ANCIENT DYNASTIES OF CHINA SHANG ZHOU QIN HAN

Geography and First Dynasty Two major rivers – Chang Jiang – also called the Yangzi – Huang-He – also called the Yellow River or the River of Sorrows

Shang Dynasty BC Farming society ruled by an aristocracy whose major concern was war – Aristocracy = an upper class whose wealth is based on land ownership

Zhou Dynasty 1100 – 256 BC Longest-lasting dynasty in Chinese history The king was the head of the gov’t and was seen as a link between heaven and Earth The Zhou dynasty claimed it ruled China because it possessed the Mandate of Heaven – Gods gave “permission” to rule China Set up a “right of revolution” which led to dynastic cycles Development of two Chinese philosophies = Confucianism and Daoism

Qin Dynasty 221 – 206 BC First to create a unified Chinese empire – The word China is derived from the Qin Shi Huangdi adopted Legalism as the official ideology to build a strong centralized gov’t – Anyone who opposed the policies of the new regime were imprisoned, tortured, or killed, especially Confucian scholars A nomadic people in the Gobi desert called the Xiongnu threatened China – To deal with the threat and to keep them out of China, Shi Huangdi had workers join the separate defensive walls in northern China – This united wall became the Great Wall of China

Han Dynasty 206 BC – 220 AD Model for later Chinese dynasties, the main population of China still calls itself the Han people Exchanged Legalism for Confucianism and appointed numerous Confucian scholars

Qin and Han Dynasties Chapter 8, page 225

To create a regular system for new officials, the civil service exam was introduced – These officials gained gov’t jobs based on merit, how well they did on the test – A school was established to train candidates for the exam – Students were expected to learn the teachings of Confucius

Silk Road – Road that linked China to Rome, was 4,000 miles long – Traded in luxury goods such as silk, spices, teas, and ivory – Dangerous due to geography and bandits Women – “raising daughters is like raising children for another family”

Confucianism Based on the teachings of Confucius (Kongfuzi) Main book is the Analects, which contains Confucius’ thoughts Concerned about human behavior – People should treat one another with love and respect – Confucius believed that the disappearance of this love and respect was responsible for the violence in society Focuses on improving society – Restoring a respect for tradition would make society stable once again

Proper behavior is to follow the Dao (the way) – Two elements to the Dao – duty and humanity – Everyone must work hard to fulfill their duties Needs of the family and community come before personal needs Belief in filial piety = obedience and devotion to parents, especially the male head of the family

Honor one’s ancestors A ruler must set a good example and lead by virtue A ruler should be advised by qualified, well- informed people – Select advisors based on merit rather than birth Spread to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam

Legalism Founded by Hanfeizi and Li Si, two advisors to Emperor Shi Huangdi of the Qin dynasty Believed that human beings are evil by nature Reject Confucius’ idea of leading by virtue Instead need harsh laws and punishments to make sure people stay on the correct path – A ruler does not need to be compassionate or show mercy – People must be kept in line by fear of punishment

A powerful and efficient gov’t was key to maintaining order and control over an empire Rulers should be strong and govern through force – Strong ruler = orderly society