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Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________ Empires of China and India Section 1 MAIN IDEA The Qin and Han dynasties created strong centralized governments that unified China and shaped Chinese civilization for thousands of years to follow. Key Terms and People Shi Huangdi “first emperor,” title the Qin ruler gave himself when he unified China Legalism a political philosophy that taught that a powerful and efficient state was the key to control and order Liu Bang founder of the Han dynasty who defeated Qin forces in 206 BC Wudi greatest Han ruler, brought the dynasty to new heights from 141 to 187 BC civil service a system in which passing an exam is required to obtain government jobs Xiongnu nomads who lived in the steppe, or grasslands, north of China and posed the biggest military threat to the Han dynasty under Emperor Wudi Taking Notes As you read the summary, take notes in the graphic organizer like the one below. Record the key people, events, and policies of each dynasty. Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor. Full Survey Chapter 8 87 Interactive Reader and Study Guide Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________ Empires of China and India Section 1 Section Summary THE QIN DYNASTY After the decline of the Zhou dynasty in the 300s BC, local warlords battled for control of China. This was known as the Warring States period. It ended in 221 BC when the state of Qin (CHIN) on China’s western frontier defeated the other states and unified China. The first ruler of the new Chinese empire took the title Shi Huangdi (SHEE hwahng-dee), which means “first emperor.” He boasted that the Qin dynasty would last a very long time. He made some changes to ensure that his predictions would come true. First, he instituted a system of Legalism. This political philosophy taught that a powerful and efficient state was the key to control and order. Shi Huangdi led by force, not virtuous example, as previous emperors had. He believed people were bad by nature, and so punishment for even minor crimes was severe. He also made the government stronger by taking land from powerful nobles and making them move to the capital, where he could watch them. He seized and destroyed the people’s weapons and split China into 36 districts. These were controlled by officials who were loyal to the emperor, not the noble families. The Qin dynasty’s rule unified China. Shi Huangdi standardized China’s laws, writing, coins, weights and measures, and even the width of axles on carts traveling its roads. He made improvements in building, crop irrigation, transportation, and trade. Peasants had to pay heavy taxes to fund these projects and often were forced to work on them. Shi Huangdi protected the new empire from invaders, especially the fierce nomads who came from the north to raid the frontier. The Qin army pushed out these tribes along with others to the south. Then Shi Huangdi had peasants work hard, for years, to connect defensive walls already in place in the north. They formed one Great Wall, which was later rebuilt and extended to form the structure still found there today. In the end, Shi Huangdi’s harsh policies were the Qin dynasty’s downfall. After Shi Huangdi died in 210 BC, his dynasty quickly fell apart. In 206 BC a Underline the ways in which the Qin dynasty united China. Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor. Full Survey Chapter 8 88 Interactive Reader and Study Guide Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________ Empires of China and India Section 1 rebel leader named Liu Bang (lee-OO-bang) defeated the Qin forces and founded the Han dynasty. THE HAN DYNASTY The Han dynasty is one of the greatest in Chinese history, ruling China for more than 400 years. Liu Bang gained the support of the people by softening many of Qin’s harsh Legalist policies and lowering taxes. He gave large blocks of land to his supporters. The government became more stable with the addition of a large bureaucracy, or ranked body of officials. After Liu Bang’s death in 195 BC, his young son became king but his mother, Empress Lü, ruled in his place until he was older. She worked to keep her family’s power until her death, when a group of officials and princes seized the throne and had the whole Lü family killed. Such power struggles were a common part of many later Chinese dynasties. The greatest of the Han rulers was Wudi (WOOdee), who ruled from 141 to 187 BC. He promoted economic growth by building new roads and canals to make trade easier. To raise money, Wudi controlled the nation’s salt, iron, and alcohol trades. To limit threats to his rule, he took power and land from large landowners, and placed limits on merchants so they could not become too wealthy. Wudi ran the government based on Confucian values such as loyalty to the emperor. He established a civil service system which made people pass a test in order to get government jobs. This system was used until 1912. Because of his military successes, Wudi was called the Martial Emperor. He defeated the Xiongnu (sheeUNG-noo), nomadic raiders who lived in the grasslands north of China. Wudi expanded the Chinese empire to the northeast, south, and west, and opened up important trading routes with other civilizations. Battles for power, weak rulers, instability, and high taxes that caused debt and poverty for many peasants eventually weakened the Han dynasty. In 184 a Daoist sect called the Yellow Turbans rebelled. The central government lost power to local warlords and nomads destroyed the cities. The 350 years that followed are called the Period of Division. What strategies did Liu Bang use to gain support for his rule? _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ How did Empress Lü gain control of China? _______________________ _______________________ Which of the Han dynasty rulers established the civil service system in China? How long was the system used? _______________________ _______________________ Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor. Full Survey Chapter 8 89 Interactive Reader and Study Guide