Browse the glossary using this index
Special |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
ALL
ancestor worship honoring of ancestors through rituals, such as offering food and wine to the spirits of the dead |
|
Anyang location where ruins were found from the Shang dynasty, China’s first civilization |
|
bureaucracy a large, complex organization that functions under a given set of rules and conditions |
|
caravan a group of people traveling together |
|
clan a large group of family members and friends |
|
climate the average weather conditions at a particular place |
|
Confucianism a Chinese philosophy that emphasizes proper behavior |
|
cultural diffusion the spreading of cultural traits, such as goods and ideas, from one culture to another, or within one culture |
|
Daoism a Chinese philosophy that emphasizes living in harmony with nature |
|
feudalism a system of government based on land landowners and tenants |
|
Han dynasty the dynasty that ruled China from about 206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E., the period following the Qin dynasty |
|
industry a business that manufactures a particular product, such as silk |
|
Legalism a Chinese philosophy that emphasizes strict obedience to laws |
|
Mandate of Heaven a power or law believed to be granted by a god |
|
North China Plain a region in the Huang He River valley, where Chinese civilization began |
|
oasis a place, usually in a desert, where water can be found |
|
oracle bone a piece of bone or shell heated and cracked by holy men to seek advice from a king’s ancestors |
|
region a part or section of a country |
|
Shang dynasty one of the first Chinese dynasties, ruled from 1700 to 1122 B.C.E. |
|
Silk Road a network of trade routes that stretched for more than four thousand miles across Asia |
|
trade route a network of roads along which traders traveled |
|
yin and yang the Daoist concept of opposing forces of nature |
|