Download Sean santoscoy and josh music*s history notes

Sean and Josh’s History Notes Chapter 4
History Chapter 4
Ancient Chinese Culture
SECTION 1!!!!!!
GEOGRAPHY:
 4 mountain ranges: Altai Mountains, Himalayas, Kunlun Mountains, Qiling
Shandi Mountains
 2 Deserts: Taklamakan Desert, Gobi Desert
 1 plateau: Tibetan Plateau
 Yellow River Valley (north)– 1st place where there was a gathered civilization
in China
 Yangtze River Valley (south)














Yellow River Valley
2,900 miles long
Climate in the river valley ranges from long cold winters to short hot
summers. In the spring, dust storms sweep across the valley.
The valley has extraordinarily fertile yellow soil called loess (pronounced
less)
So much of the loess washes into the river that the Yellow River is known as
the muddiest in the world
As a result, the Yellow River often produces massive floods that destroy
everything in its path, causing the Chinese to call it “China’s Sorrow”
China’s Isolations
Like India, the geography of China resulted in it being isolated from the West
Great distances to travel, being surrounded by mountains and deserts,
resulted in China having its own distinct culture-giving them a sense of
superiority
Thus, they fought hard to maintain their distinctiveness and did not mingle
with others
This created a mistrust of, and even hatred for strangers
This in turn resulted in a CLOSED SOCIETY
In a closed society, Chinese leaders had greater control over the population
China’s Dynasties
China began, and was led for thousands of years (from 1750 B.C. to 1912
A.D.), by dynasties
Dynasties were formed when a military leader defeated another leader in
battle. The victor became the leader of China, and his family would rule
through heredity until overthrown by another leader.
DYNASTIC CYCLE: peace, expansion + power  neglect selfishness decline
Sean and Josh’s History Notes Chapter 4
Guy in charge takes advantage, and smaller people get angry, team up
and go after the “leader”, and then the new leader does the same thing
SECTION 2!!!!!!
The Shang Dynasty
Chinese Legends
1. Pangu
 The first man who worked for 18,000 years to create the universe
2. Yu
 Drained away the floodwaters so people could live in China
 Established a line of kings called the Xia (pronounced shah). The Xia
people actually did exist and some believe they were the first dynast.
The Shang Dynasty began along the Yellow River sometime between 1750 and 1500
B.C.
The Shang people were not indigenous – they were invaders. Neither archaeologists
nor historians know from where they originated.
They introduced irrigation and flood control systems to their people, which helped
them to control the region
As a result of frequent floods, or possible desiring a better location to defend them,
the Shang moved their capital many times
The Shang’s military was very strong, and dominated the region – expanding the
Shang Empire and spreading the Shang culture
Shang Dynasty Contributions
 Silk
 Ceramic art/pottery
 Bronze Sculptures
 Calendars that noted the best times for planting and harvesting crops
 Written Language
 Calligraphy
Shang Dynasty Religion
 Animism – The belief that spirits inhabit everything
 Dragons – from the all-powerful dragon that lived in the seas and rivers and
could rise into the clouds, to the dragons that fought in the heavens causing
thunderstorms and rain
 Gods of the wind, sun, clouds, and moon
Sean and Josh’s History Notes Chapter 4



