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Chinese Civilization
By: Daniela Alexandre, Sabrina
Anderson, Spencer Colvin, Kiara Finley,
Greg Lecomte, and Jasmine Lester
Social Structure
• Tang Dynasty class system was founded by Emperor
Gaozu on June 18, 618.
• Significant development in art, literature, particularly
poetry and technology.
• Buddhism became the prominent religion and was
adopted by the imperial family.
• Tang Dynasty was a strong centralized government with
efficient policies. The government was organized in six
ministries.
• From about 860 the Tang Dynasty began to decline due to
a former subject Kingdom of Nan zoo.
Political/ Rulers
• Qin Shi Huangdi- the 1st Emperor of a unified China who ruled form 246BC
to 210 BC. In his 35 year reign, he manages to create magnificent and
enormous construction project. He caused incredible cultural and
intellectual growth, and much destruction within China. Was on of the
most important rulers in Chinese history.
• Mandate of Heaven- a traditional Chinese philosophical concept
concerning the legitimate rule from divine approval, unlike divine right if
Kings, the Mandate of the Heaven is predicated on the conduct of the
ruler in question. Postulated that heaven (Tian) would bless the authority
of a just ruler. Does not require that a legitimate ruler be of noble birth.
The Mandate of Heaven was the idea that the Emperor was favored by
Heaven to rule over China. The Mandate of Heaven was created by the
Chinese philosopher Mencius, during the Period of Warring States.
Political/ Rulers
•
Dynastic cycle- An important theory in Chinese history. According to the theory,
every dynasty goes through a cultural cycle.
– The cycle
1.A new ruler unites China, founds a new dynasty, and gains the Mandate of
Heaven.[1]
2.China, under the new dynasty, achieves prosperity.[2]
3.The population increases.[2]
4.Corruption becomes rampant in the imperial court, and the empire begins to
enter decline and instability.[2]
5.A natural disaster wipes out farm land. The disaster normally would not have
been a problem; however, together with the corruption and overpopulation it
causes famine6.The famine causes the population to rebel and a civil war ensues.]
7.The ruler loses the Mandate of Heaven.
8.The population decreases because of the violence
9.China goes through a warring states period.
10.One state emerges victorious
11.The state starts a new empire
12.The empire gains the Mandate of Heaven
(The cycle repeats itself)
Political/ Rulers
• Han dynasty- 2nd imperial Dynasty of china preceded by Qin
Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms. Founded by the
rebel leader Lui Bang. Interrupted by Xin Dynast. Ruled from 206
to 220 BC by Lw Pong the 1st Han emperor. The Han period saw
the beginning of the disgusting features of the Chinese functional
and state system. The Dynasty attained its greatest territorial
expanse under the emperor Wuti who expanded the Han power.
The Han dynasty is regarded as one of the greatest and most
successful Chinese dynasties. The Han emperors ruled with an
emphasis on tradition and order, setting the tone for more than
2000 years of imperial rule.
Religion/Faith
-Buddhism
• Buddhism was developed out of the same period of the religious questioning that
helped mold modern Hinduism and Jainism.
• The Founder: Siddhartha Guatama
• Date of Birth: 563 B.C.
• Siddhartha was born into a noble family in Kapilavastu, Nepal
• His father isolated him as a child from old age, sickness, ugliness, and death .
• There was a prophecy that if he stayed at home he was destined to become a world
ruler, and if he left home he would become a spiritual ruler.
• Out of curiosity, Siddhartha ventured outside of the palace four times at the age of 29.
• He saw an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and a wandering holy man who seemed to
be at peace with himself.
• Siddhartha spent his life searching religious truth put an end to life’s suffering.
• Spent six year wandering through the forests of India in search of enlightenment.
• He spent 49 days under a fig tree in mediation and from then on he became the
“Buddha” meaning “the enlightened one”.
