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Engineering An Empire Video Summary! In the historical documentary, “Engineering an Empire- China,” on the History Channel, the video explored the emperors, achievements, and dynasties of China. There were a lot of different emperors in China, but to me three emperors were really important. The first emperor of China was Shi Huangdi. Shi Huangdi became the emperor of China at age 13. When he turned 22, he found out that his mom wanted him dead because she wanted her elder step-son to become emperor. So he killed his mom, his grandma, and he banished his step-brothers. He made the Great Wall of China! He died because he drank mercury, thinking that it would make him immortal. The other important emperor to me was Yang Di. He was killed by his own people because he was trashing the Grand Canal that so many people died to make under his order. Another emperor who I thought was important is Liu Bang. He extended the Great Wall of China. China had a lot of achievements for example, the Great Wall of China, the Grand Canal, paper, and the Emperor’s tomb. The Great Wall of China was made by the emperor, Shi Huangdi. He made this wall to secure and unify the empire. There was a guard tower every 700 yards. However, the wall wasn’t very defensible; people would just walk around it. So they started to extend the wall even more. The other achievement was the Grand Canal, which was built by the emperor, Yang Di. The Grand Canal made trading in China easier. It took 5 million people, 6 years to build this canal. Many people died while making it. The video talked mostly about the seven dynasties of China. However, I think three were really important. They were the Han, Qin, and Ming. The Han Dynasty was the dynasty that built the Emperor’s Tomb. When Shi Huangdi died he wanted an Epic Tomb, so they made him a tomb with riches and jewels and it was just amazing. However, the tomb has trap doors and booby traps to prevent tomb robbers. Three years after Shi Huangdi’s death, the empire started to fall. The Ming Dynasty was ruled by Zheng He, who was the new emperor. He set out for war and died on a voyage. A new emperor was needed. Soon the Monguls invaded China. The Ming Dynasty turned to the Great Wall for protection with no success. The Ming Dynasty fell, and a new Chinese kingdom rose, Communist China. The video was pretty interesting to me actually! I was very interested in this video. I am still curious about Shi Huangdi’s family. Did he marry at any time in his life? Did he have any kids? I’m also curious about what religion the Chinese people had. Even though I know that Buddhism is a huge religion in Asia, and in fact, I’m Buddhist, I’m still curious about if the Chinese had any OTHER religions.

Name: Julie Tran = Date: 1.6.11 = WH - 6

Chinese Economy and Culture
**//Directions://** //Use an atlas to answer the following questions. During discussion you may jot down notes about those features that may be used in the analysis portion of this activity.//

1. Name the large //desert// in northwestern China? Taklimakan Desert 2. What is the //desert// that extends 1,000 miles through southeast Mongolia and north China? Gobi Desert 3. What is the //plateau// in the southwestern part of China (most of which is above 13,000 ft) that comprises approximately one fourth of the whole country? Plateau Of Tibet 4. What is the //mountain range// south of the Plateau of Tibet that extends 1,500 miles through five countries? Himalayas 5. What is the //tallest peak// in the mountain range identified in question #4? Mt. Everest 6. Name the //body of water// that is surrounded by China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan? East China Sea 7. Name the //body of water// surrounded by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam? South China Sea 8. What //body of water// is located between Korea and China? Yellow Sea 9. What is the //river// that begins in the Plateau of Tibet and runs across farmlands of __north__east China? Huang He 10. What is the //plain// upon which China’s capital, Beijing, is located? North China Plain 11. What is the //plateau// in southern China? (much of China’s rice is grown there) Yunnan Plateau 12. What is the //river// that flows from the Plateau of Tibet across central and southern China to the East China Sea?

Yangzi River



**__ Analysis – How may China’s geography affect … __** ** Society/Culture: ** a. What //types// of features ( // mountains, seas, rivers, etc.) // would most likely //isolate// China from other cultures?

Explain: Mountains and Deserts because they are hard to cross and travel through.

b. Based on the geographical features you analyzed above, what areas/countries would China most likely have //closer contact// with?

Explain: Korea and Japan because of the sea and close-by rivers.

** Economy: ** c. In reviewing questions 9-12, why do you think the Chinese built the Grand Canal where they did?

Because it was connected to the Yangzi River and Yellow River and beijing.

