221 B.C. - A.D. 220

How can differing philosophies influence a culture? What factors can help a dynasty stay in power?

(The First Chinese Empires)

Confucianism• Three major schools of thought emerged towards the end

of the Zhou dynasty. These three major schools were Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.

• Confucius, known as the First Teacher, was a philosopher who tried to answer one question: How do we restore order to this society?

• Confucius traveled around China attempting to spread his ideas and persuade political leaders to follow them.

• His ideas were spread widely and became known as Confucianism.

• Confucianism was intended to help restore order to a society that was in a state of chaos and confusion.

• Confucius believed that it was pointless to speculate spiritual questions and he decided to simply assume that there was an order in the universe.

• The Five Constant Relationships were viewed as the key to peace. If every person did what was required of them it would lead to world peace.

• A key element in Confucius’ teachings was to treat others as you would want to be treated.

• Confucius’ ideas eventually became the guiding principles for the Chinese Empire and fundamental ideas of Eastern civilization.

Daoism / Taoism• Daoism was a system of ideas

developed around the teachings of Laozi, the Old Master. (some speculate if Laozi actually existed)

• Daoism became a rival to Confucianism.

• Like Confucianism, Daoism doesn’t concern itself with the meaning of the universe. Daoism does set forth proper forms of human behavior.

• Daoism, unlike Confucianism, believes that the best way to achieve harmony with the universe is to not interfere with the natural order. (If you don’t do anything, you can’t do anything bad)

Legalism• Legalism was the belief that human

beings were evil by nature.

• Legalists were commonly referred to as the “School of Law” because they rejected the Confucian view that government by “superior men” could solve all of society’s problems.

• Legalists saw that it was important to have a strong ruler in order to create an orderly society.

• Legalists believed that harsh laws and strict punishments would cause the people to serve the ruler.

• Because they believed that people were not capable of being good, the ruler did not have to show compassion for the people.

3 MAJOR SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT IN ANCIENT CHINA Principles

1. Confucianism Duty Humanity

2. Daoism Inactive

3. Legalism Harsh Laws Punishments

The Qin Dynasty• When under the Zhou dynasty, the state of

Qin defeated its chief rivals in a civil war.

• Qin Shihuangdi, meaning “the first Qin Emperor”, was the ruler of the Qin dynasty. He came to the throne at the age of 13.

• In 1974 we discovered a vast army made of clay buried near the burial mound of Qin. This army was created to be with the emperor on his journey to the next world.

• There are more than 6,000 figures in the first pit alone, along with weapons, chariots, and horses. The soldiers all had different appearances; 10 different head shapes were used.

• It is estimated that about 1/3 of the national income was used to prepare for the ruler’s afterlife.

RISE OF QIN ATTRIBUTES

RISE 1. Became Emperor 2. Unite China

RULE

1. Built Great Wall 2. One Monetary System

3. Built Roads 4. High Taxes

5. Forced Labor 6. Legalism

FALL 1. ended after his death

The Great Wall• The Great Wall was built by a number of

Chinese states for protection. (specifically to protect them from the Xiongnu, a nomadic group who had mastered the art of riding on horseback)

• Qin decided to help protect China by connecting the already existing walls. This wall is known today as The Great Wall of China.

• Some of the walls still remain standing but most of them were built of loose stone, sand, and rubble so they disappeared long ago.

• According to legend, some of the builders of the wall died while working and were buried within the wall.

Politics of the Qin Dynasty• The dynasty adopted Legalism as its ideology

of the regime. (those who opposed this were punished or even executed)

• The Qin dynasty ruled a highly centralized state.

• The government was split into the civil division, the military division, and the censorate.

• The censorate included inspectors that checked on government officials to make sure they were doing their jobs. This became standard procedure for future Chinese dynasties.

• Below the central government were two levels of administration, the provinces and countries.

• Qin’s harsh rules angered many Chinese. Qin was the only ruler that the dynasty ever had.

• The Qin dynasty was overthrown four years after Qin’s death.

The Han Dynasty• Liu Pang was the founder of the Han Dynasty.

• The first Han emperor abandoned the harsh laws and Legalistic beliefs of the Qin dynasty. This new dynasty was based on Confucianism.

• The Han dynasty did decide to keep some of the practices of the Qin empire, such as the splitting of the government into three ministries. (the military, civil service, and the censorate)

• The Han dynasty introduced civil service. This was a way of educating the Chinese city officials and ensuring the influence of Confucianism on government.

• Han armies went westward into Central Asia, extending the Chinese boundary.

• Farmers began to suffer not because of taxes but because of what was required of them. (military service, forced labor) Many poor peasants were forced to sell their land and become tenant farmers.

• The Han dynasty was prosperous and very involved in trade.

• Advancements in technology added to the economic prosperity of the dynasty. (textile manufacturing / water mills / iron-casting, which led to the invention of steel / paper)

• The Han empire began to fall when the concentration of land fell into the hands of the wealthy. The population of the empire drastically decreased. When a general seized control of the dynasty a civil war broke out, leading to the fall of the dynasty.

Sources for Pictures• http://slideplayer.com/slide/4314568/

• http://taoism.about.com/od/visualsymbols/ig/Taoist-Symbols/

• https://wiland.com/market/store-retail/service/customer-lifestyle-modeling-ret

• https://attheintersectionblog.com/2014/06/08/share-leadership/

• http://www.deviantart.com/tag/handcuffs

• http://cliparts.co/clipart/27350

• http://sydneysqindynasty.blogspot.com

• http://mentalfloss.com/article/67539/15-colossal-facts-about-great-wall-china

• http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/chin-dynasty-map.cfm

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Mulan

• http://www.disneyclips.com/imagesnewb/mulan2.html

• http://www.chinasage.info/dynastyhan.htm