Ancient China

The Great Wall of China built about 214 BC is the only man made structure that can be seen from the moon.

The Huang or Yellow river  in northwestern China was the home of one of its first civilizations.  Like the Nile river in Egypt, it also overflowed its banks every year leaving a deposit of rich soil.  This soil was yellowish brown in color, and was called loess.   The people settled near this river since it gave them rich soil for farming. It's what gave the Yellow river its name.  Unfortunately, this flooding also caused great damage.  The Chinese build dikes to control the flow of the water.

Early China was ruled by powerful families called dynasties.  The Shang Dynasty was the first recorded leader.  During this Dynasty the Chinese learned to make metal tools and weapons.  They were one of the first people to use bronze which is a combination of tin and copper.  By heating it they caused a chemical change and produced the compound  bronze.  They also developed a written language that consisted of characters or pictures.

Families lived in extended groups and were ruled by the oldest male.  Women had no rights and were to obey their fathers when young, their husbands when married and their sons when widowed.

One of the  great teachers of Ancient china was Confucius.  He told the rulers that they must be fair to their people.  He also told the people that they should obey their leaders. He taught people how to be kind, helpful, and honest.

The Chinese were the first people to make real paper.  They made it out of rags.

To protect China from invasion the Ch'in ruler, Shi Huangdi, built the Great Wall of China.  It is the only man made structure that can be seen from the moon.  It is 1400 miles (2,253 kilometers) long, 25 feet (7.6 meters) wide and 15 feet (4.5 meters) wide.   In order to protect his tomb he had 8,000 life sized soldiers built.  .  They are called the Terra Cotta Warriors.

The many contributions of the Chinese include dishes, paper, silk, and books.

OUR THOUGHTS ON LIVING IN ANCIENT CHINA     TERRA COTTA WARRIORS VIDEO