Learn About the Greatest Ancient Civilization of Asia
When teaching our children ancient history, we are sure to include Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome. Unfortunately we sometimes omit another great ancient civilization on the other side of the globe-- Ancient China.
Maybe we ourselves don't know much about Ancient China, or we have no resources that cover Ancient China.
If you've come to this page, you are probably wanting to teach your child about Ancient China. Congratulations! The study of Ancient China is fascinating.
What Are You Looking For?
What led you to this page?
Literature Based Unit Studies
a better choice than textbooks
Why choose literature based unit studies for your homeschool?
- Time together with your children reading great books
- Building a family library to enjoy for years
- Learning how to use the public library as you search for books
- Making history comes alive through stories and images in "living books."
Literature is an inviting way to study history.Textbooks are generally dry and dusty -- a simple retelling of facts, dates, with a map or picture thrown in occasionally. But living books draw you children into the time period and make the learning stick!
Since I believe in the literature based method of homeschooling, you will see a lot of great books sprinkled throughout this lens. Make a list of the titles you like and look for them at your local library.
Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com
General Resources about Ancient China
Ancient China (DK Eyewitness Books)
Amazon Price: $10.87 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $10.46
If I Were a Kid in Ancient China: Children of the Ancient World (If I Were a Kid in. . .)
Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $10.91
Ancient China (See Through History)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $11.00
Growing Up In Ancient China (Growing Up In series)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $2.93
Great Links for Studying Ancient China
We all love links -- free information online! Here are the cream of the crop links about Ancient China.- 42explore Ancient China Page
- This is an amazing resource of other links to a multitude of topics related to Ancient China. It includes ideas for activities and links to help you do them.
- Ancient China Links
- Another exhaustive list of links that will lead you to a multitude of sites all dealing with various aspects of ancient China.
- Museum Exhibit Teacher's Kit
- This PDF is an excellent resource of historical facts about ancient China.
- Edu Place Ancient China
- PDF about Ancient China.
Printables and Graphics
- Chinese Clip-art
- Mostly folk-art style clip art images related to China.
- Lined Paper with Chinese Graphic
- This is a small notebooking page with lines and one graphic that would appropriate for lapbooking uses or for copywork.
- Ancient China Clip Art
- These are cute, cartoon-type clip art images of China. The man in the horse cart image for this module came from this site.
- Images of China
- These black and white images from old books are posted by FL's Educational Technology Clearninghouse. Search their database for other images. For example, there are several great images of silkworms, a great image of Confucius, etc.
- Classroom Clipart
- Clipart and photographs suitable for educational projects.
- Drawings of Great Wall of China
- Black and white drawings of the Great Wall from old books at the New York Public Library's Digital Gallery.
- Chinese Symbols
- A lovely PDF with dragons, waves, and flowers with a Chinese motif. These would good decorations for hands-on projects.
- Karen Whimsey's Chinese Images
- Royalty free images related to China. They are mostly pictures of gods, but there is a nice image of ancient Chinese coins there too!
- China Word Search #1
- A word search with the following words: EMPEROR,CALLIGRAPHY,RICKSHAW,KITE,CONFUCIUS, CHOPSTICKS,BEIJING,ABACUS,LANTERN,BAMBOO,ASIA, PANDA,JADE,IDEOGRAMS,DYNASTY,PAGODA.
- China Word Search #2
- A simple word search with these words:
ABACUS,ASIA,BEIJING,CALLIGRAPHY,CHINA,CONFUCIUS, DYNASTY,EMPEROR,EVEREST,HONG KONG,TIBET. - Traditional Chinese Fashions Paperdolls
- This webshots album contains scanned images of paperdolls and their clothes. Technically these fashions are not from ancient China since they start at the Tang dynasty and run through modern times. But there are some beautiful fashions that represent traditional Chinese clothing.
- Pagoda Shape Book Pattern
- This PDF has a simple, pagoda outline that would make a great cover and pattern for a shape book!
Your Experience in School
Anyone can vote. Just select your answer and VOTE.
Projects and Activities
make your learning stick
Why do hands-on activities?- Students enjoy doing projects and activities.
- As children share their finished product with others, they reveiw what they learned.
