Ancient%20Chinese%20Civilization

1
Ancient Chinese Civilization4.1

• Main Idea Chinas rivers, and isolation caused
  by mountains and deserts, shaped early Chinese
  culture.

2
The Physical Setting

• Enormous size
• Geographic variety
• Wide variety of climatic patterns
• Mountains in west, southwest, and northwest
• Desert and semi-desert plateaus
• North China Plain, a coastal area along the
  Yellow Sea

3
A.K.A. Xi River?
4
Qinling Shandi

• mountain range that cuts from west to east
• Separates the valleys of the Huang and the Chang
  (Yangtze) rivers
• Marks the border between northern and southern
  China

5
Northern China

• Northern China receives less rain than central
  and southern China
• Temperatures are more extreme in the north
• Growing season is shorter in the north
• A lot of wheat is grown in the north

6
Central and southern China

• Rainfall is more plentiful.
• Rice is the principal crop.

7
China Proper

• The Heart of China
• China Proper stretches from seacoast inland.
• Three great river systems wind through China
  Proper.
• The rivers are Huang, Chang, and Xi (SHEE)

8
Other Political Sections have included

• Tibet
• Xinjiang (shin-jyahng)
• Mongolia
• Manchuria
• Northern Korea
• At different times, these areas have been
  conquered and ruled by the Chinese.

9
Huang River

• 2,900 miles long
• Empties into the Yellow Sea
• Huang River has a fertile soil called loess.
• Loess gives the river a yellow tint.
• Huang means yellow.
• The Huang is also nicknamed Chinas Sorrow
  because of its floods.

10
Adding to the problem--

• Early Chinese built dikes along the river to
  control the flooding.
• The dikes slowed the rivers flow and silt built
  up along the bottom.
• The river level finally reached the tops of the
  dikes.
• The Chinese built higher dikes.
• Now the river flows at least 12 feet above the
  surrounding land.

11
And more problems--

• Floods on the Huang are devastating.
• The floods destroy crops and human life.
• Water cant drain off the land and stands until
  it evaporates.
• Rainfall in the region is unpredictable so that
  floods alternate with drought and famine.

12
Chang River

• 3,434 miles long
• Large ocean-going ships can navigate nearly 600
  miles upstream.
• Smaller ships can travel about 1,700 miles
  upstream.

13
Xi River

• 1,200 miles long
• Large ships can navigate about 1/3 of its length.
• Forms an important commercial waterway for China

14
Chinas isolation

• China was isolated by great distances, rugged
  mountains, and deserts, such as the Gobi.
• As a result of its geographic isolation, China
  developed its own distinct culture

15
Alien Contact!

• Along their northern and northwestern borders,
  the Chinese had contact with nomadic people.
• Usually they were peaceful and traded with the
  Chinese.

16
Nomads attack!

• Sometimes the nomads attacked Chinese
  settlements.
• The Chinese considered the nomadic invaders
  culturally inferior and called them barbarians.

17
A superior attitude!

• Infrequent contact with foreigners gave the
  Chinese a strong sense of identity and a superior
  attitude.
• The Chinese considered theirs the only civilized
  land.

18
The Chinese Zhongguo

• Zhongguo meant Middle Kingdom.
• The Chinese considered their land the center of
  the world.

19
The inferior outsiders

• The inferior outsiders only became fully
  civilized when they learned to speak Chinese and
  adopted Chinese customs

20
Assimilation!

• Often when invaders did overrun parts of China,
  the invaders would lose their identity over time
  and be absorbed into Chinas population.

Ideas for television, movies, and video games
often come from the creators knowledge of
history.
This, however, was not the Chinese method of
assimilation!
A serious case of assimilation
21
Review
22
What is loess?
23
Loess is a fertile yellow soil along the Huang
river.
24
What were dikes used for in China?
25
The Chinese built dikes to hold back the floods
along the Huang River.
26
What are the three main rivers of China?
27
Main rivers of China

• Huang (Yellow)
• Chang (Yangtze)
• Xi (Shee)

28
What large desert lies northwest of China?
29
Gobi Desert lies northwest of China.
30
What does Zhongguo mean?

• Center of the World

31
What area is next to China and has been taken
over by the Chinese communists

• Tibet

32
How do northern and southern regions of China
differ geographically?
33
Geographic differences

• Northern China receives less rain
• Temperatures in the north are more extreme.
• The growing season in the north is shorter.
  Wheat is the principal crop.
• Central and Southern China receive more rainfall.
  Rice is the principal crop.

