CHINESE CIVILIZATION

Forces shaping the settlements and Habitats

 Abundantly available - Coal, Red sand stone, Limestone. Mulberry
Geological trees which lead to silk industries.
condition Timber was used for roof and columns. Roofs are usually covered
with colored clay tiles.
The climate varies, cold in winter but hot in summer. Rainfall is
Climatic heavy. Therefore climatic conditions have affected the Chinese
condition character of Architecture. Houses and Temples have characteristic
Ting roof and Irimoya gable which slightly bends upwards.

• Ancient Chinese historical texts tell of three early dynasties: the

The Earliest Xia, the Shang, and the Zhou.
• Out of these early villages, larger political units
Settlements gradually emerged.
• State formation may have begun under the Xia, 2205-1766 B.C.E.
• All were based primarily around the Huang He (Yellow River)
valley in north China.

Introduction
Chinese architecture during the
prehistoric period was confined
to palace buildings and royal
tombs.
8000 B.C.E., Neolithic pottery
was discovered in China’s
western Henan province.
The Chinese came from S.E CHINESE
of Caspian sea having CIVILIZATION
crossed the Oxus and settled I
on the bank of yellow river.
The country is mountainous
with vast fertile valleys in the
center of south-east and great
plains in north.
The central plain lies between
the two rivers Hwang Ho and
Yangtze, hence a thick deposit
of soil called loess was found
abundantly – Agriculture
flourished.
It has many natural harbors, which
promoted trade and commerce as well as
art and culture.
 Xia Dynasty 2205-1766 B.C.E.
Shang Dynasty 1766-1122 B.C.E.
The Zhou Dynasty 1122-256 B.C.E.
Dynasties
• Records about the Xia Dynasty are sparse.
• Archaeological records on the urbanization under the
Shang is revealing and reliable.
• The Zhou consolidated both city and state and left
extensive archaeological remains and written records.
• Traditional chronological dating suggests that the states
succeeded one another but recent evidence indicates
considerable overlap.
• They may have coexisted in neighboring regions.

The Early
Dynasties
• Indo-Europeans who
domesticated horses and pushed
deeper into the steppe.
• They herded cattle, sheep, goats,
yaks, and horses.
• They mastered metallurgy about
2900 B.C.E.
• They built heavy wagons which
extended their range into the
Eurasian steppe.
• By 1000 B.C.E. these nomadic
people served as the link
between farming cultures in the
west and in the east.
• By the time of the Shang, people had founded
cities in north China, cities served as centers
of administration and ritual.
• An urban network ruled the entire dynastic state.
• Capitals were often shifted, suggesting that new
rulers often moved the locations.
• Shang troops had frequent wars with the
nomadic herdsman from the Asian steppes.
Steppes were dependent upon the agricultural
communities to supply them with grains, metals, and
textiles.
In turn, they supplied the farmers with horses while
serving as a trading conduit for products and ideas.

NIUHELIANG RITUAL
CENTER: CHINA
Niuheliang is
a Neolithic archaeological site
in Liaoning Province, Northeast
China, along the middle and upper
reaches of the Laoha River and the
Yingjin River (presently on the
border of Chaoyang and Jianping
County) Discovered in 1983,
Niuheliang site belongs to
the Hongshan culture (4700 - 2900
BC). It includes evidence of
religion, such as a temple, an altar
and a cairn
It dates from around 3500 BCE but
could have been founded even
earlier.
Niuheliang is a large burial site scattered
on hill tops over a 50 square kilometer
area.
Archaeological Site were divided into the
following six categories: the Goddess
Temple, the platform, the stone mound, the
sacrificial altar, the building foundation,
and the cellar.
Within an area of 50 square
kilometers at Niuheliang Site,
no residential settlements
have been discovered so far,
which indicates that the
sacrificial center had been
separated from the
residential zones then, and
the site served as a separate
place
particularly reserved for
nstructions of temples,
co
ves and cemeteries.
gra
 Site plan. Source: Timothy
Cooke/Information from Sarah
Milledge Nelson
Niuheliang, was particularly
impressive, consisting of at
least fourteen burial
mounds, altars, and The key building was a
platform areas spread out structure that is presumed
over several hills to have been a Goddess
Temple. Sited near the top
In this sense, the Niuheli
of the hill, it is about
ang Archaeological Site is
25 meters long and about 2
an outstanding example of
meters wide. Two lobes
“holy sacrificial land” of the
branched of' symmetrically
early period of human
about a third of the way
civilization so far discovered
from the entrance with one
in Northeast Asia, and
asymmetrical lobe at the
boasts the largest scale, the
rear.
highest rank, and the most
prominent expression of
beliefs.
 The walls, made of loam reinforced by a web of branches, lean
toward each other to form a type of tunnel, maybe around 3
meters high at its apex. From its footings we know that the walls
were ornamented with elaborate geometric designs made with
clay in high relief and painted yellow, red, and white.
Near the northern end of the tunnel, archaeologists uncovered
parts of a clay figure, including a head, torso, and arms, with
jade eyes as well as a shoulder and breasts. As the name of the
site suggests, the statue was interpreted by the excavators as a
representation of a goddess.
Possible Reconstruction It was most probably a guardian figure.
Furthermore, the structure was most certainly not
a temple since it could not hold many people. It
was probably a charnel house, where the dead
were stored until the time of a secondary burial,
with the statue not so much a deity as a
protector.

