Origins of Imperial China Shang ca. 1750 -1027BCE Ruled a compact zone in northeaster China Zhou ca. 1027-221BCE Warring States Period Mandate of Heaven Qin ca. 221-206BCE Wei Valley Shi Huangdi Han ca. 206BCE – 220CE Political and cultural unity

Resources and Population Fragmentation of the Geography Agricultural production Yangzi River Wealth and Taxes Funded the royal court and military units China’s capital cities Stored surpluses Conducted census Abled bodied men expected for public works projects Palaces, temples, forts, roads, canals, mines, walls Dependent upon free peasants

Hierarchy, Obedience, & Belief Dominated by elder male Interdependent relationships not individual Women Social status determined role Royal family had some political influence Mother-in-law’s authority FAMILY Basic unit of society Unbroken chain of generations Ancestors routinely consulted, appeased, and venerated

The First Chinese Empire 221-207BCE QIN 221-207BCE Unified northern and central China Defense against barbarian neighbors Large, compulsory labor and military forces Build and connect walls Great Wall of China HOWEVER, fragmented nomads united (Xiongnu Confederacy) Legalist methods Suppress Confucianism King Shi Huangdi and his advisors Establish primogeniture and strong bureaucracy Standardized law, measurements, coinage, and writing Death of Shi Huangdi in 210BCE Son succeeds to throne unsuccessfully Resentments end the Qin rule by 206BCE

Gaozu (Liu Bang), a peasant, establishes the Han dynasty

The Han 206BCE- 220CE Gaozu (Liu Bang), a peasant establishes the Han dynasty Confucian policy and Legalist techniques Reduce taxes and government spending Collected and stored surplus grain Restored feudal grants Preference to gentry – prosperous landowners - government officials Appeasement used on the Xiongnu Confederacy Emperor Wu Adopted Confucianism and expected exemplary ethical behavior Territorial expansion Increased emperor power Northern Vietnam, Manchuria, North Korea Built military to fight off the Xiongnu Confederacy Silk Road Government monopoly of this high-profit commodity

Technology and Trade TECHNOLOGY TRADE Metallurgy Gun Powder Crossbow Wrought-iron, cast iron, steel Gun Powder Crossbow Watermill Horse collar Paper Roads canals TRADE Tea Porcelain SILK Main commodity and monopoly Buddhism

Decline of the Han Intermittent 14 year rule by high official before return of Han Factional issues with ruling class Official corruption Peasant uprisings Spread of banditry Rural Warlords Questionable loyalties of military and mercenaries

Compare… 1. How are the economic foundations similar between the early Roman and Han empires? How do these similarities account for the consequences of each? Provide evidence. 2. Describe the relationship between government and the development of technology in the early Roman and Han empires. Provide evidence.