China Short Answer

Alexandra Rochon

China short answer

There are many advantages to using metal as opposed to using rock for making tools and weapons. After the people from western Asia discover how to use metal in 6000 B.C.E. it quickly become the main technique used for making tools and weapons for general use. They found that metal was easier to shape that rock and could be molded into shapes that were more precise making work more efficient and a lot easier. Bronze was the preferred metal of use because of its lower melting point and the fact that it was easy to cast into different shapes. Once cooled bronze was also a stronger metal than copper which was the first metal used in creating tools and weapons and it also corroded at a slower rate than other metals.  After 12000 B.C.E bronze was replace by the use of Iron; iron was a cheaper metal and made better use for making weapons with sharp edges than Bronze did. After the introduction of iron bronze was still used but mostly for domestic reasons while iron took over the role of being the metal of choice for the production of metal and tools.

Housing in ancient china was primarily based on a person’s status in the community. The higher up on the social ladder you were the better you housing was. Those at the bottom of the social totem pole lived in houses that typically weren’t built to house larger families; these houses were traditionally one room home that varied in function depending on the time of day and occasion. Individuals from richer families lived in houses that were a lot larger, held many different rooms, and occasionally had more than one storey; some were even surrounded by a large wall to ensure the safety of the home and its inhabitants.

 Among all other things the concept of family was one of the most predominate bonds in ancient china. A person’s family, or clan, was a large part of their entire lives and during the Zhou dynasty it actually becomes a significant part of agriculture and crop production. Filial piety is the basic idea that the patriarch is the head of the household and all subordinate members of the clan are to submit their personal needs and desires unto him.   In addition the idea of filial piety created a system in which every person has a place and their participation in the overall system promoted a proper social order. Overall china is a male dominated society, the idea that the eldest male figure was head of the household was upheld throughout the entire country and because of this the women’s role in ancient china was a simple one. Women were to raise the children and serve in the home. In ancient china women fit the role of housekeepers and child bearers while men essentially governed society.