Chapter 20 – History of Ancient China

Section NotesEarly ChinaThe Han DynastyThe Sui, Tang, and Song

DynastiesConfucianism and GovernmentThe Yuan and Ming Dyanasties

VideoImpact of Confucius on China

Today

ImagesYuan and Ming DynastiesImportance of FamilyThe Grand CanalMongol Warrior

Quick FactsChapter 20 Visual Summary

MapsAncient China, 1600 BC-AD 1450Early Dynasties of ChinaHan Dyanasty, c. 206 BC-AD 220Chinese Dynasties, 589-1279Mongol Empire, 1294Ancient China

Close-upThe Forbidden City

Early China

The Big Idea

Early Chinese history was shaped by three dynasties—the Shang, the Zhou, and the Qin.

Main Ideas

• Chinese civilization began along two rivers.

• The Shang dynasty was the first known dynasty to rule China.

• The Zhou and Qin dynasties changed Chinese society and made great advances.

Main Idea 1:Chinese civilization began along two rivers.

• Two rivers were particularly important in early China—the Huang He and Chang Jiang.

• People began to farm along these rivers.

– Grew rice in the middle Chang Jiang valley

– Grew cereals such as millet and wheat along the Huang He

• Villages appeared along the shores of the rivers, and eventually, grew into large towns.

• China’s government was born in these large towns.

Main Idea 2:The Shang dynasty was the first known

dynasty to rule China.

History of the Shang dynasty

• Firmly established by the 1500s BC

• Ruled a broad area of northern China

• Ruled in China until the 1100s BC

Achievements of the Shang dynasty

• Invented China’s first writing system

• Artisans made beautiful bronze containers for cooking and religious ceremonies.

• Soldiers developed war chariots, powerful bows, and bronze armor.

• Invented a calendar based on the cycles of the moon

Zhou dynasty

Qin dynasty

• Started a rebellion and overthrew the Shang rulers in the 1100s BC

• Ended around 771 BC and China entered a time of disorder known as the Warring States period

• In 221 BC, a king from the state of Qin unified all of China under his control and ended the Warring States period.

• The Qin dynasty saw many great advances in China.

Main Idea 3:The Zhou and Qin dynasties changed

Chinese society and made great advances.

The Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other in Chinese history.

The Zhou claimed that they had been chosen by heaven to rule China. This idea that heaven chose China’s ruler and gave him or her power was called the mandate of heaven.

A new political order formed in China under the Zhou. The emperor was the head of Chinese society; everything in China belonged to him, and everyone had to be loyal to him.

History of the Qin Dynasty

• The king of the state of Qin unified China under his control and renamed himself Shi Huangdi, a name that means “first emperor.”

• Shi Huangdi expanded the size of China to the north and to the south.

• Shi Huangdi changed Chinese politics by taking power away from the nobles.

• Xi’an became the new capital of China.

• The Qin dynasty did not last long. Shi Huangdi was strong enough to keep China unified, but within a few years of his death, rebellions began around China and the country fell into civil war.

Qin Achievements

Shi Huangdi worked hard to make sure that people from the different areas in China acted and thought the same.

• Created a system of laws that would apply equally to people in all parts of China

• Set up a new system of money that eliminated local currencies

• Created a uniform system of writing that got rid of minor differences between regions

The Qin were great builders, and China built a huge network of roads and canals.

To protect China from invasion, Shi Huangdi built the Great Wall, a barrier that linked earlier walls that stood near China’s border.

The Han Dynasty

The Big Idea

The Han dynasty created a new form of government that valued family, art, and learning.

Main Ideas

• Han dynasty government was largely based on the ideas of Confucius.

• Han China supported and strengthened family life.

• The Han made many achievements in art, literature, and learning.

Main Idea 1:Han dynasty government was largely based

on the ideas of Confucius.

The Rise of a New Dynasty

• In 205 BC Liu Bang became the first emperor of the Han dynasty, which lasted for more than 400 years.

• Liu Bang was the first common person to become emperor.

• Liu Bang wanted to free people from harsh government policies.

• Liu Bang changed the way that government worked.

Wudi Creates a New Government

• In 140 BC Emperor Wudi took the throne.

• He created a stronger government.

• He made Confucianism China’s official government policy.

Confucianism

Han Government

• A philosophy based on the teachings of a man named Confucius.

• It emphasizes the importance of ethics and moral values.

Han government officials were expected to practice Confucianism.

Studying Confucianism could get a person a good job in China.

Wudi began a university to teach Confucian ideas.

Confucianism and the Han Government

Main Idea 2:Han China supported and strengthened

family life.

• The Han period was a time of great social change in China.

• Based on the Confucian system, people were divided into four classes.

• The classes only divided people into social rank. They did not indicate wealth or power.

• People’s lifestyles varied according to wealth.

• Confucian teachings about the family were honored during Wudi’s reign.

