CHINESE EMPIRE CHAPTER 12

QIN DYNASTY  Strong kingdom  Efficient government  Qin decided to declare himself Shi Huangdi or “First Emperor”  Tore down walls of local kingdoms.  Began Great Wall- a long wall running east to west

Defending the enemy - started public works projects -Great Wall- defend the empire from nomads -Wall went up quickly. -200,000 workers made to work

 220 B.C.,  Shi Huandi began restoring and linking separate sections of the Great Wall which had been built years before.

UNIFORM STANDARDS  Standards for Daily Life  standardize- set rules that make things more similar  Unified China’s economy and culture  Single written language with standard characters  Transportation- standard axles to vehicles  Uniform weights and measure

ORGANIZING THE EMPIRE  Central governing system  36 provinces  Shi Huangdi forced thousands to move to the capital.  Government spies could keep an eye on them.  Legalism - stronger leader and strong legal system are need to create social order.

HARSH LAWS  Uniform legal code  Penalties for breaking laws were severe.  Severe punishment  Censor- ban ideas he found dangerous or offensive.  Ordered burning of all books that didn’t follow his rule.

 Dynasty collapsed with death of Qin Shi Huangdi in 210 B.C.E.  His oppression brought backlash  Rebellions in regional capitals  The Qin had lost the Mandate of Heaven The Fall of the Qin Dynasty

SECTION 1 REVIEW  Why did Shi Huangdi create harsh laws?

EXPANSION OF HAN DYNASTY  One of the longest lasting and most influential of all dynasties.  Han dynasty ruled for over 400 years.  New Ideas of Han  encouraged learning  lowered taxes  ended harsh rules  U U

SOCIAL CLASSES UNDER THE HAN Emperor Governors and Kings Nobles, Scholars, and State Officials Peasants (Farmers) Artisans and Merchants Soldiers Slaves

WUDI – THE MARTIAL EMPEROR Wudi lived BCE Used warfare to expand the Chinese empire – Northern steppes Fought Xiongnu – nomads that raided Chinese villages Traditionally kept at bay through bribery Wudi made allies of the Xiongnu’s enemies and sent in 100,000 soldiers Then pushed the Xiongnu back Settled soldiers on former Xiongnu lands But the nomads of the steppes provided ongoing conflict – Modern-day Korea, Manchuria, Vietnam, etc. Conquered and colonized Borders under Wudi nearly what they are today

CIVIL SERVICE  System that government employees selected for their skills and knowledge.  Not hereditary- appointed to positions  Exams created to find talented people  Wanted employees to be loyal

SILK ROAD  Network of trade routes that crossed Asia over 4000 miles  Silk Road, was a major trade route which sold China’s secret commodity (silk)  Chinese Silk Road connected China to the Roman Emp ire  Silk Road was protected by Great Wall  Employed mandatory military service to maintain empire  Also a path to spread ideas 

JOURNEY OF ZHANG QIAN  Was captured by Xiongnu and was a prisoner for 10 years.  Stepped up to find Xiongnu  Zhang described travel to exotic lands  Wudi and Han emperors sent envoys to create relations to west.  Trade began to flourish.

SECTION 2 REVIEW  How did the Silk Road influence Chinese culture?

HAN SOCIETY  Social Order- based on Confucian values  Mental rather than physical labor  Farmers respected for providing food and cloth.  Artisans respected for skill and hard work.  Merchants fell in social order since they don’t produce anything.

FAMILY LIFE ROLE OF WOMEN  Loyalty  Respect for elders  Parents report children who did not behave with filial piety  Women considered lower than men.  Worked in the home  Weaving and caring for children  Ban Zhoa- educated female became historian in the royal court

ECONOMIC LIFE  Farming -wheat, millet, barley, beans and rice - silkweaving  Industry - iron –tools and weapons -salt mining Monopoly -single group controls the production of a good or service

Literature The Han created realistic scenes from everyday life, advanced figure painting, and depictions of religious figures and Confucian scholars. Calligraphy-art of beautiful writing. Fu style: combination of prose and poetry Shi style: short lines of verse that could be sung The Han Chinese made paper by grinding plant fibers into a paste and then setting the paste out to dry in sheets. Later they rolled the dried pulp into scrolls. HAN ACHIEVEMENTS Invention of Paper Art

Seismograph A device for telling time, the sundial uses the position of the shadows cast by the sun to tell the time of day. This device measures the strength of an earthquake. Chinese scientists believed that the movement of the earth was a sign of evil times. Acupuncture is the practice of inserting needles into the skin to cure disease or relieve pain. This practice is still widely used today. HAN ACHIEVEMENTS Acupuncture Sundial cf5c

SECTION 3 REVIEW  Why was silk an important industry during Han dynasty?