Download Asian Cultures

Asian Cultures
Chris Anderson
Randolph-Henry High School
India
• Civilization was developing around the
Indus River at the same time as the
Egyptians were reaching their height
• This early Indus River civilization reached
its height between 2500-1500 BC
• This early civilization will serve as the
ancestors for India, Pakistan, and
Bangladesh
India
• Geography
• The subcontinent of South Asia is
separated from the rest of Asia by natural
barriers—mountains and water
• In the north exist 2 mountain ranges
– Hindu Kush
– Himalaya
• To the east and west is water
India
India
• The mountains and seas acted as natural
barriers—keeping South Asia free from
invasion
• The subcontinent, itself, is geographically
diverse
– Deccan Plateau
– Vindhya—rolling hills
– Ghats—small mountain ranges on the coasts
India
India
• 3 major rivers exist on the subcontinent
– Indus
– Ganges
– Brahmaputra
• All 3 rivers provide water and fertile soil
for the people to farm
India
India
• South Asia’s climate is
affected by seasonal
winds called monsoons
• The subcontinent
experiences 2 monsoons
every year
• 1.) Winter Monsoon
(Northeast Monsoon)
– Blows from Nov./Dec. until
March
– Brings dry air from the
mountains
• Summer Monsoon
(Southwest Monsoon)
– blows from May/June to
Sept.
– Brings rain from the
southwest
India
India
• The people of South Asia depended on
the monsoons to bring rain for their crops
• If the monsoons came too late or brought
too much rain, crops would be destroyed
and people would die
India
• Early Civilization:
• The earliest known civilization in South
Asia was the Harappan Civilization
– Main cities—Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
– Both cities were very modern
– Streets ran in a grid pattern
– Houses built of brick
– Indoor bathrooms
India
India
• Most of the people were
farmers
• Used pictographs as
writing—historians have
not deciphered these
symbols
• 2000 BC—the civilization
went into decline
• 1500 BC—the civilization
had disappeared
• There are 2 theories for
their disappearance
– 1.) Floods and climate
changes may have
affected the food supply
– 2.) The civilization may
have been invaded and
killed off
India
 1500 BC—another group migrated into South
Asia—Aryans
 Nomadic herders
 Mainly herded cattle
 The Aryans quickly took the Indus River Valley
and Ganges areas
 Aryan tribal chief—rajah
 Main economic resource—cattle
 Cattle “rustling” became an issue that led to war between
the different tribes
India
 The Aryans began to settle in the Indus
River valley and started to farm
 Some grew crops
 Others continued to herd cattle on the rich
plains—provided meat, milk, and hides
India
 The Aryans eventually considered their
herds so important that they placed a
ban on eating meat
 The people became strict vegetarians
 This “no meat” policy is a major principle
in Hinduism today
India
 Aryan Society and Culture
 Men dominated Aryan society
 The Aryans spoke Sanskrit, but had no
written language
 The warriors and herders used hymns to tell
their history
 After settling, the Aryans developed a
written language based on Sanskrit
India
 Once they had writing, the Aryan Priests
collected the old poems, legends, and hymns
into a volume of 4 holy books—the Vedas
 The Vedas became the basis for Aryan religion
 The oldest of the 4 books is the Rig Veda—
considered the oldest religious text still in use
India
 Aryan society was divided into 4 main
social classes called the varnas:
 Warriors (Kshatriyas)
 Most honored class
 Priests (Brahman)
 Studied the Vedas
 Merchants, artisans, farmers (Vaisyas)
 Unskilled workers and servants(Sudras)
India
 The Aryans made the class system even
more rigid in 500 BC
 The varnas were further divided into
groups called jati
 Jati were based on people’s occupations
 Shoemakers
 Potters
 Farmers
 Metal workers
India
 Jati had their own rules for diet, marriage,
and social customs
 Different jati groups could not socialize
with each other
 Once born into a jati, one would remain
in that group for life
 The system of varnas and jati evolved
into the caste system
India
 The Aryans wrote 2
important epics
 1.) Mahabharata
 Epic poem—100,000
verses
 Collection of writings
from different authors
 Discusses Aryan
religion and
philosophy
 2.) Ramayana
 24,000 verses
 Tells of an ideal
king—Rama—and his
faithful wife—Sita
 It is a story about
good and evil
 Good prevails over
evil
India
 Aryan Religion
 Aryans were polytheists
 Agni—god of fire
 Indra—god of thunder and war
 Usha—goddess of dawn
 The Aryans’ religion evolved into Hinduism
 Hinduism is based on the many beliefs found in the
Vedas and the Indian Epics
India
 Many Aryans became tired of the ritual in
the Vedas and began developing new
religious ideas
 These new ideas were written in the
Upanishads
 Upanishads tell of a universal spirit in all
living things
 Hindus believed all animals had souls—they
banned the killing of any animal
 Hindus believe all souls are part of one
eternal spirit—Brahman Nerguna
India
 The Upanishads
encouraged the Hindus
to fast and participate in
yoga (prayer)
 Hindus believe in
reincarnation—the soul
is reborn after death
 The soul may have many
lifetimes before its final
joining with Brahman
Nerguna
 The cycle of reincarnation
is determined by one’s
karma—how one lived
his/her life determines
what the soul will be
reborn into
 If one lived a just life, the
soul may be reborn into
a higher caste
