Ancient China

oShangZhouQinHan

o2000BCE-200CE

What do they have in Common?

TheDynasticCycle

A new dynasty

comes to power.

Lives of common people improved;taxes reduced;

farming encouraged.

Problems begin(extensive wars,invasions, etc.)

Taxes increase;men forced towork for army.

Farming neglected.

Govt. increasesspending; corruption.

Droughts,floods,

famines occur.

Poor loserespect for govt.They join rebels

& attack landlords.

Rebel bands findstrong leader who

unites them.Attack the emperor.

Emperor isdefeated !!

The emperorreforms the govt.& makes it more

efficient.

Start here

Shang DynastyThe Shang left written records so much

more is known about them

• Bronze, horses, wheeled vehicles and come to China via Indo-European migrants around 2000BCE

• The Shang dominated bronze production by controlling copper and tin ore mines

• And had artisans make huge amounts of weapons only for the government

• Shang Kings had large militaries and strong allies for sharing in agriculture and metals.

Shang Dynasty

1700 B.C. - 1027 B.C.

• They also did not appear to have developed a law

code.

• Towns had massive city walls

• Developed the spoked wheel and were experts in silk

and pottery.

• Patriarchal- family led by eldest male

Zhou “Joe” Dynasty 1027 B.C. - 221 B.C.

• Defeated Shang and ruled for almost 900 years, longer

than any other!

• Maintained many traditions (familiar?)

• Believed in the “Mandate of Heaven”o Heaven would grant the Zhou power as long as its rulers governed justly and

wisely

Chinese Culture• Did not believe in a supreme being

• Believed in Mandate of Heaven

• Oracle Bones were used to foretell the future

• Traded with nomadic tribes but nomads did not imitate Chinese ways

• Also trades metal goods to nomadic tribes for horses

• “Book of Songs” were poetry, history, etiquette, and moral and philosophical essays. They even used them in schools as textbooks.

-• Ancestor worshipo A family could expect to prosper only if ALL family members (living and

dead) worked cooperatively toward common interests.

o Extended family had much influence over public and private lives of the

family

o Eldest male possessed tremendous authority

o Women increasingly lost their status in Chinese society

Zhou Feudal system• King was ruler of the nation

• Nobles were given power

over regions because empires

were too large to manage.

• King gave nobles protection

as long as they stayed loyal

• Nobles eventually gained power and broke

away to develop their own kingdoms and

fought one another. “Period of Warring States”

• There are 3 main philosophies that will develop

during this time period…

Zhou Wen Wang 1131- 1115 BC

3 Philosophies during the Time of Warring States

• Confucianism

• Daoism

• Legalism

551 – 479 B.C.E.

Born in the feudal

state of Liu.

Became a teacher

and editor of books.

Li --> Rite, rules, ritual decorum (Binding

force of an enduring stable society)

Ren --> humaneness, benevolence,

humanity

Shu --> Reciprocity, empathy

Do not do unto others what you would

not want others to do unto you.

Yi --> Righteousness

Xiao --> Filial Piety (Respect your elders!)

1. Ruler Subject

2. Father Son

3. Husband Wife

4. Older

Brother

Younger

Brother

5. Older

Friend

Younger

Friend

Status

Age

Gender

The single most important Confucian

work.

In Chinese, it means “conversation.”

Focus on practicalities of interpersonal

relationships and the relationship of

the role of rulers and ministers to the

conduct of government.

Knowing what he knows and knowing what he

doesn’t know, is characteristics of the person

who knows.

Making a mistake and not correcting it, is

making another mistake.

The superior man blames himself; the

inferior man blames others.

To go too far is as wrong as to fall short.

1. Human nature is naturally selfish.

2. Intellectualism and literacy is

discouraged.

3. Law is the supreme authority and

replaces morality.

4. The ruler must rule with a strong,

punishing hand.

5. War is the means of strengthening

a ruler’s power.

One who favors the principle that

individuals should obey a

powerful authority rather than

exercise individual freedom.

The ruler, therefore, “cracks his

whip” on the backs of his

subjects!

1. Dao [Tao] is the first-cause of the

universe. It is a force that flows through

all life.

