Download File - Ancient China

1
Dynasty Timeline
Neolithic Era 3000 - 1500 B.C.



The earliest known Chinese Stone Age culture was the relatively sophisticated
Yang-shao, whose people lived in basic settlements & hunted for game with
carved stone spears.
The succeeding & more advanced Lung-shan culture identified the social
status of the dead by the type & number of precious jade objects & ceramics in
their burial mounds.
Chinese Neolithic pottery, both delicate & durable, was artfully decorated &
served both practical & ritual purposes.
Xai or Hsia (c. 2200-1766BCE)


Most historians believed the Hsia to be a mythical dynasty, but recent
archaeological findings have verified their existence.
Believed to have been Aryans who migrated into the area, & who were able to
conquer the local peoples using their superior weaponry & technology.
Shang (Pronunciation: "shahng") 1523 - 1028 B.C.










1st true dynasty.
Aristocratic government
Writing system still in use today
Agricultural economy
Their cast-bronze weapons gave Shang kings military might.
Armies of thousands whose commanders rode in chariots.
Jade objects increased in religious significance.
Woven silk, glazed ceramics, & lacquer ware 1st appear
developed lunar calendar =12 months of 30 days each
practiced human sacrifice; Shang king died, many of his subjects would join
the ruler in his grave
2
Chou or Zhou (Pronunciation: "joe") 1027 - 256 B.C.










Semi-nomadic people from NW China overthrew the Shang king.
Mandate of Heaven = told the nobles that the gods had decided that the Chou
had the right to rule. The Chou called this the Mandate of Heaven.
Developed a feudal society; rulers appoint nobles to govern smaller parts of an
empire. The nobles divided the land into farms for extended families.
Landholding families were loyal to their nobles & the nobles were in turn loyal
to the Chou rulers.
Chinese culture changed radically during this 770-year period, as power
extended across family lines to create aristocratic cities & principalities;
eventually, these separate states battled for dominance.
Extract iron from rocks & use metal to create powerful weapons.
Taxed their subjects & used wealth collected to build huge walls to defend their
cities from nomadic warriors, roads, irrigation systems & dams.
Two enduring schools of thought-Confucianism and Taoism-evolved & the
Chinese literary tradition began. Legalism also begins.
551 B.C., a man by the name of Kongzi born = Confucius - laid out what he
called ethics = outlined how individuals should treat one another.
Laozi founder Daoism. Taught that a force known as the Dao permeated all
living things. Most important thing an individual could do is to reject the world &
their desires for worldly possessions & power, & commune with nature,
bringing oneself into a state of oneness with the Dao.
Age of Warring States (c.481- 221BCE) -- Local warlords (nobles) became
more powerful than rulers & the Chou Dynasty slowly lost power.
Ch'in or Qin (Pronunciation: "chin") 221 - 206 B.C.









Group of warlords known as the Legalists strengthened state power & control
over the people.
Believed a powerful leader & a stable legal system were needed to create
social order.
Rulers clearly explained their laws to the people—& then strictly enforced them
Tried to suppress all thoughts that disagreed with their philosophy. Ordered all
the books to be burned. People who discussed ideas not approved by the
Legalists faced execution
Dynamic leader named Shih-huang unified the "warring states" of the
preceding era & declared himself China's first emperor.
Buried with him in his tomb were more than 6,000 terra-cotta soldiers & horses.
The first sections of the Great Wall were built; also extensive highway system.
Weights & measures, & the Chinese writing system were unified.
Gave peasant farmers the land they lived on
3
Han (Pronunciation: "hahn") 206 B.C. - 220 A.D.











Led by a peasant whose name was Liu Bang who had grown tired of the brutal
leadership of the Qin Dynasty. He proclaimed that the Qin had lost the
mandate of heaven, or the right to rule the nation
Scholars trained in the teachings of Confucius ran the government.
Recorded the history of their land
Learn of Buddhism.
Military expansion, political centralization, & cultural achievements made this
the first of China's four greatest dynasties.
Invented paper & lead-glazed ceramics, & greatly improved silk-weaving
techniques.
One of the wealthiest & most powerful nations on Earth; achievements would
only be surpassed by the Roman Empire.
Located amidst high mountains & surrounded on many sides by water, China
was isolated from much of the rest of the world. As their civilization flourished &
their wealth increased, they were largely unaware of what advancements were
taking place in the nations around them
Begin outside exploration & hear from nomads of other cultures.
Quest for alliances with foreign powers prompted them to establish an
extensive trade route that extended to the Roman Empire & would become
known as the Silk Road.
Abolished the practice of giving powerful government positions to members of
the royal family. Instituted a series of written exams that anyone could take.
Those who received the highest scores were given posts in the government.
Six Dynasties 220- 586





The wars, plagues, & political instability that characterize this lengthy period
forced the Chinese to question traditional belief systems, especially
Confucianism, & encouraged many to embrace Buddhism & Taoism.
Despite the widespread turmoil, the arts flourished & evolved.
The invention of woodblock printing made it possible to teach the tenets of
Buddhism to the masses.
Poetry, painting, & sculpture became personal modes of expression. Even
penmanship took an artistic turn, as calligraphers perfected increasingly
picturesque styles.
Construction of the Grand Canal was begun by Fu Chai, Duke of Wu, in 486
BCE
4
Sui (Pronunciation: "sway") 581 - 618



First ruled by Yang Jian, a progressive leader & then by his irresponsible son
Building Projects: canals, roads, bridges & buildings; the Great Wall be
repaired & strengthened. Used peasants in a form of forced labor that
resembled slavery.
Unpopular with the peasants, & eventually led to a peasant uprising that would
lead to the overthrowing of the Sui Dynasty in 618 A.D.
T'ang (Pronunciation: "tahng") 618 - 906


