Unit 3b: Ancient China

1. Unit 3b: Ancient China

2. China Class Activity:Before you move on, examine the map & generate 3 conclusions about the geography of China & its impact on the people of this region

3. China began along the Yellow (Huang He) & Yangtze Rivers in the North China Plain; Only 10% of China is suitable for farming Huang He= Yellow River Loess= yellow silt The Yellow River flooding was unpredictable & was called “China’s Sorrow” because its floods often destroyed entire villages. Legend of Yu – control flood sense of duty

4. China was protected & isolated from outsiders by the Gobi & Talimakan Deserts in the west & the Himalayan Mountains and the Pacific Ocean to the east (Four natural barriers) • Chinese believed that they were the center of the earth because of their isolation from other civilizations. • IsolationEthnocentric xenophobia The Chinese referred to themselves as the “Middle Kingdom” & rarely traded with outsiders. Why?

5. Lasting Contributions • Advanced Cities: • Like other river valley civilizations, cities in China had high walls for protection • But, Chinese buildings were made of wood rather than brick or stone

6. Lasting Contributions Unlike other river valley civilizations, the Chinese held peasants higher than artisans or merchants because they produced food. • Specialized Workers: • ?

7. Lasting Contributions • Government: • Like Egypt, China was ruled by families called dynasties • Ruler’s justified their power by claimingMandate ofHeaven (approval of the gods gave the right to rule)

8. Lasting Contributions • Government: • Kings could lose the Mandate of Heaven & be overthrown by a new king, called the Dynastic Cycle

9. Lasting Contributions • Government: • China was also controlled using the ethical system, Confucianism • Confucianism focused on filial piety (respect for elders) • Confucius taught social order through 5 key relationships:1) ruler-subject 2) father-son 3) husband-wife 4) brother- brother & 5) friend-friend • These ideas were written down in The Analects

10. Lasting Contributions • Religion: • Chinese believed in ancestor worship. They practice the belief that spirits of family ancestors should be honored & consulted.

11. These were animal bones and shells. Priests wrote questions on them and when they touched them with something hot, they cracked. These cracks were interpreted to find their answers. Chinese also asked for advice from the gods. They used oracle bones. Chinese Religion

12. Lasting Contributions • Writing: • Like hieroglyphics, Chinese characters stood for sounds but the 10,000 characters madeithard to learn to write

13. Lasting Contributions • Technology: • Cast iron tools & weapons • Standardized coins

14. China’s Flourishing Civilization

15. China’s Oldest Dynasties!

16. Shang Dynasty2000- 1122 BC Formation of Government • Shang kings only controlled a small area • Clans – a group of families who claim a common ancestor • Noblewomen have rights in Shang period. • Capital city at Anyang Social Classes Develop • Royalty, Nobility, and Warriors. • Merchants and artisans are lower in society. • Majority of people in Shang China were peasants • When peasants were not in the fields, they were helping in community projects.

17. Shang Dynasty2000- 1122 BC Religious Beliefs • Many gods and nature spirits – Polytheistic • Shang Di- chief god • Mother goddess • King as a link to Shang Di • Veneration of ancestors • Two forces in universe- Yin and Yang • Must be in delicate balance (harmony) • Yin= earth, darkness, female • Yang= Heaven, light, male

18. Zhou Dynasty Map

19. Zhou Dynasty (1027BC-221BC) • Divided their kingdom into territories • Each territory was governed by an official appointed by the king • The belief in the “Mandate of Heaven” became an established practice during this dynasty.

20. Mandate of Heaven • Mandate of Heaven: the belief that the gods give a certain family the right to rule • The Mandate of Heaven allowed rulers to remain in power as long as they were just and effective • Divine Right to Rule

21. The Dynastic Cycle in China The dynastic cycle refers to the rise and fall of dynasties.

22. Feudalism in China • Establishing a Feudal State • Feudalism- system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other forms of support to the ruler.

23. Chinese Written Language… Zhou Dynasty • Pictographs • Picture symbols or characters that represent an object • Ideographs • Characters that combine two or more pictographs to represent an idea • Calligraphy • Writing turned into an elegant art form • First Books • Bound strips of wood or bamboo together

24. Zhou Dynasty (1027 B.C.–256 B.C.) Achievements of the Zhou Dynasty: • Spurring Economic Growth through trade • Bronze and iron helped produce more food. • Growth of new crops – soybeans • Chinese began to use money • Increase in population • Expanded territories • Discovering the Secret of Silk-Making • Producing silk from silkworms • Kept the process of silk making a secret

25. Zhou Dynasty (1027 B.C.–256 B.C.) Achievements of the Zhou Dynasty: • Astronomy – Calendar • Book – I Ching – handbook for predicting the future. • Book – Book of Songs – poems, love songs

26. Confucianism • Confucius (Kongfuzi) lived from 551-479BC – late Zhou Dynasty • Emphasizes order and structure in society • Everyone knows their place and responsibility in society • Wanted people to live according to ethics • Good conduct and moral judgment • “Do not do unto others what you would not want done unto you.” (Golden Rule)

27. Confucianism Five Relationships 1. Ruler and Subject 2. Parent and Child filial piety: children’s respect for adults 3. Husband and wife 4. Old and Young 5. Friend and Friend • Each person has a duty to the other • The person listed first is the one with more power/respect • Duty of the first person is to be kind/compassionate • Duty of the second person is to be loyal/submissive • Women – mothers of sons would be respected • People are essentially good. • Best ruler is a virtuous man who leads by example.

