Captivating History - Ancient China for Kids: A Captivating Guide to Ancient Chinese History, from the Shang Dynasty to the Fall of the Han Dynasty

Imagine a time without Nintendo Switch and Pokmon. I know it is hard, or maybe even impossible to do, but thousands of years ago, people lived without all the fun and convenient things we have that make our lives so easy today. People lived off the land because it was all they had. They made their pottery, clothes, homes, and they hunted for food themselves. Most of us have watched some survival shows on TV, but let me tell you, these people were the original real survivors.

The Yellow River Valley was where ancient Chinese civilizations started. It is often called Mother River because civilizations were born here, two in particular: the Yangshao and Longshan cultures. The river has played an important part in Ancient China. We will learn more about all the people who lived in the areas around the river. It was their home, and it gave them food, water, and materials.

During the final stage of the stone age, a small civilization started along the Yellow River Valley called the Yangshao Culture . The Yangshao Culture dated from 5000 BCE to 3000 BCE; now, that is quite some time ago! Lets read about how they lived.

The Yangshao Culture couldnt just push a few buttons on their phones and have an UberEATS driver bring them their favorite meals. When they were hungry, they needed to search for their food. They mostly lived on millet and rice, and enjoyed the rich river soil. However, when the earth became overused, they packed up their belongings and moved to a new spot down the river. Can you imagine having to pack up all your belongings today just to move a few meters down the street? That was a way of life for the Yangshao Culture. They kept pigs and dogs, and on occasion, cows, sheep, and goats. If they wanted to eat meat instead of millet and rice, they caught fish from the river. They used stone tools to catch fish.

Houses

The Yangshao Culture used clay, mud, poles made from trees, and millet stalks to build their houses. They built a pen outside for animals. The houses were simple, but it was a safe place for people to rest after a long day after working outside.

The Yangshao culture made pottery, and they decorated it with fine white, red, and black paint. They loved painting their faces, animals, and shapes on their pottery. We can still see some of their pottery in Chinese museums today.

They also made silk and wove hemp. This was used to make loincloths for the men. The woman wore a cloth around their bodies.

Now before we jump into the Longshan culture, it is joke time!

Why is a History book like a fruit cake? It is full of dates.

Dates! Get it? Come on, thats funny!

Yangshao map

Credit: Kanguole https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yangshao_map.svg

After the Yangshao culture, the Longshan culture existed from about 3000 BCE. They are sometimes called the Black Pottery Culture. Can you guess why? Yes, they mastered black pottery making but more about that later. They lived in the middle and lower Yellow River valley areas. Lets learn more about them.

They enjoyed millet, rice, and wheat, and their favorite source of meat was pigs. They started herding animals, and they had chickens, pigs, dogs and sometimes cattle. The Longshan culture loved growing plants and crops, and they used the rivers fertile soil very well. They had a much more exciting diet than the Yangshao culture because they were smart about using the land.

Yangshao artifacts

https://www.flickr.com/photos/101561334@N08/10339484864/

They produced some silk by keeping silkworms, but they are most remembered for their black pottery. Their pottery was beautiful and can still be seen today. Not all their pottery was black. At times they also made grey and white pottery. They made cooking pots and egg shelling pots. What are egg shelling pots, you might ask? If you guessed that they are pots used for shelling eggs, then you are right!

Tongue twister challenge! Can you say this three times fast without getting your tongue twisted? The Longshan culture made egg shelling pots to shell eggs. Could you do it?

Longshan weapons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Longshan_Culture_Stone_Weapons.jpg

The Longshan culture lived in houses made the same way as the Yangshao culture. In fact, these two cultures lived very much the same way. The biggest difference was that the Longshan culture was much more focused on growing crops, and their pottery skills were better. The Longshan culture also made more tools, especially for planting rice and grinding wheat. Having more tools made it easier for them to plant their seeds better. That resulted in better crops and happier people with full bellies.