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Class Notes: Name: If there was no class lecture this week, write a paragraph about what you learned and/or questions about what you didn’t understand. Class: Period: Date: Topic: China Questions/Main Ideas: Notes: China: Dynasties of Power Shang Dynasty 1700-1027 B.C. 1700 years before Christ 1000s slaughtered by royal decree 1928 discoveries near Anyang Royal tombs w/ headless skeletons leading up ramps age legends proved fact Bronze Oracle bones – tortoise shells with written Shang emperors claimed to rule with the authority of gods and ancestors [Mandate of Heaven] Offered ancestors/gods meat and wine in bronze ceremonial vessels Bronze casting [using clay molds] becomes high art Fu Hao, the consort of Wu Ding, is given credit for his many successes In peace she is a supporter of religion and art In war she is a victorious general When she dies he mourns her for the rest of his life [reference Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal] By 1000 BCE the Shang were weakened by a fondness for alcohol. The high lead content of their bronze vessels may also have played a part Summary Site at Sanxingdui Bronze human-form art sacrificed instead of people One when reassembled was over nine feet tall Statues came with clothing and masks Summary Zhou /jō/ Western Zhou 1027-771 B.C. E. Eastern Zhou 770-221 B.C E. 1000 years before Christ 300 years before Rome Capital at Xian Emperor Wu first system of justice for the common man example: a man convicted of slandering [speaking false words about] his master was sentenced to have his crime tattooed on his face but the sentence was reduced to 500 lashes and a fine of 500 pieces of bronze Summary Warring States Period Circa 481 – 221 B.C.E. Seven most powerful states fought for control with armies numbering in the 1000s The crossbow and superior metal weapons date from this period Psychological warfare was used Example: convicts were forced to commit suicide in front of the opposing troops—the shock was so great they were easily defeated by advancing regular troops Beautiful bronze temple bells were created using the Metal of enemy weapons Jade symbolized power and majesty of noble ranks Summary Qin /chĭn/ 221-207 B.C.E. The Qin are sometimes called the Ch'in, which is probably where the name China originated. Their leader named himself the First Emperor, or Shi Huangdi [Qin Shi Huangdi] Developed agriculture on a massive scale: canals, dams, and waterways transformed central China Min river diverted to create lush farms [the size of Connecticut] fed civilian and military population Qin Shi Huangdi As a prince, his advisors convinced him all the land was his for the taking. He used his large army (half a million soldiers) to unite China Soldiers could buy status with enemy heads Estimates are that 2/3s of the enemy population of the opposing states was destroyed China Once the entire population was under his authority he began to set a bureaucracy in place to govern and began massive building projects The Great Wall In response to the intrusions by the Xiongnu people from the north, he ordered the building of a new wall to connect the remaining fortifications along the empire's new northern frontier. Transporting the large quantity of materials required for construction was difficult, so builders always tried to use local resources. Stones from the mountains were used over mountain ranges, while rammed earth was used for construction in the plains. There are no surviving historical records indicating the exact length and course of the Qin Dynasty walls. Folk Tale Legend of Meng Jiang Nu In the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. 206 B.C.), a young man named Fanqi Liang escaped from the Great Wall construction site and hid in a private garden where he came across the owner’s pretty daughter. They fell in love and got married. Unfortunately, Fanqi Liang was found, captured and returned to the construction site. Meng Jiang Nü waited day and night for her husband. Winter came but Fanqi Liang failed to return. Meng Jiang Nü sewed some warm clothes to take to her husband. She arrived at the construction site but Fanqi Liang was nowhere to be found. She was then informed that Fanqi Liang had died and his body was built into the Great Wall. Meng Jiang Nü stayed by the wall and wept for days and nights. Deeply moved by the girl’s bitter weeping, a 400 kilometer section of the Great Wall collapsed and exposed the bones and bodies of many dead men. Meng Jiang Nü cut her fingers and dripped her blood on the dead until her blood flowed into one. Knowing that this was her husband, she buried him and then drowned herself. This is a wide spread legend about the Great Wall. Plays and operas based on the story have been popular through the ages in all parts of China. Temples have been built in her memory. Reflect on the story – How does Meng Jiang Nü compare with Penelope? Bureaucracy Feudal Landed Nobility eliminated – private armies disbanded Remaining nobles required to live at court [not unlike France under Louis XIV – le Roi du Soleil] Political enemies purged All power and financial capacity controlled by the Central government Built 5000 miles of roads [all a standard width] Used civil service exam for placement and promotion Standardization Road and axel width [so all used the same ruts] Passports within and from outside the empire Currency [round coins with square holes] Written language Censorship Scholars were thrown in a pit [buried alive] and their books burned for disagreement with imperial policy/point of view Reflection – how are these reforms still affecting China today? Tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi Qin Shi Huangdi designed a massive structure that may have required the labor of 700,000 convicts and took years to complete One of the first projects the young king accomplished while he was alive was the construction of his own tomb. In 215 BCE Qin Shi Huang ordered General Meng Tian with 300,000 men to begin construction. Other sources suggested he ordered 720,000 non-paid laborers to build his tomb to specification. The main tomb containing the emperor has yet to be opened and there is evidence suggesting that it remains relatively intact. Sima Qian's description of the tomb includes replicas of palaces and scenic towers, 100 rivers made with mercury, representations of 'the heavenly bodies', and crossbows rigged to shoot anyone who tried to break in. Modern archaeologists have located the tomb, and have inserted probes deep into it. The probes revealed abnormally high quantities of mercury, some 100times the naturally occurring rate, suggesting at least part of the legend can be trusted. Secrets were maintained, as most of the workmen who built the tomb were killed. Qin Shi Huangdi died in 210 B.C. E. 15 years of chaos and a change in dynasty followed Summary Han Dynasty 206 BCE – 220 CE Emperor Wu Di sent an embassy [ led by Jhang Chen] to negotiate with his Northern neighbors —treaties designed to pit one against another Chen was captured, escaped west and reached Afghanistan—amazed to find Chinese goods (especially silk) in the markets there Chen returned (after being given up as dead) 10 years later to report his findings Silk Road – goods traveled between China and Rome The second Roman Emperor (Tiberius) set legal limits on the amount of silk any one Person/family could own Changsha Mawangdui Han Tomb Discovered 1971 Packed in clay and (5 tons) of charcoal Grave goods 100 silk garments (one weighs 2 ounces) included such weave types as sha, luo, jiun, min, qi, lacquer ware & dishes musical instruments furniture military impliments Lady Xin Zhu Suffered tuberculosis, ruptured disk, parasites Died at @ age 50 of a heart attack Reflection – what did researchers learn about Han China from the tomb? The Terracotta Army Qin Shi Huangdi commanded an army of clay Soldiers to guard his tomb (4 pits to the East) 1000’s of artisans worked for decades to complete The replica of the Qin army (600,000 soldiers) Though the bodies were mass produced, every head is unique—sculpted to be the twin of a particular soldier Soldiers were placed in battle formation 38 column marching order Side and rear guard faces outward from the larger formation Each soldier is armed with working weapons metal pieces were chrome plated to resist corrosion (10,000 retrieved thus far) 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses Some figures were damaged in the riots after The death of Qin Shi Huangdi and not all of the Soldiers still have their weapons Summary Reflection – What lessons about modern China can be learned from looking at ancient China?