Chapter 5 Ancient China

1. Chapter 5 Ancient China

2. Maps • The boundaries of ancient China are marked by seas and mountains • What other geographical features do you notice about ancient china? • Gobu and Taklimakan deserts, North China Plain, Huang and Chang Rivers

3. Geography of China’s River Valleys • Ancient Chinese people believed that dragons were a respected spirit that brought good luck. They felt that they were responsible for the rains to make the fields fertile • They use dragons to represent the rivers

4. Contrasting Climate and Landforms • Covered a large area and the climate, soil, landforms, and waterways varied • North China Plain is located in East Asia and it’s a build up of soil deposits from the Huang River. It has a brief but intense summer rainy season caused by monsoon winds but the rest of the year there is little rain so it is a dry climate • The climate in the south is warm and wet. Monsoons from South China Sea bring heavy rains to southern China from March to September. There is light rain the rest of the year

5. Effects on Civilization • Mountains and seas separate China from other lands • As a result china had little knowledge of the civilizations of Egypt, India, Greece, and Rome • They believed so strongly that that they were the center of the world that they called themselves the Middle Kingdom • Like Egypt the first farming villages developed along the rivers of Huang and Chang • Pg 137- Terraces. Why do you think they used them?

6. Yellow River • Huang is the second largest river in China • Also muddiest in the world • It is called the Yellow River because of the loess or yellow brown soil that its waters carry along • When it floods it deposits loess on the plain • The Chinese grow a grain called millet which has been a part of their diet for 1000’s of years • The Chinese also call this river China’s sorrow because it brings destructive floods without warning. These floods were so powerful at times that they would cut new paths into the land

7. Flood Control • Early Chinese people built dikes or a protective wall that holds back water • Eventually the loess grew thicker which made the river rises and it overflowed the dikes causing even deadlier floods • Despite the danger, the early Chinese continued to settle along the banks

8. Shang Dynasty • First Civilization in China • Arose sometime around 1760 B.C. • Shang people built China’s first cities • Also produced fine Bronze work • Also created the first Chinese writing system that could be used for any different languages…. Like cuneiform • About 600 years after the founding of the Shang Dynasty a new group emerged called the Zhou

9. Zhou Dynasty • Territory partly bordered the Shang territory • Sometimes they lived peacefully and other times they fought over territory • Conquered the Shang in 1122 B.C. • Ruled over ancient China for almost 1,000 years • Divided into two parts: Western Zhou was the earliest, then Eastern Zhou, then a period called the Warring states • Small kingdoms fought for control over one another until a new dynasty, the Qin, won

10. Mandate of Heaven • Sometimes Chinese rulers inherited the throne and others fought for it • Chinese believed that regardless of the reason for gaining the throne it was their destiny or fate called the Mandate of Heaven • It supported a leader’s right to rule his people and gave the father authority over his family

11. Importance of Family • Family was the center of the society • A persons first responsibility was always to the family • A household may contain as much as 5 generations including the extended family or closely related people such as aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters • In rich families they may live together in one large home, in poor families they lived in separate one room cottages that were within walking distance

12. Family Authority • Status depends on age and sex • Center of authority was the oldest male, he had the most privileges and the most power. He decided who his children and grandchildren would marry • After the oldest male died all his lands were divided among his sons

13. Women’s role • Lower status than men • Bound by three obedience's: To obey fathers in youth, husbands after marriage, and sons in widowhood • Four virtues also guided them: Morality, modesty, proper speech, and domestic skills • When a woman married she left her family and became part of the husbands family • She must obey the husband and respect her mother-in-law

14. Family Names • 300’s B.C. Chinese established the practice of using inherited family names along with personal names • Inherited name was from father to child. Ex: Mao, Chan, and Lu • In US we have two names also but the family name in the Chinese goes first Example: the first president would have been named Washington, George • Confucius, a great philosopher, had ideas about the role of family that would have great impacts

15. Questions???? • How did the Huang river affect ancient Chinese civilizations? • Civilizations first developed there, flooding caused fertile farm land but killed thousands of people and cut new paths over the land • What was the importance of family in Ancient China? • The family was the center of the society

