The ABC's of Ancient China

By Kenzie Hampton

A is for Ancestors!

Everyone in Shang China worshiped their ancestors, hoping for good lives.

B is for Bang!

Lui Bang, once a peasant, was the creator of the Han dynasty.

C is for Confucius!

Confucius was a great, wise philosopher who founded Confucianism.

D is for Dao!

The Dao, or, "Way," was the way the kind must rule. 

E is for Exams!

The Civil Service Exams helped choose people worthy of holding government positions.

F is for Filial Piety!

The filial piety stated that children must respect their parents and all older beings, because they are wiser.

G is for Great Wall!

The Great Wall of China was built by farmers forced to leave their homes and farms.

H is for Huang He!

The Huang He River is longer than 2,900 miles.

I is for Ideographs!

Ideographs are the joining of two or more pictographs to represent an idea.

J is for Japan!

Japan, an ally of China, traded with the Chinese along the Silk Road. 

K is for Khan!

The Ghengis Khan lead the Mongols to victory in conquering China. 

L is for Legalism! 

Legalism is the idea of peace through strict rule and harsh punishment.

M is for Mandate of Heaven!

A heavenly order, called the Mandate of Heaven, chose the emperor and why they were meant to rule.

N is for Neo-Confucianism!

Neo-Confucianism taught that the afterlife is just as important as normal life on Earth. 

O is for One-Child Policy!

The One-Child Policy stated that each family could only have one child, with some special exceptions.

P is for Porcelain!

Porcelain, now commonly called "china" was very valuable and traded on the Silk Road.

Q is for Qin!

In 221 B.C., the Qin ruler declared himself as Qin Shihuangdi.

R is for Rulers!

Some of the first Chinese rulers were believed to be from the Xia dynasty. 

S is for Silk Road!

The Silk Road was a major trading route on which they traded silk, porcelain, tea, and spices.

T is for Tang!

During the Tang dynasty, it was discovered that coal could be used to heat things, opposed to wood.

U is for Uniting!

Qin Shihuangdi was the one credited with uniting China.

V is for Victory!

The discovery of gunpowder lead the Chinese armies to victory.

W is for Wudi!

Emperor Han Wudi ordered Zhang Qian to explore beyond China.

X is for Xia!

Little is known about the short-lived Xia dynasty.

Y is for Yangtze River!

The Yangtze River is also known as the Chang Jiang River.

Z is for Zhou!

The longest ruling dynasty in all of Chinese history was the Zhou dynasty.