Name: Period: Date: The Great Wall of China: Its History and What it Means Plotting the map of the Great Wall of China: Test your knowledge of the ancient Chinese dynastic periods that built the great wall. With each correct answer, you will have built a section of the Great Wall. Read the summary of the history of the Great Wall of China at: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(docid+cn0017) http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/following-great-wall-china#sect-preparation As you read the history of the Great Wall of China, fill out the reading guide questions below. 1. The warring states of ancient China were first united in the year B.C. by the powerful western frontier state of. 2. The word China comes from the English misinterpretation of the name of the powerful or Ch in (wrong) dynasty. 3. The first powerful emperor of China took the title which means and was reserved for the gods or mythical figures. 4. In uniting China, Emperor Shi Huangdi did 5 positive things for China and China s first united government based on Legalist ideas. a. b. c. d. e. 5. To silence his critics, Shi Huangdi or put to death Confucian scholars and dissenters and books full of their ideas. 6. To fend of intrusion, Shi Huangdi built the kilometerlong Great Wall of China which is actually made up of great walls built or rebuilt from earlier periods in China. 7. Although the Qin dynasty ended just after the emperor died in B.C. the shortlived dynasty developed a pattern followed even by modern China today. 8. By the th century A.D. much of the original wall had crumbled into disrepair. The wall as it is known today is mostly a construction of the great dynasty.
9. The Ming dynasty built the wall in response to external threats of mounted horsemen or as well as threats and strife 10. The two major threats and reasons for the wall were the tribal nomadic horseman warriors known as the and the that later invaded and established the Qing or Ching dynasty. 11. The traditional name of the Mongolians is. TAKE THE QUIZ: Go To: http://edsitement.neh.gov/sites/edsitement.neh.gov/files/greatwall_newest.swf 1. Who were the Chinese trying to keep out of China during the Ming Dynasty? a. The Huns b. The Mongols c. The Japanese 2. In addition to trying to protect China from its Northern neighbors, the wall was built to a. Control migration of herds b. Make astronomical observations c. Keep Chinese citizens inside the country 3. What is another important group that the wall was meant to prevent from entering China? a. The Afghans b. The Manchus c. The Koreans 4. What is the Western-most province where guard towers and pieces of the wall can be found? a. Shanxi b. Xinjiang c. Hebei 5. The wall come close to one of China s most important cities and, and its seat of government. Which is it? a. Xingcheng B. Beijing C. Tianjin 6. During what dynasty was most of the wall that exists today built? a. Ming b. Han c. Qin
7. At its Eastern most point, the wall almost stretches to China s present-day border with what country? a. Mongolia b. Japan c. Korea SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT 1. Why would the Chinese Imperial court build such a wall? 2. What does the history of the Great Wall tell us about Chinese history and culture? 3. What can we learn about China and its neighbors from studying the Great Wall? 4. How long did it take to build and how many resources (time, energy, materials, manpower) were used to build the wall? What does this say about the wall? 5. What does the wall tell us about the ability of the Chinese Emperor to control and use human and other resources? 6. What does the wall say about China and its relationship with its northern neighbors? What is Xenophobia? (Look it up if you don t know) Can you make any connections to the US and Xenophobia? 7. The wall wasn t only meant to keep out other peoples. What else was it meant to keep out? 8. Do you think it was also meant to keep the Chinese people in? What does that mean?
INTERESTING FACTS DID YOU KNOW THAT? http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/04/18_great-wall.html What are the 10 freakiest or amazing facts you can find about the Great Wall of China? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
CONCLUSIONS: 1. Although the Great Wall may have kept invaders at bay for more than two hundred years during the Ming Dynasty, China eventually was ruled by both the Mongals (During the Yuan Dynasty that preceded the Ming Dynasty) and the Manchus (During the Qing Dynasty that followed the Ming Dynasty). Knowing this, was the Great Wall successful, or not? Remember all of the resources used. 2. How does Xenophobia connect with other events in history and even the US? What does the history of the Great Wall of China teach us about Xenophobia? PERSUASIVE ESSAY: Write a short persuasive essay on one of the following topics. Remember to support your claim with evidence and backing. Topic 1 - Should the Great Wall of China be built, or not? Topic 2 Should the government make efforts and use resources to protect Chinese culture and society from outside influences and culture?