16. Confucius and His Teachings • Most famous and important of the early Chinese thinkers • Chinese called him Kong Fu Zi or Master Kong • Born in 551 B.C. to a noble but poor family of the North China Plain • He originally hoped to advance into government office but did not succeed so he became a teacher • Many historians think that he was China’s first professional teacher • He charged students a fee to take a class • He taught views of life and government • He tried to find someone to carry on his teachings after he died but was unsuccessful

17. Teachings of Confucius • He tried to persuade rulers to reform • He never wrote down his teachings. His students gathered the collection of his sayings after his death • These writings made up a system of beliefs and values or a philosophy • He lived during a time of frequent fighting and his goal was to persuade the rulers to change their ways • He believed that if people could behave properly toward one another, order and peace would result • He described five human relationships: Ruler/ruled, father/son, husband/wife, older brother/younger brother, friend/friend. • He said that if people in power were fair than his people would be fair- Very similar to the Golden Rule

18. Religious Traditions • Confucianism started off as a philosophy but became a religion that was practiced beside other religious traditions • Ancient China had many religious beliefs: Worshipping as ancestors, Honoring the gods, belief in Spirits • Taoism was also followed. It was based on Laozi. They loved nature, and followed simple selfless lives • Taoism rivaled Confucianism but overall the teachings of Confucius would remain widely studied

19. Influence of Confucius • The teachings of Confucius became part of the basic trainings for members of civil service or people who work for the government • They had a merit system- Before Confucius only the sons of powerful people could hold govt positions. Afterwards, any man could hold those positions they just had to pass an exam that was based on his teachings • One had to know how to read to take the test so many poor people were not able to hold govt positions

20. Questions?? • What were the basic teachings of Confucius? • Behave properly to one another so order and peace are restored. Know your place in society, respect those below and above you, set a good example • How did the ideas of Confucius change the way civil servants were chosen in Ancient China? • Men should be chosen on merit not family connections

21. Warring Kingdoms Unite • Qin Dynasty- Lasted only two generations but that was a HUGE accomplishment. Before this time China was divided into seven warring kingdoms. Shi Huangdi conquered these kingdoms to unify China • Shi Huangdi (Zhao Zheng)- First Emperor. He ruled the Qin people along China’s western border. • 221 B.C. Zheng ruled over what is now most of modern day china and established the Qin Dynasty and changed his name to Shi Huangdi or “First Emperor” • Because the Qin dynasty was sometimes spelled Chin that is where we got the name China

22. Strengthening the Empire • Sought to strengthen China through tough and harsh rule • One of his first tasks was to protect his new empires from his enemies • In the past nomads had attacked the northern border of China. Previous rulers had built walls along the border and Huangdi decided to connect them in the largest construction project in Chinese history known now as the Great wall of China • Pg 152 shows the Qin and Han Empire and the Great wall of China • He ordered farmers from fields and merchants from stores to form a large army of hundreds of thousands of workers • It took about 10 years to build. • After he died it fell into disrepair and eventually other empires repaired the wall and added new sections • Exact length is unknown but thought to be about 1,500 miles

23. Organizing the Government • Great Wall • Shi Huangdi build roads with the help thousands of farmers • These roads allowed his armies to quickly get to any revolt • He would kill or imprison any local rulers who opposed him • He divided areas into districts where each one had a government run by the emperors trusted officials

24. Unifying Economy and Culture • Huangdi wanted to unify not just his government but also have one economy and one culture • He declared one currency or type of money. It was a round coin with a square hole in the middle • It made it easier for one region to trade with another • He also ordered the creation of common weights and measures, and improved system of writing, and a law code

25. Restricting Freedoms • Shi Huangdi tried to control the thoughts of his people • 213 B.C he outlawed the ideas of Confucius and other important thinkers and then made people learn philosophies of Qin scholars • Legalism- people should be punished for bad behavior and rewarded for good. People should work to serve the government and the emperor. Brutally strict • All books in China were burned except those about medicine, technology, and farming. When the scholars protested Huangdi killed them all

26. End of the Dynasty • Shi Huangdi’ • His death in 210 B.C. was followed by four years of chaos and civil war that ended with the murder of his son • Power passed to Shi Huangdi’s grandson but he could not keep it together. • The dynasty that was supposed to last for 10,000 years only lasted for 15

27. Han Dynasty • A rebel who helped overthrow Qin dynasty names Lui Bang won over his rivals and became the emperor of China in 202 B.C. • He was born as a peasant and became the first emperor of the new dynasty (Han) • Created a stable government that was less harsh than Shi Huangdi’s. • Lasted for about 400 years • Han rulers felt that educated people needed to work in the govt and they set up a civil service system based on Confucianism

28. Wudi: The Warrior Empire • 140 B.C. Liu Bang’s great grandson, Wudi or “Warrior Emperor”, gained control. The Han dynasty reached its greatest power. He was 15 when he took control and ruled for more than 50 years • He made improvements to China’s great wall and strengthened the army • By his death, Chinese rule stretched wets into Central Asia, east into present day northern and central Korea, and into present day Vietnam.

