Ancient China - Dynasties

Xia Dynasty

• Ruled north of the Yellow River
• Not much is known about this dynasty
• A few debates on its existence

Shang Dynasty

• Earliest and most complete record of Chinese writing
• Highly skilled at working in bronze
• Lay largely in the valley of the Yellow River, but it touched the yangtze River at its southeastern corner
• Historical time was between 1st and 2nd thousand years BC, a time during which Moses lived
• Shang Ti - the head god (of this Dynasty)
• in charge of all vegetation, birth and growth

Zhou Dynasty

• Introduced a golden age of new ideas and philosophies.
• Legalism, Confucianism and Taoism (sometimes called Daoism) gave people philosophical rules to live by.
• The Chinese philosopher Confucius was born in this Dynasty.
• Use of iron was introduced to China
• All farming lands are owned by the nobles