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Transcript
ANCIENT AND
CLASSICAL
CHINA
ANCIENT LEGENDS: THE THREE
WISE SAGE KINGS
– King Yao: a virtuous ruler bringing
harmony to society
– King Shun: regulating the four
seasons, weights, measures, and
units of time
– King Yu: rescued China from raging
floods of the Yellow River
Legends reflected the values of society;
many may prove true!
APPEARANCE OF HUMANS IN
EAST ASIA
– Beginnings were over two
hundred thousand years ago
– Domesticated rice around 7000
B.C.E. in the valley of the Yangzi
River
– Millet cultivation in the valley of
the Yellow River
– Wheat and barley became staple
foods of north China by 2000
B.C.E.
EMERGENCE OF CHINESE
SOCIETY 2ND MILLENNIUM BCE
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Agricultural villages appeared in the
valleys of the two rivers
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Society was patriarchal
Fathers dominated families
Elder males ruled village
Males performed religious sacrifices
Cities, states appeared in north
China during 2nd millennium B.C.E.
Three dynastic states in the valley
of Yellow River: Xia, Shang, Zhou
EARLY AGRARIAN SOCIETY
– The Yellow River
 Water source at high plateau of Tibet
 Loess soil carried by the river's water,
hence "yellow"
 The river was "China's Sorrow" as it
flooded uncontrollably
 Loess: rich soil, soft, easy to work
– Neolithic societies after 5000 B.C.E.
 Yangshao society, 5000-3000 B.C.E.
 Excavations at Banpo village: fine
pottery, bone tools
ANCIENT CHINA
XIA DYNASTY
• Archeological discovery of the Xia
is still in its preliminary stage
• Established about 2200 B.C.E.
• Legendary King Yu, the dynasty
founder, a hero of flood control
• Erlitou: possibly the capital city of
the Xia
• Chinese scholars believe it existed
THE SHANG DYNASTY:
1766-1122 B.C.E.
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Arose in the southern, eastern areas
Many records, material remains discovered
Bronze metallurgy, monopolized by elite
Agricultural surpluses supported large troops
Vast network of walled towns
Shang-kings were warriors
Constant struggle with nobles for power
The Shang capital moved six times
Lavish tombs of Shang kings
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Contained chariots, weapons, bronze goods
Sacrificial human victims, dogs, horses
MANDATE OF HEAVEN
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The right to rule granted by heaven
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Zhou justified their overthrow of Shang
Ruler called "the son of heaven"
Only given to virtuous, strong rulers
To lose mandate = someone else should rule
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Replacement of dynasties = Dynastic Cycle
Signs one had lost mandate
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Corruption, heavy taxes
Lazy officials and rulers
Revolts, invasions, civil wars, crime
Natural disasters
Society develops bad morals, habits
THE ZHOU DYNASTY:
1122-256 B.C.E.
– The rise of the Zhou
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The last Shang king was a bad ruler
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The Zhou forces toppled the Shang
– Political organization
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Adopted decentralized administration
Used princes and relatives to rule regions
Consequences
– Weak central government with ceremonial
functions
– Rise of regional powers; often called feudalism
– Constant rivalry between warring families, nobles
FAMILY
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Xia to Zhou ruled through family, kinship
Veneration of ancestors
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Belief in ancestors' presence, continuing influence
Burial of material goods with the dead
Offering sacrifices at the graves
Eldest males presided over rites honoring ancestors
Only males could perform religious duties
Patriarchal society
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During Neolithic times, Chinese society = matrilineal
Rise of states, war due to men's contribution s
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After Shang, not even queens merited temples
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THE SOCIAL ORDER
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The ruling elites
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Peasants, the majority of population
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Royal family and allied noble families at the top
Their lavish consumption of bronze products, silk
Hereditary aristocrats with extensive landholding
Most of the land owned by the king, nobles
Called the “mean” people
Landless peasants provided labor
Lived in small subterranean houses
Wood, bone, stone tools before iron spread in the
6th century B.C.E.
