1. Huang He-Yellow River
1.1. The Huang He(yellow) river stretches across China for more than 2,900 miles
1.2. The Huang He (yellow) river carries the rich yellow silt all the way from Mongolia to the Pacific ocean
1.3. Although China has Two major rivers running through it, only 10% of it's land is fertile and has rich enough soil to grow crops, unlike the 19% by the United States.
1.4. Another negative part is that China is surrounded by rivers and mountains, so they can't trade their crops and livestock. They have to rely on their own food source.
2. Religion
2.1. Shang/Zhou
2.1.1. Confucianism- based on the teachings of a scholar named Kong Fu Zi, better known in the west as Confucius. They believed that the love and respect had disappeared during his lifetime and that its disappearance was responsible for the violence in the society.
2.1.2. Daoism- Unlike Confucianism, which focuses on improving society, Daoism encourages people to retreat from the laws of society and yield to the laws of nature.
2.1.3. Shang Ti- means that the head god, rules over every other god.
2.1.4. The worships of ancestry was very important to their dynasties
2.2. Sumerians
2.2.1. Polytheism-worship and belief of many Gods. Temples and other monuments were built in thier honor.
3. Economy and Trade
3.1. Based on farming and trade.
3.2. They traded copper, tin and timber for fish, wool, wheat, and metal goods.
3.2.1. Sumerians:
3.3. As trade enriched them, social statuses began to form.
3.4. Shang/Zhou
3.4.1. Their main income came from growing crops and farming
3.4.2. Silk became China's main export
4. Social Structure and Family Life
4.1. Women had most of the same rights as men and were considered equal. Some women even became priests and artisans.
4.1.1. Sumerians:
4.2. Kings, landholders, and priests were the highest social class, next were wealthy merchants, and the lowest class consisted of slaves and farmers.
5. Geography and Agriculture
5.1. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
5.1.1. An arc of land in the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf called the Fertile Crescent. It had rich soil and abundant crops to sustain life in the early civilization.
6. Arts and Education
6.1. Shang/Zhou
6.1.1. The Kings tombs had valuable objects in them for example: the people put the remains od sacrificed people and animals in the tomb because they believed in afterlife.
6.2. Sumerians
6.2.1. Ruins and artifacts were proof of the Sumerians artistry and creativity.
7. Science and Technology
7.1. Sumerians:
7.1.1. Adept at creating objects from silver and other metals
7.2. Shang/Zhou
7.2.1. Invented writing, used oracle bones and strips of bamboo
7.2.2. Bronze technology
7.2.3. Creates the first decimal system and used the calendar
8. Government and Leaders
8.1. Sumerians:
8.1.1. -Priests held a high status
8.1.2. City states formed dynasties, which were a series of rulers from one family.
8.2. Shang/Zhou
8.2.1. -King Yao: Virtuous ruler bringing harmony to society
8.2.2. -King Shun: regulating the four seasons, weights, measures, and the units of time
8.2.3. -King Yu: rescued China from raging floods of yellow river
8.2.4. When the Zhou dynasty conquered the Shang, the leaders of the Zhou dynasty was worried that the Chinese people would not accept them. To gain acceptance from the Chinese people for them to rule, the Zhou introduced the idea that they ruled by the Mandate of heaven.