China’s Flourishing Civilization 1100 B.C.E C.E.

Three Great Dynasties

● From 1100 B.C.E. to the 200s C.E. China was ruled by three different dynasties (ruling families). These three dynasties, the Zhou, the Qin, and the Han, would shape Chinese society and culture, and play an important role in the growth of Chinese civilization.

The Zhou Dynasty

Three Great Dynasties ● In 1028 B.C.E., the Zhou dynasty conquered the last Shang King (Shang dynasty), and claimed the Mandate of Heaven to govern China. ● Upon taking power, the Zhou dynasty created an agricultural system in which Chinese nobles owned the agricultural land in China, while the peasants worked it. o Each noble had total control of their lands, and their own army to maintain order. ● The Zhou dynasty appointed their relatives to positions of governance, to better control their hold over their vast empire.

The Mandate of Heaven

Three Great Dynasties ● Although the Zhou dynasty created a centralized feudal system to control their lands, this system eventually led to the downfall of the Zhou. ● The nobles that once swore allegiance to the Zhou dynasty soon started to rebel against them for control of China. ● From the 700s B.C.E., until the 200s B.C.E., the Zhou fought constant wars against their nobles. ● Finally, in the 200s B.C.E., the Zhou lost the Mandate of Heaven.

Three Great Dynasties ● Zhou Cultural Achievements: Although the Zhou lost the Mandate of Heaven, they played a critical role in the development of Chinese culture. The Zhou: o Technological Advancements: The Zhou built roads and expanded foreign trade. o Military Advancements: Took horses from western nomads, allowing the Chinese to build a strong cavalry. The Zhou also developed the first crossbow. o Chinese Writing: The Zhou further developed the system of Chinese writing. o Agricultural Advancements: Under the rule of the Zhou, iron plows were invented, irrigation systems and flood control systems were developed. ● Under the Zhou, China became the world’s most densely populated country.

The Qin Dynasty

Three Great Dynasties ● The Qin Dynasty: By 221 B.C.E., the Qin dynasty had conquered the Zhou, and united all of China under a strong central government for the first time in Chinese history, while claiming the Mandate of Heaven. ● The first Qin leader, Shihuangdi (the first Chinese emperor) divided China into military districts, and hand appointed governing officials to head each district. o This system prevented Chinese nobles from taking control from the Qin. ● Qin Cultural Accomplishments: o The Qin dynasty created a unified system of weights and measures. o The Qin dynasty standardized Chinese coinage, created a uniform system of writing, and developed the first Chinese law code (across all of China).

Three Great Dynasties ● The Great Wall of China: o The Great Wall of China was created by the Qin dynasty to prevent northern nomadic tribes from invading China. o 300,000 Chinese peasants were used to build the Great Wall of China. o The Great Wall of China stretched more than 4,000 miles across northern China. o The Great Wall of China is considered by many to be the Qin’s greatest cultural accomplishment.

The Great Wall of China

Three Great Dynasties ● Qin’s Strict Rule over China: o Qin Shihuangdi imposed strict rules over China’s population to prevent his dynasty from losing the Mandate of Heaven. o Shihuangdi took land away from China’s nobility, and imposed strict taxes on the nobles to destroy the Chinese nobility (aristocracy). o Shihuangdi appointed educated men to China’s government instead of the nobility. o In 213 B.C.E., Shihuangdi censored Chinese academia by ordering all scholarly books to be destroyed.  460 Chinese scholars were put to death. o Shihuangdi had lost the Mandate of Heaven, he was hated by all segments of Chinese society, including the nobility, the scholars, and the peasants. o In 210 B.C.E., Shihuangdi died. Shortly after his death, the Qin were overthrown.