Social Classes

1. Upper class – Made up of the emperor, his court, and scholars who held

government positions

2. Second class

– The largest, was made up of peasants

3. Third class

– Artisans, who produced items for daily life and some luxury goods

4. Lowest class

– Merchants, because they did not actually produce anything, but merely bought and sold what others made

Lives of the Rich and the Poor

The Rich

• Lived in multilevel homes• Owned large estates• Employed laborers to work

the land• Hired private armies to

defend their estates• Filled their homes with

expensive decorations

The Poor

• About 90 percent of the people living in Han China were peasants.

• Worked long, tiring days working the land

• Forced to work on building projects for the government in the winter

• Wore plain clothing • Lived in small villages in

small wood-framed houses with walls of mud or stamped earth

Confucian teachings about the family

Confucianism and the government

• Children were taught to respect their elders.

• The father was the head of the family and had absolute power.

• It was a woman’s duty to obey her husband, and children had to obey their father.

• Han officials believed that if the family was strong and people obeyed the father, then they would also obey the emperor.

• The Han rewarded strong family ties and respect for elders.

The Revival of the Family

Main Idea 3:The Han made many achievements in art,

literature, and learning.

Art and Literature

• Experts at figure painting• Painted realistic scenes

from everyday life• Created new styles of

verse, including the fu and shi styles

• Produced important works of history

– Sima Qian wrote a complete history of all the dynasties through the early Han.

Inventions and Advances

• Invented paper and produced books

• Built the sundial, a device that uses the position of shadows cast by the sun to tell the time of day

• Designed a seismograph, a device that measures the strength of earthquakes

• Practiced acupuncture, the practice of inserting fine needles through the skin at specific points to cure disease or relieve pain

The Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties

The Big Idea

The Tang and Song dynasties were periods of economic, cultural, and technological accomplishments.

Main Ideas

• After the Han dynasty, China fell into disorder but was reunified by new dynasties.

• Cities and trade grew during the Tang and Song dynasties.

• The Tang and Song dynasties produced fine arts and inventions.

Main Idea 1:After the Han dynasty, China fell into

disorder but was reunified by new dynasties.

• Historians sometimes call the time of disorder that followed the collapse of the Han dynasty the Period of Disunion.

• The Period of Disunion lasted from 220 to 589.

• War was common during the Period of Disunion.

The Sui Dynasty

• Yang Jian unified China and created the Sui dynasty.

• Lasted from 589 to 618

• Leaders began the Grand Canal, a canal linking northern and southern China.

The Tang Dynasty

Ruled for nearly 300 years

China grew to include much of eastern and central Asia.

• Seen as a golden age

• Included the only woman to rule China—Empress Wu

New Chinese Dynasties

The Song Dynasty

• Entered a period of disorder—called the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

• China was reunified by the Song dynasty.

• Ruled for about 300 years

• Witnessed a period of great achievements

Main Idea 2:Cities and trade grew during the Tang and

Song dynasties.City Life

• China’s capital and largest city of the Tang dynasty was Chang’an.

– People from China, Korea, Persia, Arabia, and Europe lived in Chang’an.

– Chang’an was known as a religious and philosophical center.

• Cities continued to grow under the Song.

• The Song capital, Kaifeng, had about a million people.

Trade in China & Beyond• The Grand Canal carried trade

goods and moved crops into the cities.

• Under the Tang, trade centered around land routes.

• Exports included tea, rice, spices, jade, and most importantly, silk.

• Imports included foods, plants, wool, glass, and precious metals.

• Under the Song, sea trade became important.

• Porcelain became an important trade good.

Art

Inventions

• The artists and writers of the Tang dynasty were some of China’s greatest.

• Artists of both the Tang and Song dynasties made exquisite objects in clay.

• Song artists made porcelain items covered in a pale green glaze called celadon.

• The Tang and Song dynasties produced some of the most remarkable—and important—inventions in human history.

•Gunpowder

•Porcelain

•Paper money

Main Idea 3:The Tang and Song dynasties produced fine

arts and inventions.

The Tang dynasty

The Song dynasty

• Wu Daozi

• Li Bo

• Du Fu

Li Qingzhao

Artists and Poets

Important Inventions

• Paper—invented in the year 105, during the Han dynasty

• Porcelain—first made during the Tang dynasty• Woodblock printing—invented during the

Tang dynasty• Gunpowder—created in the late Tang or early

Song dynasty (mainly used to make fireworks and signals)

• Moveable type—invented during the Song dynasty

• Magnetic compass—perfected by the Tang• Paper money—invented by the Song

Confucianism and Government

The Big Idea

Confucian thought influenced the Song government.

Main Ideas

• Confucianism, based on Confucius’s teachings about proper behavior, dramatically influenced the Song system of government.

• Scholar-officials ran China’s government during the Song dynasty.

Main Idea 1:Confucianism, based on Confucius’s teachings about proper behavior,

dramatically influenced the Song system of government.

• Confucianism is based on the teachings of Confucius.

• Confucius’s teachings focused on ethics, or proper behavior.

• Other traditions competed with Confucianism.

