The Ancient Chinese were in tune to their environment. Whatever they did throughout their daily life, the environment and geography affected their choice. These two factors helped determine the location, agriculture/economy, and the culture of Ancient China.
The location of the major civilizations of Ancient China was heavily based on the geographic and environmental factors of China. In document one it clearly shows that the people of China chose places that were near the resources they needed, like the Yellow or Yangtze rivers. By basing their societies near these major waterways they helped themselves flourish. The rivers helped them in many aspects, such as irrigation for crops, water for drinking and washing, and as a transportation tool. In the Treatise of the Yellow River and its Canals(doc2) it talks about how the irrigation system came about. It explains that a man named Yu made the irrigation system single handedly. This shows that when the Chinese didn’t have a logical explanation of how something happened they turn to myth to explain. They mountains also played a key factor in the choice of location. The mountains were grouped more in the west so that pushed the people toward the east, also near the ocean. When China started to trade things like silk, they had to find sometimes long and winding routes to work their way around the physical barriers like mountains which is shown on the map in document six.
China was an agricultural society. In this society the peasants were the farmers. Most of the time they would work their own land and parts of a lord’s land, which was worked by many different peasants. In document four, the calendar year for a farming peasant is described. They work for the lord and get little in return. The most mentioned is “In the ninth month clothes are given out.” It also talks about everyone in the family doing their part. The men, women, and children all work in the fields. Sometimes a daughter would even wed a young...