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ASIA 110: Introduction to Asia (China)
Instructor: Jennifer Lundin Ritchie
Unit 1 Study Guide
Important Things to Understand / Remember
What is China?
How do we define ‘China’?
How is ‘China’ considered a unit?
Trying to look at China differently, break stereotypes
Map of China: can you label the basic geography and staple crops?
Geography of China by area: mountains, lowlands, deserts, jungles, etc.
Staple crops by area: What crops are grown in China? Where is the dividing line?
Three important rivers in China: Yellow, Huai, Yangzi
Ethnicity:
What is the majority ethnicity of China?
How many minorities are there?
Language:
What is the majority language of China?
Can everyone understand it? Why/why not?
Historiography
What is the difference between ‘The Past’ and ‘History’?
What kinds of source materials can we use to learn history?
What kinds of questions should we ask when looking at any historical account?
Who writes history? What are their biases? (conscious? unconscious?) What are their motivations for writing
the way they did? What is at stake?
When there are conflicting accounts, how do we determine what/who to believe?
Prehistory
Pre-Neolithic Humans (Homo Erectus):
How long ago did they live (approximately)?
Where were their remains found (approx)? Can you describe the area? Can you recognize it on a map?
What evidence did we find of Pre-Neolithic humans?
What can the evidence we found tell us about Pre-Neolithic humans?
Why is studying Pre-Neolithic humans important? What impact did it have globally?
Neolithic Humans:
Three major groups: Yangshao, Longshan, Erlitou
How long ago did they live (approximately)? Which group was oldest? Newest?
Where were they living (approximately)? Can you describe the area? Can you recognize it on a map?
Were they the only groups of humans living in China at that time?
What kind of evidence did we find of Neolithic humans?
What can this evidence we found tell us about Neolithic humans?
Compare their styles of housing and pottery: How are they same? Different? What changed? Why?
Mythology
Why do I call this section “mythology” instead of “history”?
What patterns do we notice when looking at the “history” of the endings and beginnings of dynasties?
Why do these patterns happen? How did these patterns benefit the Zhou rulers?
Which of the three last “mythological” dynasties (Xia, Shang, Zhou) are real? How do we know?
ASIA 110: Introduction to Asia (China)
Instructor: Jennifer Lundin Ritchie
Shang Dynasty
Where was this dynasty located (approximately)? Can you describe it? Can you recognize it on a map?
What kind of people were they? (e.g. Warlike? Peaceful? Sophisticated? Primitive?)
How do we know what kind of culture they had? What evidence did we find?
Lady Fu Hao’s Tomb:
When (approximately) did we find the large collection in Lady Fu Hao’s tomb at Anyang?
Why was that collection so important? (it was the first time…)
What items were in the tomb? What do these items tell us about the Shang people? What kinds of
things do they not tell us about the Shang people?
Oracle bones:
What are oracle bones: What are they made of? What were they used for?
How did people write on the oracle bones? How did this affect the shape of the writing?
How much can we trust what is written on the oracle bones? Why?
Human Sacrifices:
What are the two main types of human sacrifices found in Fu Hao’s tomb?
What are the purpose(s) of these sacrifices?
Bronzes:
What kinds of items were made of bronze in this era?
How did people write on the bronzes? How did this affect the shape of the writing?
How much can we trust what is written on the bronzes? Why?
Drinking from the bronzes affected the type of people the Shang were: why? how were they affected?
Chariots:
Where did they come from? What were they used for?
What kinds of things can they tell us about the Shang civilization?
Why did the Shang dynasty fall to the Zhou? How do we know this? Why did the Zhou say Heaven gave
them the mandate to rule? Does everyone agree with this (his)story? Do you recognize this pattern from
previous dynasties? Do we have any reason to doubt this (his)story? Why?
The Western Zhou Dynasty
Where was this dynasty located (approximately)? Can you describe it? Would you recognize it on a map?
Why was it called The “Western” Zhou?
What were the main sources of Zhou history?
How did the writings on the bronzes change since the Shang?
How did people write on bamboo? How did this affect the shape of the writing?
The Shijing (Book of Poetry):
When was it written (which dynasty)?
What kind of things does it write about? How is it different from the writing on oracle bone/bronze?
Can we trust it 100%? Why?
The Shang Shu (Book of History):
When was it written (which dynasty)?
What kind of things does it write about?
Can we trust it 100%? Why?
The Yijing (Book of Changes):
When was it written (which dynasty)?
What kind of things does it write about?
Can we trust it 100%? Why?
Why did the Western Zhou dynasty fall?
ASIA 110: Introduction to Asia (China)
Instructor: Jennifer Lundin Ritchie
The Eastern Zhou Dynasty
Why was it called The “Eastern” Zhou?