Their principal god was Shang Ti, who controlled mankind’s’ destiny
Priests played an important role in Shang religion, working as priesastronomers, foretelling the future, learning the wishes of the spirits
(especially the spirits of their ancestors), counseling the Emperor, etc
The priest wrote their questions on oracle bones (the shoulder bones of
cattle or bottoms of tortoise shells), and used the pattern of cracks to
interpret the answers
The Fall of the Shang Dynast
 The final Shang emperor, Zi (later called Zhou), exhausted his kingdom with
wars against nomads from the north and east
 Every dynasty involves war
 Zi also failed to guard the northwest frontier, where a powerful tribe called
the Zhou led a rebellion and ultimately conquered the Shang.
Dynastic Cycles!
Warrior  Emperor
SECTION 3!!!!
Zhou, Qin and Han Dynasties
China Becomes a Large and Powerful Nation
Zhoa Dynasty
 The Zhou led a rebellion against the Shang in 1122 B.C.
 The Zhou Dynasty lasted 900 years – the most enduring of the Chinese
dynasties
 First 400 years were strong, last 500 were very weak
 They continued many aspects of the Shang culture (continuity)
 Zhou rulers called themselves the Sons of Heaven
 They believed the gods determined who should rule China, a concept known
as the Mandate of Heaven, which obligated them to keep the gods happy
 They kept the gods happy by performing religious rites (ceremonies) to
ensure the fertility of the soil and control of the rivers
 The Zhou believed that when usurpers (rebels) overthrew a dynasty, that
dynasty had lost its Mandate of Heaven
 They used copper coins as money
 They introduced iron tools and plow to transform Chinese agriculture, which
is probably their greatest contribution to Chinese culture
 These developments caused the Chinese population to increase steadily
 After conquering the Shang state, the Zhou rulers did NOT set up a
centralized government. Instead, the Zhou kings gave territories to their
family and friends to rule
 Yet by 800 B.C., the Zhou kings were losing control of these territories
Sean and Josh’s History Notes Chapter 4




















In 771 B.C., an invading force destroyed the Zhou capital. The Zhou Dynasty
survived only by fleeing eastward along the Yellow River Valley and
establishing a new capital further down the river
This << Eastern Zhou Dynasty >> as it was called, lasted another 500 years,
yet without its former strength
As a result, new states in China began to war against one another – known as
the Warring States
With the Zhou power declining rapidly, they lost control of all territories
except the territory within a small city-state
One of the Warring States, the Qin (pronounced chin), emerged victorious
over all others
Qin Dynasty
The Qin came to power in 221 B.C. through their military strength, led by Shi
Huangdi whose name means first emperor
They ended up controlling as much larger area than previous dynasties,
expanding to the north and south of the Yellow River Valley
Although their dynasty did not last long, they are credited with unifying
China under a centralized government for the first time in history. The name
China comes from the word Qin
They created the first Chinese empire with Standardized weights, measures,
coinage and uniform written language
Huangdi divided the country into military districts ruled by governors who
used strict military discipline to control the population
Huangdi also established the Code of Qin, which replaced conflicting local
laws with a uniform set of laws, as well as a single system of taxation
During the Qin Dynasty, in order to guard against invasions from the north
Huangdi began connecting existing smaller walls into a much larger, stronger
wall, which eventually became the Great Wall of China
The Qin maintained order by establishing an autocracy, in which the emperor
held total power
Books the emperor believed were unacceptable were banned or burned
People were placed into forced labor
A growing unrest began to tear apart the empire in 206 B.C.
Shi Huangdi died during the revolts in 210 B.C., and his tomb, uncovered in
A.D. 1974, revealed a vast army of 6,000 life-sized Terra Cotta (clay) soldiers
and horses
Han Dynasty
A commoner named Liu Bang, rose to power during the Qin unrest as a
military general, and eventually overthrew the Qin in 202 B.C.
The new dynasty took on the name that had been taken by Liu Bang – King of
Han
Unlike the Qin, the Han Dynasty was less oppressive. It lasted for nearly 400
years.
Sean and Josh’s History Notes Chapter 4








