Where do you think Chinese civilization emerged?
Why?

The Huang He (Yellow) and the Yangtze Rivers.

Chinese civlization emerged near major rivers

The first samples of writing are found on bone, possibly used for religious purposes, perhaps as an oracle (fortune telling device)

​​Early Writing ca. 1400BCE

Chinese dragons are considered benevolent, not the ferocious predators of western history. Dragons protect humanity and bring rain from heaven to reserve life

Dragons protect and bring rain

Made from the delicate strands of the silk worm's cocoon, silk was one of the most valuable commodities in the ancient world, often fetching its weight in gold!

Silk: the hidden treasure of the 'silk people'

Silk from China remains a sought-after luxury.

China's first ruling dynasty, the Xia ('sha') is considered to be mythical because there is no archaeological evidence for it. Still, it was important culturally (sort of like King Midas, or Romulus & Remus)

The Legendary Xia

According to legend, the last Xia king became corrupt and cruel, so the Shang rebelled and took over in around 1300 BCE. (The Shang created that first writing system.)

​Replaced by the Shang

The Zhao took over around 1050 BCE, and ruled for almost 750 years. Devised the 'mandate of heaven' to justify this; possibly also invented the Xia as part of this 'dynastic cycle.

Then the Zhao (jo) replaced them!

Essentially the idea that the 'heavens' or gods hve put the ruler in power and he rules by their will, or the 'mandate' or command and permission of heaven. What could possibly go wrong with that?

OK, but what IS a 'Mandate of Heaven?'

Dynastic Cycle & Mandate
of Heaven

After the Zhao lost power, China fell into a period of conflict, known as the Period of Warring States.
(I bet you can explain what that means?) IOW, they lost the 'Mandate.'

Zhao were not very effective.

According to the Mandate of heaven, the Heavens should produce a new leader, to take over and start a new dynasty...

It's almost like we need a new Mandate...

Qin Shi Huang Di, (chin shee hwong dee) the first Qin emperor, was called the 'Tiger of China,' and for centuries was thought to have been a cruel tyrant. Let's look and see what you think...

Enter the tiger!

This is an anime character from Record of Ragnarok, or Shuumatsu no Valkyrie

No, not this one...

...was bold, determined, ruthless, and very practical (If a bit less...appealing...).

This one.

Qin Shi Huang Di

Which is where China gets its name.

United the 'warring states' under the Qin...

He decreed a standard writing, coins (with holes to be strung on a cord). weights and measures, and even the width of cart wheels.

Shi Huang Di
set standards

But he burned a lot more than were transcribed. Even things he thought were incorrect...

The Tiger had some translated...

But how did he unite the states to begin with?

He brought the governors of the other states to 'talk.' Then he imprisoned them and put his own picks in place to run the states.

That's how he got the rep as a tyrant

China's warring states were able to stop the wars and focus on growth. With his reforms, they DID grow, especially economically.

But it worked.

One threat
still loomed...

Mongols!

Not exactly.

Xiongnu nomads. Similar, but no relation. They were a problem for all the same reasons, though.

Actually, there were a bunch of walls already in place. The Great Wall connected them, made them stronger, added signal towers

Solution:
a Great Wall!