Download Life in Ancient China

Life in Ancient China
Life in Ancient ChinaAristocrats
• Families owned large estates
• Estates didn’t remain large for very long, they
were divided among the male children
• Houses were large and decorated with silk wall
hangings and fine furniture
• Houses were surrounded by walls to keep out
bandits and for protection during wars
• Relied on farmers to grow their crops that made
them rich
Life in Ancient China- Farmers
• 9 out of 10 Chinese were farmers
• Lived in simple homes inside village walls
• Grains grown in northern China and rice in
southern China
• Paid for use of aristocrats land by giving
them a large part of their harvest
• Most had a small piece of land to feed their
families
Life in China- Farmers
• Paid taxes and worked one month a year
building roads or working on large
government projects
• In wartime the farmers also served as
soldiers
Life in China- Merchants
• Shopkeepers, traders , artisans and bankers
were in this class
• Became quite rich, but were looked down
upon by aristocrats and farmers( not a
honorable profession)
• Couldn’t hold government jobs, government
officials couldn’t be concerned with money
Chinese Family
• Basic building block of society and was
considered very important
• All members worked in the fields to
produce more for the family
• Older sons raised their own crops and
provided for their parents
• Families cared for the aged, the young and
the sick
Chinese family
• Practiced filial piety
– Had to respect their parents and all older
relatives
– Family members placed the needs and desires
of the head of the household above their own
needs
– Head of the household was the oldest male
usually the father
Role of men and women
• Men
–
–
–
–
Respected because they grew the crops
Went to school
Fought in wars
Ran the government
• Women
– Raised the children and ran the household
– Worked in the fields
Chinese Thinkers
• Zhou dynasty was weakened around 500BC
• States began attacking each other
• People were looking for ways to restore
order
• Between 500BC and 200BC Chinese
thinkers developed three theories about how
to create a peaceful society
Confucianism
• Confucius was ancient China’s first great thinker
and teacher
• Believed people needed a sense of duty, put the
needs of the family and community before one’s
own needs
• Each person owed a duty to another person
–
–
–
–
Parents owed their love to their children
Children owed parents honor
Husbands owed wives support
Wives owed husbands obedience
Confucianism
• Above all rulers had to set good examples
• Rule for the common good and his subjects
would respect him and society would do
well
• If all did their duty, society would prosper
• Urged people to seek knowledge and to do
good
Confucianism
• Behavior should follow a simple rule:
“measure the feelings of others by one’s
own”, for “within the four seas all men are
brothers”( Golden Rule)
Daoism
• Promotes a peaceful society, based on the
teachings of Laozi( the old master)
• People should give up all worldly desires
• Turn to nature and the Dao ( the force that guides
all things)
• Give up concerns about the world and seek inner
peace
• Live in harmony with nature and respect it always
Legalism
• Developed by a scholar named Hanfeizi
• Believed humans were naturally evil
• Argued for a system of strict laws to bring
peace to society
• Harsh laws and strict punishments would
force the people to do their duty
• A strong ruler was needed to enforce the
laws