of internatonal relatons
China
Geography: Imperial heartland was located in the North China Plain, which is in today’s
China. Bordered by the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, South China Sea, the Strait of
Taiwan, but also the Steppes in central Asia and the Gobi in the north. The land
contains important rivers, such as the Amur River, the Yellow River and the Yangtze,
with its plains and valleys.
3500 BCE: Farming cultures were well established in the two great river valleys
of China and mainly farmers lived in the heartland. The agriculture was based on
millet, the other based on rice. Agriculture spread from its core in China to all
directons which resulted in trade networss.
16th century BCE: Shang Dynasty first ancient Chinese Dynasty
- The Shang unified most of the North China Plain
- 18th century BCE: the region of the Yellow River is under by the Shang Dynasty
- Shang dynasty exercised real authority over only a part of the region its
authority was acsnowledged over a much wider area of northern and central
China, through subordinate lords and tribal chiefs who rule virtually
independently, but acsnowledge the power of the Shang sing.
- Bronze technology was well developed under their rule
- The Shang gave the permission to the Zhou to rule a border territory who were
regarded as semi-barbarian
- Capital: Anyang
11th century BCE: Battle of Muye
- Catastrophic battle in which the Shang was defeated by the Zhou
12th century BCE: Zhou Dynasty
- Replaced the Shang as the rulers of Ancient China (with its allies) justfied by the
Mandate of Heaven
- Imperial traditon: Mandate of Heaven developed by the sing’s advisor Duse
Dan of Zhou. It’s the base of legitmacy in which the sing is the son of heaven who
rules with an extensive mandate of heaven (tang ming) from the center under
heaven. Great Peace was the ultmate goal of the sing and to restore order.
- Great rulers: King Mu of Zhou