1. Chapter 3 Ancient India and China 2600 BCE – CE 550
3.5 Strong Rulers Unite China (p 101 – 107)

2. Focus Question
How did powerful emperors unite much of China and bring about a golden age of cultural achievements?

3. Shi Huangdi Unifies China (p 101 – 102)
What is a classical civilization?
Sets patterns that serve as models for later cultures:
Government
Philosophy
Religion
Science
Arts
What are some of the other “classical civilizations” we’ve discussed?
Rome
Byzantine Empire
Ottoman Empire

4. Shi Huangdi Unifies China (p 101 – 102)
How did Shi Huangdi impose allegiance to a central government?
Abolished feudalism
Replaced feudal states with military districts run by loyal officials
Gave nobles’ land to peasants
Forced noble families to live at court

5. Shi Huangdi Unifies China (p 101 – 102)
How does legalism differ from Confucianism?
Confucianism
Focuses on the good in people
Expects leaders to rule righteously to keep social order
Legalism
Rulers must achieve order through strict, harsh laws

6. What kind of government did Legalists favor?
Checkpoint!
What kind of government did Legalists favor?
A government that passed strict laws and imposed harsh punishments.

7. The Han Dynasty Strengthens China (p 103 – 106)
What sorts of written items from a civilization might be compiled?
Poems, stories, letters, teachings
How might such compilations help historians better understand an ancient civilization?
Provides examples of writings in a single collection
Easily compared/contrasted

8. The Han Dynasty Strengthens China (p 103 – 106)
What did Gao Zu do to restore order and justice in China?
Lowered taxes
Eased legalist policies
Appointed Confucian scholars as advisors

9. The Han Dynasty Strengthens China (p 103 – 106)
How did emperor Wudi’s policy of expansionism and the creation of the Silk Road affect China and other areas of Asia?
Spread Chinese influence across many areas of Asia - expansionism
Silk Road expanded trade between China and out lying regions
"En Route Silk-Road", Taklimakan Desert, Xinjiang, China

10. The Han Dynasty Strengthens China (p 103 – 106)
How did the civil service system reflect the ideas of Confucianism?
Allowed people to win jobs by merit – not family connection
Required civil servants to be well educated in Confucian teachings
How did the overthrow of the Han reflect the dynastic cycle?

11. How did Han emperors further economic growth?
Checkpoint!
How did Han emperors further economic growth?
Improved canals, roads, organized finances, imposed government monopoly on salt
Opened up network of trade routes with West call Silk Road.

12. Achievements of the Han Golden Age (p 106 – 107)
How long did the system of government established in Han China last?
Until 1912
Why was the Han period considered a golden age of Chinese civilization?
Many advances and achievements in science, medicine, technology and arts
Scenes from ancient China, the origin of the 'Yin and Yang of Diabetes', and all Chinese medicine. (China Photos/Getty Images)

13. What sorts of achievements made the Han period a golden age?
Checkpoint!
What sorts of achievements made the Han period a golden age?
Science: measuring movements of stars, planets, invention of simple seismograph
Medicine: anesthetics and acupuncture
Technology: invention of the rudder, papermaking, new methods of shipbuilding
Arts: temples and palaces, poems, carvings from jade & ivory

14. The Chinese Accept Buddhism (p 107)
Why do you think the philosophies of Confucianism and Daoism were able to be absorbed into Buddhism in China?
Buddhism emphasizes some of the same ideas: treating others well and respecting the natural world
A Confucian (left), a Buddhist (centre), and a Daoist, painting of a tranquil discussion that exemplifies the peaceful coexistence of the “three ways” in China. The figures are ideal types representing each faith.

15. Why did Buddhism appeal to many people in China?
Checkpoint!
Why did Buddhism appeal to many people in China?
Promise that religious devotion could end suffering and lead to eternal happiness

16. Focus Question
How did powerful emperors unite much of China and bring about a golden age of cultural achievements?
They rid China of feudalism, established a strong central government, strengthened the economy, made Confucianism the belief system of the state, created the Silk Road to increase trade, and founded the civil service system.