Bellwork

• In your notebooks, write at least three things you know about China. – Any fact or characteristic is fine, but

there has to be at least three concepts.

Be prepared to discuss these at the beginning of class.

World History

Section 3, Unit 4China

Ancient History, Growth, and Dynasties

Objectives• Identify the geographic features and location of China.• Describe early events in Chinese history.• Examine and describe early Chinese dynasties. • Evaluate and define the “Mandate of Heaven” and the

Dynastic Cycle• Identify the affect of Confucius’ philosophies on future

Dynasties• Compare and contrast Confucius to Laozi• Identify important changes to the Chinese empire under the

Qin Dynasty• Compare the Han Dynasty to previous dynasties discussed• Describe the government style under the Han Dynasty and the

influence of Confucianism on Han life• Analyze the creation of the Silk Roads• Define the term “assimilation”• Describe the legacy of the Han dynasty and China on later

civiliations

Ancient China

• The walls of China’s first cities were built approximately 1,500 years after Ur (Mesopotamia) was formed, 1,000 years after the Pyramids, and 1,000 years after the cities of the Indus Valley were formed.

• Despite it’s “late” start, China has become a world powerhouse that has existed in various forms for over 3,500 years (the civilization).

• The survival of China is partly due to its geography.

Geography

• China has various natural barriers that protect it from foreign threats:– East: The Pacific

Ocean– West: a great desert

and icy plain. – North: large desert

(Mongolia).– South: The Himalayan

Mountains.

Effects of the geography• In part due to the vast

deserts and mountains that make up about two-thirds (2/3) of China’s land mass, early Chinese people had to move farther east, near the Pacific Ocean. There, they would farm land between two rivers: the Huange He (hwahng-huh) and Yangtze (yangsee) rivers.

Desert in China

Huang He & Yangtze Rivers

About 90 % of the remaining landmass in China, that was fertile, was found between these two rivers. This plain is China’s heartland.

Huang He

Yangtze

Deserts

Mountains

Other environmental issues

• Much like Egypt, Mesopotamia, and India, China too also experienced flooding to some degree.–What are some benefits of the flood?

Drawbacks?

• Despite the natural barriers, however, the Chinese inhabitants did have to contend with invaders from the West and North in many cases throughout their history.

Formation of Civilization

• Despite the Chinese civilization forming after other cultures previously mentioned, people have existed in the area for 1 mil.-200,000 years.

• At around 2000 B.C., Chinese settlers began farming around the Huang He river. Some settlements became early cities.

• One of the earliest cities became the first Chinese Dynasty- the Xia (shyah) Dynasty.

Xia Dynasty

• The Xia Dynasty appeared around 2000 B.C. and, during the time, the leaders of the Dynasty began to irrigate the Huang He river. – These irrigation fields would prove useful to later

dynasties to exist.

• This period of time in Chinese history is believed to have existed for around 500 years. However, there is no written record of this dynasty (during the time), so much of what occurred is unknown. – In fact, it’s very likely that the Xia may have not

existed.

Shang Dynasty

• The Shang Dynasty (1600, 1046 B.C.) is believed to have grown immediately after the “fall” of the Xia dynasty and was established by Tang.

Shang Dynasty

• Under Tang, the Shang Dynasty experienced immense growth- which included large scale building projects. In fact, the largest city in Shang was built entirely of wood.– The city- Anyang- was built in the

middle of a forest and, to protect it, the Chinese citizens created massive earthen walls to protect the city.

Social Classes

• Much like Ancient India, the Chinese also formed social classes, in which the nobles were sharply divided from the peasants. The Shang ruled with warrior-nobles who were headed by the king.

• The nobles were given parcels of land in exchange for their services and were to govern the lands they controlled. In these lands, the peasants saw to the farming and had few rights.

Culture

• The culture that arose during the Shang Dynasty focused very much on unity. – From the beginning,

there seemed to be less emphasis on the individual.

– Peoples lives were governed by two entities: their families and their king/emperor.

Family

• Family was central in Chinese society. An important virtue was respecting ones parents. Male elders of the family controlled the property and made important decisions.

Question: How could the emphasison family benefit Ancient Chinesecivilizations?

Family (cont.)

• Women, however, were treated as inferior. They were expected to obey their fathers, husbands (who they were arranged to marry), and even their sons.

• A persons chief loyalty in their life was to family.