2. A believer’s goal is to become one with

Dao; one with nature.

3. Wu wei --> “Let nature take its course.”--> “The art of doing nothing.”--> “Go with the flow!”

4. Man is unhappy because he lives according to

man-made laws, customs, & traditions that

are contrary to the ways of nature.

1. Rejecting formal knowledge and

learning.

2. Relying on the senses and instincts.

3. Discovering the nature and

“rhythm” of the universe.

4. Ignoring political and social laws.

To escape the “social, political, & cultural

traps” of life, one must escape by:

Masculine

Active

Light

Warmth

Strong

Heaven;

Sun

Feminine

Passive

Darkness

Cold

Weak

Earth;

Moon

How is a man to live in a world dominated by

chaos, suffering, and absurdity??

Confucianism --> Moral order in society.

Legalism --> Rule by harsh law & order.

Daoism --> Freedom for individuals and

less govt. to avoid

uniformity and conformity.

Qin Dynasty

• Unlike the Zhou

before it, the Qin lasted

only a few decades.

-developed strong economy based on ag.

-powerful army equipped with iron weapons

-conquered regions under one emperor

Qin “Chin” Dynasty• Stopped and unified warring states

• Connected separate fortified wall to make the

Great Wall of China

• Standardized: laws, currency, weights, measures,

and systems of writing

• Made Legalism philosophy of the time

The Terra Cotta Army • Was found at the

burial site for Shi

huangdi. The army

consisted of 6,000

pottery soldiers that

protected the tomb.

They may be a

replacement

for the actual people who had previously been buried with the rulers.

Qin [Ch’in] Dynasty, 221-206 B.C.E.

Established China’s first empire

Shi Huangdi (221-206 B.C.E)

Legalist rule

o Bureaucratic administration

o Centralized control

o Military expansion

o Book burnings targeted

Confucianists

• Buried protestors alive!

Unified and expanded the Great Wall

Shi Huangdi’s Terra Cotta Army

Shi Huangdi’s Terra Cotta Army

Shi Huangdi’s Terra Cotta Soldiers& Cavalrymen

Cavalry

Individual Soldiers

The Details of an Individual Soldier

Individual “Tombs”

The Great Wall with Towers

The Eastern terminus of the Great Wall, Shanhai Pass

Fall of the Qin, 221BCE-209BCE

• Despite all of these accomplishments, Shi Huangdi was not a popular leader. The public works and taxes were too great a burden to the population. It seemed that Shi Huangdi could not be satisfied. Also, the nobility disliked him because they were deprived of all their power and transplanted. Finally, he banned all books that advocated forms of government other than the current one. The writings of the great philosophers of the One Hundred Schools time were burned and more than 400 opponents were executed.

• The Qin rule came to an end shortly after the First Emperor's death. Shi Huangdi had only ruled for 37 years, when he died suddenly in 210 B.C. His son took the throne as the Second Emperor, but was quickly overthrown and the Han dynasty began in 206 B.C.

Han Dynasty 200BCE –200CE

• Strong Warrior Emperor Wu Ti

• Prevented Huns (nomadic group from North Asia)

from invading China

• Trade thrived along silk roads

Han and the Civil Service System

• Believed those in government should be highly educated and excellent communicators

• Developed a civil service exam, very difficult test lasting for several days.

• Open to anyone, but really only the wealthy could afford to prepare for it.

• Chinese also invented paper during this time

• Buddhism also spread along silk roads at this time

Han Dynasty, 206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.

Confucian ideals

Paper invented [105 B.C.E.]

Silk Road trade develops; improves life for many

Buddhism introduced into China

Expanded into Central Asia

Silk Roads• Linking Europe and Asia Through Trade

Han – Roman Empire Connection

Trade Routes of the Ancient World

The Collapse of the Han• Three Kingdoms

• The end of the Han dynasty was marked by the separation of the large families of that dynasty. The families took advantage of the weakened state of the government and started to establish their own private armies. Three dynasties were established during this time.

• Wei Dynasty (220 AD - 265 AD)

• Shu Dynasty (221 AD - 263 AD)

• Wu Dynasty (222 AD - 280 AD)

Map of the 3 Kingdoms