Chapter 7 Geography of China, The First Dynasty and

Vocabulary, People and Places

The Big Picture page 160

1. Where is the “The Roof of the World located and why is it name that?

2. Where does the Huang River start, what area does it go through and where does it end?

3. What does the Huang River do in the summer?

4. When did China’s oldest civilization grow and what were they like?

1. What kind of silt does the Huang River pick up as it goes through the hilly region after the Ordos Desert?

2. Why is Loess been a blessing and a curse to Chinese Farmers?

3. What is the world’s muddiest river in the world?

1. Why did China’s farmers could not afford to let the Huang River to overflow freely?

2. What is are Levees and how did the Chinese use them?

3. Why did the Canals get constantly clogged?

4. What did the Huang farmers grow?

5. Why did the Huang farmers have Erosion?

6. What happened when too much soil washes away and crops fail in the Huang Valley?

7. What did the north of the Huang Valley where there were windswept steppes?

8. How was life different in the Huang Valley compared to the Steppes?

1. What did the largest towns along the Huang River become?

2. What was Shang?

3. What was the Shang Dynasty?

4. How long did the Shang dynasty last and how do you become the ruler?

1. How did the Shang kings create new towns?

2. What was a Noble?

3. How were the towns protected if they were attacked?

4. What was Anyang?

5. How was the Shang society like a Pyramid?

1. Who was Fu Hao and how do we know so much about her?

2. When was a writing system developed?

3. What did the early writing system look like?

4. Why do you suppose no ancient writings on bamboo and silk survived?

5. What was the function of oracle bones?

6. How did Chinese writing change over time?

7. How did the oracle bones answer questions and tell the ruler what to do and give an example?