28. Effects of Confucianism • Analects: book of all Confucius’s teachings, writings, and sayings • During Han dynasty, his teachings provided the basis for the civil service exam • His teaching shaped Chinese society until the early 1900’s. • Spreads to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam (1/3 of world’s population influenced by Confucian ideas)

29. Daoism • Based on the teachings of Laozi in 500s BC • The Way of the Dao: Book of Daoism’s teachings • Rejected formal social structures and specific roles in society (different from Confucianism) • Viewed government as unnatural and caused many problems • “ The government that governs best, governs least “ • Stressed the individual living in harmony with nature

30. Daoism • Dao: universal force that guides all things • Believe people should renounce worldly goods and turn to nature and the Dao • To be in harmony, yin and yang (two opposing forces present in all nature) must be in balance

31. The Fall of the Zhou Dynasty • After 800 years, the Zhou dynasty declines and falls • Individual territories and officials rebelled against the Zhou family

32. Qin (Ch’in) Dynasty (221 BC-206BC) • Shi Huangdi (1st Emperor) wiped out the Zhou and conquered northern China • Spent 20 years conquering warring nations and unified China • Created a strong, authoritarian central government under his control

33. How Did Shi Huangdi Unite China?  • Abolished feudal state • Forced nobles to live at his capital/takes their lands and gives to the peasants. • Replaced feudal state with 36 military districts • Created a single monetary system (standard weights and measures) • Built roads, bridges, and canals connecting the empire together • Built the Great Wall of China (to keep invaders out) • Constantly rebuilt and expanded. • Created censorate: • Inspectors/spies sent to report on local officials (make sure they are doing what the emperor wants) • Jailed, tortured, and killed those who opposed his rule. • Burned all books that went against what he wanted

34. Great Wall of China

35. Legalism under Shi Huangdi • “The nature of man is evil. His goodness is acquired.” • Only way to achieve order was to pass strict laws and punishments for crimes • “The ruler alone possesses power.” • He tortured, killed, and enslaved those who opposed his rule (i.e. feudal nobles and Confucian scholars). • Official Policy of the Qin Dynasty

36. Fall of the Qin Dynasty • People were upset with • Censorship of speech • Harsh taxes • Forced labor projects • Emperor died in 210 BC and his dynasty fell four years later • Peasant leader emerges that starts a new dynasty.

37. Han Dynasty • Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu and restored order and justice by lowering taxes, easing Legalist policies, and appointing Confucian scholars as advisors.

38. Han Dynasty (207BC-220AD) Emperor Wudi • Han Dynasty was China’s Golden Age • This time period was called the PaxSinica: a 400 year period of peace and prosperity • Former Han=1st 200 years. • Later Han= 2nd 200 years. • Wives of emperor would inherit throne after Liu Bang Empress Lu • The rule of Wudi considered peak of dynasty

39. Emperor Wudi Makes Improvements • Emperor Wudi Makes Improvements • Strengthened government and economy • Set up imperial university of Xian • Textbooks on botany, zoology, and chemistry • Soldiers, traders, and settlers slowly spread Chinese influence across the area. • Organizes government monopoly of iron and salt. • Expands China to great size.

40. Wudi’s Rule of the Han Dynasty • Established a civil service examination for public posts • Civil servants – officials in government • Had to pass a test in order to work for the government • Gain job based on ability (merit) rather than birth • Women could not take these exams; excluded from government jobs

41. Silk Road

42. The Silk Road • A series of trade routes linking China and Rome • Connected the eastern world with the western world • The trade route is named after China’s most famous trade item: silk • Trade route stretched 4,000 miles long!!! • 139 BC Wudi sent Zhang Quian on an expedition • 13 years later he came back telling tales of the Roman Empire

43. Wudi’s Rule of the Han Dynasty • 139 BC Wudi sent Zhang Quian on an expedition • 13 years later he came back telling tales of the Roman Empire • Wudi then began a series of trade routes known as the Silk Road

44. Cultural Diffusion and the Silk Road • The Silk Road is an example of cultural diffusion • Cultural Diffusion: the exchange of goods, ideas, and customs between different groups of people • Each group had something to offer that the other group wanted but didn’t have • What goods were being exchanged? • China: silk, spices, tea, porcelain • Rome: wool, linen, glass, precious stones • Ideas such as Buddhism and Christianity were also exchanged along the Silk Road

45. The Han Golden Age Achievements • Invented seismograph to measure earthquakes. • Also invented: paper, wheelbarrow, suspension bridges, fishing reel and rudder • Chinese physicians diagnosed diseases, developed anesthetics, and experimented with herbal medicines. • Acupuncture – doctor inserts needles into the skin at specific points to relieve pain or treat various illnesses. • The wooden buildings of temples and palaces no longer exist. • Buddhism became popular due to cultural diffusion • Monasteries become important centers of learning and the arts

46. Han Dynasty • After Wudi’s death, power declined • War, corruption, and rebellions brought about its collapse • People fled villages due to heavy taxes and debt • After 400 years of unity, China broke apart • Invaders set up their own states and absorbed Chinese civilization • Dynasty fell in 220AD