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Ancient Asia. What do you know about China?. River Dynasties in China. Role of Geography in China. Two major rivers, the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers The rivers deposit silt (fertile soil) called loess. Only 10% of China’s land is suitable for farming Environment Problems: Terrible Floods
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Role of Geography in China • Two major rivers, the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers • The rivers deposit silt (fertile soil) called loess. • Only 10% of China’s land is suitable for farming • Environment Problems: • Terrible Floods • Isolated, so hard to trade • Not a lot of natural barriers
First Chinese Dynasty • Cities first developed in China around 2000 BC (Before those in Mesopotamia) • The Shang were a people from northern China and became the first known Dynasty (1700 BC)
Advances by the Shang Dynasty • First Chinese ruling family to leave written records. • Cities were built mainly of wood instead of stone • Built huge walls around their cities out of earth and clay • Made the military a professional organization
Chinese Cultures No Interaction Expansion (War) Trade and Chinese Influence
The Chinese Family • Family is central to Chinese Society • Eldest man controlled family affairs • Women were treated as inferior (only way to improve status was to have sons) • Arranged Marriages
Chinese Social Classes • Divided between nobles and peasants • Noble families owned the land and served the king as warriors and government officials (tribute) • Peasants were tied to the land that they worked
Early Chinese Religion • Believed in the spirits of family ancestors controlling fortune • Through these spirits, the Shang consulted with the Gods • Consulted the Gods through oracle bones, which were animal bones that priests scratched questions for the Gods on.
Early Chinese Writing • The spoken and written language were separate • Advantage is that no matter what local language was spoken, all could write the same • Disadvantage is that the alphabet is enormous and very complex to memorize
The Zhou Dynasty • The Zhou Dynasty overthrew the Shang in 1027 BC • The primary contribution to Chinese society by the Zhou was their style of government
Chinese Government (Introduced by the Zhou) • Believed that royal power came from the gods and heaven and a leader would gain this approval through just and orderly rule. (Mandate of Heaven) • The Zhou established a system known as feudalism where nobles were granted land in exchange for service to the king.
Strong Dynasty establishes peace and prosperity; it has the Mandate of Heaven New dynasty gains power, restores peace and order, and claims Mandate of Heaven In time, dynasty declines and becomes corrupt; taxes are raised; power grows weaker Dynastic Cycle in China Disasters such as floods, famines, revolts, and invasions occur Dynasty is overthrown through violence and new dynasty emerges Old Dynasty is seen as having lost the Mandate of Heaven; rebellion is justified
Zhou Technology • Roads and Canals to promote trade • Coined Money which further improved trade • Blast furnaces which could produce iron.
Warring States • Zhou power began to decline around 700 BC and until 200 BC, local lords and nobles constantly fought one another.
Confucius: The Man and Beliefs • Born in 551 BC during the Zhou Dynasty (During a time of war) • He believed in social order and a society centered around 5 relationships and a code of behavior for each. • 1. Ruler and Subject • 2. Father and Son • 3. Husband and Wife • 4. Older and Younger Brother • 5. Friend and Friend
Filial Piety: The Chinese Family • Confucius stressed the importance of family and that children should practice filial piety, which was respect for parents and ancestors.
Confucius and Government • Believed that education was the means for a peasant man to advance himself. • Created a system called bureaucracy where government officials were trained and appointed based on performance on exams.
Daoism: Alternative to Confucius • Founded by a thinker named Laozi who believed natural order revolved relationships among living things. • Believed in a force called the Dao (the way) that governed all things and that people should live in harmony with nature.
Yin and Yang • Ancient thinkers believed that two powers together represented the natural rhythms of life. This concept helped Chinese understand their place in the world.
Legalism: Another Alternative • Founded by Hanfeizi and Li Si • Believed powerful government was the key to order and punishments should be used to maintain order. • Believed scholars should be controlled by government.
Qin Dynasty • Replaced the Zhou Dynasty by using the Legalist ideas to unite the warring states. • Only lasted for about 40 years but was the reason China was a unified nation for the first time.