Religious Beliefs

• The belief in family also affected the Chinese religious beliefs. The Chinese believed that the spirits of family members could bring good/bad fortune.

• Every family paid respect to the fathers ancestors and made sacrifices in their honor. – Question: Why only fathers ancestors?

Development of Writing

• One of the greatest achievements during the Shang Dynasty was the formation of a Chinese writing system.

• Chinese writing consisted of characters- logograms- which stood for a idea, not a sound.

“Water”

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Ancient Chinese Language

• Advantages– People in all parts of

China could learn the same system of writing, regardless of what spoken Chinese language they speak.

– (think 2+2=4; it doesn’t matter what language I say it in, people will understand the written portion).

• Disadvantages– There was an enormous

number of characters to memorize. For someone to be considered fluent, they had to learn 1,000 characters. For a scholar, it was 10,000.

– For centuries, this requirement limited the number of scholars in Chinese society.

Technology

• The Shang also became very skilled in their technology and artistry.

• The people manufactures weapons, jewelry, and many bronze objects.

Technology• During these times,

the Chinese also learned how to make silk cloth, which was created by drawing fine threads of a silk worms cocoon and weaving them into a light fabric. Silk became a symbol of Chinese civilization.

Silk worm and cocoon

Silk cloth

Rise of the Zhou Dynasty

• Around 1027 B.C., a people called the Zhou (joh) overthrew the Shang and established their own dynasty.

• The Zhou adopted much of the Shang culture, so the change in dynasties did not bring a new culture, but the Zhou did have new ideas to bring.

Mandate of Heaven

• To justify their conquest, the Zhou leaders declared the final Shang king had been such a poor ruler than the gods had taken away the Shang rules and given it to the Zhou.

Mandate of Heaven

• This idea spread and became the template for the Mandate of Heaven:– A belief that a just ruler has divine

approval to rule, while a wicked or foolish king could lose the right to rule.

Dynastic Cycle • This belief in the Mandate of Heaven would soon lead to the concept of the Dynastic Cycle: a belief that dynasties will experience a period of growth, decline (which is marked by floods or rebellion), and replacement by a new dynasty.– To the left, this picture

shows how dynasties have been changing for thousands of years, up until the early 20th century.

Why does it seem like all the Dynasties areconcentrated in one area?

Feudalism

The Zhou Dynasty controlled areas much farther than the previous dynasty. In response to the large area, the Zhou Dynasty established the system of Feudalism- a political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that belong to the king. The nobles provide loyalty and military service, and the king provides protection when necessary.

Feudalism (cont.)

• This system was useful to have the people submit to the kings powers, but in time would prove to ineffective, nobles began to become less dependent on the king. They would eventually come to form their own dynasties (see previous slide on the many dynasties after Zhou).

ImprovementsTrade• As the large cities grew,

the Zhou built roads and canals to supply the cities. In turn, this stimulate trade and agriculture.

• The Zhou also coined money and the new wealth amongst the Dynasty created a new social class- the government administrative workers (civil servants).

Technology• A major technological

improvement was the use of iron. The Zhou created blast furnaces which allowed them to produce iron- they would be one of the earliest users of iron.

• The new iron allowed the Zhou to cast better weapons and better tools for farming.– The new farming tools

would ultimately help farmers produce more food for their cities.

Warring States Period

Recall: What happened when the Zhou Dynasty formed all those feudal states? Did the nobles still need the king?

Warring States Period

• The Zhou ruled from about 1027 B.C. to 256 B.C.

• For the first 300 years, the empire was relatively peaceful and stable. However, rule began to decline.

Warring States Period

• In 771 B.C., nomads from north and west attacked the capital Zhou city and killed the king. The royal family escaped, but where unable to gain control over the nobles who once claimed loyalty. – Each noble, being a warrior, claimed to

be kings of their own territory.

Warring States Period (cont.)

• During this time, warfare had lead to the creation of new technologies, such as a crossbow and new concepts of battle never before seen.

• However, the period was marked by immense bloodshed and a loss of previous values- order, harmony, respect for authority- which defined Chinese society. – The dynastic cycle was about to bring about a

new dynasty that would bring order back to China.

Break

• Take a short 2 minute break before we continue into the next section.

Ancient China Part 2

• In the last section, we discussed the rise and fall of three Ancient Chinese dynasties: the Xia (shyah), Shang, and Zhou (joh).

