Download Chinese Overview: A Brief History of China

CHINA OVERVIEW:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHINESE
DYNASTIES
Based on Student Handouts, Inc.
DISCUSSION OF INTRODUCING CHINA, THE VIDEO
CLIP

Site
http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/design/video/flash/a
aas/xie/china.html
1.
What are the basic facts about China?
List some dynasties in Chinese history and major
historical persons.
Describe some aspects of modern China, e.g.
economy, life, education, etc.
2.
3.
ANCIENT HISTORY
 By
4000 BC
Village settlements along Huang He River
 Farming, stone tools, weapons (bow and
arrow), animal domestication, pottery

 About
1500 BC
Picture writing (oldest writing in existence)
 Now about 40,000 characters

WHAT ARE DYNASTIES?
A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family.
 Historically, royal rule was descended from father to son.
DYNASTIC CYCLE
1. Emperor comes to power and gains the Mandate of
Heaven.
2. Upward rise (wealth and population increase) to peak.
3. Downward spiral (natural disasters, corruption, etc.).
4. Emperor loses the Mandate of Heaven.
5. Civil war until a new emperor, with the Mandate of Heaven,
comes to power.
MANDATE OF HEAVEN – Described by philosopher Mencius
 Belief that the emperor was chosen by heaven to rule 天子.

XIA (A.K.A. HSIA) DYNASTY
(2070-1600 BC)
China’s
first dynasty
Founded
Built
by Yu 禹
roads and irrigation
projects 大禹治水
SHANG DYNASTY
(1600-1046 BC)
Writing
began
Developed
bronze,
glazed pottery, and
silk industries
ZHOU (A.K.A. CHOU) DYNASTY
(1045-256 BC)
Invaded
China from the northwest
Set up a loose central government
Feudal power held by strong nobles
Philosophers
 Confucius
 Mencius
(his follower)
QIN 秦 (A.K.A. CHIN) DYNASTY
(221-206 BCE)
 Military
dictatorship centralized China
 Emperor Shih Huang Ti （Qin Shihuang
秦始皇）Destroyed nobles’ feudal power
 System of taxation
 Established weights and measures
 Great Wall (1500 miles)
HAN DYNASTY
(206-220 AB)
 Conquerors
 Empire
– central Asia to China Sea,
Indochina to Korea
 Trade
 Chinese fruits, silks, and spices in Rome
(1st century )
 Buddhism came from India
 Civil service system
 First paper made
TANG DYNASTY
(618-906 BC)
 400
years of warfare between Han and Tang
dynasties
 Tang reunited China
 T’ai Tsung (唐太宗)


Emperor in 627 BC
Education and government reforms
 Extended
boundaries
 Alliances and peace treaties with neighbors
 Industry and trade

Jade porcelain, and silks to Arabia, India, Japan,
and Persia
SONG (A.K.A. SUNG) DYNASTY
(960-1279)
Disorder
between Tang and Sung
dynasties
Culture
superior to that of medieval
Europe
Powerful
only in southern China
YUAN DYNASTY - MONGOL RULE
(1259-1368)
 Central
Asian nomads
 Genghis Khan 成吉思汗
 Conquered Asia, including China
 Kublai Khan 忽必烈汗
 Grandson of Genghis
 Visited by Marco Polo ( 馬可波羅 Venetian)
 Ruled for about 100 years
 Capital – Peking (Beijing)
 Trade with Europe begun
MING DYNASTY
(1368-1644)
Overthrew Mongols
 Chinese natives
 Beautified Peking (Beijing)
 Encouraged trade with Europe
 Gave Europeans:
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Gunpowder
Jade
Playing cards
Porcelain
Silk
Tea
QING DYNASTY (MANCHU RULE)
(1644-1912)
Manchurians
conquered China,
Indochina, Korea, Mongolia, Tibet,
eastern Turkestan
China prospered
Western pressure brought about
Manchu overthrow in 1912
Ended with birth of Chinese
Republic
THE BOXER REBELLION
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The Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901: against European and US
control of China) is defeated in 1901.
Chinese Republic proclaimed in 1912 after the abdication of the
child-emperor
Yuan Shikai (a warlord) seizes power from 1912 to 1916
Dr Sun Yat-Sen, leader of the Kuomintang Party, attempts to
establish the republic despite feuding warlords but dies in 1925
In 1928 Chang Kai-shek seizes Beijing for the Kuomintang
Civil war with Mao Zedong’s Communist Party begins in 1929.
The 6000-mile Long March sees Mao’s army escape the
Kuomintang forces in 1934-35 (Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and
Deng Xiaoping are all comrades on the March)
2ND SINO-JAPANESE WAR
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The Empire of Japan begins attacks on China in 1937 and quickly
seizes many northern and coastal areas
The US gunboat Panay is sunk by Japanese bombers whilst
peace still exists between the US and Japan
With the attack on Pearl Harbour on Dec. 7, 1941, Japan
captures European and US territories in China e.g. Hong Kong
and Macau
The Chinese capital is moved far up the Yangzi river to Chongqing
but comes under attack
Chinese, US and British forces fight back from western and
central China, with supplies carried by the Burma Road to
Kunming
The Japanese are eventually defeated in 1945 but many areas of
northern, southern and eastern China are devastated by the war
THE CIVIL WAR & COMMUNISM
Despite partial alliances against the Japanese, a state
of war exists between the Kuomintang and Communist
forces for over 20 years from 1926
 The Civil War fully breaks out in 1946
 The Communist Party of China seizes power on
October 1st, 1949 (although some parts of China are
not captured until 1950)
 Various offshore islands stay loyal to the Kuomintang
and Chang Kai-Shek re-establishes the Chinese
Republic on Taiwan
 Several offshore islands are captured by the
Communists between 1949 and 1960

REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
1911- Revolution 辛亥革命 （Xinhai Revolution）
1912 - Founding of the Republic of China (ROC) 中華
民國
 1949 – Founding of the People’s Republic of China
(PRC) 中華人民共和國 (Communist)

LEAPS FORWARD (AND BACK)
The Great Leap Forward (1958-60) saw Mao attempt
to turn China from an agrarian economy to an
industrialized society. Between 14 and 43 million
Chinese starved to death.
 The Cultural Revolution (1966-69) saw Mao Zedong
unleash the Red Guards to stamp out liberal economic
and political thought.
 Death of Mao Zedong in September 1976
 In October 1976, The pro-Mao Gang of Four - led by
Mao’s wife, Jiang Qing - were arrested by the new
Party chairman, Hua Guofeng.

MODERN CHINA
Deng Xiaoping was restored to Party positions he had
lost during the Cultural Revolution. He quickly removed
Hua Guofeng from power but allowed him to retire
peacefully. Deng stayed as the most influential
Chinese leader until the mid 90s.
 The Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 highlighted
China’s growing clamour for democracy.
 Third Generation leaders, under President Jiang
Zemin, took power in the 90s and moved Chinese
economy more toward a market economy.
 Fourth Generation leaders, under President Hu Jintao,
took power early in the 21st century and now control
China.

PHILOSOPHIES
 Late
Zhou (Chou) period (1100-256 BCE)
 Suffering produced influential philosophers
 Lao-Tse (6th century BCE)
 Men should be left alone to work out their
own lives with the fewest possible laws of
government

Follow the course of nature, flow with life.
Men should make their own lives simple
and desire nothing, but should submit to all
that comes in life
 Taoism (Daoism)

CONFUCIUS
(551-479 BCE)
Considered China’s greatest philosopher
 Ethics – correct way to live
 Human nature – good
 Men should be kind, tolerant, and love their elders
and ancestors (filial piety)
 Golden rule: “Do not do to others what you would not
have others do to you.”
 Analects
 Confucianism – code of behavior and religion

Education, good manners, right morals, respect for others,
love of tradition, obedience to one’s parents
 Women must obey men as children obey parents. Men
must obey emperor.

CULTURE
 Literature,
poetry, history, philosophy
 Tang dynasty – poet Li Po
 Printing invented – books produced cheaply
in great numbers
 Paper – 1st century BCE
 “China” or “Chinaware”
 Known for glazed pottery and porcelain
 Music
 Paintings
SCIENCE
1000-1500 CE – civilization superior to that of
medieval Europe
 Paper and ink
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“India” ink really Chinese ink
Movable type

Movable blocks with cut-out raised characters
Compass
 Gunpowder
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Originally for firecrackers
Silk manufacturing
 Irrigation and farming techniques
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