Early Chinese Civilizations

1. Early Chinese Civilizations Mrs. Brahe World History I

2. Objectives • Explain how geography influenced the development of civilizations in China • Identify the characteristics of early Chinese civilizations • Explain the political and social structure • Describe the role of religion • Discuss the contributions

3. Geography of China • Fertile River Valleys • Huang He (HWONG-HUH) aka Yellow River • Stretches across China carrying rich yellow silt from Mongolia to the Pacific Ocean • Chang Jiang (CHONG-JYONG) aka Yangtze River • Longer than Huang He • Across central China to the Yellow Sea • Great food producing area of ancient world

4. Geography of China • Only 10% of China is suitable for farming • (compare to 19% of the United States) • Mostly mountains and deserts on the northern and western frontiers • Geographical barriers isolated the Chinese people • Contact with others marked with conflict • North – Chinese protecting precious farmland

5. Shang Dynasty • First dynasty, Xia (SYAH) approx. 4,000 B.C. • Could compete with Sumer for “first” title • Little is known, however… • Second dynasty, Shang • 1750 to 1045 B.C. • Farming society ruled by warrior aristocracy • (aristocracy: upper class whose wealth is based on land and power is passed from one generation to the next) • Excavation reveals impressive cities with huge city walls, royal palaces and large royal tombs

6. Political Structure • Realm divided into territories • Administered by aristocratic warlords • King appointed and removed • King’s spiritual beliefs • Buried with corpses of servants • Supernatural forces gave advice • Oracle Bones – priests carved questions in bones, heated metal rods were stuck into the bone causing cracks, priests interpreted the cracks as answers from the gods • Wrote the answers, stored the bones – are a valuable asset in understanding the Shang period

7. Social Structure • King and his family • Aided by aristocratic families • Aristocrats waged war and served as officials • Were the chief landowners • Majority of people • Peasants who farmed the land owned by the aristocracy • Small number of merchants, artisans, and slaves

8. Religion and Culture • Veneration of ancestors (ancestor worship) • Belief in afterlife • To this day – may people burn exactly replicas of physical objects to accompany dead on journey to next world • Believed that the spirits of family ancestors could bring good or evil to living members of the family • Shang – mastery of art of bronze casting

9. Zhou Dynasty • Last Shang ruler was a “wicked tyrant” • Aggressive ruler of the state of Zhou (JOH) revolted and created a new dynasty • Zhou Dynasty lasted almost 800 years, longest of all Chinese dynasties • 1045 B.C. to 256 B.C. • Zhou political structure • Same as the Shang – king served by large, complex bureaucracy, territories/officials

10. Mandate of Heaven • New Theory of Government • Zhou claimed to rule China because it possessed the Mandate of Heaven • Believed that “Heaven” – an impersonal law of nature – kept order in the universe through the Zhou king • Zhou king ruled over all humanity by mandate, or authority to command, from Heaven • Chosen because of talent and virtue • Responsible to rule with goodness and efficiency

11. Mandate of Heaven • Double-edged • King supposed to rule according to the proper “Way” called the Dao (DOW) • His duty to keep the gods pleased • Protects people from natural disaster, bad harvest • “Right of Revolution” - if King was ineffective, he could be overthrown by a new ruler • Representative of Heaven, but not divine • Dynastic Cycle • established, ruled successfully, then began to decline (rebellions, invasions) collapsed, new dynasty

12. Fall of Zhou Dynasty • Divided into smaller territories • Evolved into powerful states • Zhou rulers declined, intellectually & morally • 403 B.C. civil war broke out, beginning the “Period of the Warring States” • Nature of warfare had changed • Iron weapons replaced bronze weapons • Foot soldiers (infantry) and soldiers on horseback (cavalry) • Calvary had powerful crossbows, Chinese invention of 7th B.C. • Eventually one warring state – Qin (CHIN) took control, established dynasty in 221 B.C.

