Download Chinese Dynasty notes - Per_ 3

1. Qin
 Initiated by Qin Shihuangdi (first emperor) after uniting the warring states of China with his
effective bureaucracy and equipped army and growing population
 Adopted the philosophy of legalism-clear rules and harsh punishments to enforce the state
 Based on earlier precedents, started the great wall, imposed a uniform system of weights
measures and currency
 Standardized the length of axels for carts and created the written form of Chinese language
2. Han
 One of the great dynasties of Ancient China
 Sometimes called the golden age of ancient china
 Era of peace and prosperity and allowed china to expand to a major world power
 Zhang Iteng- Han scientist and astronomer
 Ran for over 400 years from 206 bc to 220 ad
 2nd imperial dynasty after the Qin dynasty
 Began with a peasant revolt against the Qin emperor
 Liu Bang founder of the Han dynasty
 Emperor wudi established civil service
 Han dynasty was a time of invention and science
3. Sui
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About 350 years after Han dynasty falls
Resembling a Chinese imperial state similar to Han dynasty
Single emperor bureaucracy with civil exams, and Confucian influence policies
Regaining of unity solidified through vast extension of canal system
Ruthless emperors and futile military campaigns to conquer Korea exhausted state resources
alienated many people and prompted overthrow
Set foundation for Tang and Song dynasties
Tang and Song dynasties
Golden age of Chinese achievement
Art and literature
Explosion of scholarship
Restructured state structure
Revival of Neo-Confucianism
6 major ministries
-personnel, finance, rights, army, justice, public works
Tang described as best ordered state in the world
Officials chose by merit
Economic revolution during Song
Higher food supply
Population growth from 50-120 million
Education and exam system revived and grew
Patriarchy reinforced during these dynasties
4. Yuan
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Chinese dynasty under the Mongols
New capital in Khanbalik (city of Khan)
Ruler Khubilai Khan, grandson of Chinggis Khan
Improved roads, built canals, lowered some taxes, patronized scholars and artists, limited death
penalty and torture, supported peasant agriculture, and prohibited Mongols from grazing
animals on peasants farmland
Mongol Khans made use of Confucian rituals, built Daoist temples. Attracted to Tibetan form of
Buddhism
Mongol rule was harsh, they did not become Chinese
Mongols ignored Chinese examination, relied heavily on foreigners, particularly Muslims from
central Asia and middle east
Mongols honored and supported merchants and artisans far more than Confucian bureaucrats
Forbade intermarriage
Mongol women never foot-binded
Brief-ended, due to factionalism among Mongols, rapidly rising prices, epidemics of plague, and
peasant rebellions.
5.) Ming
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Founded by Zhu Yuanzhang, who helped in the removal of mongols from china, lasted from
1368-1644
Led by emperor YongLe
Revered position of scholar-gentry restored
Confucian based civil service exam reinstated, although women still banned from taking the
exam
Women continued to be in a subordinate position in a strongly patriarchal society
Under Zheng He, China engaged in a series of major expeditions of exploration and trade
In 1644, The Manchus, a nomadic people north of China, conquered the Ming dynasty, and the
Qing dynasty ruled after.
6.) Qing Dynasty
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Also known as Manchu dynasty
Confucianism was the dominant and official sanctioned religion
Ruled for over 300 years
Had larger territory than any early Chinese dynasty due to military forces
Qing dynasty marks new literary text and artistic practices
Revolution of the Wuchang dynasty overthrew their government and led to the establishment
of the republic of China
Qing was the last dynasty in Chinese history.