34
What marks the boundary between northern and
southern China?
35
The Qinling Shandi marks the boundary between
northern and southern China.
36
How did geography contribute to the Chinese sense
of identity?
37
The Chinese developed a superior attitude and
strong sense of identity largely due to their
geographical isolation from other cultures.
38
Population Statistics
http//www.geohive.com/earth/population1.aspx
39
The Shang Dynasty4.2

• The Shang dynasty established a model that
  affected future governments of China.

40
Objectives

• To describe how Shang government and economy were
  organized
• To identify characteristics and contributions of
  ancient China

41
Xia (shah)

• The Xia were the first inhabitants of the Huang
  River valley.
• The Xia existed at least as early as the
  Neolithic Age.

42
More on the Xia --

• The Xia (shah) believed they were created by the
  god Yu.

43
The Shang Dynasty

• The Shang were the first to establish a dynasty
  in China.

44
Dynasty!

• Whats a dynasty?
• A dynasty is rule by a single family over
  several generations.

45
Power through Public Works

• The Shang were involved in irrigation and flood
  control and took control of the area from the Xia.

46
The Shang in Control

• The Shang were able to gain territory and
  influence other regions because they had their
  act together they had a complex government and
  a strong military.
• The Shang were ready for anything!

47
Religion during the Shang Dynasty

• The Shang believed in animism.
• Whats animism?
• The belief that spirits inhabit everything
  including rocks, trees, water, etc.
• The Shang also believed in ancestor worship.

48
Achievements of the Shang Dynasty

• The Shang used kaolin (a white clay) to make
  pottery.
• The Shang also developed a writing system that
  used 600 pictographscalligraphy.
• The Shang knew how to make silk.

49
Government in the Shang Dynasty

• The government was a bureaucracy under an
  emperor.
• Whats a bureaucracy?
• Bureaucracy
• Government organized into different levels
  and tasks.

50
Shang Agriculture

• They grew millet and rice.
• They raised pigs and chickens for meat.
• They used horses for labor.

51
Priest-astronomers

• Why were priest astronomers important during the
  Shang dynasty?

52
Priest-Astronomers

• The priest astronomers helped keep the calendar
  in sync with the seasons by saying when to add
  days to a month or year.
• The calendar helped farmers determine when the
  floods might come or when they should harvest.
• Priest astronomers were powerful.

53
Keep the emperor?

• The ruler was judged by the success of the
  harvest.

54
Religion in the Shang Dynasty

• Religion in the Shang dynasty combined animism
  with ancestor worship.

55
Animism?

• Animism was the belief that spirits inhabit
  everything trees, rocks, water, etc.

56
The Magic Dragon?

• People believed in an all-powerful and kindly
  dragon who lived in the seas and rivers and could
  rise into the clouds.

57
In time--

• This dragon became the symbol of Chinese rulers.
• The rulers wife was symbolized by the phoenix.

58
Phoenix
59
And More Chinese gods ---

• Wind
• Sun
• Clouds
• Moon
• Some were honored by festivals

60
A good party ensures a good harvest right?

• Religious festivals in the spring were held to
  ensure a good crop.
• In an autumn festival people thanked the moon god
  for the harvest.

61
The Amazing Shangdi!

• The Chinese believed Shangdi was the god who
  controlled human destiny and the forces of
  nature.
• Rulers often asked their ancestors to plead on
  their behalf with Shangdi.

62
Even more importantly ---

• Rulers used Shangdis control over destiny to
  justify their decisions --- it is the will of
  Shangdi.

How convenient is that?
63
The Role of Priests

• Priests played an important role in Chinese
  religion.
• Some tried to predict the future or interpret
  divine messages, especially messages from the
  spirits.
• How could they do that?

64
They used bones!

• In fact, they used oracle bones!

65
Language and Writing

• The Shang were among the few early peoples to
  develop a system of writing.
• The Chinese spoke many dialectsvariations of a
  language.
• Chinese developed a system of writing that could
  handle all of these dialects.

66
Evolution of Chinese Writing

• Pictographs drawings of objects
• Ideographs two parts an idea sign and a
  phonetic sign
• The signifier of the ideograph showed the meaning
  of the character
• The phonetic sign told how to pronounce it.

