Chinese During Foundations

1. Chinese During Foundations Amanda G. Arundel High School

2. History and Accomplishments of Early Chinese Dynasties (1994 BCE-220 CE)

3. Xia Dynasty (1994-1766) BCE • Political Systems • First Dynasty of China, esatblished by Yu the Great • Credited with taming the great floods of China and dividing it into nine reigions • Technology • Development of calender on oracle bones • Evidence of Bronze Casting • Misc • Disputed dynasty due to lack of reliable historical evidence

4. Political System • Rather than being based on father-son relationship, descent relied on eldest brother-youngest brother lineage • Feudal government with many territories • Last Shang king overthrown by rebel slaves Shang Dynasty • Social environment • Slaves were often owned by state, rather than private ownership • When slave owner died, slaves would be buried alive in rituals • Social hierachy existed with kings over military nobility, peasants, slaves (1766-1027) BCE • Historical Background • First recorded dynasty of China • Religious Practices • Besides ancestor worship, believed to have gone back to prehistoric China, worhsipped Shang Ti • Practiced human sacrifices when royalty died or commemorating a new temple. • Economic Status • Favored crops such as millet, wheat, barely • Domesticated silkworms, oxen, pigs, dogs, sheep • A lot of government involvenment in agriculture

5. Zhou Dynasty • Economic Developments • Money economy • Greater markets • Political periods • Western Zhou; • When Zhou first came to power until barbarian invasions forced them East • Eastern Zhou: • Spring and Autumn Period; feudal lords taking advantage of weak king • Warring States Period; one territory of China trying to gain control of the other (1122-256) BCE • Religion • Banned human sacrifice and praticed cult of heaven • Used Shang gods in their mythology • Cultural Continuity • Became a golden age of Chinese thought • Legalism; belief in need for strong government to control wicked citizens • Confucianism: way of harmonizing man with man through different relationships • Taoism: way of harmonizing man with nature, great emphasis placed on life and search of immortality • Rise to Power • Semi-nomadic tribe that settled in China • Gained power and used alliances with city states to overcome Shang • Misc • Added Yangtze River to territory • Standardized spoken language

6. Qin Dynasty (221-206) BCE • Importance • Very short dynasty • Lasted for about a decade • China’s name derived from Qin, also known as Chin • Began the Great Wall • Great weight placed on legalism • Strict rule, caused resentment and was overthrown after first emperor’s death

7. Trade • Development of Silk Road increased trade and cultural diffusion • Led to relations with Rome and the Kushan empire to the introduction of Buddhism from India Early Han Dynasty • Technology and Resources • Increased Iron production • Use of canals and irrigation • Ox-drawn plows used for efficient agriculture • Water powered mills • Paper (206-9) B C E-C E Later Han Dynasty • Political Pratices • Contrary to popular belief, Han dynasty believed to have slowly implemented Confucian ideals into Legalist government • Used Legalist system for common people yet reserved Confucian pratices for bureacracy • Gave civil service exams; mostly intended for educated • Abolished the feudal system, centralized the government (25-220) CE • Social Status • Increased social stratification of the elite, peasants/artisans, and unskilled laborers • Patriarchial emphasis grew • Fall of Han • Han Dynasty fell after 9 CE, but was later restored • Second Dynasty did not reunify China as it had intended • Intellectual • Greatest Chinese historian Sima Qian wrote historical records of early China

8. Bibliography http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/early_imperial_china http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/models/chinahist