What are the two periods of the Eastern Zhou? Which came first? Second? What caused the shift?
Where was this dynasty located (approximately)? Can you describe it? Can you recognize it on a map?
Can you label the important states of Zhou, Jin, Qi, Chu, and Qin on a map?
Out of Jin, Qi, Chu, and Qin: which states supported Zhou and which challenged Zhou?
Why were Qi and Chu more independent than other states?
Did Chu culture disappear after Qin unified China? How do we know?
What are 3 major developments of this era? Why were they good/bad?
The Chuci:
Where was it written (which state)? When was it written (approximately)?
What kind of things does it write about? How is it different from the Shijing?
Can we trust it 100%? Why?
Who is Qu Yuan? What is his story (in brief)?
Warfare:
How did warfare change from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period?
What did these changes in warfare tell us about the changes happening in society in general?
The 100 Schools of Thought:
Why was the Warring States Period called “The 100 Schools of Thought”?
Who were the 7 major philosophers of this era? Did they each really exist / live? Who came first,
later? Who followed (agreed with, learned from) who? Who disagreed with who?
What were their backgrounds (royalty, nobility, poor, unknown) and working positions (teacher,
official, politician, none)? How could these affect their opinions and writings?
What was each of their worldviews (can you describe what they each valued in one word)?
What type or social class of followers did each of them have? What makes their way of thinking
attractive to these followers? What kinds of conditions could change their popularity over time?
What kinds of books did they each write (poetry, essays, conversations, etc.)?
Who wrote their books? Themselves? Followers? Others? How does authorship affect how we can
trust what is in the book?
What were each of their opinions on: Ritual (Li), expenditure (spending $), government service, filial
piety / partiality, learning, Heaven, “The Way”, the ways of the past kings, human nature, rule by
force (law, punishments) vs. virtue (model a good way to live)
Hint: Can fill out the charts we did in class and explain why you answered the way you did?
What did we find at Guodian? Why was Guodian important? What 2 things did it tell us?
The Qin Dynasty
Where was this dynasty located (approximately)? Can you describe it? Would you recognize it on a map?
Why is the Qin dynasty so significant? (it was the first dynasty to…)
Li Si:
What philosophy did he follow? Who was his teacher? Classmate?
Why did he go to Qin? What position did he hold in Qin?
First Emperor of China:
Was King Zheng of the state of Qin before becoming Emperor
What philosophy did he follow?
Two different portraits of the Qin Emperor: What are the two different images of the Qin Emperor?
How do we know about them? Who wrote the records? Which do you believe? Why?
ASIA 110: Introduction to Asia (China)
Instructor: Jennifer Lundin Ritchie
Qin “negatives” and “positives”:
What were the 4 “faults” of the Qin?
Why was the Qin described as a terrible dynasty? What evidence do we have? Do we have evidence
that the Qin was a great/successful dynasty? Who wrote the records? Can we trust them 100%? Why?
What were 3 positive developments of the Qin? How / who did they help?
Seal Script:
How did people write on the seals? How did this affect the shape of the writing?
Why did the Qin dynasty fall? What happened to the First Qin Emperor? To Li Si?
Western Han Dynasty
Where was this dynasty located (approximately)? Can you describe it? Can you recognize it on a map?
Why was it called The “Western” Han?
Who were the two rebel leaders who emerged after the fall of the Qin? How did they compare to each other?
What were they each good at? Who won, out of the two?
Liu Bang (Gaozu):
What was his background? Why was he special? (first person to …)
What philosophy did he follow?
What kind of style of rule did he have? (warlike, aggressive, peaceful, diplomatic, etc)
What kind of international relations did he have?
What problems did he have?
How was the Western Han different / similar to the Zhou, Warring States, and Qin?
What were 3 new innovations (ideas) of the Han? Why are the Mawangdui texts considered so important?
The Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian)
Who wrote it?
When was it written (approximately)?
What kind of things does it write about? How trustworthy is this source of history? Why?
Emperor Wu:
How is his style of rule different than Liu Bang (Gaozu)?
What philosophy did he follow?
What kind of international relations did he have?
What problems did he have? Why did the W Han fall?
Xin Dynasty
Wang Mang:
What philosophy did he follow?
Why did he decide to establish the Xin? Do you think he was a ‘usurper’ or a ‘savior’? Why?
What problems did he have? Why did the Xin fall?
Eastern Han Dynasty
Emperor Guangwu:
How is his rule different than Liu Bang (Gaozu) and Emperor Wu?
What philosophy did he follow?
What problems did he have?
Why did the E Han fall?