13. Life During Zhou Dynasty • Economic Features • Peasants worked land owned by a lord but often had a small area for own use • Artisans and merchants lived in walled towns under direct control of local lord • Merchants did not operate freely but were considered property of local lord • Slaves present as well • Local trade (later distant trade) for items like salt, iron, cloth and luxuries

14. Economic and Technical Growth • Significant growth – 6th to 3rd century B.C. • Irrigation early 6th century • Mid 6th century iron plowshares = more land to farm • Population up to 50 million people at the end of Zhou • Trade and manufacturing • SILK! All the way to Athens, Greece…

15. Family in Ancient China • Almost sacred quality of entire social order • Filial piety: duty of family members to subordinate their needs and desires to those of the male head of the family • system in which every family member has a place • Central to Confucianism • Male supremacy • Traditional role – provide food, work in fields, warriors, scholars, government ministers • Women raised kids and worked in home (court…)

16. Chinese Written Language • Pictographic and Ideographic • Form a picture of the object to be represented • Characters given a sound when pronounced • Later phonetic meanings given to some symbols • Evolved over 400 years, never abandoned original format

17. Chinese Philosophies • Between 500 and 200 B.C. • 3 major schools of thought about the nature of human beings and the universe emerged • Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism • Focused on immediate world and how to create a stable order • (unlike Hinduism and Buddhism – conserved about freeing the human soul from the cycle of rebirth/reincarnation)

18. Confucianism • Confucius/Kongfuzi (KOONG FOO DZUH) • Born 551 B.C. in China • Upset by violence and moral decay • Traveled China to persuade political leaders to follow his ideas (pretty unsuccessful) • Followers documented his sayings in the Analects • Until 20th century almost every Chinese student studied these sayings • Provided a basic set of ideas to keep order

19. Confucianism • Political and ethical philosophy, not spiritual • Useless to speculate on spiritual questions • Focus on ordering the affairs of the world - if act in harmony with the world, will prosper • Human behavior is key • Behave in accordance with the Dao (Way) • Two elements to Dao • Duty and Humanity

20. Confucianism • Duty (according to the Dao, the Way) • All should subordinate their own interests to the needs of family and the community • Governed by the Five Constant Relationships:parent and child, husband and wife, older sibling and younger sibling, older friend and younger friend, and ruler and subject • Each person in a relationship has a duty to the other • Parents loving towards children, children revere parents • Husband fulfill duties, wives should be obedient • Older siblings kind, younger siblings respectful… • Obvious family importance! • Everyone does their duty – whole world prospers!

21. Confucianism • “If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. If there be harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. If there be order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.” ~ Confucius

22. Confucianism • Humanity (according to the Dao, the Way) • Sense of compassion and empathy for others • Like the Christian idea “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” – instead it is “Do not do unto others what you would not want done to yourself.” ~ Confucius • Tolerate others… • Values of the “Golden Age” of the Zhou • Revolutionary idea – government officials should be ruled by merit, not noble birth • Later – civil service examinations

23. Daoism • System of ideas based on teachings of Laozi (LOW DZUH) • Contemporary of Confucius (if existed!) • Ideas outlined in Tao Te Ching (The Way of the Dao) • Also does not concern itself with underlying meaning of the universe but focuses on proper behavior • Differs from Confucianism • True way to follow the will of Heaven is not action but inaction (unlike emphasis on duty of humans to work hard and improve life here on Earth) • Act in harmony with universal order by acting spontaneously and letting nature take its course by not interfering

24. Daoism • “Without going outside, you may know the whole world. Without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven. The farther you go, the less you know. Thus the sage [wise man] knows without traveling; He sees without looking; He works without doing.”

25. Daoism • “The universe is sacred. You cannot improve it. If you try to change it, you will ruin it. If you try to hold it, you will lose it.”

26. Legalism • Proposed that humans are evil by nature • Will only follow the correct path if forced to by harsh laws and punishments • Argued for a system of impersonal laws • Strong ruler was required to create an orderly society • Disagreed with Confucius “Lead the people by virtue and restrain them by the rules of good taste, and the people will have a sense of shame, and moreover will be become good.” • People are not capable of being good • Only the fear of harsh punishment would keep order • Ruler did not have to show compassion for the needs of the people

27. Phew! • That’s it for the Early Chinese Civilizations… • Chapter 3: India and China notes DONE!