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Lesson summary: Shang China
An overview of Shang China.
Key terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Shang dynasty | The first historically confirmed Chinese dynasty, the Shang ruled the Yellow River Valley of China from about 1766 BCE to 1046 BCE |
| Yellow River Valley | The fertile area between the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers; river valleys were the sites of many other civilizations, like the Indus River, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian civilizations |
| oracle bones | Bones or shells of animals on which Shang kings would ask questions to try to predict the future; this was one of the earliest systems of writing, and the script is related to modern Chinese |
| animism | The belief that everything has a soul |
| shamanism | The belief that some people—shamans—have the ability to communicate with the spiritual world |
| ancestor worship | The belief that spirits of dead family members have power to affect outcomes for their living relatives |
| bronze | An alloy of copper and tin which was a hugely important metal during the Shang period; Shang metal workers developed a highly sophisticated method for casting bronze and used it to make ceremonial objects and weapons |
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| c.1766 BCE —c.1046 BCE | Duration of the Shang Dynasty in the Yellow River Valley of China |
Key themes
Environment: Different types of societies have adapted to and affected their environments, and environmental factors affected where people settled. In fertile areas where successful agriculture was possible, civilizations were established and grew. The Shang Dynasty flourished along the Yellow River in China due to the right geographical and climatic conditions.
State building: Rulers of early states often claimed divine connections to power. Shang kings, who considered themselves divine rulers, consulted divine powers and ancestors for advice, wisdom, and good fortune. They often used oracle bones to ask for success in harvesting, hunting, or battle. Rulers also relied on the support of the military, religious, or aristocratic elites. The Shang enacted a feudal system and relied on a powerful aristocracy and military to maintain power.
Culture: Systems of record keeping arose independently in
all early civilizations and writing and record keeping subsequently spread. Oracle bones were one of the earliest systems of writing and were primarily used for religious and state purposes.
Review questions
- What environmental factors contributed to the rise of the Shang dynasty?
- What were three ways that Shang rulers maintained their power?
- In what context did a system of record-keeping and writing develop in Shang China?
Want to join the conversation?
What does social hierarchy mean exactly? And what is the significance of it during this time period?(5 votes)
Social hierarchy is like different rankings you can have in society. For example in Shang China the social classes were (in order): Kings/Royalty, Aristocrats, military, artisans and craftspeople, peasants. Basically, the higher up in the social hierarchy you are, the more power you have, the more money you have, etc.
The significance of social hierarchy is fairly simple. Depending on what social class you were in, you would be expected to act very differently. For example, a king wouldn't act like an artisan and a peasant wouldn't act like an aristocrat. The upper classes (kings, aristocracy, military) would be separated from the lower classes in most things.
I hope this cleared things up for you!(15 votes)
Why are there doubts on the existence of the Xia dynasty, and was it actually real?(3 votes)- why was it called the Xianrendong dynasty(2 votes)
Xianrendong is not a dynasty, it is a cave where important artifacts and archaeological digs were found. Also known as Xianren Cave or fairy cave, it is was founded in 18,000 BP. Famous and important discoveries of shards and ancient pottery fragments were found and was also one of the first places to have evidence of rice cultivation(1 vote)
People have not discovered a lot of evidence that the feudal system began in the Shang dynasty. It in fact started during the Zhou dynasty and ended after the Qin dynasty(1 vote)