- Students will retain what they DO or CREATE more than what they only hear or see.
Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com
Great Links for Activities and Projects
for your unit study on Ancient China
- Chinese New Year Crafts
- Not all of these are applicable to Ancient China, but you could extend your unit study to include them.
- Unit Study Project Ideas
- These are general ideas that would fit any unit study topic. They are divided into four categories based on the learning style of your child -- read/write, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic
- Pictures of Ancient China Lapbook
- This Flickr set shows our homeschool's Ancient China lapbook. You can find many of the templates scattered among the links on this page. If you don't know what lapbooking is, see the next link.
- Lapbooking
- This will show you the basics of making lapbooks. (I made this page too!)
- How to Make an Ancient Book
- This is a craft I designed for making an "ancient" book. Before paper was invented in the Han Dynasty, books were made of strips of bamboo tied together. You can use craft (popsicle) sticks and twine to make your own! Another example of this craft can be found here.
- Ellen McHenry's Basement Workshop -- Ancient China
- Wow! Be sure to visit this site! There's a free MP3 song (with lyrics) that will help you learn about the dynasties and history of China! Also there's a mapping project and a calligraphy project.
Resources for Hands-on Activities and Projects
Projects About Ancient China (Hands-on History)
Amazon Price: $29.93 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $17.50
A Coloring Book of Ancient China
Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $0.30
History And Activities of Ancient China (Handson Ancient History)
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $8.08
Ancient China (Treasure Chest)
Amazon Price: $21.51 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $13.16
Ancient China: Museum Series, Gr. 5-8 (Social Studies Museum)
Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price:
Project Kits
ready made for your convenience
- Hands and Hearts Ancient Far East Discovery Kit
- This hands-on kit includes science, art, math, cultural, language, and worldview activities. Not just China, but also Mongolia, Tibet, and Japan are incorporated into the activities. It also includes Bible memory cards, 2 DVDs, and reproducible notebook pages.
- Hands of a Child Lapbook Kit
- This lapbook kit covers Ancient China.
The Timeline of Ancient China
Ancient China includes just three dynasties:1. Zhou Dynasty 1100 - 221 BC
--Confucius lived 551 - 479 BC
2. Qin Dynasty 221 - 210 BC
--Unification of China under Qin Shi Huang Di
3. Han Dynasty 206BC - 9 AD
--Flowering of Chinese culture
--invention of the kite and of paper
--Buddhism introduced into China
--Silk Road opens
Great Timeline Links
- Chinese Dynasties Timeline
- A simple timeline of dynasties with clickable links.
- Timeline of Chinese History
- This timeline is more detailed.
- Timeline of Chinese History
- Yet another timeline. This one is visually appealing and easy to read.
- Printable Timeline Figures
- This PDF file has eight timeline figures relevant to Ancient China. I had to make it for my own child's use, so why not share with you? We made it into an accordion minibook timeline seen in the picture above.
It's free for educational, non-profit use. - Time for Kids History Timeline
- This is a concise timeline of Chinese history from the Shang Dynasty to modern days.
Qin Shi Huang Di (259 - 210 BC)
the first emperor of China
The Great Wall and the Terracotta Soldiers. Both of these monuments were built under the reign of Qin Shi Huang Di.
At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, many states were warring against each other and taking each others' lands until only seven states remained. One of those was the Qin Kingdom. In 221 BC the ruler of the Qin Kingdom took over the other six kingdoms and pronounced himself the first emperor with the title Qin Shi Huang Di. He is also known as the Yellow Emperor because he chose that color for his royal clothes.
Qin Shi Huang Di's major accomplishments were to unify China with standard measures, coinage, weights, and Chinese characters. He also ordered the construction of irrigation systems, bridges, roads, and canals. Legislating these changes brought more unity to China than had ever been experienced before. Trade and communication within China became easier than before.
He wanted to do away with feudalism and old ways of thinking. Qin Shi Huang Di took away the nobles' land and forced them to live with him at his capitol so that he could control them. The land was available for sale and officials were sent to each area to collect taxes and to rule according to Qin Shi Huang Di's strict legalist government. Those who broke the laws were punished severely - often being forced to serve as slave labor for his projects, including the Terracotta Army and the Great Wall. Books of literature, philosophy, and history were burned under his rule. He also ordered the execution of more than 400 Confucian scholars.