 If one did not live a just
life, the soul may be
reborn into a snake or
insect
India
 Hindus also practice
ahimsa—non-violence
toward all living creatures
 All living creatures are to be
protected
 Ultimate aim of all Hindus—
moksha—the release from all
pain and suffering
 One reaching moksha has
ended the cycle of
reincarnation and has
become one with Brahman
Nerguna
 To achieve moksha, one must
participate in:”
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Prayer
Religious ritual
Strict self denial
Reject all worldly
possessions
India
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Development of Buddhism
500 BC—religious life in India saw a change
Hindus were becoming unhappy with the rigid
rituals of Hinduism
The people wanted a more spiritual faith
Many left their villages to search for answers
in the countryside
India
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The founded of the Buddhist faith was a
Kshatriyas Prince—Siddharta Gautama
India
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566 BC—Gautama had a life changing
experience—he saw, for the first time, pain,
suffering, and death
He vowed to find why people suffered and a
way to end people’s suffering
He left his princely lifestyle, his wife, and
newborn child to wander the countryside
looking for answers
India
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Gautama’s journey to search for answers is
called the Great Renunciation
He spent 7 years on the Great Renunciation
During the 7 years, he lived as a hermit and
beggar
Legend says that the answers came to Gautama
while he was meditating under a tree
He began preaching his ideas and gained lots
of followers—his followers called him
Buddha—the “enlightened one
India
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Buddha’s ideas were set
down in the Four Noble
Truths and the Eight Fold
Path
India
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Four Noble Truths
1.) All people suffer and
know sorry
2.) People suffer because
their desires bind them to
the cycle of reincarnation
3.) To end suffering, one
must end desire
4.) To end desire, follow the
Eight Fold Path
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Eight Fold Path
1.) Know the Truth
2.) Resist Evil
3.) Say nothing to hurt
others
4.) Respect Life
5.) Work for the good of
others
6.) Free minds from evil
7.) Control your thoughts
8.) Practice meditation
India
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If one followed the Eight Fold Path and
avoided extremes, one would reach Nirvana—
freedom from the cycle of reincarnation
Once reaching Nirvana, a person has become
one with the universe
Buddhism does not believe in the Hindu caste
system—anyone can reach enlightenment
regardless of class
India
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Buddha preached his ideas for 45 years, until
his death
He gained lots of followers who continued to
preach after Buddha’s death
Buddhist monks took the religion out of India
into different parts of Asia
China
Korea
Japan
Malaysia
Siam
Indonesia
India
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Buddhism’s spread into Asia has made the
religion one of the most dominant in Asia
today
As the religion spread, the followers began to
differ over Buddha’s role, causing 2 forms of
Buddhism to develop
India
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1.) Theravada
Found in South Asia
Follow the original
teachings
See Buddha as a teacher
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2.) Mahayana
Worships Buddha as a
savior and god
Indian Empires
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After 500 BC, strong kingdoms will dominate
South Asia and establish some very powerful
empires
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Mauryan Empire
Gupta Empire
Indian Empires
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1.) Mauryan Empire
321 BC—Chandragupta Maurya overthrew a
powerful kingdom in India and created the
Mauryan Empire—located in Northern and
Centra India
His empire lasted until 184 BC
Indian Empires
Indian Empires
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Chandragupta Maurya’s grandson—Asoka—
helped the Mauryan empire to grow and
helped spread Buddhism throughout Asia
268 BC—he became emperor
He quickly expanded the empire by
conquering neighboring kingdoms
He controlled 2/3 of India
Indian Empires
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Asoka experienced a transformation similar to
Buddha’s
Legend says Asoka had never been to the
battlefield after his army had taken an area
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One day, he decided to visit after a battle and was
horrified by what he say
He vowed never to rule by force again
He converted to Buddhism and became a man of
peace
Indian Empires
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Asoka created laws based on Buddha’s
teachings
His laws were known as the Rock Edicts
He built free hospitals for the people
He built veterinary clinics for animals
He constructed roads in the empire
He sent out many missionaries to spread the
ideas of Buddhism
Indian Empires
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232 BC—Asoka died and the empire slid into
decline
The new leaders heavily taxed the people
184 BC—Mauryan Emperor was murdered
Northern India split into separate kingdoms
Indian Empires
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2.) Gupta Empire