67
Surprise!

• For many centuries the ability to read and write
  was limited to a small number of specialists.
• They usually served the emperor as clerks,
  scribes, and teachers.

68
Scribes

• Recorded special events
• Composed literary works
• Wrote from top to bottom beginning on the right
  side of the page

69
Calligraphy

• Eventually the writing evolved into an art form
  called calligraphy.
• Artists used the same kind of brush for
  calligraphy as for painting.

70
Fall of the Shang

• Herders from the Gobi Desert and Tian Shan
  foothills began to edge toward the rich river
  valley c. 1200 B.C.
• They began to settle along the borders.
• During the 1100s B.C. the Shang almost
  continually battled these warlike neighboring
  states.

71
Doomed!

• The extended military efforts exhausted the Shang
  rulers.
• The last Shang king (Di-Xin) could not protect
  the kingdoms northwest borders. (The real
  reason the Shang dynasty fell.)

72
Enter the Zhou!

• c. 1050 B.C. the Zhou formed an alliance with
  nearby tribes and overthrew the dynasty.
• It ended about 700-800 years of Shang rule.

73
And . . .

• The Zhou justified their takeover by saying that
  the Shang rulers had become corrupt and unfit to
  rule.
• This explanation for the overthrow of one dynasty
  (or government) has been used throughout Chinas
  history. (patterns of living --- a part of
  culture)

74
Review!
75
Who were the first inhabitants of the Huang River
valley?
76
The Xia were the first inhabitants of the Huang
River valley.
77
Who were the first to establish a dynasty?
78
The Shang were the first to establish a dynasty.
79
What is a dynasty?
80
A dynasty is rule by a single family.
81
What projects were the Shang involved in that
gave them control over the people?
82
Irrigation and flood-control projects
83
What did the Shang religion involve?
84
Shang Religion

• Animism
• Ancestor worship

85
What is animism?
86
Animism is a belief that spirits inhabit
everything trees, rocks, water, etc.
87
What were two achievements of the Shang Dynasty?
88
Achievements of the Shang Dynasty

• Using kaolin (a white clay) to make pottery
• Developing a writing system --calligraphy

89
What kind of government did the Shang have?
90
Shang government included

• Emperor
• bureaucracy

91
What is a bureaucracy?
92
A bureaucracy is a government organized into
different levels and tasks.
93
Why were priest-astronomers important during the
Shang Dynasty?
94
Priest-astronomers helped keep the calendar in
sync with the seasons of the year by saying when
to add days to a month or year.
95
Why was it important to keep the calendars
accurate?
96
The calendar helped farmers determine when floods
might come or when they should harvest.
97
What decided if they would keep an emperor?
98
To keep the emperor, the harvest had to be
successful.
99
What became a symbol of Chinese emperors?
100
The dragon became a symbol of Chinese emperors.
101
Who was Shangdi?
102
Shangdi was the god of human destiny and
the forces of nature.
103
What were oracle bones?
104
Oracle bones were used by priests to foretell the
future and interpret divine message.
105
What finally happened to the Shang?
106
The Shang, plagued by border wars, were finally
defeated by an alliance of the Zhou with nearby
tribes.
Wherever You Go Go With All Your Heart. --
Confucius
107
The Zhou, Qin, and Han Dynasties

• Three major dynastiesthe Zhou, the Qin, and the
  Hanbuilt China into a powerful country.

108
Zhou Dynasty 1050-256 B.C.

• The Zhou dynasty had no centralized form of
  government. Instead ruled territories whose
  leaders swore loyalty to the ruler and promised
  military service and tribute

109
The Mandate of Heaven

• The Chinese believed that the god of Heaven
  determined who should ruleMandate of Heaven.
• Rebels used the Mandate of Heaven to justify
  overthrowing a previous ruler

110
Zhou and the Invaders

• Zhou were often attacked by outsiders and local
  leaders often fought amongst themselves

111
Good-bye, Zhou!

• The Zhou lost real power by the 700s but
  continued weakly until 256 B.C.

112
Qin Dynasty 221 to 206 B.C.

• Qin rule only lasted 15 years.
• The Western name for China comes from the Qin.

113
Qin Autocracy

• The Qin established an autocracy in which the
  emperor held total power.

114
Dont criticize the Qin!

• The Qin suppressed and executed scholars who
  criticized the government.
• At one point, Qin had some
• people who criticized him,
• buried alive.

