces near Anyang, China. At such an early stage there was no standard form of Chinese writing. Some writings would be vertical with each line moving towards the right and then some the exact opposite going horizontally from right to left. Scientists can now date each artifact that was discovered all the back to at least the Shang Dynasty period which instills the Shang Dynasty as one of the beginnings of civilization.

//Above:// Shang written language discovered on different artifacts. (No More Void, September 2007)


 * Public Works﻿ **

Three legendary dynasties of ancient China - the Xia, Shang, and Zhou - were known to us until recently only through writings from the Zhou Dynasty. But in 1928 archeologists began excavations of the last Shang capital in Anyang, China. "Oracle bones", inscribed with archaic characters, which had been sold for many years by farmers from that region to apothecaries in neighboring towns had been traced to the site of this ancient capital. More than 300 graves had been uncovered by 1935, ten of which were of enormous size and considered to be royal tombs. The Shang capital at Zhengzhou also shows the power of the Shang king through a sophisticated public works effort resulting in a city wall 4 miles around as high as 27 feet made of earth as hard as cement. Remains of post and beam construction testify to the advanced architectural knowledge of this civilization.

//Above:// Zhengzhou, the powerful Shang Kingdom. (No More Void, September 2007)

There were 3 main religions or beliefs in ancient China; Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Originally a more radical approach to Hinduism, Buddhism came to China from India during the Han dynasty, with the belief that meditation is key, and intoxicants cloud the mind. Daoism (sometimes spelled “Taoism”) was the belief that you had to be at peace with nature before others, this is where the idea of yin and yang was first introduced. Confucianism (founded by Confucius) held the belief that harmony was resulted when people accepted their place in society.
 * Religion (Sadallah)**

//Above:// This is a picture of a porcelain scuplture/decoration of Buddha in a meditating position. (Hao Hao Report, 2009)

Art in ancient China was very diverse, differing from mostly pottery and sculptures to paintings and drawings. One specific piece of art from this time period is the Shang Bronze Sculpture (a bucket showing extraordinary skill from Shang artists.) Works of architecture from this time (like the Forbidden City) was a style that combined carving, timberwork, and earth construction.
 * Art and Architecture (Sadallah)**

//Above:// This is the Forbidden City. (The China Guide, 2010)


 * Job Specialization (Logan)**

Early Chinese villages mainly consisted of two jobs, merchants and artisans. Merchants were the ones who exchanged food and crafts made by artisans for salt, shells, and other goods inaccessible to China only through foreign trade. Merchants often travelled long distances to get items and things needed in China. Artisans were the ones who supplied ancient China with weaponry, robes, jewelry, and other luxuries. The merchants would use these items crafted for them and/or nobles to trade with other parts of the world. Artisans normally only crafted for nobles before they were sent into battle, but eventually and occasionally a few items would be given to merchants in order to trade. The more high paying jobs were often the people who ruled the government, such as senators and local leaders like governors of small towns.

//Above:// This is an old picture of an ancient Chinese merchant selling to commoners/peasants. (Car Insurance Comparison, September 2011)
 * Social Class (Logan) **

In ancient China, the distinction between classes was very noticeable. The rich, wealthy governing rulers often wore silk robes and luxurious, hand woven clothing, living in the largest house in the city, usually a palace. The wealthy and rich men were most likely governing rulers, and had to make important decisions throughout the Dynasty. The royal families also dressed and lived accordingly and similarly, wearing only the finest clothing and living amongst the same palace as the wealthy man or woman they are related to. The upperclassmen were usually known as “nobles”, and were the highest citizen class one could receive. Most nobles lived in large stone and/or tinder houses, and had fine clothing to wear, along with enough to eat each night. The noblemen were the warriors and often bared bronze weapons. Peasant life consists of the middle class and the poor. Peasants were often farmers with rag tag clothing or soldiers.

The Shang dynasty’s governmental system consisted of one man and his advisors. The King ran everything there was during the dynasty. The King wasn’t chosen by the people, but instead was passed down a bloodline, usually to the eldest son of the family. During the Shang Dynasty 17 generations of Shang Kings ruled, every person in the royal family was considered a god by everyone in China. The Shang King was also treated perfectly by everyone in China, if not you would be executed instantly for treason. The Shang Kings had many wives but none of them were ever given any power, at least enough to be called a queen.
 * Government (Steve)**

(Above)This is a picture of where the king of the dynasty would live (Band Tour, 2010)

There weren’t many cities in the shang dynasty, most places that people lived were small villages on the outskirts of yin. Many other villages were located near the great wall which surrounded the shang empire, these villages were mostly home to laborers who built the wall. The city of yin also contained many tombs and sacrificial chambers for the lords to pray or be safe against an approaching army.
 * Cities (Steve)**



//Above:// This is a photo of what the shang capital Yin would looks like today. (Whuan Images, 2010)

All of these things together helped to form what is the Shang Dynasty. Were it not for the beautiful architectural feats that they had achieved, how would we define ancient Chinese culture, just think about it. Close your eyes, and think about ancient China, you will surely see a picture of the Forbidden City, or something of the sorts. Even the clothing they wore back then is still worn by some of the Chinese today. Many of there achievements not only made things either for them, but have been in use for centuries, were it not for inventions such as paper, how would we learn in classrooms, no homework, or tests (although not a particularly terrible idea) to test your students with and see how far they have come. The Shang Dynasty is undoubtedly one of the most important society's this earth has ever seen. ( Shang timeline of rule in China. Whuan Images 2009) —"Destiny, The Culture of China." //Thinkquest.org//. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. http://library.thinkquest.org/20443/g_way_of_life.html. —"History of Insurance | Car Insurance Comparison." //Car Insurance Quotes from Car Insurance Comparison .org - Compare Auto and Car Insurance Quotes and Get Free Quotes!// Web. 21 Sept. 2011. http://www.carinsurancecomparison.org/history-of-insurance/. —"A Historical Tour of the Forbidden City - Photographs and Pictures - Beijing, China." Web. 21 Sept. 2011. http://www.thechinaguide.com/forbidden_city/forbidden_city_historical_tour.html. —"The Buddha Factor: Positive Thinking Not so Powerful | Hao Hao Report." //Hao Hao Report | The Best China News and Blog Posts as Chosen by You//. Web. 21 Sept. 2011. http://www.haohaoreport.com/ChinaHealth/The-Buddha-factor-Positive-thinking-not-so-powerful. —"Five Original Writing Systems." //Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology//. Web. 21 Sept. 2011. [|http://chem.rutgers.edu/~kyc/ChineseLearn.html]. —"Shang Dynasty." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. []. —Timperly, Harold J. "Shang Dynasty." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, 24 Sept. 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. . —Karr, Karren G. "Shang Dynasty China - History for Kids!" //Kidipede - History for Kids - Homework Help for Middle School Social Studies//. Portland State University, 15 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. .
 * Conclusion**
 * Works Cited**