Library Guides: Ancient China: Overview

Source: Jiajing Emperor on his state barge. (National Palace Museum, 1538)

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Resource Key

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LEVEL

Brief, basic information laid out in an easy-to-read format. May use informal language. (Includes most news articles)

LEVEL

Provides additional background information and further reading. Introduces some subject-specific language.

LEVEL

Lengthy, detailed information. Frequently uses technical/subject-specific language. (Includes most analytical articles)

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Ancient China | Getting started: eBooks

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Ancient China: An Interactive History Adventure by Terry Collins; Hanchao Lu (Consultant Editor)
Call Number: 931.23
ISBN: 9781620653760
Publication Date: 2012-07-01
Chapters include: Ancient leaders & dynasties, the female emperor of China, and China's past, present and future
Ancient China by Arthur Cotterell; Alan Hills; Geoff Brightling
ISBN: 9780756667726
Publication Date: 2005
Illus. with full-color photos. From the earliest dynasty to the last emperor, watch 3,000 years of splendor come alive in this colorful chronicle of the civilization that's given us everything from gunpowder to dim sum.
Ancient China by Natalie M. Rosinsky; Kathleen Baxter (Contribution by); Timothy J. Griffin (Contribution by); Hanchao Lu (Consultant Editor); Robert L. McConnell (Contribution by)
Call Number: 931.23
ISBN: 9780756545680
Publication Date: 2012
Chapters include: religion and philosophy, daily life, and science and technology/
Ancient China Inside Out by Kelly Spence
ISBN: 9780778728757
Publication Date: 2017
This fascinating book explores the culture and achievements of ancient China through the examination of artifacts that have survived through the centuries. Each primary-source artifact offers the reader significant clues to the civilization's technologies, cultural traditions, foods, and conflicts.

Ancient China | Definitions

Ancient China | Curriculum Alignment

This Mentone Girls' Grammar School LibGuide supports the following Victorian curriculum outcomes. Click on the links to explore more.

History / Levels 7 and 8 / Historical Knowledge / Ancient world and early civilisations [VCHHK109]
How physical features influenced the development of the civilisation
History / Levels 7 and 8 / Historical Knowledge / Ancient world and early civilisations [VCHHK110]
Changes in society and the perspectives of key groups affected by change including the influence of law and religion
History / Levels 7 and 8 / Historical Knowledge / Ancient world and early civilisations [VCHHK111]
Significant beliefs, values and practices with a particular emphasis on changes to everyday life, cause and effect of warfare, and perspectives of death and funerary customs
History / Levels 7 and 8 / Historical Knowledge / Ancient world and early civilisations [VCHHK112]
Causes and effects of contacts and conflicts with other societies and/or peoples, resulting in developments such as expansion of trade, colonisation and war, and spread of beliefs
History / Levels 7 and 8 / Historical Knowledge / Ancient world and early civilisations [VCHHK113]
The role and achievements of a significant individual in an ancient society
History / Levels 7 and 8 / Historical Knowledge / Ancient world and early civilisations [VCHHK114]
The different methods and sources used by historians and archaeologists to investigate history and/or a historical mystery
History / Levels 7 and 8 / Historical Knowledge / Ancient world and early civilisations [VCHHK115]
The significance and importance of conserving the remains and heritage of the past

History / Year 7 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding [ACDSEH005]
Physical features of China (such as the Yellow River) and how they influenced the civilisation that developed there

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Elaborations:
* describing the significance of the Yellow River to irrigation and the impact of features such as the Himalayas on contacts with other societies, including trade
History / Year 7 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding [ACDSEH041]
Roles of key groups in Chinese society in this period (such as kings, emperors, scholars, craftsmen, women), including the influence of law and religion

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Elaborations:
* creating a graphic representation of the social structure of Chinese society
* outlining the rights and responsibilities of women (for example, in the areas of marriage, family life, work and education)
History / Year 7 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding [ACDSEH042]
Significant beliefs, values and practices of Chinese society, with a particular emphasis on ONE of the following areas: everyday life, warfare, or death and funerary customs

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Elaborations:
* investigating the significant beliefs, values and practices of Chinese society associated with daily life (for example, irrigation and the practice of agriculture, the teachings of Confucius, the evidence of daily life from the Han tombs)
History / Year 7 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding [ACDSEH043]
Contacts and conflicts within and/or with other societies, resulting in developments such as the expansion of trade, the rise of Imperial China (including its material remains), and the spread of philosophies and beliefs

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Elaborations
* explaining the rise of imperial China (for example, the use of chariot warfare and the adoption of mass infantry armies, the building of the first phase of the Great Wall of China, military strategies as codified in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War)
History / Year 7 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding [ACDSEH132]
The role of a significant individual in ancient Chinese history such as Confucius or Qin Shi Huang

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Elaborations:
* examining the historical context, early life and achievements of a significant historical figure from China in this period, and how they were perceived by their contemporaries