Station #1: Government in Zhou Dynasty
Mandate of Heaven - Plead your case
The Mandate of Heaven concept is how the Chinese understand disasters and fortunes as evidence of the
gods’ attitudes towards a ruler. Remember that luck and ability factored into perceptions of Chinese
emperors’ legitimacy.
Each student in the group will take a turn playing the leader of the ruling dynasty while others are
the jury. For each turn, the group will follow this procedure:
1. Draw 3 random Cards of Fate.
Leader: You are pleading whether you should keep your mandate of heaven (job as a leader).
2. For each card, plan a response to the event. You will plead your case to the jury for all three cards. You
have a Total of 3 minutes to respond to all 3 cards.
Bad event: You (the leader) should come up with solutions to the problem in an attempt to
justify your continued rule.
Good event: you (the leader) should explain how this shows you are a great ruler and perhaps
how you will capitalize on their good fortune.
3. At the conclusion of the 3 minutes, the jury will make their decision. Should the Leader of the dynasty
still have the Mandate of Heaven?
Jury must explain why they voted
YES
NO
4. When the ruling dynasty has gone through all three cards, if they have a majority of positive votes,
they have proven effective rulers. If they have a majority of negative votes, they’ve lost the Mandate of
Heaven.
5. Switch to a new person who draws new cards.
In the government box of your Data Collection Sheet Answer the
following questions:
1. What is the hardest part about being a leader?
2. How did the Mandate of Heaven affect the Chinese political system – do you think it was beneficial or
not? WHY?
Disaster Events
D-Marauding barbarians raid
and burn your village to
the ground.
D-The most important
temple in the capital burns
to the ground in a
mysterious fire.
D-A plague from a distant
lands sweeps through
your village and kills many
people.
D-Having cut down too
many trees, your supply
of wood for fires and
building runs out.
D-The Yangtze floods and
destroys many houses
and crops.
D-Oracle bones predict that
the ancestors are angry
and won’t provide
guidance to families.
D-The farmers in the west
have over-farmed their
land and frequent dust
storms are sweeping the
city.
D-Fireworks misused in
Lunar New Year festival.
Nearby forest burns down.
D-A typhoon lashes the
coast, causing extensive
flooding in Guangzhou and
Shanghai.
D-The prince is poisoned by
unknown assassins.
Good Events
G-Irrigation ditches from the
Yangtze is complete. The
harvest will be bountiful.
G-A mild winter leads to an
early spring planting
season.
G-Very few newborns die.
The population increases
20%.
G-The local lord constructs a
mighty wall surrounding
your city to protect it from
raiders.
G-Long and well-made
roads connecting cities
around you are complete.
Trade improves.
G-The imperial court opens
a foundry nearby that
produces iron tools. It
becomes easier to plant
and farm.
Station #2 Zhou Dynasty Culture
WHAT CONFUCIANISM MEANT FOR CHINA
Confucius was China’s most influential and respected philosopher. He lived between 551BC and
479BC. He examined the ideas of right and wrong and was interested in how people related to
one another. His concern for the Chinese living in densely populated cities was very real. His
ideas, Confucianism, explained acceptable social behavior in all situations. Confucianism set up
strict guidelines for proper behavior between people.
The most basic concept in Confucian philosophy us the idea of jen. Confucius defined jen as the
human quality that leads people to live harmoniously in society. The idea of jen is partly to the
idea of sympathy with other people and partly the idea of, “That which you do not want done to
you, do not do to others,” as Confucius said. There is no word in English that quite has the same
meaning.
Confucius believed that the family was very important. In families, people learned how to act in
society. The Chinese state was considered to be a large family with the emperor as father.
In the two thousand years that Confucianism dominated Chinese thought, its basic principles
were adapted to meet new challenges. Disciples of Confucianism often developed new ideas to
offset other religious or philosophical ideas that challenged the basic system of Confucian
thought. During the Tang Dynasty, for instance, Confucian thought was challenged by beliefs of
Chinese Buddhists and Daoists. Eventually Confucianism incorporated many Daoist and
Buddhist ideas.
Confucian thought and its system of ethical relationships preserved order and structure in
Chinese society for over two thousand years. These Chinese also used Confucianism to absorb
their conquerors into the Chinese way of life.
Confucian thought, however, seriously slowed the development of Chinese scholarship as well as
economic development. Because the Chinese adhered so rigidly to the ideas of Confucianism,
they often discarded foreign ideas. As a result, they did not readily adopt ideas in astronomy,
mathematic and medicine from the Middle East. Neither did they learn how to use animal labor
for crop cultivation.
Station #2 Zhou Dynasty Culture
Questions:
1. Who was Confucius? ___________________________________________________________________________________
2. What did Confucianism set guidelines for? ___________________________________________________________
3. Explain what Confucians mean when they speak of jen.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. How did Confucius view family? How was China compared to a family?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What did Confucianism preserve? For how long? __________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Why did Confucius create his system of ethics and relationships?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. How did Confucianism aid the Chinese in conquering their conquerors?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. What were the advantages of the Confucian system for China?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. How did Confucianism prove to be a disadvantage for the Chinese?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the culture box of your Data Collection Sheet Answer the
Prompt:
What was the impact of Confucianism on ancient China?
Station #3 Zhou Dynasty Map Analysis
Zhou Dynasty States (770-475 BCE)
Yellow Sea
Yangtze River
East China Sea
**Print this map in color
Zhou Dynasty States (770-475 BCE)
1. Using the color map provided to help you complete your map. Color the key using
different colors & designs (dots, lines, etc).
2. Label the Yellow Sea.
3. Draw & label the Yangtze River.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What is the title of this map? _______________________________________________________________
What is the largest Zhou Dynasty State? __________________________________________________
What 3 states are the smallest? ____________________________________________________________
What are the other dynasties that surround the Zhou?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the geography box of your Data Collection Sheet Answer the
Prompt:
What might the benefits of the Zhou Dynasty’s location be?
Station #4 Zhou Dynasty History
Ancient Chinese Tomb of the Zhou dynasty
Step 1: Scan QR code to take you to the website:
Step 2: Read the story and answer the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What power did the gods have over the people of Ancient China? ______________________________________
How did the living have to communicate with the gods? _________________________________________________
If your ancestors were pleased, what would they asked the gods to bring you? _______________________
How did they please their ancestors? ______________________________________________________________________
What is an inscription? ______________________________________________________________________________________
What was the purpose of the king’s tomb? ________________________________________________________________
Click on the Explore tab and answer the following questions:
7. How were the mounds formed? ___________________________________________________
8. What are the four chambers found in the tomb? Explore each one and provide a fact.
9.
Chamber
Fact
In the history box of your Data Collection Sheet write a quick
reflection about the importance of ancestors.