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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 geography and staple crops:
Geography of China by area: mountains, lowlands, deserts, jungles, etc.
Staple crops by area: What is 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?
Who writes history? What are their biases? (conscious? unconscious?) What are their motivations for writing
the way they did?
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?
Where were their remains found (roughly)? Can you describe it? Would you recognize it on a map?
What did we find?
What can what we found tell us about them?
Why is studying them important?
Neolithic Humans:
Three major groups: Yangshao, Longshan, Erlitou
How long ago did they live?
Which group was oldest? Newest?
Where were they living (approximately)? Can you describe it? Would you recognize it on a map?
What kind of things did we find?
What can what we found tell us about them?
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 pattern do we notice when looking at the “history” of the endings and beginnings of dynasties?
Why does this pattern happen?
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? Would you recognize it on a map?
What kind of people were they? (e.g. Warlike? Peaceful? Sophisticated? Primitive?)
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?
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?
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?
How did drinking from these bronzes affect the type of people the Shang were? Why?
Chariots:
Where did they come from? What were they used for?
What can they tell us about the Shang people?
Why did the Shang dynasty fall to the Zhou? How do we know this? Do you recognize this pattern from
previous dynasties? Do we have any reason to doubt this story?
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 writing 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 (approximately)?
What kind of things does it write about?
Can we trust it 100%? Why?
The Shang Shu (Book of History):
When was it written (approximately)?
What kind of things does it write about?
Can we trust it 100%? Why?
The Yijing (Book of Changes):
When was it written (approximately)?
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?
Where was this dynasty located (approximately)? Can you describe it? Would 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?
What are 3 major developments of this era? Why were they good/bad?
The Chuci:
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? Why?
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? Who came first, later? Who followed who? Who
disagreed with who?
Did they each really exist / live?
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 (what did they value)?
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 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 chart we did in class and explain why you answered the way you did?
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?
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 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? 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?
Western Han Dynasty
Where was this dynasty located (approximately)? Can you describe it? Would 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 Qin?
How was the Western Han different / similar to the Warring States?
What were 3 new innovations of the Han?
The Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian)
Who wrote it?
When was it written (approximately)?
What kind of things does it write about?
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?
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 W Han fall?