Where was the Shang Dynasty?
The Shang Dynasty was
an ancient civilisation in
China. Today, China is
the third-biggest country
in the world, and has
the largest population of
any country: 1.4 billion
people live there.
However, ancient China
had many different
civilisations, and
the Shang Dynasty
occupied a much smaller
area than the country of
China does today.
Most of the main cities
in the Shang civilisation
were near the Yellow
River.
The Yellow River
The Shang Dynasty grew around the Yellow River, the second-
longest river in Asia. It is called the Yellow River because there
is a lot of sand and mud in the water, which makes it appear
yellow. The river often overflows, which destroys people’s homes
and can even sweep people away. This is why it is sometimes
called the River of Sorrow.
Although the Yellow River can be dangerous, its banks are also
good for growing crops (plants for food). Most people living in
the Shang Dynasty were farmers, and they grew wheat, millet
and barley on the banks of the river. They turned the wheat into
flour to make bread to eat.
The end of the Xia Dynasty
People in ancient China believed that the gods gave emperors
the right to rule over them: this was called the ‘Mandate of
Heaven’.
The civilisation before the Shang Dynasty was the Xia Dynasty.
Its final ruler was Emperor Jie. People believed he was so cruel
that he lost the Mandate of Heaven.
Around 1600 BCE, a man named Cheng Tang started a war with
Emperor Jie. Emperor Jie lost at the Battle of Mingtiao. Cheng
Tang then became the first emperor of the Shang Dynasty.
Emperor Tang of Shang
Emperor Tang built his civilisation
along the Yellow River. Tang was a
popular emperor. He reduced the
amount of tax (money) that people
had to pay him.
After Tang became emperor, there
was a drought, meaning it did
not rain for a long time. People
struggled to grow crops and they
were beginning to starve.
Ancient legends say that Tang went
to a temple and offered his life to
the gods. He believed that by doing
this, the gods would make it rain.
The rain came soon after and crops
began to grow again. The people
praised Tang for offering to end his
life so that they could live.
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