1. Chapter 20 – History of Ancient China
Section Notes
Video
Early China
The Han Dynasty
The Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties
Confucianism and Government
The Yuan and Ming Dyanasties
Impact of Confucius on China Today
Maps
Ancient China, 1600 BC-AD 1450
Early Dynasties of China
Han Dyanasty, c. 206 BC-AD 220
Chinese Dynasties,
Mongol Empire, 1294
Ancient China
Close-up
The Forbidden City
Images
Yuan and Ming Dynasties
Importance of Family
The Grand Canal
Mongol Warrior
Quick Facts
Chapter 20 Visual Summary

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. History of the Shang dynasty Achievements of the Shang dynasty
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

5. Main Idea 3: The Zhou and Qin dynasties changed Chinese society and made great advances.
Zhou 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
Qin dynasty
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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. The Rise of a New Dynasty Wudi Creates a New Government
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.

11. Confucianism and the Han Government
A philosophy based on the teachings of a man named Confucius.
It emphasizes the importance of ethics and moral values.
Han Government
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.

12. 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.

13. Social Classes Upper class
Made up of the emperor, his court, and scholars who held government positions
Second class
The largest, was made up of peasants
Third class
Artisans, who produced items for daily life and some luxury goods
Lowest class
Merchants, because they did not actually produce anything, but merely bought and sold what others made

14. Lives of the Rich and the Poor
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

15. The Revival of the Family
Confucian teachings about the family
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.
Confucianism and the government
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.

16. Inventions and Advances
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

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. New Chinese Dynasties 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
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

20. 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.

21. Main Idea 3: The Tang and Song dynasties produced fine arts and 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.
Inventions
The Tang and Song dynasties produced some of the most remarkable—and important—inventions in human history.
Gunpowder
Porcelain
Paper money

22. Artists and Poets The Tang dynasty Wu Daozi Li Bo Du Fu
The Song dynasty
Li Qingzhao

23. 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

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. Civil Service Exams and Scholar-Officials
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.

31. 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.

32. 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.

33. 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.

34. 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.

35. The Ming Dynasty 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.
Great Building Projects
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.

36. Relations with Other Countries
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.

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