To the south of this structure there was an oval building of

unknown purpose, and to the north overlooking the temple a
large platform where ceremonial sacrificial activities took place.
Pig remains have been found throughout the site, and probably
were an important element in the sacrifices.
MATERIAL AND
CULTURAL EVIDENCE

Many of the Niuheliang

tombs are surrounded
by broken pottery
cylinders, thousands of
them, in fact.

These cylinders were

open at both ends and
served as drums with
hide stretched over the
openings. In shamanistic terms they were used to communicate with the
spiritual world.28 Jade was also associated with shamanistic rituals
as it facilitated the connection between the deceased. A jade bird, for
example, was found under a skull in one burial. The making of jade
objects was carried out on a large scale by the Hongshan.
 Xia Dynasty 2205-1766 B.C.E.

Banpo(Pan-p’o-ts’un)(4000BC) was a typical pre-Xia(yang-

Residential shao) Neolithic village in the Shanxi province.

Architectur Planned as an irregular oval, oriented north-south, it

covered an area of approximately 7ha(17 to 20
e acres)and housed a population of two to three
hundred.

The site was occupied from c. 4500-3750 BCE


Over 10,000 stone tools and
artifacts, 250 tombs, six
large kilns, storage pits, and
almost 100 foundations of
buildings have been
excavated at the site. It was
the first large-scale
archaeological operation of
the People's Republic of
China and is one of the most
significant Neolithic sites in
the world.
THE NEOLITHIC VILLAGE
Archaeologists have designated Banpo a type site, which means a
representative model of a particular culture, in this case the Yangshao
Culture, which flourished in the Yellow River Valley between 5000-3000 BCE.
Banpo is a ditch-enclosed settlement that was surrounded by a moat.
The homes were dug to three feet (1 meter) below ground level and the
soil then used to fashion the foundations for the walls.
Almost Every building in the village was circular, and
the village itself oval-shaped. The houses had hard-
baked clay floors and front porches, which were
shaded by the over-hanging roof of thatch.
The houses were clustered at the center of the village
in an area of some 3ha(7acres), demarcated by a
ditch about 6m(20’) wide. Banpocun comprised
scores of circular semi-subterranean wattle and Daub
houses, about 5m(16’ )in dia and sunk about 600mm
(24”) into the ground. Each had a central hearth
defined by four center posts which supported a
conical wattle and Daub roof ; this sloped almost to
the ground at the eves and was supported by a ring of
slender posts outside the walls.
YANG-SHA
O HOUSES
In the center of the village
was a larger and more
substantial rectangular
structure , about 160sqm(
1720sqft) in area, similarly
constructed that of the other
houses but built on
foundations of rammed
earth.
This ought to have been a
meeting house or possibly the
dwelling of the headman.
YANG-SHA
O HOUSES
In the center of the village
was a larger and more
substantial rectangular
structure , about 160sqm(
1720sqft) in area, similarly
constructed that of the other
houses but built on
foundations of rammed
earth. The cemetery was located outside of the village, beyond the moat,
This ought to have been a and so was the ceramics factory. The six kilns for firing ceramics at
meeting house or possibly the Banpo have all been found in one location outside the village,
dwelling of the headman. suggesting a kind of industrial complex there where
communal pottery was shaped and fired. The inhabitants of Banpo
did not use a potter's wheel but shaped every ceramic by hand.
 • The Shang left written records and extensive material remains,
especially bronze works.
Shang • Bronze metallurgy, horses, chariots, and other wheeled vehicles
came to China with Indo-European migrants.
Dynasty • The Shang employed artisans to make many weapons for the
1766-1122 government.
B.C.E • They controlled access to copper and tin ores.
• The Shang kings had many political allies who supported the
king in exchange for agricultural output and access to metal
works.
Shang zun (wine • Several large cities were highly fortified with thick, tall walls.
vessel) • This indicates a highly centralized political power and central
Made of Bronze rule of the Shang kings.
 Oracle bones—bones of birds, animals, and shells of
turtles—were inscribed with markings and writings for
use in predicting the future.
Early Poem from Late Zhou Dynasty noting use of oracle
bones in deciding the location of a new city.
Evidence of
Some of the oracle bone inscriptions confirm the names and
Writing approximate dates of Xia and Shang rulers.
Other bones suggest that their purpose was to communicate
with the gods.
• Shang China had limited contact with the rest of the world,
though it did trade with Mesopotamia, a very long journey.
• The Shang were so isolated that they believed themselves to
be at the center of the world.
• The Shang had an ethnocentric attitude which means they
considered themselves superior to all others.
• The Shang were accomplished bronze workers, used horse-
drawn chariots, developed the spoked wheel, and became
experts in the production of pottery and silk.
• They also devised a decimal system and a highly accurate
calendar.
 Ruled by specific internal clans, each with its own king.
Kingship and kinship were linked.
Political and As head of his biological clan and geographical realm, the
Religious king:
Organization Performed rituals and sacrifices
of the Shang Waged war
Constructed irrigation and flood control
Administered the government.
Was thought to be descended from the god of the spirits.
Had divine rights.
The ruler directly controlled a growing network of towns.
He ruled from his capital city.
He designated representatives to oversee regional cities.
Most of these representatives were blood relatives.
These relatives received title to land, shares in the harvests,
and rights to build and control the regional capital cities.
In exchange, they represented and served the king and his
 • Inside the walled area lived the royal family, the nobility, and their
retainers.
Class Organization • Outside this palace was a network of residential areas.
under the Shang • To the north were the dwellings and graves of the wealthy and
powerful marked by ritual bronze vessels and sacrificial victims.
• To the south were the dwellings of the commoners and their burial
places in trash pits.
• Occupations were inherited within specific family units.
• Many “zu” or lineage groups corresponded to occupational groups.
• Multiple generations of the same family lived in the same
household, which was a patriarchal institution headed by the
oldest male.
• Shang religion held that gods controlled all aspects of peoples’
lives.
Focus on the Family • People believed they could call on the spirits of their dead
ancestors to act as their advocates with the gods. This was
called “veneration of ancestors.”
• This gave the extended family even greater significance.
 Shang Dynasty 1766-1122 B.C.E
The shang city of Zhengzhou (c.1600BC),
The Shang in northern Henan, was rectangular and
earth-walled extending over
Houses 3.2ha(8acres) with perimeter walls 7.2km
(4.5miles) long
Archaeological findings ,9m(30’)high, and 3m(10’)to
providing evidence for the
existence of the Shang 6m(20’)thk at the base.
dynasty, c. 1600-1046BC, The central area within the wall was laid
are divided into two sets. out in a chequerboard pattern and
The first set comes from
oriented NS ; it is thought to have been
sources at Shangcheng.
the Royal residence and ceremonial center
The second set is at An-
of the court, the buildings of which were
yang, in modern day
rectangular and built mainly of wood on
Henan. (includes the
platforms of rammed earth.
earliest written record of
Chinese past so far The houses had pitched and gabled roofs
discovered).
supported on stout timber posts, some of
which were carried on stone bases. The
walls and floors were finished with lime
plaster.
 Palace
s
The Shang city of Erlitou
contains the foundations of a
palace which is the earliest
known monumental building
in Chinese history.

