Ancient Chinese Civilization

The Chinese picked a very good place to start a civilization, near the Huang He River, or the Yellow River. There, water was readily available, the land was extremely fertile, and the cities built there were protected by the mountains surrounding the river.

The Chinese were ruled by emperors who came from dynasties. They believed that the emperors had the Mandate of Heaven, or the right to rule the people.

The family was at the heart of Chinese society, and respect for parents and elders was called Filial Piety.

Emperors and warriors, who were considered nobles, could own land and did so regularly.

Artisans were specially trained, and they would only do one profession, for example, the people trained as bronze-workers only worked on that trade.

Peasants did not own any land, but they sure did work on it. This class worked in the fields and were basically slaves to the government.