115
The Qin Dynasty

• Guarded against invasion by building defensive
  walls along the borderwould eventually become
  the Great Wall of China
• Great Wall 1,500 miles long during Qin dynasty
• Used forced labor to build

116
Qins Tomb

• In 1974 Qins tomb was found. It was completely
  untouched by vandalism or grave robbers.
• It contained 6,000 life-size terra cotta
  soldiers, all of whom had different faces.

117
More on the Qin

• The gap widened between the ruler and the mass of
  the people.
• Rebellion came in 206 B.C.
• Liu Bang started the Han Dynasty

118
Liu Bang the Bad Boy

• Han was born into a peasant family, but he didnt
  like farm work. Not his fathers favorite son,
  he was living the rogues life.
• After he grew up, he became a patrol officer in
  his county.

119
Liu Bang the Outlaw

• At one point he was responsible for transporting
  a group of prisoners. During the trip, some of
  the prisoners escaped.
• Liu Bang released the rest of the prisoners and
  fled himself.
• He joined a band of outlaws and became their
  leader.
• On one of his raids, a magistrate was so
  impressed with his leadership skills that he gave
  Liu Bang his daughter in marriage.

120
Liu the Emperor

• Liu Bang overthrew the Qin emperor and
  established the Han dynasty. (He liked the name
  better.)
• He encouraged Confucian thought rather than the
  harsh Legalist laws of his predecessor.

121
Han Dynasty

• Han dynasty took its name from King of Han the
  name Liu Bang took
• 206 B.C.-220 A.D.ruled for 400 years
• People of China still call themselves the People
  of Han
• Longest-ruling Han emperor was Liu Che, also
  known as Wu Ti
• The Han ruled over an area larger than the Roman
  Empire

122
More on the Han

• The Han had a centralized government.
• The Han introduced a civil service system based
  on merit exams that remained until the early
  1900s A.D.

123
The Han and the Leveling System

• Leveling systemeconomic policy which used price
  controls to balance the effects of farm surpluses
  and shortagesstored surplus grain for use during
  lean years

124
The Han and the Silk Road

• Silk Roadlots of trade with the Greeks and
  Romans

125
More on the Silk Road

• The Silk Road was a trade route that stretched
  from China across central Asia to the
  Mediterranean
• Camel caravans carried jade, silk, and other
  valuable Chinese goods.
• The goods were sold to wealthy Greeks and Romans.
• The caravans returned to China with gold, silver,
  and wool.

126
During the Han dynasty--

• Chinas population grew to about 50 million.
• Luxury goods could be found in the capital city,
  including paper, a Chinese invention.

127
Paper?

• Paper was a Chinese invention that spread from
  China to the Western world.

128
After Liu Che--

• None of his successors had his leadership
  ability, but the Han dynasty continued to rule
  China until 220 A.D. (with the exception of one
  brief interruption)
• Nomadic peoples swept across China causing many
  Han subjects to move south.

129
The End of the Han

• After the fall of the Han dynastynomadic tribes
  invaded.
• The people of Han moved south ahead of them.

130
Not until--

• In 581 A.D. a Chinese general unified China once
  again.