Shi Huangdi and Autocracy • The Qin ruler took the name Shi Huangdi which means first emperor. • Shi Huangdi doubled China’s size (divided it into 36 provinces) while crushing any political rivals (included the murder of countless scholars). • Shi Huangdi established an autocracy which is a government that has unlimited power and uses power however it wants.
Qin Dynasty Accomplishments • Unified all of China • Created a road/trade network of more than 4,000 miles • Created standard writing, currency, laws, and weights and measurements for China • Created the Great Wall of China
The Fall of Qin • Shi Huangdi’s son could not hold the vast empire together. • Peasants and Scholars rebelled due to harsh punishment and the Han Dynasty came to power.
Ethical Systems in the USA • Pick one of the three Chinese ethical systems. • Working by yourself or with a partner think about how your chosen ethical system would look in the United States. • Create a poster advertising your ethical system that provides three reasons why your system is the best for America and an illustration of your ethical system in the USA.
The Han Dynasty • Founded by Liu Bang and remained in power for 400 years • Followed the Qin practice of centralized government, where a central authority controls the entire state • Shifted from Qin Legalism to Han Confucianism
Notable Han Rulers • Empress Lu: Ruled in place of her son who was too young, one of China’s few woman rulers. • Emperor Wudi: Ruled longer than any other Han Ruler (54 years) and greatly expanded the empire through warfare against nomads.
Han Government and Society • Highly structured society based on Confucius ideas. • The Emperor had “divine authority” and was the link between heaven and earth • Government collected taxes from peasants and peasants owed one month of service to the government a year • Government employed Confucian Scholars as advisors
Han Civil Service • Bureaucracy contained 18 ranks of civil service (government) jobs. • Each ranked earned through performance on tests. • Exams were in history, law, literature, and Confucianism • In theory anyone could take the tests but in reality only the rich could afford to.
Han Technology • Paper as we know it today was invented in 105 AD an improved education and government • Improved farming techniques including the horse plow and water mill. • The government began to control all of these new industries by creating monopolies (exclusive control over an industry)
Han and Assimilation • In order to unify the vast empire, Han Emperors encouraged assimilation, which was the process of making conquered peoples a part of Chinese Culture and Society. • Used colonization and writing a common history to help in this
Fall and Rise of the Han Dynasty • 1. Economic imbalance: The rich gained more land, the poor lost land • 2. A series of poor emperors led to political instability • 3. A Confucian scholar named Mang gained support and declared himself emperor • 4. Natural disasters like flooding along with a peasant revolt ended Mang’s reign • 5. Han took back over for another 200 years.
Hinduism: Origins • Evolved slowly over thousands of years. • Central teachings were written down between 750 BC and 550 BC • The goal is to liberate one’s soul from illusions and disappointments of lives
Hinduism: Beliefs • Belief in a process called reincarnation (rebirth), where a soul/spirit is born again and again until “liberation” (moksha) is achieved • Also believe that one’s karma, good or bad deeds, follows from one incarnation to another.
Hinduism: Differences • “The World Soul” is seen as having three personalities or gods: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the protector, and Shiva the destroyer. • Hindus are free to follow either one or none at all in order to achieve spiritual liberation (moksha)
Hinduism: Society • Hinduism’s belief in different stages and levels supported the caste system. • Karma and reincarnation plays a key role in determining one’s place in society (class)
Buddhism: Origins • Founded by Siddhartha Gautama. • Siddhartha set out on a quest for religious truth and enlightenment. • Went through intense meditation for enlightenment and was given the name the Buddha or Enlightened One
Buddhism: Beliefs • Buddha established Four Noble Truths: • 1. Life is filled with suffering and sorrow • 2. Suffering is caused by people’s selfishness • 3. The way to end suffering is to end desires • 4. The way to overcome desires is to follow the eightfold path • The overall goal is to reach nirvana, a world free of selfishness and pain
Buddhism: Society and Spread • Buddha rejected the caste system and therefore found more followers than Hinduism. • Although it was founded in India, it became more popular in neighboring Asian countries. • Trade further spread Buddhism to countries such as China.