Women’s World
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Wine making, weaving, silkworm raising
Managing household, raising children
Elite women vs. poor women
OTHERS
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Specialized labor
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Merchants, trade were important
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Jade from Central Asia, tin from SE Asia
A few pieces of pottery from India
Merchants ranked socially lower
Slaves
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Free artisans, craftsmen in great demand
Also served the needs of the ruling elites
Mostly war prisoners
Performed hard work
Became sacrificial victims
Suspicious towards Foreigners
CHINESE POPULAR RELIGION
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Customary beliefs and practice
– As old as civilization in China
– Never encouraged/discouraged by state
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Believes gods, spirits (shen) influence
family, world
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Power over world affairs
Deceased members of community, family
Deified figures of history, literature
Spiritual embodiment of nature, geography
Maintenance of family shrines, community
temples
– Prayers, supplications
– Food offerings
– Shamanism and divination are practiced
THE FALL OF THE ZHOU
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Iron metallurgy .
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Iron weapons helped regional authorities to
resist the central power
Qin mastered iron technology, weapons
Nomadic invasion sacked capital
Other Troubles
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Territorial princes became more independent
Warring States (403-221 B.C.E.)
Rise of Qin state
Last king abdicated his position in 256 B.C.E.
THOUGHT, LITERATURE
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Zhou literature
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The Book of Change, a manual of diviners
The Book of History, the history of the Zhou
The Book of Rites
– The rules of etiquette and rituals for aristocrats
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The Book of Songs
– The most notable of the classic works
– Verses on themes both light and serious
– Reflected social conditions of the early Zhou
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Destruction of early literature
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Most Zhou writings have perished
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1st emperor destroyed most writings
CONFUCIUS’ SEARCH FOR ORDER
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Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.)
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Confucian ideas
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A strong-willed man, from an aristocratic family
Traveled ten years searching for an official post
Educator with numerous disciples
Sayings compiled in the Analects by disciples
Fundamentally moral and ethical in character
Restore political and social order; stress ritual
Formation of junzi - "superior individuals"
Edited Zhou classics for his disciples to study
The key Confucian concepts
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Ren - a sense of humanity
Li - a sense of propriety
Xiao - filial piety
5 Relationships and filial piety as basis of society
LEGALISM
– Legalism
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The doctrine of statecraft
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Promoted a practical and ruthlessly efficient approach
No concern with ethics and morality
No concern with the principles governing nature
Doctrine used by Qin dynasty
– Shang Yang (ca. 390-338 B.C.E.)
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A chief minister of the Qin state
His policies summarized in The Book of Lord Shang
Was executed by his political enemies
– Han Feizi (ca. 280-233 B.C.E.)
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Student of Xunzi, became the most articulate
Legalist
A synthesizer of Legalist ideas
Forced to suicide by his political enemies
LEGALISM IN PRACTICE
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The state's strength
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Agriculture
Military force
Discouraged commerce, education, and the
arts
Harnessing self-interest of people for needs
of state
Called “carrot and stick” approach in west
Called for harsh penalties even for minor
infractions
Advocated collective responsibility before law
Not popular among the Chinese,
Chinese used legalism if state threatened
Legalism still doctrine common to China
MOHISM
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Founder Mo Zi
– Lived 470 – 391 BC
– A commoner, worked with mean people
– Served in military, ideas based on it
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Beliefs
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Partiality, competition causes problems
Advocates doctrine of universal love
Advocates cooperation
Stress discipline, order, authority
Loyalty to all elders, not family
Emphasized practical; hate waste, war
Favor math, science over arts, ritual
DAOISM
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Prominent critics of Confucianism
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Laozi and Zhuangzi
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Understand natural principles, live in harmony with
them
Laozi, founder of Daoism; wrote the
Daodejing
Philosophical Daoism
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Dao - The way of nature, the way of the cosmos
Opposites in balance, complementary
Passive, yielding, does nothing , accomplishes
everything
Tailor behavior to passive, yielding nature
Ambition, activism brought the world to chaos
DAOIST WUWEI
– The doctrine of wuwei
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Disengagement from worldly affairs
Called for simple, unpretentious life,
living in harmony with nature
Advocated small state, self-sufficient
community
– Political implications
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Served as a counterbalance to Confucian
activism
Individuals could live as Confucians by
day, Daoists by night
Generally Daoism flourishes when
society at peace, prosperous
UNIFICATION OF CHINA
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The Qin State and Dynasty
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Located in west China and adopted Legalist policies
Encouraged agriculture, resulted in strong economy
Organized a powerful army equipped with iron
weapons
Conquered other states and unified China in 221
B.C.E.