131
Review
132
What type of government did the Zhou have?
133
Not centralized. Feudalistic. With land being
given in exchange for loyalty and military
service.
134
How did they believe rule was determined?
135
God determined the ruler through the Mandate of
Heaven.
136
What conflicts did the Zhou face?
137
The Zhou fought nomadic invaders and local
leaders within their own people.
138
Until what date did the Zhou rule?
139
The Zhou ruled until 256 B.C.
140
How long did the Qin dynasty last?
141
The Qin dynasty lasted 15 years.
142
Where does the western name for China come from?
143
The western name for China comes from the Qin.
144
Who held total power in the Qin dynasty?
145
The emperor held total power in the Qin dynasty.
146
What is this form of government called?
147
Autocracy is a form of government in which the
leader holds total power.
148
What did the Qin government do to scholars who
criticized the government?
149
The Qin government executed scholars who
criticized the government.
150
Who started the Han dynasty?
151
Liu Bang started the Han dynasty. (He ruled from
206 B.C. to 195 B.C. for a total of?)
11 years
152
How long did the Han dynasty last?
153
The Han dynasty lasted for 400 years.
154
Who was Liu Che?
155
Liu Che was the longest ruling Han emperor.
156
What was Liu Ches other name?
157
Liu Ches other name was Wu Ti.
158
Why do we care what Liu Ches other name was?
I have no idea.
159
How large an area did the Han rule over?
160
The Han ruled an area larger than the Roman
empire.
161
What type of government did the Han have?
162
Emperor at the head of the government.
Centralized government with merit system for
determining government employees.
163
What was the merit system?
164
People who wanted to work for the government had
to take an exam. Those with the highest scores
were the most likely to get the jobs.
165
How had government employees been selected
previously?
166
People were selected by who their familes were
and how they were connected. It was a matter
of who do you know.
167
What was the leveling system?
168
Setting price controls on grain and storing
surplus grain so that farmers did not suffer
rising and falling prices.
169
What was the Silk Road?
170
The Silk Road was a caravan route across central
Asia to the Mediterranean.
171
With whom did the Chinese trade at the other end
of the Silk Road?
172
The Chinese traded with the Greeks and Romans.
173
What Chinese invention changed the Western world?
174
Paper. The Chinese invented paper.
175
When did the Han dynasty fall and what happened
afterward?
176
The Han dynasty fell in 220 A.D. and the Han
people fled south in advance of nomadic invaders.
177
Learning without thinking is useless. Thinking
without learning is dangerous.

• Confucius
• Chinese philosophers and teachers sought ways to
  understand the universe and the human condition.

178
Philosophies of Ancient China

• Objectives
• To examine Confucianism and Daoism in Chinese
  society
• To describe the influence of
• Legalism and Buddhism on Chinese
• history

179
Dualism

• Dualism believed there was a two-sidedness to
  nature.
• The world results from the balance between two
  forces.

180
Yin and Yang

• Yin the dark, passive, feminine side
• Yang bright, active, masculine side

181
Dualism

• Dualism led to the belief that there would be a
  balance to extremes for example, the Qin (harsh
  government) would be balanced by the Han
  (moderate government)

182
Confucius 571 B.C.-479 B.C.

• Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them
  crimes.

183
Confucius

• See a person's means Observe his motives.
  Examine that in which he rests. How can a person
  conceal his character?

His works and teachings were collected in a work
called the Analects.
184
The Analects
What is virtue? Virtue, according to
Confucius, involved correct behavior
toward others. textbook quote
185
Confucius

• Confucius sought to end the political disorder of
  his time.

186
Confucius

• Confucius was not a religious prophet.
• He was concerned about political and social
  unrest and how moral and ethical leadership can
  solve those problems.

187
What did Confucius believe about government and
its leaders?

• He believed government and its leaders should be
  virtuous.
• He believed they should be honest and honorable
  toward those they lead.
• He believed they should have the welfare and
  interest of their people as their greatest
  interest.

188
Concepts of Confucianism

• Importance of family
• Respect for ones elders (mothers, fathers, etc.)
• Reverence for the past and ones ancestors

189
Confucius believed that every person should
accept his or her role in society and should
perform the duties of that role.
190
Mencius

• Mencius came after Confucius and followed his
  teachings.
• Mencius taught that people were basically good
  and that

191
Mencius the Dangerous?

• Mencius taught that people had a right to
  overthrow governments that were weak or harsh!

192
Laozi

• Founded the philosophy of Daoism
• Dao means The Way

193
Teachings of Laozi

• Laozi saw Dao as an indescribable force that
  governed the universe and all nature.

194
Laozi taught --

• Laozi taught that people should withdraw from the
  world and contemplate nature so that they could
  understand Dao and live in harmony with it.
• He taught that people should not strive for
  material wealth.
• He taught that people should live humbly,
  quietly, and thoughtfully.

195
Does any of that sound familiar?
Did you know that Dagobah is Sanskrit for
Stupa?
Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back
196
What Laozi didnt teach ---

• Unlike Confucius, Laozi did not teach politics.

197
Daoism became only second to Confucianism as an
influence in Chinese life.
198
Legalism

• Legalism concerned itself with politics
• Legalists believed in power and in harsh laws
  rather than virtue.

199
Crummy People

• Legalists believed people were selfish and
  untrustworthy by nature.
• Peace and prosperity were only possible if people
  were threatened with harsh laws.

200
Legalism Applied

• Cheng of the Qin dynasty followed the ideas of
  Legalism and created a great empire, but it
  didnt last long.

