Ancient Chinese Dynasties 中國歷朝歷代 Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin

The walls of China’s first cities were built 4,000 years ago. This was at least a thousand years after the walls of Ur, the great pyramids of Egypt, and the planned cities of the Indus Valley were built.

Government of China China was controlled by what are referred to as dynasties- ancient families that ruled China for several hundred years at a time. The first Chinese Dynasty was the Xia (shyah) that ruled China from the 21st-17th century B.C.E. The Shang Dynasty followed and lasted from around 1700 B.C.E. to 1027 B.C.E They were 1st to leave written records. The Shang kings built elaborate palaces and tombs

Chinese Values In the Chinese view, people who lived outside of Chinese civilization were barbarians. Because the Chinese saw their country as the center of the civilized world, their name for China was ‘the Middle Kingdom’. Chinese culture taught that the group is more important than the individual. Because of this they are very loyal and prideful to their families and to their governments.

Men and Women’s Roles The elder men in the family controlled the family’s property and made important decisions. Women, on the other hand, were treated as inferiors. They were expected to obey their fathers, their husbands, and later, their own sons. When a girl was between 13 and 16 years old, her marriage was arranged, and she moved into the house of her husband. Only by bearing sons for her husband’s family could she hope to improve her status.

Religion in Ancient China The Chinese believed that the spirits of family ancestors had the power to bring good fortune or disaster to living members of the family. Shang kings consulted the gods through the use of oracle bones, animal bones and tortoise shells that priests had scratched questions for the gods. After inscribing a question on the bone, a priest applied a hot poker to it, which caused it to crack. The priests then interpreted the cracks to see how the gods had answered.

Zhou Dynasty Around 1027 B.C., the Zhou (joh) overthrew the Shang and established their own dynasty. The Zhou had adopted much of the Shang culture so the change in dynasty did not bring sweeping cultural change. To justify their conquest, the Zhou leaders declared that the final Shang king had been such a poor ruler that the gods had taken away the Shang’s rule and given it to the Zhou. This justification developed over time into a broader view that royal authority came from heaven.

-Heaven gave authority to rule to a worthy ruler. Mandate of Heaven -Heaven gave authority to rule to a worthy ruler. In order to remain worthy and keep the mandate, kings had to be virtuous and have concern for the welfare of the people. If the king was not, then he would loose the mandate and be overthrown by another, more worthy clan.

The Zhou Dynasty lasted for at least eight centuries, from approximately 1027 to 256 B.C

Toward the end of the Zhou Dynasty, China moved away from its ancient values of social order, harmony, and respect for authority. Chinese scholars and philosophers developed different solutions to restore these values

Confucius China’s most influential scholar Lived in the time when the Zhou Dynasty was in decline Wanted to restore the order and moral living of earlier times He wanted to show rulers how to govern wisely His ideas become the foundation for China’s government

Believed in 5 basic relationships These were the relationships between: 1) ruler and subject 2) father and son 3) husband and wife 4) older brother and younger brother 5) friend and friend.

Qin Dynasty 221-206 BCE In the third century B.C.E., the Qin (chin) Dynasty replaced the Zhou Dynasty. In contrast to Confucianism, Their ruler, Shi Huangdi – “First Emperor”, practiced legalism. Beliefs: - do anything to maintain order - strict laws - harsh punishment - imposed high taxes - censorship of ideas ie. - killed Confucian scholars b/c criticized him * First time China united as one empire 213 BCE—all writings other than official state documents, texts on agriculture and medicine, and some writings on divination Execution of scholars to standardize thought—buried alive by the hundreds Merchants seen as parasitic and rivals for power to the state therefore primogeniture ends to reduce the threat from landed power Tight state control Rigid supervision of education Secret Service Travel only by permit State knows best ORDER Ends feudalism --Break with feudal past towards a system based on achievement not birth

Under the Qin Built the Great Wall of China in the northern part to block invaders (Mongols) During the Qin dynasty the Chinese language and writing were standardized making communication easier They also standardized other including currency, measurements, and axle lengths.

Art/Architecture – Burial Tomb / Terracotta Army Video