Religion/Faith
• Buddha came up with the Four Noble Truths:
• 1st Noble Truth: Life is filled with suffering and sorrow
• 2nd Noble Truth: The cause of suffering is people’s selfish desire for the
temporary pleasures of the world.
• 3rd Noble Truth: The way to end all suffering is to end all desires.
• 4th Noble Truth: The way to overcome such desires and attain
enlightenment is to follow the Eightfold path, which is called the Middle
Way between desires and self-denial.
Religion/Faith
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-Confucianism
China moved away from its ancient values of social order, harmony, and respect for authority.
China’s most influential scholar was Confucius
Born 551 B.C.
Confucius led a scholarly life, studying and teaching history , music, and moral character.
Believed that social order, harmony, and good government could be restored in China
The FIVE basic relationships:
-The relationship between ruler and subject
-The relationship between father and son
-The relationship between husband and wife
-The relationship between older brother and younger brother
-The relationship between friend and friend
Children were stressed to practice filial piety
-Devoting oneself to one’s parents during their lifetimes
Confucius became minister of justice
Confucianism was never a religion, but it was a ethical foundation for China’s government.
Religion/Faith
-Daoism
• Daoism was formed by a Chinese thinker named Laozi
• He lived during the sixth century B.C.
• Believed that a universal force called the Dao (dow) – “the
way”, guides all things
• Believed that of all the creatures of nature, only humans failed
to follow Dao
• The study of Daoism led its followers to pursue scientific
studies
• Daoists made many contributions to sciences of alchemy,
astronomy, and medicine
Religion/Faith
-Legalism
• Founded by Hanfeizi and Li Si
• Believed that a highly efficient and powerful
government was the key to restoring order in society
• Punishment s are useful to maintain social order
• Thinkers and their actions should be strictly
controlled by the government
• Legalism got its name from their belief that
government should use the law to end civil disorder
and restore harmony.
Technology / Improvements
• Zhou dynasty produced many innovations
for the Chinese Civilization, Technology
wise.
• Roads and Canals were built to stimulate
trade and agriculture.
• Coin money was introduced with further
improvements in trade
Technology / Improvements
• Blast furnaces that produced cast iron were
developed.
-Used iron to develop weapon, especially
daggers, axes, and swords.
-Also, iron was used for common
agriculture tools; sickles, knives , and spades.
This made farming easier and helped support
thriving cites.
Economy and trade
-The importance of silk & the civil service exam
• The government ran huge silk mills, competing
with private silk weavers
• As contact with people from other places
increased, the Chinese learned the value of silk as
an item of trade
• Because of this, the Chinese closely guard the
techniques used to make silk
• Civilians had a chance to preform civil services,
which were government jobs that civilians could
do if they passed
Writing System
•
Block Printing was an important event for the eastern world that took place during the Tang
Dynasty between the fourth and seventh century AD.
• They began as blocks cut from wood to print textiles and later used to reproduce short Buddhist
religious texts that were carried as charms by believers.
• Long scrolls and books were later produced first by wood block printing.
• The characters were carved out to make a wood block printing plate, which was used to print the
text.
• Wood block required a new block that had to be carved for every page in a book, but when it was
complete an expert could print a thousand more sheets a day.
• The Diamond Sutra was one of the earliest, dated, printed book was first translated from Sanskrit
into Chinese in 400 AD, then block printed in 868 AD.
• Character Writing was known to be the earliest form of writing on record.
• The characters look like a length of knotted rope.
• Greater seal characters generally refer to ancient scripts of pre-Qin Dynasty.
• This form of writing was related to the use of rope by primitive people to record events.
City Architecture
The great wall of China
• The Great Wall of China is not a continuous wall but is a collection
of short walls that often follow the crest of hills on the southern
edge of the Mongolian plain. The Great Wall of China, known as
"long Wall of 10,000 Li" in China, extends about 8,850 kilometers.
• A first set of walls, designed to keep Mongol nomads out of China,
were built of earth and stones in wood frames during the Qin
Dynasty.
