Download Chinese Civilization

Chinese Civilization
The Dynasties of China
Zhou Dynasty 1000 BC – 222 BC
Qin Dynasty 221-202 BC
Han Dynasty 202 BC- 200 AD
Zhou Dynasty
Warring States Period
At the end of the Zhou dynasty there was constant conflict between lords of small
territories in China.
Confucius
o Born in 551B.C.
o Confucius was a teacher at a time of crisis and violence in China.
o He wanted to bring order and harmony back to China.
o Confucius was appointed to be a minister of justice in China.
o Legend says that crime disappeared overnight when people saw his kindness and
courtesy.
Bureaucracy
o Confucius created a bureaucracy
o Educated civil servants who work for the government
o Education was the key to advancement in this system
o Confucius steps down to return to teaching
Confucianism
o Teaches social order and harmony
o Established a code of politeness that is still used in Chinese society today.
Teachings of Confucianism
o Believed good government could reform society
o Teaches humans are good, not bad (humanist)
o Education can transform people and society.
Filial Piety
o Means respect for parents and elders
o Proper family relationships are critical to the teachings of Confucianism.
Ancestor Worship
Filial piety also requires honoring the memories of family members after their death
through various rituals.
Laozi
o Laozi was another Chinese philosopher who may have lived around the same time as
Confucius.
o Laozi said a universal force called the Dao, or Tao, guides all things.
Taoism
o The Tao means “the way”
o Of all creatures, only humans fail the Tao: to argue questions of right and wrong are
pointless
o Nature follows “the way”
o Nothing in nature needs fame or power.
o Taoism helped to form Chinese culture and values such as:
o Humility
o Simple life and inner peace
o Harmony with nature
Yin and Yang
o Two powers representing natural rhythms of life
o Yin-feminine qualities of universe; Yang-masculine
o Represents opposites of Confucianism and Taoism
o Good/Evil, light/darkness, love/hate
Buddhism
o Chinese forms of Buddhism also spread throughout Asia.
o King Asoka of the Mauryan Empire sent missionaries of Buddhism to China just before
the Qin Dynasty.
o Buddhism blended teachings of Confucianism and Taoism.
Legalism
o Belief in highly efficient and powerful form of government
o Rich rewards for doing a job
o Severe punishments for disobedience
o Ideas of legalists gain control under a new leader- Shi Huangdi
Shi Huangdi
o Leader of the Qin dynasty
o Set up an autocracy, which means the government or leader has unlimited power and
uses it however they want.
Huangdi’s Rule
o
Huangdi moved noble families into the capital city so he could watch them- he was suspicious.
o
Murdered Confucian believers
o
Burned books of Confucian thinkers
Huangdi’s Achievements
o
Centralized the government
o
Built highways for travel
o
Standardized currency, writing, law, and measures
o
Improved economy
The Great Wall of China
o
Migratory invaders had raided Chinese settlements in the north for many years.
o
Shi Huangdi, of the Qin dynasty, built the Great Wall as a line of defense against invasions.
o
Peasants were forced to build the wall, and thousands died.
Fall of the Qin Dynasty
o
Huangdi was hated by scholars because he burned books
o
He was hated by peasants for forced labor
o
Peasants rebelled and overthrew Huangdi’s son.
The Han Dynasty
o
Rebels who overthrew the Qin were led by a peasant from the land of Han.
o
They established the Han Dynasty.
o
The Han was one of the longest dynasties in Chinese history.
Mandate of Heaven
o
Chinese rulers were considered divine, but they served under a Mandate of Heaven only as long
as their rule was just.
Dynastic Cycle
The Silk Road
o
The Silk Road made trade and contact between China and other cultures possible.
o
The Silk Road linked China with India, the Middle East and even Rome.
o
Spread goods, culture, religion, and ideas all across the world
Contributions of Classical China
o
Civil service system
o
Paper
o
Porcelain
o
Silk