Qin is pronounced "Chin." This is the sound from which the modern name China comes.
Qin Shi Huang Di on YouTube
The First Emperor: The Man Who Made China
Qin Shi Huang Di on DVD
First Emperor of China
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $5.50
Great Links about Emperor Qin
Qin Shi Huang Di, the emperor who united China
- Printable Mini-book
- This is a tri-fold mini-book ready to print. The drawings and design were created by me! You are free to use it for non-profit, educational use.
The template is black and white with lots of blank space for your child to color, draw, and write. The Chinese characters are Qin Shi Huang Di. - Qin Dynasty - Emperor Shi Huang Di
- A PDF lesson plan focused on Qin Shi Huang Di. Includes a craft recipe for making your own "terracotta" soldiers!
The Great Wall
Qin Shi Huang Di built a long wall with watchtowers along the northern border of his empire to keep out the invading Huns. This wall linked many of the already existing walls that were built under the rule of the various kingdoms before he came to power. Some have called it the longest cemetery in the world because of all the people who died during its construction. Peasants and criminals were forced to work as slaves to build it. Furthermore, high taxes were exacted to finance this project.
The Great Wall is almost 4000 miles long and crosses approximately 1400 miles of land. The emperors of later dynasties rebuilt and extended Qin Shi Huang Di's original project. (The Great Wall that is visible today was constructed under the rule of the Ming Dynasty.)
![View from Great Wall watchtower by Lil [Kristen Elsby]](http://static.flickr.com/2/1935289_7368556c7c_s.jpg)
All About the Great Wall
The Great Wall Of China (Aladdin Picture Books)
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $3.75
The Great Wall: The story of 4,000 miles of earth and stone that turned a nation into a fortress (Wonders of the World Book)
Amazon Price: $17.21 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $4.43
You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Great Wall of China!: Defenses You'd Rather Not Build (You Wouldn't Want to...)
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $6.32
Modern Marvels: The Great Wall of China
A DVD about the construction of The Great Wall
Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price:
Great Wall on YouTube
Links About The Great Wall
- Virtual Tour of Great Wall
- Scroll down a bit for a nice panoramic view from The Great Wall. There is also an audio file of how to say Great Wall in Chinese.
- Notebooking Page
- This notebooking printable has a black and white image of the Great Wall on top (suitable for coloring) with lines at the bottom for taking notes.
- Printable Mini-book
- This minibook template was created by me! It is free for non-profit, educational use. It has a black and white drawing on the front that your child can color. Inside is a lot of empty space for drawing or writing.
- Maze with Great Wall Theme
- A maze in which you help the boy get to the Great Wall.
- Free Great Wall Paper Model
- Print out this free PDF paper model from Epson for a fun hands-on project!
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses
The greatest evidence of his obsession with death is his construction of his tombs. Thousands of laborers worked for up to 40 years to make clay models of an entire army - 7000 soldiers, 600 horses, 10 chariots, and a multitude of weapons and suits of armour. This army was meant to protect him in the afterlife. His own body is buried in a replica of his palace in a yet unexcavated underground tomb.
The terracotta warriors were made with local clay pressed in molds of body parts. These molded parts were assembled with a clay paste and facial and armour details were added. Finally each warrior and horse was fired in a huge kiln, painted in brilliant colors and assembled in ranks in the underground tombs.
All About the Terracotta Warriors
The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China
Amazon Price: $12.23 (as of 07/26/2008)
Ancient Mysteries - China's Wall Of Doom
This DVD covers not only the Terracotta Warriors but also the Great Wall.
Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Great Links about the Terracotta Soldiers
- Explore: China
- Three great short videos with simple captions that give you a glimpse into the pits where the Warriors were buried.
Look for these titles:
Emperor Qin's Terra-cotta Warriors
Terra-cotta Warrior Pits
Terra-cotta Warrior Weapons - Printable Mini-book
- This trifold mini-book template is ready to print! It has black and white drawings and plenty of blank space for your child to color, draw, and write. The drawings and design are my very own. The Chinese text on the front says, of course, Terracotta Warriors. You are free to use it for non-profit, educational use.