201
A Balancing Act --

• The Han dynasty balanced Legalism with
  Confucianism and lasted much longer. Han dynasty
  lasted four hundred years.

202
Buddhism in China

• Buddhism was brought to China by missionaries
  from India.
• Buddhism also taught compassion and charity,
  values overlooked in other philosophies.

203

• Buddhist teachings did not attempt to correct
  political or social disorder. They just brought
  comfort during a turbulent time.

204
The Fall of the Han

• The later years of the Han dynasty were full of
  violence and destruction so the Chinese found
  security in the Buddhist teachings.

205
The Rise of Buddhism--

• Buddhas teachings gained support because they
  provided comfort during the unrest at the end of
  the Han dynasty.

206
In summary--

• Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism provided moral
  and ethical guides to right living.
• Legalism provided a strong foundation for Chinese
  government.

207
Review
208
What religion became popular during turbulent
times?

• Buddhism

209
Which philosopher sought to end political chaos?

• Confucius

210
Name for the two-sidedness of nature--

• Dualism

211
Belief that the way to harmony is an
understanding of nature--

• Daoism

212
What was Legalism?

• Legalism was the belief that people were by
  nature selfish and untrustworthy and needed harsh
  laws to control them.

213
What were the Analects?

• The Analects were the writings of Confucius.

214
What is the name for the dark, passive force?

• Yin is the dark, passive force.

215
What is yang?

• Yang is the name given to the bright, active
  force.

216
What are the three tenets of Confucianism?

• Importance of family
• Respect for elders
• Reverence for the past

217
Who was Laozi?

• Laozi founded Daoism.

218
What was the most important social structure in
ancient China?

• The family

219
What was used to predict earthquakes?

• The seismograph

220
What healing process did the Chinese invent?

• Acupuncture

221
What did the Chinese invent to tell time?
Sundial
222
Chinese Life and Culture

• The family, farming, and educational pursuits
  for government officials marked daily life in
  China.

223
Objectives

• To identify major characteristics and
  contributions of Ancient China
• To compare social practices of ancient
  civilizations to those of today

224
Important Points of the Section

• The family, not the individual, was the important
  factor in Chinese society.
• Families were patriarchal (Dad ruled!!).
• Women had fewer rights than men and could not own
  property.
• Chinese society taught great respect for mothers
  and mothers-in-law, but a woman without children
  was not held in high esteem.

225
The Economy

• Most Chinese were small farmers.
• Trade and commerce grew quickly during the Qin
  dynasty.
• The Qin standardized currency and the system of
  weights and measures.

Small Farmer
226
Trade also increased during the Han dynasty as
the Silk Road connected China with the
Mediterranean.
227
Arts and Sciences

• Chinese relied on five texts to train scholars
  and civil servants.
• The five texts became known as the Five Classics.
• The Five Classics came into use during the Zhou
  dynasty.

228
The Five Classics

• The Book of Historycontains speeches and
  documents about government.
• The Book of Changesthe art of predicting the
  future.
• The Spring and Autumn Annals--record of events in
  the city-state of Lu
• The Book of Rites--deals with manners and
  ceremonies
• The Book of Poetry--contains more than 300 songs
  about life, love, and politics

229
These five books along with the Analects became
the basis for education in China.
230
Science and Technology

• 1. In 28 B.C. Chinese astronomers first observed
  sunspots.
• 2. Chinese built the first seismograph.
• 3. Chinese invented paper (made from old fishing
  nets, hemp, old rags, and tree bark)
• -By the A.D. 700s it had spread throughout
  Central Asia and the Middle East where it
  replaced papyrus.
• 4. Made discoveries in chemistry dyes for
  cloth and glazing for pottery
• 5. Developed acupuncture
• 6. Also invented the sundial, water clock,
  and the process of printing

231
The seismograph was used to record earthquakes.
Small metal balls would fall from the dragons
mouths into the mouths of the frogs.
232
Dark spots, some as large as 50,000 miles in
diameter move across the surface of the sun.
Sunspots
233
Chinese Water Clock

• The Su Sung clock tower, over 30 feet tall,
  possessed a bronze power-driven armillary-sphere
  for observations, an automatically rotating
  celestial globe, and five front panels with doors
  that permitted the viewing of changing manikins
  which rang bells or gongs, and held tablets
  indicating the hour or other special times of the
  day. Wikipedia