Li Zicheng

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/li-zicheng

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Li Zicheng born?September 22, 1606
2. Where was Li Zicheng born?Likely a peasant background in Shaanxi province, China
3. What is the career?Rebel leader, founder of the Shun dynasty, and briefly emperor
4. Who was Li Zicheng?Li Zicheng was a rebel leader from Shaanxi who rose from peasant life to become emperor for a short time.
5. Why did Li Zicheng start a rebellion?He was upset with famine, heavy taxes, and corruption that hurt ordinary people.

Dynastic Cycle: The historical theory that Chinese history progresses through predictable phases of dynastic rise, rule, and fall.
Manchu: An ethnic group from Northeast Asia who conquered China and established the Qing dynasty.
Consolidation of Power: The process by which a new ruler or government strengthens its control over a territory and its people.