The Han Dynasty

Three Great Dynasties ● The Han Dynasty: In 207 B.C.E., a Chinese peasant named Liu Bang overthrew the Qin dynasty and declared himself the Emperor of China. By doing so, Liu Bang created one of China’s most significant dynasties - the Han dynasty. ● The Han dynasty continued to use the governing system created by the Qin, however, they wanted to keep the Mandate of Heaven. Therefore, they treated the Chinese people with kindness. ● Emperor Wudi: Wudi was the most famous of the Han emperors. Wudi personally supervised all aspects of the Han government, and ushered in a period of cultural achievement that rivaled the Roman Empire.

Emperor Wudi

Three Great Dynasties ● Emperor Wudi: o Wudi extended the boundaries of the Chinese empire. He conquered nomadic tribes and non-Chinese people, including the lands of present-day Korea and Manchuria, Southeast Asia, and northern India. o The Silk Road: One of Wudi’s greatest achievements was the creation of the Silk Road, a road that stretched from China to the Middle East (connecting the East & West).  The Silk Road was not one road, but a system of trade routes. Chinese traders used this route to trade Chinese goods (silk) for Middle Eastern/European products (gold, glassware, and fabrics (wool and linen).

The Silk Road

Three Great Dynasties ● The Pax Sinica: o While Rome was experiencing the Pax Romana, the Han dynasty was experiencing a 400-year period of peace known as the Pax Sinica. o Emperor Wudi created an economic plan that allowed China to prosper and experience their own golden age.  The Chinese food supply: Wudi had government agents store surplus food during good harvests, which they sold to the Chinese peasants during times of food shortages (the Chinese people did not go hungry).  Good Leadership: Past dynasties appointed family members of friends to government positions (for loyalty), however, this practice led to corruption.  Wudi created a new system in which governmental officials were recommended for public positions. However, to gain the position, they needed to pass a difficult written examination.

Three Great Dynasties ● The Pax Sinica: (continued) o Emperor Wudi’s examination system was the beginning of the Chinese civil service system. A system that allowed anyone with ability to gain public office in China. o Because of the civil service system, scholars became the most respected segment of Chinese society. o Because of this system, a new class developed in Chinese society - the Mandarins. The Mandarins were well-educated civil servants, who would dominant Chinese culture until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911.

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Chinese Philosophy

● “A philosophy, not a religion.” ● Following the chaos that ensued in China after the fall of the Zhou dynasty, Chinese scholars began to seek answers to why chaos existed in society, while also trying to figure out ways to create a more perfect society. ● Therefore, the Chinese didn’t develop a religion (similar to the ones we have studied in India, the Middle East, and Europe), but instead a philosophy on how to live life in the present.

Confucius

Chinese Philosophy ● Confucianism: o The most famous of these philosophies was Confucianism. o Confucianism was started by a Chinese scholar named Kongfuzi, known more popularly as Confucius. ● The Principles of Confucianism: o Order and peace would prevail in China if the people lived according to the principles of ethics (good conduct and moral judgement). o “Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you” - Confucius.

Chinese Philosophy ● The Five Relationships: Confucius’s most famous teachings were founded in his Five Relationships. o Confucius believed that there were five key relationships in society:  Ruler and subject  Parent and child  Husband and wife  Old and young  Friend and friend o Each relationship was governed by a code of conduct particular to that relationship. o Filial Piety: Confucius believed filial piety may have been the most important relationship - children had to obey and respect their parents and elders.

Chinese Philosophy ● The Legacy of Confucius: o Confucius died in 479 B.C.E., however, his teaching and principles continued to dominate Chinese society until the fall of the Qing dynasty in o The teachings of Confucius were collected and published in a book known as the Analects. o The Han dynasty based the civil service system examinations upon the principles and ethics of the Analects.

Chinese Philosophy ● Another important Chinese philosophy was known as Daoism (also spelt Taoism). ● Daoism was founded by a Chinese philosopher named Laozi, who lived sometime during the 500s B.C.E. o Laozi’s philosophies were recorded into a book known as Dao De Jing.

