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Chapter 3 - Ancient China

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1 Chapter 3 - Ancient China

2 The Dawn of Chinese Civilization
The Land and People of China Legend: Chinese society was founded by a series of rulers who brought “civilization” 7000s B.C.E. agriculture began, particularly near the Yellow and Yangtze rivers The Yangshao and Longshan Neolithic cultures Only 12 percent of China is arable China isolated by Gobi Desert, Central Asia, and Tibetan plateau Agrarian China vs. Asian nomads

3 Shang China ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

4 The Shang Dynasty 1500s–1000s B.C.E., replaced the Xia dynasty
Political Organization Capital was at Anyang Oracle bones earliest surviving writing, a way to communicate with the gods Chariot warfare Chariots perhaps through Indo-European contacts Ritual sacrifices were performed at death of Shang kings Lead to the custom of veneration of ancestors

5 The Shang Dynasty Social Structures Bronze casting
Farm villages were the basic social unit Clans rather than nuclear families Some class differentiation: aristocratic elite, peasants, a few merchants, slaves Bronze casting

6 The Zhou Dynasty (1000s–200s B.C.E.)
Political Structures Capital near present-day Xian and a second capital near modern Luoyang More extensive and complex bureaucracy than Shang The Mandate of Heaven Heaven: an impersonal law of nature rather than anthropomorphic deity King not divine but ruled as representative of Heaven Kings were chosen because of their talent and virtue

7 The Zhou Dynasty (1000s–200s B.C.E.)
If the king did not rule effectively, he lost the Mandate of Heaven and could be replaced by a new king/dynasty Zhou began to decline by 500s B.C.E.

8 The Zhou Dynasty (1000s–200s B.C.E.)
Economy and Society The “well field system”: peasants had own lands but also cultivate their lords’ land Merchants were not independent but under control of local lords Late Zhou saw considerable economic and technological growth, including massive water control projects, iron plowshares, the collar harness, natural fertilizer Development of extensive trade in silk, to as far away as Greece Development of a money economy

9 The Zhou Dynasty (1000s–200s B.C.E.)
The Hundred Schools of Ancient Philosophy Early Beliefs Under Shang, the belief in one transcendent god, known as Shang Di Evolved into Heaven, an impersonal symbol of universal order Two primary forces of yang (light/male) and yin (dark/female)

10 The Zhou Dynasty (1000s–200s B.C.E.)
Quotes Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it. He who will not economize will have to agonize. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. Study the past if you would define the future. Confucianism Confucius/Kung Fuci/Master Kung (b. 551 B.C.E.) Analects, conversations between Confucius and his followers Ethical politics Act in accordance with the Dao (the way), similar to dharma in India Subordinate individualism to broader needs of family and community Human-heartedness: “Do not do unto others what you would not wish done to yourself” Merit should decide, not heredity Led to practice of selecting officials through a civil service exam Mencius (370–290 B.C.E.): humans were by nature good

11 The Zhou Dynasty (1000s–200s B.C.E.)
Legalism Humans by nature are evil, and must be coerced by laws and punishments Daoism (Lao Tzu/the Old Master) Dao De Jing (The Way of the Tao) Like Confucianism, this life and not the cosmos is the focus Unlike Confucianism, inaction rather than action, act in harmony with nature Chinese landscape painting often a reflection of Daoism Popular Beliefs Belief in numerous gods and spirits of nature, both good and evil

12 China during the Period of the Warring States
©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

13 The Rise of the Chinese Empire: The Qin and the Han
Decline of the Zhou: Warring States Period State of Qin won out, becoming the first unified government of China in 221 B.C.E.

14 The Rise of the Chinese Empire: The Qin and the Han
The Qin Dynasty (221–206 B.C.E.): Qin Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor Political structures: Legalism was the official ideology Books burned Territory expanded, all the way to Vietnam

15 The Rise of the Chinese Empire: The Qin and the Han
Highly centralized state with harsh punishments Society and the Economy Unified weights and measures, standardized the monetary and writings systems Reduced power of the aristocracy Aristocrats were required to live in capital of Xianyang Government was anti-merchants

16 The Rise of the Chinese Empire: The Qin and the Han
Beyond the Frontier: The Nomadic Peoples and the Great Wall of China Threats from the northern nomadic Xiongnu, possibly related to the Huns Qin solution: build a wall—the Great Wall—at great cost The Fall of the Qin Rivalry between “inner” and “outer” courts (bureaucracy vs. imperial family and eunuchs) Government too oppressive First Emperor condemned, but Legalism set pattern of succeeding dynasties

17 The Glorious Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E.–221 C.E.)
Founded by Liu Bang, took title of Han Gaozu Maintained the Qin’s centralized political institutions, but less harsh Confucianism and the State Government was a despotism, capital at Chang’an State Confucianism Civil service examinations,165 B.C.E. Most were still from aristocratic families Factionalism at court still a problem Aristocratic families remained powerful in spite of imperial despotism

18 The Glorious Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E.–221 C.E.)
Society and Economy in the Han Empire Population increased from 20 million to 60 million Agricultural improvements barely kept up with population rise Expansion of trade, all the way to the Roman Empire State controlled much trade and manufacturing New technologies, including water mills, iron casting, paper, rudder Expansion Abroad

19 Trade Routes of the Ancient World

20 The Glorious Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E.–221 C.E.)
The Decline and Fall of the Han Wang Mang declared the Xin (New) dynasty, 9–23 C.E., but was killed Recovery under the later Han, but the dynasty disappeared by 220s C.E.

21 The Han Dynasty ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

22 Daily Life in Ancient China
The Role of the Family Central to Chinese society, not least because of rice cultivation Filial piety and the five relationships Government attempted to impose control through the Bao-jia system of mutual control and surveillance by five or ten families

23 Daily Life in Ancient China
Lifestyles Houses of tile and brick for the elite, but mud, thatch, and wooden planks for peasants Staple foods were millet in the north and rice in the south Cities Most Chinese lived in the countryside First towns were forts for the aristocracy By Zhou era, larger towns for trade and commerce Chang’An covered 16 square miles The Humble Estate: Women in Ancient China Female subservience the norm, both philosophically and in practice

24 Chinese Culture Metalwork and Sculpture
Bronze Casting under the Shang dynasty Bronze vessels both for use and for ritual Iron by 800s B.C.E.; Chinese cast iron was better than West’s wrought iron The First Emperor’s Tomb, discovered in 1974 near Xian Thousands of terra-cotta warriors

25

26 Chinese Culture Language and Literature
Writing based on pictures/ideas (ideographs/“characters”), not on phonetic symbols Became the written system for an expanding Chinese civilization even though spoken languages were often mutually unintelligible Earliest surviving was from Zhou, written on silk or strips of bamboo Confucian Classics: The Rites of Zhou, Analects, Way of the Dao, The Book of Songs Primary purpose was moral and political

27 Chinese Culture Music: aesthetics, but also to achieve political order and refining the human character Flutes, stringed instruments, bells and chimes, drums and gourds

28 Discussion Questions What was the Mandate of Heaven? How did it shape the goal and priorities of Chinese government? What factors contributed to economic growth during the Zhou period? What role did the government play in promoting growth? What values are expressed in Confucianism? How were those values manifested in Chinese society? What were the most important accomplishments of the Han dynasty? What led to the dynasty’s demise?


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