The Qin(Ch’in) Palace at Xianyang(Hsienyang) has been reconstructed as a

three –storey galleried building, with pitched ,gabled and tiled roofs, a
post and beam structure and possible a terre-plein core. The walls and
floors were internally finished with plaster and decorated with frescos.
 Tombs
The cemetery of
Xibeigang (His-pei-Kang),
Anyang contained
examples of Shang
funerary architecture.
The Shang royal tombs
included thousands of
objects including human
material remains. The royal dead were buried in shaft The burial chambers were
graves upto 14mx19m(46’x62’) and constructed with a double lining of
10m(33’)deep, and were jointed timber. In an exceptionally
approached by a cruciform well-preserved tomb, the chamber
arrangement of ramps, with the was covered by a painted and inlaid
principal access from the south. wooden canopy.
 The Shang dynasty fell to the Zhou Dynasty around 1122
B.C.E. but it did not disappear.
The Zhou survived for more than 600 years, making it one of
Zhou Dynasty the longest lasting Chinese dynasties.
1122-256 B.C.E. The Zhou Dynasty developed along the Wei River in
NW China.
One of the most important written sources for
Zhou political thought is the Book of Documents,
which describes the Zhou conquest of the Shang.
The Zhou portray a corrupt Shang king who
succumbed to wine, women, and greed.
The Zhou dynasty lasted from 1122 BCE until 256 BCE.
“Book of Songs’ includes a collection of China’s
Zhou’s Contributions to Chinese Culture
earliest poetry which includes insights into family
life and gender relations in early China.
The Zhou created a decentralized administration that left much
power in local hands.
 • The Zhou’s bureaucratic government
remained popular in China for thousands of
The End of the years.
Zhou Dynasty • The last years of the Zhou Dynasty are
Pronunciations known as the Period of Warring States.
Huang He
Shang
hwahng he
shong
• The Zhou were attached by nomadic
Zhou
Loess
Joe
less
people from the west.
Henan hey – nahn
Wei way
Qin chin