Qin Shi Huang di
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King of the Qin proclaimed himself First Emperor,
221 B.C.E.
Established centralized imperial rule
Held sons of nobles as hostages; demolished nobles
castles
Project of connecting and extending the Great Wall
700,000 people worked on project; 100,000 killed
QIN STATECRAFT
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Suppressing the resistance
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Bitterly opposed, was opposed by Confucian scholars
Buried 460 scholars alive because of their criticism against
the Qin
Burned all books except some with utilitarian value
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Standardization of laws, currencies, weights, measures
Standardized scripts: tried to create uniform language
Creates a uniform writing system but not language
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The tomb was an underground palace
Excavation of the tomb since 1974
Terracotta soldiers and army to protect tomb
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Massive public works generated ill will among people
Waves of rebels overwhelmed the Qin court in 207 B.C.E.
A short-lived dynasty, left deep marks in Chinese history
Policies of centralization
Tomb of the First Emperor
The collapse of the Qin dynasty
THE EARLY HAN DYNASTY
– Han was long-lived dynasty
– Early Han policies
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Sought middle way between Zhou and Qin
Royal relatives were not reliable, returned to
centralized rule
– Martial Emperor (141-87 B.C.E.)
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Han Wudi ruled for 54 years
Pursued centralization and expansion
HAN STATECRAFT
Han centralization
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Adopted Legalist policies
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Built an enormous bureaucracy to rule the empire
Continued to build roads and canals
Levied taxes on agriculture, trade, and craft industries
Imperial monopolies on production of iron and salt
Established Confucian educational system for training
bureaucrats
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Confucianism as the basis of the curriculum in imperial university
Thirty thousand students enrolled in the university in Later Han
Han imperial expansion
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Invaded and colonized northern Vietnam and Korea
Extended China into central Asia
HAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE
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Large, multigenerational compound families also
developed
Women's subordination (Ban Zhao Admonitions for
Women)
Differences apparent between noble, lower class women
Scholar bureaucrats: Confucian trained bureaucrats
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Scholar Gentry
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Merchants held in low social esteem
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Officials selected through competitive testing
Used to run the government in Early Han
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Confucian bureaucrats intermarried with landed elite
New class comes to dominate local, national offices
Strongest in late Han
TRADE AND COMMERCE
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Iron metallurgy: Farming tools, utensils, and
weapons
State monopolies on liquor, salt and iron
Silk textiles
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Paper production
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Invented probably before 100 C.E.
Began to replace silk and bamboo as writing materials
Population growth
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High quality Chinese silk became a prized commodity
Traded as far a field as India, Persia, Mesopotamia, and
Rome
Increased from twenty to sixty million from 220 B.C.E. to
9 C.E.
Despite light taxation, state revenue was large
Silk Road established: horses for silk
HAN TROUBLES
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Expeditions consumed the empire's
surplus
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Raised taxes and confiscated land of some
wealthy individuals
Much of defense consumed on defending against
nomads
Social tensions, stratification
between the poor and rich
Problems of land distribution
– Early Han supported land redistribution
– Lands accumulated in the hands of a few
LOSS OF THE MANDATE
– Collapse of the Han
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Factions at court paralyzed the central
government
Han empire dissolved
China was divided into regional kingdoms