Watch: Life in the Shang dynasty
Narrator: Life was really different in the Shang dynasty to life today.
Buildings were built from mud and wood, even palaces and towers and horses were the fastest form of transport.
Builder: Fetch some more wood for the roof.
Narrator: The Shang people didn’t eat rice or drink tea. These only became popular hundreds of years later.
Instead they ate bread, wheat, cheese and drank beer.
Girl: Oh no, bread again.
Narrator: Life was very different depending on whether you were rich or poor.
Poor people lived difficult lives…
Poor Man: Please, could you spare something to eat?
Narrator: …with very little food and often nowhere to live.
Rich and powerful people lived easy lives and had plenty to eat and drink, fine clothes and jade jewellery.
King: Bring me the finest exotic fruits.
Narrator: The richest had servants who would work for them.
The King could do almost anything he liked and ruled with complete power over his people.
What was life like for ordinary people?
Life centred around farming, hunting and animals. Houses were built from mud.
The oldest written texts tell us that by the end, writing was fully developed.
There was music and astronomers looked at the planet Mars and comets.
People did not eat rice or drink tea. They ate bread, wheat, cheese and beer.
What happened at the royal palace?
- Around the palace of Yinxu, near Anyang, there were as many as 53 buildings.
- The king was in charge of the army and led religious ceremonies.
- Decorated tombs were built for the kings. They were buried with carriages and weapons for the afterlife. Servants and horses, were also buried alive with them.
How important was bronze?
Craftspeople made a lot of bronze. This was used to make cups, bowls and weapons.
Bronze items were used more for religious ceremonies than in everyday life.
Ordinary people used stone or wood to make their cups and bowls.
Activities
Activity 1: Sort the Shang Dynasty foods
Activity 2: Shang dynasty quiz
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