500 years after the end of the Mauryan Empire
fell, another powerful empire emerged in
India—Gupta Empire
AD 310—Chandragupta I started the Gupta
Empire
His empire ruled Northern Indian for 200 years
Indian Empires
Indian Empires
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Gupta Empire was Hindu
Gupta leaders encouraged the people to learn
from the Upanishads
The Gupta Dynasty has been called India’s
Golden Age
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The arts and sciences flourished
Indian Empires
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Chandragupta II (375-415)
Gupta Empire reached its height under
Chandragupta II
He reduced taxes
Gave the people more freedom
Education and learning became important
Developed a new number—the Zero (0)
Created new number symbols—1-9 (Arabic
Numerals)
Indian Empires
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Gupta scientists understood the Earth was
round
They had a vague knowledge of gravity
Doctors could set broken bones
Doctors performed simple operations with
newly developed medical tools
Indian Empires
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AD 415—Chandragupta II died and empire
began falling apart
The government became weak and corrupt
Outsiders began invading the empire
Ad 600s—the empire had disappeared
Northern India was divided into small
kingdoms
China
China’s early civilization developed along
rivers
 Chinese civilization has lasted to this day—
the Chinese civilization is the oldest
remaining civilization in the world
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China
China’s Geography
 China, like India, has many natural
barriers that have protected the area for
centuries
 1/3 of China’s land area consists of
mountains—in the Southwest lie the
Himalayas
 North of the Himalayas is the Plateau of
Tibet
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China
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In western China exist more mountains—
Kunlun Shan and the Tian Shan
China
There are 3 major rivers in China
 1.) Huang River (Yellow River)
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– Flows for 2900 miles
– River is rich in silt—silt makes the water
yellowish in color
2.) Chang Jiang (Yangtze)
 3.) Xi Jiang (West River)
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China
China
Shang Dynasty
 1700 BC—Tang created the 1st known
Chinese Dynasty—Shang Dynasty
 His dynasty lasted until 1000 BC
 The 1st Shang kings only controlled the
city of Anyang—on the Yellow River
 Later rulers began expanding the kingdom
until they had captured the Yellow River
Valley
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China
The Chinese believed in the idea of
Mandate of Heaven—the gods chose
the kings
 The gods chose when it was time for a
change in kings or dynasties
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China
The Shang Dynasty ended in 1000 BC
when the Shang emperor was
assassinated
 The dynasty had grown weak from weak
leadership
 The people saw it was time for a change
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China
Chinese Achievements
 The Chinese developed a character writing
 The written language was difficult to
learn—only scribes could read and write
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China
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The Shang Chinese also made
advancements in the arts
– Created wonderful bronze castings
– Used jade and ivory to create wonderful
works or art
– Created exquisite silk cloth
– Fine porcelain
China
China
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1100 BC—AD 200, China will be ruled by 3
very powerful dynasties
– Zhou0—ruled China for 800 years
– Qin
– Han
China
1.) Zhou Dynasty
 1028 BC—the Zhou Dynasty took power
away from the Shang Dynasty
 Created a very large empire
 Zhou introduced new ideas to China and
the world
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– Horses were brought into China and used for
travel and work
– Added the crossbow to the military
– Started using iron plows
China
China
200s BC—Zhou leaders had become very
weak
 Many of the Chinese city-states were at
war with each other
 The nobles were warring over land
 This civil war allowed for one city-state to
rise and take power over China--Qin
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China
2.) Qin Dynasty
 221 BC—the city-state of Qin rose up and
took power away from the Zhou leaders
 The Qin Dynasty united China for the 1st
time
 The Qin created a very strong central
government
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China
The 1st Qin emperor—Qin Shihuangdi
 Shihuangdi wanted a China totally under
his control
 He divided China into 36 military
districts—he was trying to keep power
away from the local lords
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China
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Shihuangdi tried to standardize China
– Created a standard set of weights and
measures
– Standardized coins
– Created a uniform writing system
– Established a law code for China
– Constructed canals and roads in China
China
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Shihuangdi’s greatest achievement was
the Great Wall of China
– The wall was built to protect China from a
northern invasion
– Many of China’s early leaders built small walls
for protection
– Shihuangdi connected the different walls to
