Daily life

Sources

What did these groups of people do? How would a typical day have unfolded? What did they eat? How did they dress? Where did they live?

Start investigating these questions by exploring this site on life in Ancient China¹. This page concentrates on the time of the Han Dynasty². Find out about the clothes they wore³, the food they ate⁴ and the houses they lived⁵ in. See how they celebrated with festivals⁶. What was the role of women in society⁷?

Choose at least THREE of the groups below and discover more about their role in Ancient Chinese society.

Painting showing various entertainers at work including acrobats, dancers and jugglers

Which group would these entertainers have worked for? (Public domain⁸)

Twenty-four hours

So what was a typical day like? What work was done? What was eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Choose ONE of the seven groups and imagine you are a member of that group in Ancient China. Use the sources you have examined so far, as well as other websites/books, and this PowerPoint (.ppt 149kB) to describe a possible day in your life.

The PowerPoint has one or two questions in each segment of the day to guide your writing. The first page includes links to the different segments, and on these pages there is a button to return to the home page.

Make your information as accurate as possible. Include graphics and illustrations but make sure you acknowledge where these images came from.

Links

http://www.earlyimperialchina.co.uk/room.html
http://china.mrdonn.org/han.html
http://www.ducksters.com/history/china/clothing.php
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/food/
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/architecture/chinesehouses2.htm
http://www.ducksters.com/history/china/chinese_festivals.php
http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-173_t-472_c-1711/act/history/ancient-societies-china/ancient-china-part-ii/daily-life-of-women-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain
http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientChinaCurriculum/PDFs/HandoutArtisans.pdf
http://www.ancientchina.co.uk/crafts/explore/exp_set.html
http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/clothing/11sericu.htm
http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientChinaCurriculum/PDFs/HandoutMerchants.pdf
http://www.monkeytree.org/silkroad/zhangqian.html
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Brick_relief_depicting_a_market_scene.jpg
http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientChinaCurriculum/PDFs/HandoutNobles.pdf
http://www.ancientchina.co.uk/tombs/explore/exp_set.html
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CMOC_Treasures_of_Ancient_China_exhibit_-_celadon_figure_of_a_maid.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.en
http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientChinaCurriculum/PDFs/HandoutOfficials.pdf
http://journeyeast.tripod.com/sima_qian.html
http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientChinaCurriculum/PDFs/HandoutPeasants.pdf
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/CMOC_Treasures_of_Ancient_China_exhibit_-_pictorial_brick_depicting_a_woman_cleaning_and_drying_vessels%2C_print_version.jpg
http://slaveryinjustice.wordpress.com/slavery-in-ancient-china/
http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientChinaCurriculum/PDFs/HandoutSlaves.pdf
http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientChinaCurriculum/Images/handynasty/hanslaves_large.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Battle_at_the_Bridge%2C_West_Wall%2C_Stone_Chamber_1.jpg
http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientChinaCurriculum/PDFs/HandoutSoldiers.pdf
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CMOC_Treasures_of_Ancient_China_exhibit_-_figure_of_a_Xianbei_warrior,_detail.jpg