• We left off discussing the fall of the dynasties and how new ideas would help lead into a new powerful Chinese Dynasty.

Philosophy and Social Order

• When the Zhou Dynasty fell, values such as social order, harmony, and respect for authority were put aside as well.

• To restore order, Chinese Scholars and philosophers felt the need to create new solutions

Confucius• China’s most

influential scholar was Confucius (b. 551 B.C.). Confucius lived when the Zhou Dynasty was being torn apart by warring lords. He led a scholarly life, meaning he studied, taught history, music, and moral character

Confucius (cont.)• He believed that social order could

be restored if Chinese society was centered around five (5) basic relationships:– Ruler and subject– Father and son–Husband and wife– Older brother and younger brother– Friend and friend

Confucius (cont.)

• He created a code of proper conduct which regulated these relationships– for example , a ruler should treat his subjects with kindness and subjects should be loyal.

Filial Piety

• Three of Confucius’ 5 relationships relied on family. He firmly believed in filial piety- respect for parents and elders.

Confucius (d. 479 B.C.)

• Confucius spent the remainder of his life teaching and advising Chinese leaders on how to lead.

• His ideas were written by his students, and they were collected into a book called the Analects.

• From his death came the belief in Confucianism- an ethical system that became the foundation for government and social order.

Confucian ideas• Confucius believed that education

can transform a person into a gentleman.

• He laid the groundwork for bureaucracy- trained civil service (those who run the government). – Confucians believed in a proper

government system that ruled smoothly.• Even the emperor was to rule by good

virtue.

Civil Servants

• Confucius believed that it was important for Civil Servants who would lead government to possess four main characteristics:– Be Precise– Courteous– Providing– Just

Laozi (6th century)

• During Confucius’ time, another Chinese thinker was considering the role of government.

• Laozi (la-ow-su), unlike Confucius, believed that only the natural order was important.

Laozi (cont.)

• He said that a universal force, the Dao (“tow”– meaning “the way”) guides all things. –He argued that nature works in ways

that does not seek fame, fortune, or power.

–Humans, he believed, then must also work in ways to not consider what is right or wrong, or question pointless things such as “what are good manners”.

Daoism

• The following of Laozi lead to the belief in Daoism.

• Unlike the Confucists, Daoists (including Laozi) believed that the government should interfere in peoples lives as little as possible.

Daoism (cont.)

• Daoists believed that people could do little to influence the outcome of events, which is why they supported little government interference.

• However, Daoists have had major contributions to the sciences, in part due to their wanting to understand nature.

Questions

• What was a major difference between Confucius and Laozi?

• How does Confucius’s focus on the family relate back to “traditional” Chinese beliefs?

• Do you think that Confucius was right about the emphasis on education?

Qin Dynasty

• A short-lived dynasty would come to replace the Zhou Dynasty in the third century B.C.

• It emerged from the western state of Qin (chihn). It’s leader, a 13 year old boy, utilized his skills and belief in strict government to subdue the warring states and unify the country– a process that would take 20 years.

Shi Huangdi

• After 20 years, Shi Huangdi (shir hwang-dee), which means “first emperor”, became the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. He chose to abandon the title “king” in favor of this new name.

Shi Huangdi

• The king began his reign by halting internal battles that were weakening China. He then defeated invaders and crushed internal resistance to his rule.

• He expanded China and doubled it’s size.

Expansion of Control

• The new emperor also ordered that all noble peoples live in the capital city, so that he could closely monitor them.

• He feared that they might be attempting to betray him.

• In doing so, he relocated almost 120,000 noble families, seized their land, and carved China into 36 administrative districts that would be monitored by Qin officials.

Autocracy• To silence criticism, he also

ordered that hundreds of Confucian scholars be executed and that their books be burned.

• These books contained information that were Confucian ideas or works that disagreed with him. Practical books, such as medical books, were spared.

• In doing this, he expanded his power into an autocracy- ruler ship of one. – In this system, the ruler has

unlimited power.

Centralization

• Shi Huangdi also created sweeping programs for centralization, including:– Building a highway network that was over

4,000 miles. – Set uniform standards for Chinese writing,

law, currency, and measurements– Irrigation projects (which increased farm

production)– Increased trade

Projects

• However, to do these projects, Shi Huangdi also:– Forced peasants to work against their

will– Created harsh taxes– Created a repressive government

• Although he unified China, he did it at a cost of human freedom

Two Questions:

What is this a picture of? Why is this structure so impressive?

