Activity Sheet Ancient China Introduction

A. Mapping Exercise


On the map of China mark and label the following features:
1. Himalayan Mountains
2. Gobi Desert
3. Tibetan Plateau
4. Yangtze River
5. Yellow River
6. South China Sea
7. Pacific Ocean
8. Great Wall of China
9. Grand Canal
10. Beijing
11. Xiian
12. Mongolia


B. Read the section on page 184 The Impact of Geography on what people ate.
Answer the Activity questions page 185 (Check your understanding questions 1 and 2,
source questions 1-4 and apply your knowledge questions 1 and 2)

C. Dynasty Timeline
Ancient China covers 11,000 years of history! Fortunately, it's divided into big blocks of time.
It can be frustrating when people refer to the same blocks of time by different names. For example,
someone might say "in Shang times" or "in Han times", or they might say "in the Bronze Age" or "in
the Age of Division". They might say in the Chou Dynasty (when the Chou family ruled) or in the Zhou
Dynasty (when the Zhou family ruled)- but the Chou and Zhou Dynasties were the same dynasty, only
spelled differently. You can see why this might be confusing. So here is a summary:
Time Period Dynasty Quick Glimpse
Early
10,000-1500
BCE
Xia(Hsia)
Lungshan people, the great engineers
Silk, potters wheel, baked brick houses, flood control, irrigation
Bronze Age
1500-600
BCE
Shang
Zhou(Chou)

Rich Nobles & Poor Farmers
Oracle Bones (Shang)
Mandate of Heaven (Zhou)
Ancestor Worship
Chariots, bowmen, great royal
hunts, bronze candlesticks, feudal
lords, jade carvings, Chinese writing
(pictographs), calligraphy

Classical Age
600 BCE-
200 CE
Late Zhou
Qin (Ch'in)
Han

Building the Great Wall
First Emperor (Qin)
Confucius & Taoism (Zhou)
Silk Road (Han)
Central government, public schools,
mirrors, oil lamps,
fancy shoes, fireplaces, window
frames with coloured glass,
marble staircases
Chinese New Year & Lantern
Festival, Chinese Zodiac

Age of Division
200-600 CE

A bunch of
dynasties

Hu the Tiger
Invention of gunpowder
Tea! (Confucius probably never tasted tea, and it really didn't
become popular until T'ang times, but this era is when it first
started to be enjoyed.)
Early Medieval
Period
600-900 CE
T'ang
The Golden Age!
Furniture, ceramics, spoons, amber, turquoise, gold, silver,
goblets, teacups, sports, games, music, dancing, even a kind
of football, and a form of air-conditioning. Fancy hats, silk
robes, jade belts, Buddhism


D. If you still have time, find out about some of the Emperors in each Dynasty and where
each dynasty located its capital city.
Dynasty Date Emperors Capital City
Shang







Zhou







Qin







Han







Tang






Yuan






Ming











E. How to remember the Dynasties
(http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/timelines/china_timeline.htm#song)
"The Dynasties Song"
This "dynasties song," sung to the tune of "Frre Jacques,"
can help students remember the major Chinese dynasties in chronological order.
Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
Sui, Tang, Song
Sui, Tang, Song
Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republic
Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republic
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Courtesy of the teachers on the College Board AP-World History Listserv

F. Review Geographical Features of China
Read pages 180-183 in your textbook. Answer the Activity Questions on pages
183 (except the last question- Apply your knowledge, question 4).