3 Ways of Thought! ** 3 Ways of Thought **
 * || ** Confucianism ** || ** Daoism ** || ** Buddhism ** ||
 * What is it? || A way of life taught by Confucius, sometimes viewed as a religion and philosophy. || It celebrates man’s association with interdependency with nature. || Buddhism stresses self-reliance and Buddha said don’t believe anything until you tested it for yourself. The bottom line of Buddhism is to cultivate what is good while you purify your heart and do no harm or evil. ||
 * How did it begin? || It all began when Confucius said that people should conduct their lives according to two basic principles. He thought that everyone had a role in life. || The creator of Taoism was Laozi. He was a Chinese philosopher. || When Siddartha went out to search for something to stop the sufferings in life. ||
 * Who is the main Person? || Confucius || Laozi || Buddha(Siddartha Gautama) ||
 * What was their story? || Confucius was the descendant of a branch of the royal house of the Shang Dynasty. || He worked in the Imperial Library in the Zhou Dynasty court as an archivist. || He was the son of an Indian king. He had everything he could ever want in his father’s kingdom, until he found out about the sufferings that life brings us. So he went to seek for a way to stop this suffering. Then he became enlightened and created Buddhism. ||
 * hWhat the big ideas of the philosophy? || It focused on ethics, or proper behavior, for individuals and governments. People should focus their lives on concern for others and appropriate behavior. || It celebrates man’s association with interdependency with nature. || Buddhism stresses self-reliance and Buddha said don’t believe anything until you tested it for yourself. The bottom line of Buddhism is to cultivate what is good while you purify your heart and do no harm or evil. ||
 * How did it affect China’s government? || It made the scholars discuss issues about what human beings do when they do bad things even if their nature was good. ||  || It gave them hope when during troubling times. ||
 * Which dynasty followed the dynasty? || Han Dynasty ||  || The Song Dynasty ||
 * A Quote || “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you don’t stop.” || “A Clear mind comes from the wonderful fundamental essence given us by nature and is not a personal possession. Impartiality beyond any specific culture fosters clarity and deeper seeing. It is not hard to produce wisdom... what is hard is to have wisdom not interrupted” || “Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.” ||
 * Symbols/images || [[image:file:///C:/Users/91098270/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.jpg width="193" height="192"]] || [[image:file:///C:/Users/91098270/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image004.jpg width="163" height="171"]] || [[image:file:///C:/Users/91098270/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image006.jpg width="139" height="139"]] ||

China Cyber Hunt! 1. For how many years have the Chinese been drinking tea? 4,000 years. 2. How was tea first used in China? It was first used as an herbal medicine. 3. In what dynasty did drinking tea become popular? The Zhou Dynasty. 4. What year was the new invention of paper presented to the emperor? In the year of 105 AD. 5. What did the Chinese use to make paper? Bamboo fiber. 6. When did the Chinese invent moveable type? In 1045 AD. 7. How many characters does the Chinese have in it? They use 3000 to 5000 characters on an average newspaper. 8. When did the Chinese invent gun powder? In the eighth century AD 9. What did the Chinese use to make gun powder? They combined sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter. 10. What weapons did the Chinese use gun powder for? Rockets nad others that were launched from a bamboo tube. 11. When were the first magnetic compasses used by Chinese ships? Y the eleventh century AD. 12. What year did the golden age of the Tang Dynasty begin? In the year of 600 CE 13. How could a poor person in the Tang Dynasty get a job working for the government? They had to pass government exams. 14. How many people lived in the capital of the Tang? Over one million people. 15. How did Buddhism get to China? It was introduced during the time of the Han Dynasty. It was an idea of India, and it got through the Silk Road. 16. What were the Three Doctrines of the Tang Dynasty? Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. 17. What is the period of the Song Dynasty sometimes referred to as? China’s Age of Invention. 18. Who visited China during the Song Dynasty? Marco Polo 19. [|When did the Song Dynasty rule China?] [|960 to 1279] 20. What was the Song Dynasty the first government to do? To issue banknotes, establish a permanent standing navy, and the first to discover gunpowder. 21. What does Confucianism stress? the need to develop responsibility and moral character through rigid rules of behavior. 22. What is Confucianism? A way to behave, so you can be a better person. 23. What is a social code of behavior? a very set and rigid code of behavior, that honored ancestors and ancient rituals. 24. What did the social code of Confucianism honor? Ancestors and ancient rituals. 25. What did Siddhartha want to understand? He wanted understand what caused suffering. 26. What does "the Buddha" mean? The Enlightened One 27. Why do Buddhists look within themselves? So they can find inner peace and stop suffering in life. 28. What is karma? the rewards or punishments a person faces because of their thoughts, words, and actions. 29. How many Buddhists are there in the world today? Over three hundred million. 30. Describe the Four Noble Truths in your own words. The first one is everyone who lives, suffers. The second one is the main idea of suffering is wanting, ignorance, and desire. The third one is suffering can be stopped by finding peace within yourself. 31. When was the Great Wall of China built? Between the 5th and 6th Century. 32. What was the purpose of the Great Wall? To make sure that semi-nomadic people, on the outside, could not cross with their horses or return easily with stolen property. 33. How long is the Great Wall? 6,400km (4,000 miles) 34. About how many men died working on the wall? About 2 to 3 million men died working on the wall. 35. What happened to the peasants who died while working on the wall? The peasants who died, while working on the wall, where buried within the wall. 36. What other names has Genghis Khan been called? World conqueror, Emperor of all men, the Scourge of God. 37. What empire did Genghis Khan establish? The Mongol Empire 38. Why was Kublai Khan different than other Chinese rulers? He challenged the stereotypes of Mongolian rulers by investing in his newly acquired people and providing the foundations of a grand empire. 39. Who was Kublai Khan related to? Genghis Khan. 40. What famous explorer did Kublai Khan know? Marco Polo. 41. When was Marco Polo born and when did he die? 1214-1294   42. How long did Marco Polo spend in Asia? 24 years 43. In what city did Marco meet Kublai Khan at? Constantinople 44. What skill did Marco have that made him valuable to Kublai Khan? He traveled all through China, and returned to tell the story. 45. For how many years did the Polo brothers serve Kublai Khan? 17 years. 46. How long did the sea journey home take? 2 years. 47. Where was Marco when he wrote the story of his travels in Asia? He was in the city of Genoa. 48. What was the book called? // Il Milione // (The Million Lies) 49. Why do you think people did not believe Marco? Because Europeans weren’t use to the new tales, so they thought that his book were all lies. 50. What did Marco say on his deathbed? “I only told half of what I saw! “