The longest-lasting Han emperor was Wu Di, who expanded Chinese
territory into present day Manchuria, Korea, Southwest and Central Asia
Building on a foundation laid by the Qin, the Han dynasty established a civil
service system to take care of the day-to-day business of the empire
(basically they do the jobs that Mexicans do, but they do a good job)
Wu Di also began an economic policy known as leveling, in which
government officials were given the authority to level or even our years of
surplus or shortages
Wu Di fought fierce battles with nomadic people from Central and Eastern
Asia who threatened the empire
As a result of the battles, Wu Di established what historians call the Pax
Sinica, or Chinese Peace
During this season of peace, trade prospered throughout Asia, all the way to
the Mediterranean region along the Silk Road
During this season the population grew to nearly 60 million people
The Han Dynasty capital of Chang-an became a large, imposing city where
merchants traded goods from Asia and Europe – including an important
Chinese contribution to the world, paper
SECTION 4!!!!
Philosophies of China
Turmoil Leads to a Search for Harmony
Yin and Yang Life in Balance
 Yin = Female, Dark, Passive
 Yang = Male, Bright, Active
 These compliment rather than conflict with one another, creating harmony.
Such balance is a key element of Chinese culture and religion
Confucianism
 Kong Fuzi (known in the West as Confucius), lived during the Zhou Dynasty
 Raised in poverty, he managed to obtain a good education and eventually
became a teacher and writer
 Over time, his followers wrote down his ideas and teachings into a collection
called The Analects, which became known as Confucianism
 Confucianism had a greater influence on Chinese culture than any other
philosophy
 Confucianism is not about religion, but instead about three basic concepts:
o Importance of the family
o Respect for one’s elders
o Reverence for the past and for one’s ancestors
 Confucius wanted to end the political chaos of his time
 He taught that governments should be moral examples for people to follow
Sean and Josh’s History Notes Chapter 4

He taught that everyone should accept a proper role in society and perform
those duties well
Daoism
 Loazi (pronounced loud-zoo), who also lived during the Zhou Dynasty
founded a philosophy knows as Daoism
 “Dao” means “way of nature” and refers to a force that governs the universe
 According to Loazi, the only was to understand Dao was to withdraw from
the world and contemplate nature
 Thus, Daoism teaches that people should not strive for riches or power
 Daoism teaches instead that we should be quiet thoughtful, and humble
 Daoism appealed to peasants and farmers who worked closely with the land,
as well as artists and poets
Legalism
 Very different from Confucianism and Daoism, Legalism concerned itself
primarily with politics
 In Legalism, power and harsh control were the keys to success
 The first Qin emperor, Shi Huangdi, followed this philosophy…probably to his
demise
Buddhism
 Originated in India, and was brought to China by Buddhist missionaries
during the Han Dynast
 It was particularly popular among peasants, and a branch of Buddhism
Known as Mahayana Buddhism became dominant in China, Japan and Korea
 Mahayana Buddhism emphasized worship of the Buddha as a savior who was
committed to helping people escape the miseries of the world and achieve
nirvana
 This form of Buddhism also emphasized charity and compassion
SECTION 5!!






Family and Social Life
Ancient Chinese culture centered on the values of Confucianism:
o Reverence for one’s family
o Respect for one’s elders
o Acceptance of decisions made by one’s superiors
These values permeated (influenced every aspect of Chinese life
(government, economy, education, literature, science, etc.)
The father was the absolute authority in the family, and the older he was the
more he was respected
Chinese families kept meticulous (detailed) genealogies of their ancestor
Families traditionally built altars in their homes where they would bring
offerings of food to honor their ancestors
The father also…
Sean and Josh’s History Notes Chapter 4





o Arranged marriages for his children and grandchildren
o Decided on the level of education his sons would receive
o Chose his son’s careers
Women were subordinate (in submission to) their husbands, and to men in
general
Women owned no property
Were forced to marry men they often did not know
However…
o Chinese society taught great respect for mother and mother-in-law
o Within the household, married women help much power
o Mothers were particularly respected when they bore a son
The vast majority of Chinese were peasant farmers who had to contend with
both nature and government
Literature – The Five Classics
1. The Book of Rite
2. The Book of Poetry
3. The Book of History
4. The Spring and Autumn Annals
5. The Book of Divination
Science and Tech
 Chinese calendar with 365 ¼ days in a year
 Discovery of sunspots
 Armillary Sphere to study the planets
 Seismograph to detect and measure earthquakes
 Sundial, water clock, printing process
 Acupuncture
50 multiple choice
1 Map
a few fill ins
6 chap synthesis
720 points
Q: what is the Fertile Crescent?
A: tigris-euphrates river
Sean and Josh’s History Notes Chapter 4
THIS REVIEW GUIDE IS $9.95 PER PRINT… PLEASE BRING THE MONEY ON FRIDAY
…jk