Li Yuan proclaim himself emperor.
Strong central government = easily maintain control over his massive kingdom.
Aggressive military & economic expansion
 Peace that lasted during the Tang Dynasty allowed the people to improve their
technologies
 Developed better methods for growing rice, which resulted in greater crop
yields, & allowed the population of China to increase.
 Traffic along the Silk Road was brisk with both import & export trade.
 This new wealth allowed the Chinese capital of Changan to grow into the
largest city in the world at the time, with more than two million inhabitant
 Put so much of their resources into building the capital, that the military
became weaker & less effective
Five Dynasties 907 – 960

Brief & unremarkable in terms of military activity & economic progress.
5
Sung or Song (Pronunciation: "soong") 960 - 1279






960 A.D., a military commander by the name of Zhao Kuangyin took control of
the empire
Considered the third Chinese golden age, this complex dynasty was divided
almost evenly into Northern (960 - 1126) & Southern (1127 - 1279) halves.
Northern (960 - 1126) was a tranquil time characterized by philosophical &
artistic development, political centralization, & economic growth.
Collect taxes to build important public works projects that helped to spur on the
economy of the empire.
Result = new middle class grew; families lived in nice homes & had modest
grounds with gardens, ponds & flowers & spent their free time in restaurants,
markets, sporting events, & viewing dramatic plays
Southern (1127 – 1279) 1234 A.D., nomadic invaders from the North known as
the Mongols invaded China. By 1279 A.D., they were able to completely
overthrow the Song Dynasty.
Yuan (Pronunciation: "yoo-EN") 1280 - 1365




Mongol invader Genghis Khan & his hordes conquered much of Asia, including
China.
Grandson Kublai Khan established this dynasty, during which the Mongols
reopened & expanded overland trade routes linking China, Central Asia, & the
Mediterranean.
Venetian merchant Marco Polo spent 17 years exploring this exotic outpost,
where he was surprised to discover advances as yet unheard of in Italy.
1330s, Mongol Empire suffering from the Black Death - the bubonic plague.
Millions of people died in China. The plague made it hard to keep the empire
together.


1350s, a revolutionary movement called the Red Turbans became active
in northern China & under the leadership of Chu Yuan-chang gradually
conquered China, & threw out the Mongols.
In 1368 AD Chu Yuan-chang declared himself emperor of China, under
6
the name Hung-wu, & then he finally captured the Mongol capital at
Beijing, starting the Ming Dynasty.
Ming 1368 – 1644

The last of the outstanding dynasties, the Ming was vibrant during its first half
but racked with internal discord during its second.
 Scores of workers constructed the renowned Forbidden City, an imperial
palace of staggering proportions & opulence. Took 15 years & over 1 million
workers to complete
 Great Wall was almost completely rebuilt
 Grand Canal was rebuilt during this time. This had a significant impact on trade
& helped the economy to flourish.
 Ming leaders revived a sense of cultural identity & respect for traditional
artifacts & craftsmanship.
 Creation of an army of one million soldiers & a very large navy.
 Focus on China's farmland & agricultural economy & result, China's agriculture
became a booming industry
 End due to a number of factors: affect the Little Ice Age had on crops. The
climate became too dry & too cold for crops to grow properly, resulting in
hungry Chinese citizens, sense of rebellion that began to grow among the
soldiers & people, silver currency that the country had become dependent
upon as the main type of money in the country began to decline & invasions
from outside forces, brought about the end of the Ming Dynasty.
Ch'ing or Qing (Pronunciation: "ching") 1644 - 1912









Came from a region of northeast China called Manchuria
Last Chinese dynasty began on a positive note, but ended disastrously.
Used their military forces to extend their empire outward, conquering Mongolia,
Taiwan, Tibet, & much of the territory in western Asia that had long been
inhabited by nomads
Manchurian leaders adopted the beliefs & traditions of the Chinese, integrating
themselves into their culture. Qing emperors lowered taxes, & promoted a
number of public works projects to improve the lives of the people they ruled.
public works projects & improved farming techniques under the Qing Dynasty
allowed the population to explode, reaching more than 300 million, making
China the most populous nation on Earth
China Establishes Ties with Europe
Weak rulers who were unable to stop other nations from interfering with China.
1700s the Qing Dynasty began a long slow decline. As the population of China
grew, it became more difficult to rule them. Leaders in the government raised
taxes & kept the money for themselves. The peasants became poorer, while
the wealthy became richer.
1850, a revolt known as the Taiping Rebellion greatly weakened the Qing
Dynasty, & led to their being overthrown a few decades later
7
Republic of China 1912 – 1949
 On 1 January 1912, the Republic of China was established, and Sun Yat-sen)
was proclaimed provisional president.
 The presidency was later given to Yuan Shikai, a former Qing general who in
1915 proclaimed himself Emperor of China. In the face of popular
condemnation and opposition from his own Beiyang Army, he was forced to
abdicate and reestablish the republic.[64]
 After Yuan Shikai's death in 1916, China was politically fragmented. Its Beijingbased government was internationally recognized but virtually powerless;
regional warlords controlled most of its territory
The People's Republic of China 1949 – Present

Major combat in the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949 with the Communist
Party in control of most of mainland China, and the Kuomintang retreating
offshore, reducing the ROC's territory to only Taiwan, Hainan, and their
surrounding islands. On 1 October 1949, Communist Party Chairman Mao
Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China