Origins

Origin of Chinese Civilization

Humankind in Nature

1.

Does Chinese civilization have pre-history of its own?

2.

Paleolithic Age

3.

The Neolithic Age

- around 1 million to 10,000 B.C.

- after 10,000 B.C.

old stone age

new stone age

Shandingdong Man , Homo sapiens (Wise Man modern human)

- found in 1933, around 18,000 years agao.

Peking Man (Homo erectus Upright Men)

- more than 500 thousands years ago

Zhoukoudian,
Beijing
1921 ~ 1929

Bone needle,for making clothes

and stone-jewelry

Yangshao
Longshan
others

Paleolithic Age

The Neolithic Age - Yangshao culture

- colorful pottery

Around 4000 B.C.

Centered on the upper and central Yellow River

The origin of dragon?

Andrias

Found in 1958, in Gansu province

rose-like graph

The Neolithic Age - Longshan Culture

- black, hard, fine (eggshell) pottery

Around 3000 B.C. to 2000 B.C.

central and lower Yellow River

Bronze Age of China

Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C. ~ 1100 B.C.)

the beginning of real history

Eggshell goblet

1976, Shangdong province

Shang Dynasty (1600 1100 BC)

The Xia (Hsa ) culture directly succeeded the Longshan

Black Pottery culture was also the precedence of early
Shang culture. Those cultures peacefully inherited.

Although matured lately, the bronze culture of Shang

reached the top of the world comparing with other areas.

The Shang built the first centralized super-power in China

proper.

for cooking meal

for worshiping the God

Shang people were religious.

[ di ]

Emperor (of the Heaven)

Its original share is an alter

worshipping the God.
The kings of Shang even
thought that their direct
ascendants would become
gods after they died.
Gods would surely protect
the ruling of Shang Dynasty.

Ono (yue )

a large, heavy axe

Symbol of power

for worshiping, not weapon

from the Tomb
of Fu Hao

~ 1200 B.C., was

found in 1976
More 700 jades
and 400 bronze
objects

Chinese hieroglyph

The Shang had a fully developed system of writing

The first Chinese historical records preserved

the Madam

A son between two women

good

Inscriptions attested on bronze vessel , oracle bones.

With son and women, thats

very good!

Fu Hao, the Madam Good, the name of the master of

the Tomb. She is a queen of a king of Shang Dynasty.

Pig

bird

fish

scorpion

cow

sheep

The "oracle bones" .

The Shang had a fully developed system of writing

Their civilization was based on agriculture.

Military: bronze ( alloy of copper and tin) weapon, chariots ()

Divination ()

the king would even perform oracle bone divinations himself,

especially near the end of the dynasty.

human sacrifice ()

The Shang kings got oracle on bones for everything in their daily life,
e.g., warfare, hunting, birth of baby, harvest, natural disaster etc.

Painting on the Altai Mountain, Mongolia Republic

Oracle bone texts often asked about harvests of millets (, ).

message/hints from God

Inscriptions attested on bronze vessel , oracle bones.

Slaves were killed to worship the God and ancestors, or

buried alive in the royal tomb.

The character of Chariot

on the Oracle bone
scriptof the
Shang Dynasty.

Is it exactly the same picture in

the Mongolian steppe?

Scholars believe that the use of

Chariot, and also horse, was
transmitted from Central Asia to
East Asia through the steppe.

The Shang dynasty learnt it and

built up a strong military force.

Wine Lovers

High agricultural level got great harvest.

Many extra grains were used to make wine.
The Shang nobles were criticized that they had lost the dynasty
because they always got drunk.

Vessels for warm wine

Western Zhou

Chinese culturalism

West Zhou Dynasty

(1100 B.C. ~ 771 B.C.)

Zhou was a western tribe in nowadays Shaanxi.

They inherited the culture and rulership of Shang
with further development.
A new concept of Mandate of Heaven and
Son of Heaven

Zhou replaced Shang successfully, instead of blessing by

ascendant-god, because of the Mandate of Heaven for
their high morality.

Ritual Wine Vessel (Guang )

~ 977 B.C.

Found in 1976, Baoji, Shaanxi province

Before 841 B.C.

Western Zhou
The King (the son of Heaven)

Fengjian (Chinese Feudalism)

Feudal lords with noble status, city, people, vassal

A ruling method based on lineage
Clan rule

Duke Zhou and the social system of Li (norms and

()
rites)
noble
The cultural homogeneity, isolated continuity
Not Nationalism, but Culturalism

Feudal lord

Noble-minister

ClanLaw
Knight-gentry

Free people

The eldest son of the consort

would inherit the title and
retained the same rank within
the system.
Other sons from the consort,
concubines, and mistresses
would be given titles one rank
lower than their father.

Chinese Civilization was independent

But China was so far away from those high civilizations

blocked with vast desert, ocean, and mountain ranges.

Those barbarian cultures around ancient China were

much lower.

Agricultural civilization

City was not trading site but political centre.

Within the Four Great Ancient Civilization, the

Mesopotamia (Fertile Crescent) and the Egypt
exchanged goods and culture for a long time.

The Indus Valley Civilization also exchanged with the

Mesopotamia through the Persian Gulf.

Even those Greek city-states exchanged with Egypt and

Mesopotamia through the Mediterranean Sea.

Business, cities, and maritime trade were very important

Greek