• During the Song dynasty, a new philosophy called Neo-Confucianism developed.

• Neo-Confucianism became the official government teachings after the Song dynasty.

Confucian Ideas

People should live their lives according to two basic principles: ren (concern for others) and li (appropriate behavior).

Each person has a proper role to play in society.

Order was maintained when people knew their place and behaved appropriately.

Influence of Confucianism

• Confucius’s ideas were spread by his followers after his death.

• The Qin dynasty officially suppressed Confucian ideas and teachings.

• The Han dynasty made Confucianism the official state philosophy.

• Buddhism overshadowed Confucianism during the Period of Disorder.

• Buddhism was also very popular during the Sui and early Tang dynasties.

• In the late Tang dynasty, many Chinese historians and scholars again became interested in the teachings of Confucius.

Neo-Confucianism

During the Song dynasty, a new philosophy called Neo-Confucianism developed. Neo-Confucianism was similar to Confucianism in that it taught proper behavior.

Neo-Confucianism emphasized spiritual matters.

The ideas of Neo-Confucianism became official government teachings after the Song dynasty.

Main Idea 2:Scholar-officials ran China’s government

during the Song dynasty.

• A scholar-official was an educated member of the government.

• Scholar-officials were elite members of society.• To become a scholar-official, a person had to pass a series

of difficult civil service examinations. • Civil service means service as a government official.• The civil service exams tested students’ grasp of

Confucianism and related ideas.• These civil service workers formed a large bureaucracy,

or a body of unelected government officials.• This civil service system was a major factor in the stability

of the Song government.

Civil Service Exams and Scholar-Officials

Civil Service Exams• Students had to memorize

entire Confucian texts.• Students might study for

more than 20 years to pass the tests.

• Some tests lasted up to 72 hours.

• Some dishonest students cheated.

• To prevent cheating, exam halls were often locked and guarded.

Scholar-Officials• Scholar-officials performed

many important jobs in the government.

– running government offices

– maintaining roads, irrigation systems, and other public works

– updating and keeping official records

– collecting taxes• Their benefits included

considerable respect and reduced penalties for breaking the law.

• Many became wealthy from gifts given by people seeking their aid.

The Yuan and Ming Dynasties

The Big Idea

The Chinese were ruled by foreigners during the Yuan dynasty, but they threw off Mongol rule and prospered

during the Ming dynasty.

Main Ideas

• The Mongol Empire included China, and the Mongols ruled China as the Yuan dynasty.

• The Ming dynasty was a time of stability and prosperity.

• The Ming brought great changes in government and relations with other countries.

Main Idea 1:The Mongol Empire included China, and the Mongols ruled China as the Yuan dynasty.

Rise of the Mongols

• Tribes from north of China united under Genghis Khan.

• Genghis Khan gained control over a large part of Asia.

• All of northern China was under Mongol control in 1227.

• Kublai Khan completed the conquest of China and declared himself emperor.

• This began the Yuan dynasty, or the Mongol Ascendancy.

Fall of the Mongols

• Failed Mongol campaign to invade Japan weakened the Mongol military.

• Expensive public-works projects weakened the economy.

• Many Chinese groups began to rebel against the Mongols in the 1300s.

• A former monk named Zhu Yuanzhang led a rebel army that defeated the Mongols.

Life in Yuan China

• The Chinese saw the Mongols as rude and uncivilized.

• Kublai Khan did not force the Chinese to accept Mongol ways of life; however, they made sure to keep control of the Chinese.

• The Mongols collected tax money that they used for vast public-works projects.

• Mongol soldiers were stationed throughout China to keep the peace and to keep a close watch on the Chinese.

• Foreign traders were welcome at Chinese ports.

• Part of what we know about life in the Yuan dynasty comes from Marco Polo, an Italian trader who traveled in and around China.

Main Idea 2:The Ming dynasty was a time of stability and

prosperity.

• Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor and founded the Ming dynasty.

• The Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644—nearly 300 years.

• The Ming expanded China’s fame overseas.

• They sponsored incredible building projects.

• Ming China proved to be one of the most stable and prosperous times in Chinese history.

Great Sea Voyages

Great Building Projects

• Under Ming leadership, the Chinese improved their ships and sailing skills.

• The greatest sailor of the period was Zheng He.

• Zheng He’s voyages served as a clear sign of China’s power.

The Ming were known for their grand building projects.

Ming emperors built the Forbidden City, a huge palace complex that included hundreds of imperial residences, temples, and other government buildings.

• Ming rulers restored the Great Wall of China.

The Ming Dynasty

Main Idea 3:The Ming brought great changes in

government and relations with other countries.

Government

• Adopted many government programs created by the Tang and the Song

• Took a larger role in running the government

• Did not disband the civil service system

• Censors grew very powerful and were very influential.

Relations with Other Countries

• Worked to eliminate all foreign influences from Chinese society

• China entered a period of isolationism in the 1430s. (Isolationism is a policy of avoiding contact with other countries.)

• Isolationism had great consequences for China.

Click on the window to start video