Yellow River (Huang He): River where early Chinese civilization began Yangtze River: China's longest river Dynasty: A line of rulers from one family Shang Dynasty: Early dynasty known for bronze and oracle bones, about 1600-1046 BCE Oracle bones: Animal bones with the earliest Chinese writing, used to ask the gods questions Zhou Dynasty: Long dynasty that introduced the idea of the Mandate of Heaven Mandate of Heaven: Belief that Heaven gave a just ruler the right to rule and could take it away Confucius: Teacher (551-479 BCE) who stressed respect, learning and good government Confucianism: Philosophy of proper behavior, family loyalty and education Filial piety: Respect and care for parents and elders Daoism (Taoism): Philosophy of living in harmony with nature, linked to Laozi Laozi: Traditional author of the Daodejing Yin and yang: Opposite forces that balance each other Legalism: Philosophy that strong laws and harsh punishment keep order Warring States Period: Time of war among rival Chinese states, ending in 221 BCE Qin Dynasty: First dynasty to unite China, 221-206 BCE Qin Shi Huang: First emperor of a unified China Great Wall of China: Long defensive walls begun by Qin and rebuilt by later dynasties Terra-cotta Army: Thousands of clay soldiers buried with Qin Shi Huang Standardization: Qin made weights, measures, money and writing the same across China Han Dynasty: Long dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) that expanded China and grew trade Han Wudi: Han emperor who expanded the empire and started the Silk Road trade Silk Road: Network of trade routes linking China with the Mediterranean Zhang Qian: Han envoy whose travels helped open the Silk Road Silk: Fine cloth made by silkworms; China kept the method secret for centuries Paper: Invented in China, improved by Cai Lun around 105 CE Printing: Woodblock printing began in China by the Tang era; movable type came later Gunpowder: Developed in China, first used for fireworks and later for weapons Compass: Magnetic tool invented in China for finding direction Four Great Inventions: Paper, printing, gunpowder and the compass Seismograph: Zhang Heng's device (132 CE) for detecting earthquakes Civil service exam: Test used to choose government officials by merit Tang Dynasty: 618-907; a golden age of poetry, art and trade Li Bai: Famous Tang poet Du Fu: Tang poet known for poems about people's hardships Wu Zetian: Only woman to rule China as emperor, in the Tang era Chang'an: Tang capital, one of the world's biggest cities Song Dynasty: 960-1279; saw paper money, movable type and great cities Paper money: First widely used in Song China Grand Canal: Long waterway linking northern and southern China, begun in the Sui era Sui Dynasty: Short dynasty that reunified China in 589 and built the Grand Canal Mongols: Nomadic people who conquered China under Kublai Khan Genghis Khan: Founder of the Mongol Empire Kublai Khan: Mongol ruler who founded the Yuan Dynasty in 1271 Yuan Dynasty: Mongol-led dynasty in China, 1271-1368 Marco Polo: Italian merchant who wrote about his travels in Asia Ming Dynasty: 1368-1644; Chinese rule restored; built the Forbidden City Zheng He: Admiral who led huge treasure fleets across the Indian Ocean in the early 1400s Forbidden City: Imperial palace complex in Beijing Beijing: Capital of China from the Ming era onward Qing Dynasty: Last dynasty, 1644-1912, ruled by Manchus Manchus: People from northeast China who founded the Qing Queue: Braided hairstyle men were required to wear under the Qing Opium Wars: Conflicts with Britain in the 1800s over trade that weakened Qing China Taiping Rebellion: Massive 1850-1864 uprising during the Qing era Boxer Rebellion: 1899-1901 uprising against foreign influence Puyi: Last emperor of China, who gave up the throne in 1912 Sun Yat-sen: Leader of the 1911 revolution that ended imperial rule Republic of China: Government that began in 1912 Chinese characters: Writing system in which each symbol stands for a word or idea Calligraphy: Art of beautiful brush writing Abacus: Counting frame with beads Acupuncture: Medicine practice using thin needles in the body Porcelain: Fine ceramic called 'china' in English Terraced rice paddies: Stepped fields for growing rice on hills Rice: Main food in southern China Millet: Main grain in early northern China Tea: Drink used in China for thousands of years Chinese New Year: Major holiday based on the lunar calendar Lunar calendar: Calendar following the Moon's phases Chinese zodiac: Twelve-year cycle of animals Dragon: Symbol of imperial power and good fortune Great Wall length: All its sections together measure thousands of miles Shi Huangdi's tomb: Large burial complex near Xi'an Xi'an: City near where the Terra-cotta Army was found in 1974 Han Chinese: Largest ethnic group in China Peasant: Farmer; most people were peasants Scholar-official: Educated person who served the government Cultural Revolution: 1966-1976 political campaign in China that caused great disruption Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/world-ancient-china