• Some additions and modifications were made to these simple walls
over the next millennium but the major construction of the
"modern" walls began in the Ming Dynasty.
• The Ming fortifications were established in new areas from the Qin
walls. They were up to 25 feet high, 15 to 30 feet wide at the base,
and from 9 to 12 feet wide at the top. At regular intervals, guard
stations and watch towers were established.
City Architecture
The great wall of China
• Since the Great Wall was discontinuous, Mongol invaders had
no trouble breaching the wall by going around it, so the wall
proved unsuccessful and was eventually abandoned.
Additionally, a policy of mollification during the subsequent
Ch'ing Dynasty that sought to pacify the Mongol leaders
through religious conversion also helped to limit the need for
the wall.
• Through Western contact with China from the 17th through
20th centuries, the legend of the Great Wall of China grew
along with tourism to the wall.
• Restoration and rebuilding took place in the 20th century and
in 1987 the Great Wall of China was made a World Heritage
Site. Today, a portion of the Great Wall of China about 50
miles from Beijing receives thousands of tourists each day.
Law Codes / Legal Systems
• Confucianism was the foundation of the
Chinese government and social order.
• Confucianism taught respect for parents and
elders which were important for a wellordered society.
• It was also showed how education is
important both to the welfare of the
individual and to society.
Law Codes / Legal Systems
• Legalism had a highly efficient and powerful
government which were both key to social
order.
• Also, Punishments wereuseful to maintain
social order.
• Ideas and thoughts were controlled strictly by
government.
General Geography
• The Yellow River and The Yangtze are the two
major river systems in China.
• The Yellow River, also known as the Huang He, is
found in the northern area of China. This river is
the 6th largest in the world and is a huge deposit
for large amounts of yellowish fertile soil also
known as loess.
• The other major river is the Yangtze, also known
as the Chang Tiang. This river flows east to the
yellow sea
Role of Women
• Women were treated as they were inferiors.
• Confucianism taught that a women was
suppose to uphold “Three Subordinations”;
Her father, Husband, and later on her Sons.
• When a girl was between the age 13-16 years
old, her marriage was arranged.
Role of Women
• After marriage, the girl must leave her family
and move in with her husband.
• The only thing that she could do to improve
status is by bearing sons for her
husband/family.
10 Questions
• Who's was the Tang Dynasty found by?
Emperor Gaozu on June 18, 618 BCE.
• Which political ruler was one of the most
important ruler in Chinese history?
Qin Shi Huangdi
• What is the Dynastic Cycle?
An important theory in Chinese history. According
to the theory, every dynasty goes through a
cultural cycle.
10 Questions
• What is the difference between Confucianism,
Daoism, & Legalism?
Confucianism is focused on how order, harmony, and
good government should be based on family
relationships. Daoism is focused more on natural order
other than social order. Legalism believes that a highly
efficient and powerful government is the key to social
order.
• What were some common agriculture tools to make
farming easier?
Sickles, Knives, and Spades
• What are the “Three Subordinations” for women?
Her father, Her Husband, and Future Sons
10 Questions
• What were the 5 basic relationships in Confucianism?
Ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, older brother
and younger brother, friend and friend.
• What is the Mandate of Heaven?
The idea that the Emperor was favored by Heaven to rule over
China
• How many noble truths are there Buddhism?
4, The 4 Nobel truths
• What were the first set of walls from the Great Wall of Chine
designed to do?
Keep the Mongol Nomads out of China
Work Cited Page.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Dynasty (Social
Structures)
• http://asianhistory.about.com/od/profilesofasianleade
rs/p/qinshihungbio.htm (Qin Shi Huangdi)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynastic_cycle (dynastic
cycle)
• http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=39&catid
=2 (Han Dynasty)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism#Women_in
_Confucian_thought
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_science_and_t
echnology_in_China
• McDougal Littell “World History Patterns of
Interaction”