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Ch. 8. China…. Lesson 1: An Emerging Empire ( most of the Focus ). THINKING FOCUS What were some of the obstacles to unity in China, and how did Emperor Wen overcome them? KEY TERMS Confucianism Buddhism Daoism. Years of Disorder.
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Ch. 8 China…
Lesson 1: An Emerging Empire (most of the Focus) THINKING FOCUS What were some of the obstacles to unity in China, and how did Emperor Wen overcome them? KEY TERMS • Confucianism • Buddhism • Daoism
Years of Disorder • Emperor Xian Di, the last of the Han emperors, could not solve the many problems of the empire. In A.D. 220, China's first great empire broke apart. China was fragmented into small, competing kingdoms.
Geography Creates Regions • The Han Empire included the area of China shown in orange on the map below. Though the area makes up only one-third of modern China, it was here that most important events in Chinese history took place.
Divided Nation • Before the unification of China under the Han Dynasty in 221 B.C., people living in northern and southern China had almost no contact with each other. Even during the Han Dynasty, only traders, soldiers, or government officials were likely to travel from one region to another.
Protection • Geography not only divided China but also protected it from the outside world. In ancient times, the Himalayas to the southwest and the Taklimakan Desert to the west limited Chinese contact with the civilizations of India, Persia, and other areas. • (don’t forget the Pacific)
Who is in charge? • For about 360 years after the Han Dynasty ended, China was in a state of political disunity. • In the south, large landowners controlled local affairs in most areas. • In the north, various groups of nomads from the steppes invaded China and set up a series of short-lived kingdoms.
Old Time Religion • In Confucianism, the roles of men and women were further separated. It focused on having respect for elders, completing duties to the family, and attaining virtue by studying the classics or serving the government.
The Spread of Buddhism • Buddhism, a system of thought and practice based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha or "Enlightened One." It offered the promise of escape from suffering. What do the selections below from the Buddha's teachings say about how one can escape from suffering?
Remember Buddha? • Buddhism originated in India around 530 B.C. Traders and missionaries traveling along the Silk Road introduced the religion to China during the Han Dynasty. However, it attracted few followers then, mostly because it was foreign. Now, in the troubled times at the end of the Han Dynasty, the new religion became attractive. The Buddha taught that life is a cycle of pleasure and sorrow, of death and rebirth. Suffering, he taught, was a basic part of life. It was caused by paying too much attention to material things in life--to what the Buddha referred to "the world of sensory pleasure."
Peace • But a person could escape from suffering, according to the Buddha. Through meditation, he taught, one could achieve enlightenment--a state of complete freedom and peace. • By the 400s, most regional kings supported Buddhism and temples and monasteries thrived throughout China.
The Reunification of China • In the late 500s, an official who took the title Emperor Wen seized power and conquered both northern and southern China, founding the Sui Dynasty.
Emperor Wen unified China by restoring traditions, organizing public works projects, such as the building of a new capital at Changan, and improving scholarship.
Public Works with checks? • To govern efficiently, Emperor Wen set up a new system of administration and established exams for public officials. • Imagine that…
Morals, Religion and a Tao • Emperor Wen fostered Chinese unity by supporting China's three key moral systems, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.
Taoism • Daoism, based on the teachings of Laozi, a Chinese philosopher who lived some say may be legendary. Taoists emphasized living in harmony with nature and being content with life. • Lao Tzu (this is how I spell it)
Lao Tzu • Lao Tzu was born in China in 571 b.c. He was a model of universal harmony. His teaching, recorded the "Tao Te Ching" book, was so simple, yet so profound. His instruction revealed the truth of every aspect of the universe. • In the begining, there is "Tao" or the True Way. Tao manifests by Yin and Yang. The dynamic tension of the two creates Heaven, Earth and Human. All life is possible thanks to Chi, which is the life breath of the Universe.
The Whole History • http://www.timelineindex.com/content/select/153/45,153?so=a&filter=1273 • Wow… the Link has it all… • Let’s go See…
The Flowering of Chinese Culture • The Civil Service System • Li Yuan proclaimed himself emperor in 618, starting the Tang Dynasty. Under the Tang and subsequent Song Dynasty, the Chinese attained new heights in painting, poetry, government, education, and science. • The Tang and Song dynasties established fair and efficient systems of administration in which civil servants' jobs were based on examinations and their promotions based on merit rather than family connections. • In this system the aristocracy held less power, and officials from non-aristocratic families were considered more loyal to the Emperor.
The Birth of a New Economy • To improve travel, trade, and communication, Tang and Song governments built an extensive system of roads and waterways. • The governments encouraged the use of new crops and farming methods. This caused a boom in agriculture, created surplus food, and led to a population increase in southern China. • With a thriving merchant class, a money economy developed which included the world's first paper currency.
Continuing Heritage • While continuing to value their ancient traditions and Confucian texts, the prosperous Chinese improved life with new inventions. • By the late 700s, the Chinese used woodblock printing to spread knowledge and information throughout China. • Other key inventions of the period included gunpowder, guns, star charts, and compasses.
Vocabulary • aristocrat • meritocracy • mandate • currency • money economy
What they mean… • aristocrat a member of a wealthy and influential family. • meritocracy such a system, in which people are chosen and promoted on the basis of their performance, or merit. • mandateorder to govern. • China had the world's first paper currency, which is paper money. • money economymoney is exchanged, not things.
3 China and the Larger World The Mongols in China • In 1234, while southern China prospered under the Song Dynasty, northern China was conquered by the Mongols, who came from the steppes of central Asia. • The Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan, moved his capital to Beijing and adopted many Chinese ways in order to be more accepted by his subjects. • The Mongols disrupted Chinese life and culture, causing the deaths of millions as they continued to attack, and eventually control, southern China. • While interrupting China's progress, the Mongols did strengthen Chinese ties to the rest of the world, which helped trade and the exchange of ideas.
The Ming Dynasty • In 1368, the Chinese rebelled against the Mongols. Their leader, Emperor Taizu, founded the Ming Dynasty. • Emperor Taizu reestablished traditional institutions like the civil service exams and public works projects. He also abolished slavery. • Many Ming rulers became despots, (holds absolute power and uses it abusively, is called a despot) wasting money and using secret police and false accusations to control the people. • After thirty years of sea-based exploration of the Middle East and the east coast of Africa, Ming emperors decided for forbid further voyages and restrict international trade. • In 1514, the first Portuguese ship reached China. European merchants and missionaries helped spread previously unknown foods, products, and ideas back and forth between continents.
The Qing Dynasty • In the early 1600s, peasants in the south rebelled. Seeing an opportunity to take control, the Manchus, a tribal people from the north, invaded China and overthrew the Ming Dynasty. • The Manchus established the Qing Dynasty, which lasted until 1912. With the introduction of movable type in the 1500s, there was a boom in publishing and literacy rates rose. • Under the Qing, China grew. By 1400, China had 60 million people; by 1850, 430 million. By then its territory included parts of modern-day Manchuria, Mongolia, Burma, and Vietnam.
