What were the contributions of Classical China?

M AP OF CHINA

China Huang He River Pacific Ocean Silk Road

 The earliest civilizations in China were centered along the Huang He River (or Yellow River) around 5000 BCE  China is located in Eastern Asia and was very isolated from other civilizations Europeans knew little of China until 1200 CE (AD)

 While geographically isolated, China still influenced the western world via the Silk Road

 Silk was a prized commodity in the West and the demand for Chinese silk led to the development of arguably the most important trade route in ancient history The Romans and Greeks even referred to the Chinese as “Seres”—meaning the land where silk comes from  The Silk Road was so vast that many outposts had to be built along the way to relay trade Goods moved from stage to stage

 The Great Wall of China was constructed through various stages to protect the Chinese from northern invaders, particularly the Mongols  Emperor Qin Shi Huang is credited with connecting and rebuilding many of these walls Emperor Shi Huang is responsible for building much of what is considered the Great Wall of China

 The Great Wall stretches over 4,000 miles along the northern border of China  The Wall was not effective at keeping invaders out The wall was better suited for signaling warnings and regulating trade  The Wall became a symbol of power and civility for the Chinese Divided and protected the civilized from the savage

 China was ruled by a succession of ruling families—known as dynasties Examples include the Qin, Ming, Han, Zhou, etc.  The rulers were considered divine (holy)

 The dynasties served under the Mandate of Heaven The philosophy or belief that heaven grants rulers the right to rule based on their ability to govern well and fairly  The rulers did not have to be of noble birth and at any point the mandate could be removed This happened regularly during times of famine and natural disasters

 The Civil Service System was established to elect/appoint government positions Jobs were given based on merit (ability) rather than family or wealth  The Han Dynasty instituted the Civil Service System based upon the writings of Confucius

 The Civil Service System consisted of an exam that could last days  The system was established to find the best people for the jobs, as well as recruit candidates from throughout the empire  In theory anyone could take the exam—in reality it was almost exclusive to wealthy males

 The Chinese produced a variety of valuable and prized trade exports— including silk, paper, and porcelain