Great Wall of China

• Shi Huangdi, and the dynasty as a whole, was very unpopular amongst the masses.

• Despite this, the emperor required the poor to work to unify a great wall across China’s northern border.

Great Wall of China (cont.)

• Prior to the Qin, there were always smaller walls built to discourage attacks from northern invaders.

• The project was designed to fill in the gaps between these walls and force invaders to go almost to Tibet to attack China.

Great Wall of China (cont)

• The Great Wall of China was built on the backs of thousands of unpaid laborers.

• The laborers had no option but to build. If they didn’t, they would die.

• Many workers died building the wall, in part due to either harsh winters or terrible working conditions. However, despite his

work, the wall would still not be complete.

Other building projects

• Aside from fixing and improving the Great Wall, Shi Huangdi also had another great project built for him:

– The Terracotta Army

Terracotta Army

• The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huangdi, who existed to protect the emperor in his afterlife.

Fall of the Qin Dynasty

• Despite such great building projects, the Qin Dynasty was ultimately short-lived. – The projects actually made the Qin

Dynasty unpopular among the people who were forced to build.

– As well, the Qin Dynasty was not as stable after Shi Huangdi’s death.

Fall of the Qin Dynasty

• Shi Huangdi’s son was just as cruel as his father, but was less able.

• Peasants rebelled just three years after he took over.

Qin Er Shi, son of Shi Huangdi

Rise of a New Dynasty

• Despite the loss of the Qin Dynasty, the Dynastic Cycle would again bring about a new dynasty to take the place of the Qin: the Han Dynasty

Break

• Please take a 2 minute break before we start the new section.

China Part 3

• In the last lesson, we discussed Shi Huangdi (shir hwang-dee) and the Qin Dynasty. What was the Dynasty like?

• We also discussed Confucius and Laotze. What did these two men believe in and what were the religions/beliefs they instilled?

Restoration of China

• Discontent appeared after the death of Shi Huangdi. – The peasants, who were still very bitter,

rebelled.

• Rival kings- who attempted to fill the gap the Qin left- raised armies and fought.

Liu Bang

• In the years that followed, two powerful leaders appeared- Xiang Yu (shee-ang yoo) and his general, Liu Bang.

• Overtime, Liu Bang turned against Xiang Yu and the two fought their final battle in 202 B.C.

• Liu Bang won and declared himself the first emperor of the Han Dynasty.

Han Dynasty

• The Han Dynasty- which would rule China for over 400 years, is divided into two periods:– The former Han

ruled for about two centuries until A.D. 9

– The later Han ruled for almost another two centuries.

Centralization

• Liu Bang’s first goal was to destroy the other rival kings’ power.

• He followed the Qin policy of a centralized government, in which a central authority runs the state.

• To avoid the issues during the Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang lowered taxes and softened harsh punishments.– The people were very appreciative of his

new reforms.

Empress Lu• When Liu Bang died

in 195 B.C., his son became the emperor– only in name.

• The real ruler was his mother, Empress Lu. – She outlived her son

and retained control of the throne by naming two different infants (at two different times) emperor.

Question: How would this help her retain power?

Empress Lu

• Empress Lu died in 180 B.C.• When she died, the people who were

loyal to Liu Bang’s family were able to come back into power. – To ensure they would come back into

power, Liu Bangs ancestors executed Empress Lu’s relatives in the palace.

Wudi

• Wudi was Liu Bangs great-grandson. He continued many of Liu Bangs centralized policies.

• He became known as a “martial emperor” because, under him, China expanded its’ boundaries.

Han Wudi

• Wudi also removed various nomads from the area that were threatening Chinese provinces. He forced many of them to move into central Asia.

• He also expanded the Han Dynasty into Manchuria and Korea and set up colonies into Vietnam.

Structured GovernmentEmperor

Local Governmen

t

Prefecture

District

Commune

Village

Commandery

Three Excellencie

s

Commander-in-Chief

Generals

Armies

Grandee Secretary

Chancellor

Chancellors Office

10 Ministers

Structured Government (cont.)

• The emperor relied on a very complex system to run the Dynasty.

