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In the historical documentary, “Engineering an Empire- China,” on the History Channel, the video explored the emperors, achievements and geography. There were many great emperors, here are three. First was Ying Chang, also known as Shi Huangdi. He came into power when he was only thirteen. His own mother wanted to kill him and put her other lover sons at the throne. When he found out at the age of twenty-two, he had his stepbrothers and his step father killed and his mother banished. He also unified all of China. He also started the Great Wall of China. In his later years, he started gathering his laboring force to build himself a magnificent tomb. After his death, the empire collapsed. The second emperor was Liu Bang. He returns peace and stability to the empire. He started a dynasty that lasted for four centuries, it was called the Han. The third and final emperor is Yang Di. Instead of focusing on the defenses, such as The Great Wall of China, and armies, he started to fortify the empire within its borders. Two achievements were The Great Wall and the Grand Canal. The Great Wall of China stretched over six thousand miles long and it took over one million workers to build it. It was made for keeping enemies out and Chinese people in. it was like a symbol that meant invaders keep out, and we will stay in. The Grand Canal was built to connect the two rivers, the Yangzi River and the Yellow River. It took five million workers and six years to complete. Its length was one thousand two hundred miles. Because it connected the two bodies of water, trade was possible and quicker. The geography was different because China was stretched a long way. Some land was rough and forbidding, other was lush and fertile. I would like o earn more about the building of The Great Wall of China.

** China Cyberhunt ** In this cyberhunt, you will be researching the culture of China. You will be answering questions from selected web sites using complete sentences on your own paper. [|Discovery of Tea] 1. For how many years have the Chinese been drinking tea? For more than 4,000 years 2. How was tea first used in China? As an herbal medicine. 3. In what dynasty did drinking tea become popular? In the Zhao Dynasty [|Chinese Inventions]4. What year was the new invention of paper presented to the emperor? The year 105A.D. 5. What did the Chinese use to make paper? Out of bamboo fiber 6. When did the Chinese invent moveable type? 1045 A.D. 7. How many characters does the Chinese have in it? 5000 8. When did the Chinese invent gun powder? In the eighth century A.D. 9. What did the Chinese use to make gun powder? sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (potassium nitrate). 10. What weapons did the Chinese use gun powder for? They made rockets and other projectiles that were shot out of hollow bamboo tubes. 11. When were the first magnetic compasses used by Chinese ships? By the eleventh century A.D.  [|The Tang Dynasty]12. What year did the golden age of the Tang Dynasty begin? Around 600 C.E. 13. How could a poor person in the Tang Dynasty get a job working for the government? They could take the government exam. 14. How many people lived in the capital of the Tang? Over one million people 15. How did Buddhism get to China? It arrived as an idea from India. 16. What were the Three Doctrines of the Tang Dynasty? Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism [|The Song Dynasty]17. What is the period of the Song Dynasty sometimes referred to as? China’s Age of Invention. 18. Who visited China during the Song Dynasty? Marco Polo 19. [|When did the Song Dynasty rule China? 960-1279]20. What was the Song Dynasty the first government to do? The first to use paper money instead of coins. [|Confucianism]21. What does Confucianism stress? The importance of good behavior and responsibility 22. What is Confucianism? A religion that wants people to behave properly. It is the words of Confucius. 23. What is a social code of behavior? Everything has to be done in a certain way 24. What did the social code of Confucianism honor? It honored ancient rituals and ancestors. [|Buddhism] 25. What did Siddhartha want to understand? The cause f human suffering. 26. What does "the Buddha" mean? Enlightened one. 27. Why do Buddhists look within themselves? To find peace within themselves. 28. What is karma? An ancient saying that means what goes around comes around. 29. How many Buddhists are there in the world today? Three million people in the world are Buddhist [|The Four Noble Truths]30. Describe the Four Noble Truths in your own words. It is something that shows you that life is a path of suffering, and we should break away from it.

[|The Great Wall of China] 31. When was the Great Wall of China built? It was started during the Qin dynasty and finished in the Ming dynasty 32. What was the purpose of the Great Wall? To protect China from northern tribes 33. How long is the Great Wall? It was about 2000 miles long 34. About how many men died working on the wall? About 100,000,000 men 35. What happened to the peasants who died while working on the wall? (You'll have to scroll down a bit to find this one.) When a peasant died while making the wall, they were buried in to the wall [|Genghis Khan] 36. What other names has Genghis Khan been called? Emperor of men, Scourge of God, World Conqueror. 37. What empire did Genghis Khan establish? The Mongol Empire [|Kublai Khan] 38. Why was Kublai Khan different than other Chinese rulers? He wasn’t Chinese 39. Who was Kublai Khan related to? Genghis Khan 40. What famous explorer did Kublai Khan know? Marco Polo [|Marco Polo] 41. When was Marco Polo born and when did he die? Born: 1254 Died: 1324 42. How long did Marco Polo spend in Asia? 24 years 43. In what city did Marco meet Kublai Khan at? He met Khan in China Scroll down to Years Serviced in Khan's Court. 44. What skill did Marco have that made him valuable to Kublai Khan? He knew 4 languages and was a good linguist Scroll down to Coming Home. 45. For how many years did the Polo brothers serve Kublai Khan? For 17 years 46. How long did the sea journey home take? It took 2 years 47. Where was Marco when he wrote the story of his travels in Asia? At venice, I guessed 48. What was the book called? “Trebizond on the Black Sea coast they went by” 49. Why do you think people did not believe Marco? Because he said that they wouldn’t make it home safe. He probably believed that it was luck at its best when they arrived home 50. What did Marco say on his deathbed? I couldn’t find the answer!