6th Graders Are Studying China!
Ni hao. That means hello in Chinese! Right now, the 6th graders are studying Ancient China. It is a fascinating time, when China was one of the most powerful empires in the entire world. Their empire was huge. They occupied lands around both of China’s major rivers, they turned north and advanced almost to the Gobi Desert! When they went south, they advanced as far as the Xi River. By the time the Qin Dynasty came around in 221 B.C.E., China was even more powerful then before. Shi Huangdi, or the first emperor, created a strong government, being the first to unify China. Shi Huangdi, followed Legalist political beliefs. He had strict laws and harsh punishments for those who wouldn’t follow. The Qin Dynasty also standarized the writing & the measurments in Ancient China, making everyone more unified ecspecially after the Warring States Period.
Building projects also helped unify China, too. Such as the Great Wall. The Great Wall is a famous wall that was used to protect China from invasions. Many of hundres of thousands of chinese people worked on the Great Wall. Many of them died, and were burried in the wall. China’s water system was also improved. Workers built canals to connect the country. They also built an irrigation system, which parts of are still used today.
China was very powerful then, as they are today.