- British Museum: China's Terracotta Army
- Look for the Teacher's Resource Pack and the Slideshow for some great Power Point and PDF learning materials!
- Printable Maze
- A PDF maze. Help the archaeologist excavate the Terracotta Soldiers.
- NGA About the Tomb
- Factual site about the Terracotta Warriors.
- Treasures of Ancient China
- by National Geographic
- Newsfinder
- This site has an abundance of facts. Mom, this is for you to research and then share with your kids. Or older students can read it on their own.
- Harcourt Article
- A great, simple article with a few images, appropriate for children to read to themselves (maybe 4th grade reading level).
Terracotta Warriors on YouTube
Picture Books about Ancient China
The Emperor and the Kite (Paperstar Book)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Liang and the Magic Paintbrush (Reading Rainbow Book)
Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
The Story About Ping
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Good Morning China
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 07/26/2008)
Fiction About Ancient China
Ma Jiang & The Orange Ants
Ma Jiang has to find a way to save the orange orchard when all the men from the village are called to serve in the emperor's army.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $2.99
Adventures in Ancient China (Good Times Travel Agency)
This is written in a very humorous, comic book style. But at the bottom of each page are detailed notes about the historical period.
Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $3.05
The Dragon Painter (First Reading Level 4)
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $3.58
Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China (From the Creator of the Magic School Bus) (Magic School Bus, The)
Amazon Price: $13.22 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $3.45
Day Of The Dragon-King (Magic Tree House 14, paper)
Amazon Price: $3.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $0.01
Resources for Magic Tree House Day of Dragon King
the novel by Mary Pope Osborne
- Crossword Puzzle
- PDF with vocabulary from the novel.
- Scrambled Words
- PDF with vocabulary from the novel.
- Word Search
- PDF with vocabulary from the novel.This word search is in the shape of a dragon!
Great Links about Confucius (551-479 BC)
the great philosopher of Ancient China
No study of Ancient China would be complete without at least a brief look at Confucius, the great philosopher.
His works were banned and burned under Qin Shi Huang Di in the Qin Dynasty. But during the later Han dynasty, Confucius' works were renewed and adapted into what became State Confucianism.
Clipart courtesy FCIT
- Three Paths to Wisdom: Confucianism
- Made especially for students, this is a nice outline of the most basic tenets of Confucianism and a few sayings.
- State Confucianism in Han Dynasty
- This article gives a good description of how Confucianism which was despised by Emperor Qin came to be reaccepted in the Han Dynasty.
- Confucius and Confucianism
- Confucius' teachings and the philosophy of State Confucianism.
- Printable Confucius Mini-book Template
- This is a PDF mini-book template I created for our own homeschool's study of Ancient China. It has a place for his teachings, his sayings, and how his thoughts were accepted (or not) during the Qin and Han Dynasties. You are free to use it for non-profit, educational use. The Chinese characters are Kong Zi -- Confucius' Chinese name.
- Confucius Says
- This link offers a short list of sayings from Confucius. These would make great copywork or writing promts.
The Silk Road
The production of silk began during the Shang Dynasty (1750 - 1100 BC). The secrets of spinning silk worm cocoons into luxurious fabric was a closely guarded secret for many years. During the Han Dynasty, the Silk Road opened, taking Chinese made silk the 7000 mile journey across Central Asia to the Eastern Roman Empire in Byzantium.Clipart courtesy FCIT
Silk Road
The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $1.99
Stories From The Silk Road
Amazon Price: $11.04 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $7.50
Great Links about the Silk Road
- The Silk Road
- This is a simple description of the Silk Road and includes a map image from The Silk Route: 7000 Miles of History.
- Printable Sequence Cards
- This PDF is an attractive printable from Scholastic with the steps in silk production from worm to silk. This could easily be adapted into a mini-book or a notebook page.
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- Look for the PDF entitled Traveling the Silk Road and Beyond. This beautiful set of lessons is centered on the art that was traded along the silk road. The time frame does extend past ancient China into the Middle Ages.