• To pay for the system, the emperor levied taxes- farmers would pay in-kind using crops, while other groups paid with currency.

Structured Government (cont.)

• As well, the Han also required peasants to provide the government one month of service a year– such as building roads, canals, and irrigation ditches.

• The emperor filled his armies and expanded the Great Wall.

Civil Service

• The empire employed 130,000 people, which include 18 different ranks of civil service jobs– government jobs that civilians obtained by passing exams. – These exams tested

people on their knowledge of Confucianism.

Schools

• To train these new civil servants, the empire actually set up schools.

• These schools were designed to teach students about Confucianism.– The Han emperors- especially Wudi-

valued the four characteristics of those who lead government.• Question: What are those four

characteristics?Precise, Providing, Courteous, and Just

Han Technology

• Advances in technology influenced all of Han life. The technology includes:– Paper- invented in A.D. 105

• Prior to this, they wrote on silk or pieces of wood• Helped spread education and was more

convenient

– Collar Harness for horses– Plow–Wheelbarrow–Watermills to grind grain

Han Agriculture

• As the kingdom grew to almost 60 million, Confucian scholars and ordinary Chinese people began to regard agriculture as the most important and honored occupation. – To some, agriculture was seen as the

foundation of the “world” (empire).

Silk Roads

• However, commerce was regarded as the least important occupation– despite the fact that it was extremely important to the growth of the overall dynasty.

• Commerce was so important, however, that it lead to the creation of the one of the most important trading routes in the old world: the Silk Roads

Silk Roads

• The growth of commerce lead to the formation of the Silk Road:–Foreign demand was extremely high

for Chinese silk- primarily because outside cultures did not know how to make silk. –The Silk Roads would ultimately prove

to be extremely important to commerce in the old world and opened trade between the east and west.

Silk Roads

Unified Chinese Culture• As the Han (and their trading)

expanded, the Chinese began to learn about more foods, animals, and fashions of foreign cultures.

• Many people began to become a part of the empire.– The Han had to decide how to manage

all of these people.

Assimilation

• To unify the empire, the government encouraged assimilation- the process of making another group a part of the culture. – To accomplish this, the government

sent farmers to settle in new areas and intermarry with local peoples.

– As well, Chinese history was also dutifully recorded so that there would be one unified history amongst the people.

Rebellion and Restoration

• In spite of some advances, Han emperors faced some problems, such as the rich gaining more wealth at the expense of the poor.

Problems

• According to custom, only the father’s male heirs would get any land. Unless a farmer could afford more land, land would continue to be divided amongst his family.

• Farmers had a hard time making enough food, so they often went into debt by borrowing.

• The government started to heavily enforce these debts leading to a larger gap between rich and poor.

Political Instability

• During this time, political instability grew. – At any given time, political figures were

often plotting to influence the emperors choice of who would succeed him.

– Between 32 B.C. – 9 A.D., several inexperienced rulers followed one another.

Wang Mang

• Finally, in 9 A.D., a Confucian scholar named Wang Mang seized control after acting as a regent for a infant who was emperor. He took the title for himself and overthrew the Han, effectively ending the first Han Dynasty.

Wang Mang

• He attempted to bring the country under control, such as by printing money, creating granaries to feed the poor, and redistributing land.

Death

• However, in AD 11, a large flood left thousands dead and millions homeless.

• Wang Mang and his empire was unable to quell the fears of the people and, in 23 AD, Wang Mang was assassinated.

Later Han

• After Wang Mang’s death, another member of the imperial Han family took control– creating the Later Han Dynasty.

• Peace was restored to China and the first decades of the Later Han were prosperous. – The government set up control over the

Silk Road and expanded the power of the Empire.

Weaknesses Return

• However, within a century, China began to suffer from similar weaknesses it had experienced in the latter part of the Former Han Dynasty. – By 220 AD, the Later Han Dynasty

disintegrated into three rival kingdoms.

Chinese Legacy

• China would continue to be a powerful presence in the world throughout the following (almost) two millennia that would follow.

• However, many Chinese influences affected various other cultures around the world, including those in Europe, as we will see in future lessons.

Questions?

• If you have any questions, please ask now.

Next Lesson

• In the next lesson, we are going to move away from China and we will not be discussing it again for several more units.

• We will, however, backtrack and discuss Greek society.

Review

Please take a China Review Worksheet from the teacher or download it from the website.