George Cottrell - The Shang Dynasty

Published in 2017 by

KidHaven Publishing, an Imprint of Greenhaven Publishing, LLC

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2017 Booklife Publishing

This edition is published by arrangement with Booklife Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Designer: Natalie Carr

Editor: Grace Jones

Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Cottrell, George.

Title: The Shang Dynasty / George Cottrell.

Description: New York : KidHaven Publishing, 2017. | Series: Unlocking ancient civilizations | Includes index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781534520370 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781534520394 (library bound) | ISBN 9781534520387 (6 pack) | ISBN 9781534520400 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: China--History--Shang dynasty, 1766-1122 B.C.--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC DS744.C68 2017 | DDC 931.02--dc23

Printed in the United States of America

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PHOTO CREDITS

Abbreviations: lleft, rright, bbottom, ttop, ccenter, mmiddle.

Front Cover By Mlogic (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. 2 tiptoee. 4m- beibaoke. 4br By Hiart (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons. 5tr Lefteris Papaulakis. 5bl By Popolon (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. 6 By Hiart (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons. 7 By Photo Dharma from Penang, Malaysia (030 Zhou wang, King Zhou of Shang) [CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. 8l F [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. 8-9bm sunxuejun. 9ml By Chez Csver (Xuan Che) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosemania/4430509846/) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. 9br Jun Mu. 10-11m By Srzh2 (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons. 11r By Unforth (Knife with Tang) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. 12 By ellenm1 (Flickr: Ritual cooking vessel) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. 13l By Zcm11 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. 13r By Hiart (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons. 14tr Charlesimage. 15bl By Hiart (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons. chungking. 16-17m By Mlogic (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons. 17bl Svilen Georgiev. 18m By Robinlun (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. 19t Anson0618. 19b tak.wing via flickr.com. 20 Ma Lin [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. 21 beibaoke. 22 Statue of Fu Hao at YinxiPicture taken by Chris Gyford February 2007 http://cgyford.bebo.com, via Wikimedia Commons. 23 beibaoke. 24 F [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. 25 Bin Li, Early Western Zhou, Shanghai Museum, By Mountain, via Wikimedia Commons. 26mr vladm. 26bl Yurumi. 27 Benson HE. Images are courtesy of Shutterstock.com. With thanks to Getty Images, Thinkstock Photo and iStockphoto.

THE SHANG

DYNASTY

CONTENTS

T HE Shang Dynasty was one of the most important civilizations in the history of the world. Even today, the legacy of the Shang can be seen in Chinese society and beyond.

It has helped create the structure of modern-day China and its influence can be seen in Chinas culture, politics, and geography to this day.

THE MODERN SITE OF THE SHANG CITY OF YIN, WHICH IS NEAR THE CITY OF ANYANG IN NORTHEASTERN CHINA

Although historians opinions differ, it is generally thought that the reign of the

Shang Dynasty began over 3,600 years ago, starting in 1600 BC and ending in 1050 BC. These dates also mark the period of the Chinese Bronze Age. The Bronze Age was a period in history noted for the use of the metal bronze in everyday life to make objects such as vessels, jewelry, and weapons. It was also the first time the written word was used.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A BRONZE AGE CUP THAT MAY HAVE BEEN USED FOR RELIGIOUS RITUALS OR FOR DRINKING.

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE SHANG DYNASTY

Most historians agree that the Shang Dynasty began when Tang of Shang defeated Jie at the Battle of Mingtiao in around 1600 BC. Jie was the leader of the Xia, the previous ruling dynasty. With his victory, Tang became known as King Tang and promised to create a dynasty that would bring success and happiness to the people he now ruled over.

WHAT IS A DYNASTY?

A dynasty is a period of time when people from the same family rule one after the other.

A MODERN STAMP WITH A DRAWING OF WHAT KING TANG MAY HAVE LOOKED LIKE

THE WRITTEN WORD WAS FIRST USED AND RECORDED DURING THE SHANG DYNASTY. EXAMPLES OF EARLY SHANG WRITING LIKE THIS, WHICH HAVE BEEN CARVED ON BONE, HELP US UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF THE SHANG.

Under the rule of King Tang, the people of the Shang Dynasty saw their lives improve. A society began to grow that brought more wealth to the dynasty and, for a civilization of the time, treated peasants well.

A GROWING DYNASTY

T HIS period of calm and development carried on for around 200 years until the ninth king, Tai Wu, ended his reign. It was during this time that the Shang entered the Bronze Age and began to produce many of the bronze objects that have since been found at archaeological sites across modern-day China.

A BRONZE VESSEL MADE BY THE SHANG.

After the reign of Tai Wu, the Shang Dynasty entered a time of chaos. It was affected by fighting between members of the royal family, a growing number of enemies, and social problems had started to occur, such as the unfair treatment of peasants.

The problems of the Shang ended when Pan Geng, the 19th king, came to rule. Seeing how Shang society had become increasingly worse, he reintroduced a style of leadership that was much more similar to King Tangs. He introduced a number of reforms and greatly improved the lives of peasants. As a result, he oversaw a period of happiness and success for the Shang Dynasty.

A STONE CARVING OF THE LAST SHANG KING, DI XIN

THE END OF THE SHANG

In around 1050 BC, King Wu, a rival leader of the Zhou, defeated the last Shang king, Di Xin, at the Battle of Muye. This marked the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty which continued to reign for the next 700 years.