Inventions of Ancient China
The technological innovations of Ancient China are amazing -- most Chinese inventions came about far earlier than their discovery in the Western world.Inventions that had previously been introduced during the Shang Dynasty (1750-1100) are
-coins
-silk
-writing brush
-stirrups
Main inventions during Ancient China (Han Dynasty) are:
-paper
-kites
Later inventions:
-wheelbarrow
-ceramics
-landscape art in the distinct Chinese style
-woodblock printing
-compass
-fireworks
Inventions of Ancient China
Fantastic Inventions and Inventors: True Stories from Ancient China (True Stories From Ancient China)
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $3.97
Made in China: Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China (Dragon Bks)
Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $26.07
ANCIENT CHINA CHART
a poster showing the gifts Ancient China gave to the world
Amazon Price: $1.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price:
Great Links About Chinese Inventions
- History of Chinese Invention and Discovery
- This is a fascinating timeline that not only tells what inventions occurred in each dynasty, but also tells when that invention was made in the western world.
- Chinese Inventions
- The Franklin Institute Resources for Science Learning offers this nice, simple site highlighting papermaking, printing, gunpowder, and the compass.
- How to Make Paper
- This site has directions to make your own paper -- a great hands-on activity for this unit study!
- Chinese Inventions
- Includes pictures and text about each of these inventions: Writing, Porcelain, Smallpox Inoculation, Magnetic Compass, Canals & Locks, Abacus, Movable Sails & Rudder, Roads & Relay Hostels, Spinning Wheel,Coal & Iron Refining, Gunpowder, Movable-Type, Great Wall, Mechanical Clock, Paper Money.
- Printable Word Search
- This PDF is a word search of Chinese inventions.
- Ancient Chinese Inventions
- This unit study about Chinese inventions includes the abacus, kites, clocks, and paper. Activity suggestions and printables are included for both younger and older students.
Other China Related Pages
These four pages feature the three major Chinese holidays and a beloved animal.-
Chinese New Year
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新年快乐 Happy Chinese New Year! Take your children on a fascinating cultural experience -- celebrate Chinese New Year! Chinese New Year is the celebration of a new lunar year. It is a fifteen day holiday that starts on the e...
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Panda Fascination
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The Panda Bear is most certainly one of the most famous and beloved of the world's endangered animals. Personally, I never was a huge fan of the panda until I saw them in person at a research center in China. They are amazingly beautiful animals --...
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Mid-Autumn Festival
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Most cultures have a harvest festival. China is no exception. The Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节 (Zhong Qiu Jie) is one of the three most important, traditional Chinese holidays. (The other two are Chinese New Year and Dragon Boat Fes...
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Dragon Boat Festival
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Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month. But that's not May 5th. This holiday is calculated according to the lunar calendar. In 2008, the Dragon Boat Festival is June 8. You still have time to plan some fun activities for...
Guestbook
I welcome your questions or suggestions.
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linhuck
Amazing information about a beautiful country on a wonderful lens. Posted July 15, 2008 |
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frances
Really nice list of resources Posted July 10, 2008 |
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poddys
Ancient China is a rivetting topic, and one that children will love. This is a very nice lens, and I love the clipart you used too. 5***** Posted July 03, 2008 |
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BaiNiangZi
Love you Ancient China lens, especially the clip art part. You might love to visit Hangzhou, an ancient chinese city :-) Posted May 09, 2008 |
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Global_Peace
My heart is racing...five stars...see my lens and post ur opinion Posted April 27, 2008 |
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wizkid
Wonderful lens. A lot of great information and beautiful pictures. 5 stars! Posted April 20, 2008 |
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Squidster
Awesome resource with a wonderful mix of information. Thank you for adding this lens to the Squidoo.Asia Directory! Posted April 10, 2008 |
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riff999
Excellent resource center and not just for kids. Loved the section on the terra cotta warriors. It was great the way you combined ancient China with the more modern. 5* Posted March 18, 2008 |
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Stephene
Great lense with good information.. i like your lense very much.. i hv bookmarked this lense and joined your fan club.. (^o^) Posted March 16, 2008 |
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eccles1
great job ! love China Posted March 07, 2008 |
