2. Lesson 7.03 Beliefs of Ancient China

3. Ancestors Your great grandparents, great great grandparents, etc. are your ancestors. Ancestors were worshipped like gods but they were not the same. They had gods of nature like weather or direction (north, south, etc) Ancestors could talk to the gods and persuade the gods to be kind to the people Kings asked ancestors for help and to answer questions. Done through the help of diviners (priests) and oracle bones. Used To Honor ancestors

4. Zhou Dynasty united the country by making agreements. There was no strong central government. Each region had their own ruler. Local rulers became very powerful and overthrew the government. During the Qin Dynasty, the size of the country grew. They took over nearby lands. During the Han Dynasty, invaders take over the country. China falls as a great country. Beliefs begin to change during and after the Warring Period.

5. The family was center of everything during the Zhou dynasty. Families of one class were expected to show kindness to families of another class.

6. Confucius Confucius believed that one had to respect himself/herself and respect others. This is a way of life, not a religion! Family relationships were the basis of society. Wrote a book called Analects. Ancestor worship was important. Respect for parents and ancestors is filial piety. obey parents! Filial piety

7. Daoism Created by Laozi Believed there was a force in nature and nature should be allowed to take its course. When people connected to this force, they found happiness. Life force known as yin and yang Laozi believed that everyone has some yin and yang (a light and dark side) Life force must be protected ; therefore Laozi was against war and killing others. Does not believe in strict government and that people should be free to make their own decision. Wrote “Dao de Jing”. It showed the “way “or “path”.

8. Legalism Laws were strictly followed Emperor had strict control of government and there was a police force Punishment if laws were broken. People HAD to tell on someone that broke the law. If they didn’t, they were punished. A spy system was set up. Emperor believed books were useless and burned them. (Censorship) Han Fei Tzu - philosopher who believed in Legalism. First emperor of China-- Qin Shi Huangdi

9. Assignment

12. What’s your idea of an ideal society??