Laozi

Chinese Philosophy ● The main principle of Daoism was to live in harmony with nature. o Daoism did not believe that people had to fill specific roles in society, or that there needed to be a formal social structure. o Daoists, the followers of Daoism, followed the Dao, the universal force that guided all of nature. o The Yin and Yang: Daoists followed the concept of the yin and yang, a belief that there were two opposing forces present in nature.  The Yin was “cool, dark, female, and submissive.”  The Yang was “warm, light, male and aggressive.”  The Daoists believed that both of these forces were present in everything, and that to achieve harmony, there needed to be a balance between them.

Yin & Yang

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Chinese Society & Culture

● “With Harmony at home, there will be order in the nation. With order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.” - Confucius ● The teachings of Confucius dominated Chinese society and culture during the Han era. ● The family unit was “supreme” in Chinese society and culture. ● The Chinese family was not equal, but rather, a hierarchy: o The oldest male member of the family was the head of the family. o Followed by the oldest son; the younger sons; all females. o It was required that all lower members of the family show obedience and respect to the members high on the hierarchy.

Chinese Society & Culture ● Chinese families lived in a structure that would become characterized as the nuclear family (rather than the extended family). In the nuclear family, a Chinese home was made up of parents and their children. o The father determined his child’s careers, education, arranged their marriages, controlled family finances, and was responsible for all discipline. o Chinese farmers were characterized by strict ethical principles, and compassion and kindness. ● The Role of Women: o In the Confucian system, women were lower than men, and had to show men obedience and respect to their fathers, brothers, and husbands. o Women were not allowed to receive an education, but were allowed to remarry and inherit property.

Chinese Society & Culture ● Chinese Society: o Landowners:  Wealthy; Owned large estates of land; lived comfortably and had numerous possessions. o Peasants:  90% of Chinese society were peasants.  The peasants performed hard work and labor to make the landowners wealthy and prosperous.  The majority of peasants were farmers, who farmed grain fields and raised livestock.  Peasants paid taxes, were forced to serve the government for one month of the year, and were drafted into the army. o Merchants  Were the lowest class on the Chinese social hierarchy.  Shopkeepers; traders; service workers; and bankers.  Merchants were considered the lowest ranking of Chinese society because they were in the pursuit of wealth, which Confucius considered an “unworthy pastime.” Merchants were not allowed to take the civil service examinations or serve the government.

Chinese Social Pyramid

Chinese Society & Culture ● Chinese Cultural Accomplishments: o Literature: Although the Qin destroyed thousands of books, many survived and have become the basis of Chinese culture.  The most famous work was the Book of Songs, which consisted of 305 Chinese poems written between 1000 B.C.E. and 600 B.C.E. These poems discuss political themes, rituals, and romance.  The Five Classics: A collection of Chinese books that carried solutions to most problems in society. Chinese civil servants were required to read and study these books to achieve success in politics.

Chinese Society & Culture ● Chinese Cultural Accomplishments: o Science & Technology:  By the 300s B.C.E., Chinese astronomers had calculated the length of a year to be 365 ¼ days.  Chinese scientists kept records relating to solar and lunar eclipses.  Chinese scientists were the first to observe Halley’s comet (240 B.C.E.) o Medicine:  Acupuncture: A technique in which Chinese doctors used needles to relieve pain and restore the balance in human beings (yin and yang). o Farming & Transportation:  Under the Han, Chinese farmers created complex irrigation systems, advanced fertilizers, canals, an improved transportation system (roads), and veterinary medicine for animals.

Chinese Society & Culture ● Chinese Inventions: o Chinese Silk: Invented by the Chinese in prehistoric times, silk was a valuable trading item for most of China’s history.  Chinese silks were even traded with the Roman Empire via the Silk Road. o Paper: Historians believe that the Chinese invented paper by 100 B.C.E. Paper was originally used for wrapping and clothing, however, it soon became “an ideal writing material.” o Other Important Chinese Inventions:  The wheelbarrow  Books  Gunpowder  The suspension bridge  The compass  Bronze and iron casting.

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