China's Early Geography
The geography of China was very rugged and inclement. China's main geographical features to the East consisted of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. To the north is the extreme Gobi Desert where the whether can go from freezing to sweltering hot in hours. Also, there is the Mongolian Plateau. To the west is the Taklimakan Desert as well as the plateau of Tibet. Finally, to the south was probably the most major geographical feature in China, the Himalayas. This is a vast mountain range that consists of the tallest mountains in the world. These features that surrounded the early Chinese dynasties gave protection to them, ultimately leaving the war to neighboring empires and civil war. However, two rivers, the Huang He and the Chiang Jiang were essential to the early Chinese people. These rivers were key to the survival of great dynasties because water was crucial for human life such as growing crops. The area between these two rivers were very fertile and is known as the North China Plain, also known as China's Heartland. (1)
Mandate of Heaven
The Mandate of Heaven was the idea that the previous Shang king had lost the gods favor, and they were handing the Shang king's power to Zhou, which justified the idea why they conquered the Shang Dynasty. (1)
Zhou and Han Dynasty Connection to Mandate of Heaven
As stated above in the Mandate of Heaven, the Zhou Dynasty overthrew the Shang dynasty because they believed that their king had lost favor with the gods in Heaven. Their culture was almost a hybrid of the Shang's, so life in the area did not change much(1). To justify the overtaking of the Shang Dynasty, the Zhou leaders brought up a new way of justifying their conquest. This was the Mandate of Heaven, and in the Mandate of Heaven it described the Dynastic Cycle. The Dynastic Cycle describes how the evolution of one dynasty went. This pattern starts with the dynasty becoming prosperous, however in time declining, and through signs of floods and possible peasant riots, proves that the dynasty has lost the Mandate of Heave. Therefore, the dynasty that overthrows the old one is given the Mandate of Heaven. The patterns of the Dynastic Cycle and the idea of the Mandate of Heaven passing through each dynasty was the main point in Chinese government. (2)
(1) Mendoza, Eric. "Geography of China and It's First Dynasties." Boston. 19 Oct. 2013. Address
(2) Beck, Roger B. World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littel, 2005. Print.
The geography of China was very rugged and inclement. China's main geographical features to the East consisted of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. To the north is the extreme Gobi Desert where the whether can go from freezing to sweltering hot in hours. Also, there is the Mongolian Plateau. To the west is the Taklimakan Desert as well as the plateau of Tibet. Finally, to the south was probably the most major geographical feature in China, the Himalayas. This is a vast mountain range that consists of the tallest mountains in the world. These features that surrounded the early Chinese dynasties gave protection to them, ultimately leaving the war to neighboring empires and civil war. However, two rivers, the Huang He and the Chiang Jiang were essential to the early Chinese people. These rivers were key to the survival of great dynasties because water was crucial for human life such as growing crops. The area between these two rivers were very fertile and is known as the North China Plain, also known as China's Heartland. (1)
Mandate of Heaven
The Mandate of Heaven was the idea that the previous Shang king had lost the gods favor, and they were handing the Shang king's power to Zhou, which justified the idea why they conquered the Shang Dynasty. (1)
Zhou and Han Dynasty Connection to Mandate of Heaven
As stated above in the Mandate of Heaven, the Zhou Dynasty overthrew the Shang dynasty because they believed that their king had lost favor with the gods in Heaven. Their culture was almost a hybrid of the Shang's, so life in the area did not change much(1). To justify the overtaking of the Shang Dynasty, the Zhou leaders brought up a new way of justifying their conquest. This was the Mandate of Heaven, and in the Mandate of Heaven it described the Dynastic Cycle. The Dynastic Cycle describes how the evolution of one dynasty went. This pattern starts with the dynasty becoming prosperous, however in time declining, and through signs of floods and possible peasant riots, proves that the dynasty has lost the Mandate of Heave. Therefore, the dynasty that overthrows the old one is given the Mandate of Heaven. The patterns of the Dynastic Cycle and the idea of the Mandate of Heaven passing through each dynasty was the main point in Chinese government. (2)
(1) Mendoza, Eric. "Geography of China and It's First Dynasties." Boston. 19 Oct. 2013. Address
(2) Beck, Roger B. World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littel, 2005. Print.
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