created the Great Wall
– The Wall is 1400 miles long
China
China
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To have absolute power in China,
Shihuangdi had to take power away from
the lords
– He took away the lords’ land
– Lords who still owned land were heavily taxed
– Shihuangdi began burning books to cut the
people off from their past
China
The Chinese people did not like
Shihuangdi
 The nobles were angry at the loss of their
power
 The peasants were angry at being forced
into hard labor—working on the Great Wall
 210 BC—Shihuangdi died and his empire
soon followed
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China
3.) Han Dynasty
 207 BC—Liu Bang drove the Qin Dynasty out of
power
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– He was from a poor peasant family—not royalty
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202 BC—Bang had eliminated all of his enemies
and made himself emperor—created the Han
Dynasty which ruled China from 202 BC—AD 220
– Han rulers were tolerant—unlike Qin Shihuangdi
– Han leaders made China prosperous and powerful
China
The height of the Han Empire came under
the 6th emperor of the dynasty—Wudi
(141-87 BC)
 He expanded China by taking over nonChinese lands
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– Manchuria
– Korea
– Parts of India
China
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139 BC—Wudi sent out an expedition to
find new areas to conquer
– The leader of the expedition was Zhang Qian
– Qian returned 13 years later with a wonderful
tale
 He and his troops were nearly destroyed by a
group of barbarians
 Qian had served in the barbarains’ prisons for 10
years
China
Qian’s “barbarians” were the Romans
 For the 1st time, China realized they were
not the only advanced civilization in the
world
 China and Rome began trading, creating
the Silk Road—trade route between the
east and west
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China
Han China was very stable and prosperous
for 400 years
 This 400 year period is called the Pax
Sinica—Chinese Peace
 During the Pax Sinica, Wudi developed a
new way to get qualified government
workers—he created the civil service
system
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China
In the civil service system, applicants for
government jobs take a test
 Those who score higher on the tests get
the better jobs
 With the civil service system, Wudi was
insuring he had the best people working in
government
 The civil service system also made
education important in China
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China
A new class of Chinese arose—
mandarins
 The mandarins were the educated Chinese
civil servants who ran the government of
China
 The mandarins controlled China’s
government until the early AD 1900’s
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China
When Wudi died in 87 BC, the Han
Dynasty slowly began to fall
 The land owning lords began gaining
power
 AD 220—the Han dynasty came to an end
 The landowners began a civil war that tore
China apart
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China
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China is also the home of 2 philosophies
that have helped shape the culture of
many Asian nations
– Confucianism
– Taoism (Daoism)
China
Confucianism
 Kongzi laid the foundations for
Confucianism
 People in western China called Konzi by
his more famous name—Confucius
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China
551 BC—Confucius was born into a poor
family
 @ age 16, he left home, wandering China
looking to be a political advisor
 He wanted to end the political, personal,
and social disorder that he had seen in his
wanderings
 He failed to find a job, so @ age 22 he
began teaching
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China
China
Confucius’ main concerns were order and
the promotion of order
 He said everyone had a proper role in
society and all political and social disorder
would end if everyone would accept their
role in life
 He said people should live their lives
according to ethics
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China
Confucius wanted people to respect their
family, the past, and traditions
 He said there were 5 relationships that
everyone must know and follow
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– Ruler and subject
– Parent and child
– Husband and wife
– Old and young
– Friend and friend
China
Taoism (Daoism)
 Developed by Laozi
 Taoism seems to be the direct opposite of
Confucianism
 Laozi did not accept formal social
structures and people’s roles in society
 Laozi did not like living in public
 He wrote his ideas in the Dao De Jing
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China
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Laozi said Taoist should
– Reject wealth
– Reject power
– Reject ambition
– Reject social structures
– Reject formal codes of behavior
– Get in touch with nature
China
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Taoism also believes in the Yin and
Yang—2 opposite forces of nature that
must be in harmony
– Yin
 Cool, dark, female, passive
– Yang
 Warm, light, male, aggressive
China
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Although Confucianism and Taoism seem
opposite, a person could be both
– Use Confucianism for government and one’s
place in the social order
– Use Taoism to achieve harmony with nature