Acupuncture - An ancient Chinese treatment for healing that uses needles placed in various areas of the skin.
Bamboo - A fast growing grass that grows very tall and with hollow stems like a tube. The Chinese found numerous uses for bamboo including paper, buildings, furniture, and musical instruments.
Calligraphy - A style of writing that was considered an art form using brushes to paint the characters.
Dragon - A revered mythical creature that has the long body of a serpent, sharp teeth, four legs with sharp talons, and can fly.
Five Elements - The five elements of ancient Chinese philosophy are wood, fire, earth, water, and metal. They are also called the Wu Xing.
Nian - A legendary monster that terrorized a Chinese village until they used fireworks and noise to scare it off. Their victory over Nian is celebrated on Chinese New Year.
Porcelain - A type of ceramic invented by the Chinese. It is thin, strong, and beautiful. It is often called "china" in the west.
Silk - A luxurious material made from the cocoons of silkworms. Silk was highly prized in ancient China and was only worn by wealthy nobles.
Silk Road - A trade route that ran from northern China to Europe.
Terracotta - A type of baked clay ceramic. It was used in building the 8,000 life size terracotta soldiers that were buried with Emperor Qin.
Three Perfections - The Three Perfections were the three most important art forms of Ancient China: painting, poetry, and calligraphy.
Yin and Yang - A part of the philosophy of Taoism, the yin and yang are opposites that balance each other throughout nature such as "light and dark", "hot and cold", and "male and female".
Nelson, Ken. (2016).
Most people in Ancient China spent the majority of their time working. For much of the year they worked all day long with no days off. However, there were festivals throughout the year where they had the chance to play games and be entertained.
Nelson, Ken. (2016).
Life as a Farmer
The majority of the people in Ancient China were peasant farmers. Although they were respected for the food they provided for the rest of the Chinese, they lived tough and difficult lives. The typical farmer lived in a small village of around 100 families. They worked small family farms. Although they had plows and sometimes used animals like dogs and oxen to do the work, most of the work was done by hand.
Working for the Government
Farmers had to work for the government for about one month each year. They served in the military or worked construction projects like building canals, palaces, and city walls. Farmers also had to pay a tax by giving the government a percentage of their crops.
Food
The type of food that people ate depended on where they were living. In the north the main crop was a grain called millet and in the south the main crop was rice. Eventually rice became the main staple for much of the country. Farmers also kept animals such as goats, pigs, and chickens. People that lived close to the rivers ate fish as well.
Life in the City
Life was much different for those living in the city. People in the cities worked a variety of jobs including merchants, craftsmen, government officials, and scholars. Many cities in Ancient China grew very large with some having populations totaling hundreds of thousands of people. The cities of China were surrounded with formidable walls made from packed dirt. Each night the city gates were locked shut and no one was allowed to enter or leave the city after dark.
Family Life
The Chinese family was ruled by the father of the house. His wife and children were required to obey him in all things. Women generally took care of the home and raised the children. Marriage partners were decided by the parents and the preferences of the children getting married often had little impact on the parent's choice. A big part of Chinese family life was the respect of their elders. Children of all ages, even grown ups, were required to respect their parents. This respect continued even after people were dead. The Chinese would often would pray to their ancestors and offer sacrifices to them. Respect of the elders was also part of the religion Confucianism.
School
Only wealthy boys attended school in Ancient China. They learned how to write using calligraphy. They also learned about the teachings of Confucius and studied poetry. These were important skills for government officials and the nobles.
Life of Women
The life of women in Ancient China was especially difficult. They were considered much less valuable than men. Sometimes when a baby girl was born she was put outside to die if the family didn't want it. This was considered okay in their society. Women had no say in who they would marry.
Nelson, Ken. (2016).
The ancient Chinese clothing consisted mostly of robes. While the women wore lengthy tunics that reached the ground, the men wore tunics that reached their knees. The sleeves of the garments were wide, and loose fitting, with sashes being added as ornamentation. Darker shades were preferred over light ones. Lighter coloured clothing was worn more commonly by the common people. The original ancient Chinese clothing was referred to as the Han Chinese clothing. The outfit was called the Hanfu. With the coming of various dynasties, the hanfu underwent a lot of modifications.
During the winter months in the ancient China, to keep them warm, people wore padded jackets over the tunics. Though it is considered very common in China, yet silk, as a fabric was restricted to the rich. The poor wore hemp or ramie.
Cultural-China, 2014.
The poor people, or peasants, wore clothing made of hemp. This was a rough material made from plant fibers. It was durable and good for working in the fields. Generally clothes made of hemp were loose fitting pants and shirts.
The people of higher status wore clothes made of silk. Silk is made from the cocoons of silkworms and is soft, light, and beautiful. The Chinese were the first to make silk and kept how to make it secret for hundreds of years. Silk garments were generally long robes. They could be dyed specific colors or with fancy designs.
When the Mongols conquered China during the Yuan Dynasty they brought cotton clothing with them. Cotton clothing became popular among the poor because it was cheaper, warmer, and softer than hemp.
Nelson, Ken. (2016). Ancient China for Kids: Clothing. Ducksters.
Hair was considered important in Ancient China. Men tied their hair into a knot on top of their head and cover it with a square cloth or a hat. Women braided and coiled up their hair in various styles and then decorated it with hairpins. Girls were not allowed to curl up their hair with hairpins until they were married.
Most people wore their hair long. Short cut hair was often considered a punishment and was sometimes used for prisoners. Monks shaved their hair to show that they didn't care about looks or value of long hair.
Jewellery was an important part of fashion. Not only was it used to look good, but it was also used to signify rank. There were many specific rules about who could wear what, especially for men so that others could quickly tell their status. The most important jewellery for men was their belt hook or buckle. These could be highly decorated and made from bronze or even gold. Women wore a lot of jewellery in their hair such as combs and hairpins.
Nelson, Ken. (2016). Ancient China for Kids: Clothing. Ducksters.
Poor people's houses were small and made out of cheap materials. They generally had just one room, made of rammed earth (like mudbrick). The roof was usually made of thatch. These houses were a lot like poor people's houses in West Asia or Egypt or Greece, India, or Africa.
Carr, 2016.
Rich people's houses were much bigger. They had a high wall made of rammed earth all the way around them, with no windows and just one door, to keep the family safe. As soon as you went through this door, you would see another short wall in front of you. This was the screen wall, which kept people from seeing into your courtyard as they walked by, for privacy. All around the courtyard there were rooms. In a very fancy house there were two storeys, and a balcony on the inside of the upper storey overlooking the courtyard.
Carr, 2016.