Travel to the past
The two most important geographical features of Ancient China the Shang dynasty were the two major rivers that flowed through central China: the Yellow River to the north and the Yangtze River to the south. These major rivers were a great source of fresh water, food, fertile soil, and transportation.
Trade routes are found mainly around the Shang Dynasty capitals and around the major rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangtze (or Chang Jiang) River. The merchants or traders rarely traded internationally Shang traders tends to avoid foreigners. They would trade with places like Fujian, Taiwan, Korea, and other nearby regions. Traders traded items made by artisans and sculptors. Skilled Chinese artisans carved jade and marble, made porcelain tableware, wove silk, painted on silk with ink, and made many items from bronze. The Bronze Age took place during the Shang Dynasty. As a result, bronze was a large part of a trade. Bronze was used to make chariots, vessels, weapons, and even instruments. Bronze was very important to the Shang people, the use of bronze chariots and weapons allowed the Shang to overthrow the Xia Dynasty.
The Shang Dynasty was a monarchy in which the king was both lawmaker and judge so no-one dared to argue with him. He ruled by force, and anyone who transgressed the king’s laws would be killed immediately by his soldiers. The Chinese emperor wears a bright yellow dragon robe stitched with gold and colored thread and embroidered with dragon patterns and 12 ornaments. The emperor would also wear a fur coat, a crown on the head and court beads on the chest. The whole garment in bright colors symbolizes auspiciousness and the prosperous nation. Only the emperor gets to wear the color yellow because yellow represented the emperor’s color in Imperial China and is held as the symbolic color of the five legendary emperors of ancient China. Yellow often decorates royal palaces, altars and temples, and the color was used in the robes and attire of the emperors.
After the emperor comes the noble, noble in ancient China was very privileged. Nobles were typically the extended family of the emperor and empress and those people that excelled in their fields, particularly in the military. It can be the advisors. The status of nobles, however, changes frequently depending on who gained or losses the favor of the emperor.
Artisans and craftsmen were the middle class of Shang society. Their largest contribution was their work with bronze. Their work with bronze was a very important aspect of society. Bronze weapons and pottery were commonly made, but the most important creations included ritual vessels and treasures. Artisans were a talented group of potters, stone makers, and workers crafting items of bronze and jade
After the craftsmen and artisan comes the farmers. Or also known as the peasants. They were limited to farming and selling their crops for profit. Their land was either under control of the king, nobles or their local aristocrats.. Farmers could only keep enough food to feed themselves and their families. Even after the Shang Dynasty began to make bronze and iron many farmers still used simple tools made of wood and stone. Besides growing crops, farmers learned to raise cattle, pigs, and chickens.
Reflection
Discover- I find out what my task is and I asked questions about the stuff that I don’t understand and stuff I need help with.
Define- I decide what my topic is and how am I going to starting my plan.
Design- Gather all the information I need, and sort out the information on my webpage.
Develop- I ask my friend from another school to help me improve on my webpage and used the feedback to improve.
Deliver- This is my final piece.
What is your topic and why did you choose it?
What would happen if society should change it? And how are you the artist should show it?
YanPing Liu 