Ancient China�History Alive

Lesson: Geography & �Early Settlement of China

China’s Geography

• For thousands of years, the ancient Chinese thought they were pretty much alone on the planet Earth. China's natural barriers to the west, south, and east helped to protect these early people from invasion.

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• China's natural barriers include seas - the China Sea and the  Yellow Sea, both located in the Pacific Ocean. These seas provide a huge coastline, which provided trade routes and easy access to food.

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Why did most early people settle �on the North China Plain?

• The Tibet-Qinghai Plateau and Northeastern Plain are too cold and dry for agriculture
• The Northwestern Deserts are too dry for agriculture
• The heavy rains of the Chang Jiang Basins may have made farming difficult
• The North China Plain was ideal because it has water, fertile soil, and a moderate climate

• China's natural barriers also include mountains, deserts, and rivers.  

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• Huang He, or the Yellow River, flows for more than 2,900 miles across China.
• This flooding was considered a gift and a curse. The flooding left rich, fertile soil to farm on but many people drowned.
• The river was nicknamed “China’s Sorrow”

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• Each year during the flood season, all homes along the Huang He River were destroyed. Each year, the ancient Chinese had to rebuild their homes and their lives. 

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• Over time, people learned the techniques of flood control. The rich began to build their homes high above the river.�

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What did the North China Plain offer to the early people that settled there?

• Huang He (Yellow River) was a source of water for farming

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• Silt from the flooding of the river helped to fertilize the land

• The Gobi Desert is one of the driest deserts in the world. In the Gobi, there is at least the hope of water, although an oasis is rare.

• The Taklamakan Desert, China's other desert, is nicknamed the Sea of Death. It offers poisonous snakes, frequent sand storms, boiling days, freezing nights, and intense water shortages. The Sea of Death is not a small desert. In fact, it is the second largest desert in the world.

How was China isolated from other civilizations because of it’s geography?

• The high Tibet-Qinghai Plateau made contact with lands to the southwest of China difficult

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• The dry Gobi & Taklimakan Deserts made contact with lands to the northwest of China difficult

• China has very little farm land because much of the country is either mountains or deserts.

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• Only 1/10 of the land can be farmed. The mountains and deserts affected China by keeping it separated from most other peoples.

What other geographic factors helped to keep China isolated from other civilizations?

• Towering mountains, rocky plateau, and cold climate in the southwest

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• Large deserts in the northwest formed natural barriers

• Chang Jiang, or the Yangtze River, is the 3^rd longest river in the world. It’s about 3,400 miles long and flows across central China. It also provides the farmers with a rich soil along the river’s coast.

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• It also floods each year and leaves fertile soil along the banks. The Yangtze River has high banks, which keeps homes safe from the annual flooding. 

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• There are many mountainous areas in the southern portion of China.  In ancient times, China was composed of pockets of civilization. Different pockets were ruled by different kings.  

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• These early people were protected from the rest of the world by many natural barriers. One of the most impressive barriers was the Himalayan Mountains. 

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• The Himalayan Mountains are not located in modern day China. They run along the border to the south. The Himalayan Mountains to the south are very rugged. In ancient times, these mountains helped to protect the early Chinese people from invasion.  

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What ways of life developed in China due to its geography?

• On the Tibetan Plateau, people raised yaks

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• In the Northwestern Deserts, people living on the oases raised crops and animals

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• On the Northeastern Plain, people raised horses, sheep, and other animals

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• On the North China Plain, people grew crops

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• In the Chang Jiang Basins, people grew rice