29. Han Empire • Wudi died in 87 B.C. but the stability and prosperity continued well beyond his death • Over time though the empire began to weaken • A series of young emperors, one even only 100 days old, caused distraction from the empire and the roads and canals fell into disrepair • As the emperors weakened, warlords or leaders of armed groups gained power • The last Han emperor was kept in power by one such warlord named Cao Pei. He tried to rule through the emperor but that didn’t work so he declared the Han dynasty over and created the Wei dynasty • The Wei dynasty only ruled parts of Northern China and lasted for about 50 years • Finally, China broke up into smaller kingdoms

30. Questions • What measures did Shi Huangdi take to unite the economy and culture of China? • He standardized weights, measures, improved the system of writing, and created a law code • What characterized the government of China during the Han dynasty? • Stability and Confucian civil service system

31. Achievements of Ancient China • Wudi’s conquests in the west brought the Chinese into contact with the people of Central Asia • Trade with these people introduced the Chinese to such new foods as grapes, walnuts, and garlic and Chinese goods passed to these people • This exchange of goods gave way to a major trade route called the Silk Road which ran from China to the Mediterranean sea

32. Connecting Roads • Silk Road was a series of routes over 4000 miles- basically from Chicago to Hawaii • It was a very challenging route through mountains and deserts. The road passed through Persia and Mesopotamia and ran north through present day Turkey. From there, traders shipped goods across the Mediterranean to Rome, Greece, Egypt, etc.

33. Route for Goods • Very few travelers traveled the entire silk road • Goods were usually passed from trader to trader along the way through Asia • With each trade the price went up and by the time the goods arrived at the end of their journey they were very expensive • Silk Road got its name from silk which was made only in china • Han Farmers developed new ways to raise silkworms, the caterpillars that made silk • They also found new ways to weave and dye the silk and the method was closely guarded secrets. If someone revealed it they were sentenced to death

34. Arrival of silk in Europe created great excitement and wealthy Romans prized the silk and were willing to pay top dollar for it • Wealthy people in China would also pay high prices for glass, horses, ivory, wool, and linen cloth from Rome

35. Route for Ideas • As the traders moved goods they also moved ideas. • The missionaries from India would use the road to travel to China were they brought Buddhism with them • By the end of the Han dynasty, Buddhism was becoming a major religion in China

36. Tradition and Learning • Han leaders encouraged going back to Confucius teachings and later they required members of civil service to be educated in Confucius teachings • Arts and Scholarship grew under the Han dynasty. Expressive poetry showed people the Chinese culture and Chinese scholars put together the first Chinese dictionary

37. History of China • History showed the greatest advancements • Before the Han dynasty, the Chinese people had little knowledge of their history and knew only myths and often these stories conflicted each other • Sima Qian decided to spend his life writing a history of China from mythical times to the reign of Wudi

38. Han Technology • Because of the stable government, focus on improving the society and because of that China became the most advanced civilization in the world • Pg 159

39. Invention of Paper • Chinese first used wooden scrolls and bones to keep record • Later they wrote messages and whole books on Silk • Around 105 A.D. they invented paper- Some archeologists say that paper may have been used before this • Early paper was made out of tree bark, hemp, and old rags • The material was soaked in water, beat to a pulp and dried flat on a screen mold • Because of paper, arts and learning was greatly influenced • The paper idea spread across Europe and Asia. • Eventually Egypt took up Papyrus as their writing surface • By 200 A.D. the Han dynasty came to an end but it was never forgotten

40. Questions • Describe the route of the Silk Road? • Began in Chang’an and went though Persia and Mesopotamia and ended in Antioch • Name three important inventions or achievements during the Han dynasty • Paper, iron farming tools, rudder, wheelbarrow, collar and harness