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CLASSICAL CHINA THE ZHOU DYNASTY: 1122-256 B.C.E. – The rise of the Zhou The last Shang king was a bad ruler The Zhou forces toppled the Shang – Political organization Adopted decentralized administration Used princes and relatives to rule regions Consequences – Weak central government with ceremonial functions – Rise of regional powers; often called feudalism – Constant rivalry between warring families, nobles THE FALL OF THE ZHOU Iron metallurgy – – – Iron technology spread; 1st millennium B.C.E. Iron weapons helped regional authorities to resist the central power Qin mastered iron technology, weapons Nomadic invasion sacked capital Other Troubles – – – – Territorial princes became more independent Warring States (403-221 B.C.E.) Rise of Qin state Last king abdicated his position in 256 B.C.E. FAMILY Xia to Zhou ruled through family, kinship Veneration of ancestors Belief in ancestors' presence, continuing influence Burial of material goods with the dead Offering sacrifices at the graves Eldest males presided over rites honoring ancestors Only males could perform religious duties Filial Piety Patriarchal society During Neolithic times, Chinese society = matrilineal Rise of states, war due to men's contribution s After Shang, not even queens merited temples THE SOCIAL ORDER The ruling elites Peasants, the majority of population Royal family and allied noble families at the top Their lavish consumption of bronze products, silk Hereditary aristocrats with extensive landholding Most of the land owned by the king, nobles Called the “mean” people Landless peasants provided labor Lived in small subterranean houses Wood, bone, stone tools before iron spread in the 6th century B.C.E. Women’s World Wine making, weaving, silkworm raising Managing household, raising children Elite women vs. poor women OTHERS Specialized labor Merchants, trade were important Jade from Central Asia, tin from SE Asia A few pieces of pottery from India Merchants ranked socially lower Slaves Free artisans, craftsmen in great demand Also served the needs of the ruling elites Mostly war prisoners Performed hard work Became sacrificial victims Suspicious towards Foreigners HOUSEHOLD & PUBLIC RITUALS Household Rituals – Always performed by males – Expression of Confucian filial piety Domestic altar Names of deceased, icons – Worship of the stove god Public Rituals – – – – Oversees family’s moral conduct Reports on family to heaven Preserve social harmony, local identity Local earth god protects area from spirits City god important; has temple at center of city Physical, public processions, offerings Supreme Deity and Influence of Daoism – Shangdi (Ruler on High) Cannot be addressed directly Shang kings called up other spirits to address Shangdi – Later called Tian or Heaven Rulers called Son of Heaven Empire is his favorite government Mandate of Heaven is an off-shoot of this idea NOMADS, PASTORALISTS Steppelands – – – – Pastoralists domesticated animals Lived on grassy lands Seasonal migrations to pasture lands Became nomads, ancestors of Turks, Mongols – – – – Little farming, but relied on herding animals Exchange of products between nomads, farmers Nomads often invaded rich agricultural society Nomads did not imitate Chinese ways Nomadic society Nomadism relied on grains and manufactured goods of the Chinese EXPANSION OF CHINESE SOCIETY The Yangzi valley Indigenous peoples of S. China The longest river of China Two crops of rice per year Dependable and beneficial to farmers Many assimilated into Chinese society Some pushed into hills, mountains Migrated to Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand State of Chu (Conquered by Qin) Emerged in the central Yangzi region Challenged the Zhou for supremacy Adopted Chinese ways UNIFICATION OF CHINA The Qin State and Dynasty – – – – – Partially sinified pastoralists, perhaps even Turkish Located in west China and adopted Legalist policies Encouraged agriculture, resulted in strong economy Organized a powerful army equipped with iron weapons Conquered other states and unified China in 221 B.C.E. Qin Shi Huang di – – – – – King of the Qin proclaimed himself First Emperor, 221 B.C.E. Established centralized imperial rule Held sons of nobles as hostages; demolished nobles castles Project of connecting and extending the Great Wall 700,000 people worked on project; 100,000 killed QIN STATECRAFT Suppressing the resistance – – – Bitterly opposed, was opposed by Confucian scholars Buried 460 scholars alive because of their criticism against the Qin Burned all books except some with utilitarian value – – – Standardization of laws, currencies, weights, measures Standardized scripts: tried to create uniform language Creates a uniform writing system but not language – – – The tomb was an underground palace Excavation of the tomb since 1974 Terracotta soldiers and army to protect tomb – – – Massive public works generated ill will among people Waves of rebels overwhelmed the Qin court in 207 B.C.E. A short-lived dynasty, left deep marks in Chinese history Policies of centralization Tomb of the First Emperor The collapse of the Qin dynasty THE EARLY HAN DYNASTY – Liu Bang A general, persistent man, a methodical planner Restored order, established dynasty, 206 B.C.E. – Han was long-lived dynasty – Early Han policies Sought middle way between Zhou and Qin Royal relatives were not reliable, returned to centralized rule – Martial Emperor (141-87 B.C.E.) Han Wudi ruled for 54 years Pursued centralization and expansion HAN STATECRAFT Han centralization – Adopted Legalist policies – Built an enormous bureaucracy to rule the empire Continued to build roads and canals Levied taxes on agriculture, trade, and craft industries Imperial monopolies on production of iron and salt Established Confucian educational system for training bureaucrats Confucianism as the basis of the curriculum in imperial university Thirty thousand students enrolled in the university in Later Han Han imperial expansion – – Invaded and colonized northern Vietnam and Korea Extended China into central Asia Han organized vast armies to invade Xiongnu territory Han enjoyed uncontested hegemony in east and central Asia HAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE • • • • Patriarchal, patrilocal households averaged five inhabitants Large, multigenerational compound families also developed Women's subordination (Ban Zhao Admonitions for Women) Cultivators were the majority of the population Differences apparent between noble, lower class women Scholar bureaucrats: Confucian trained bureaucrats • Scholar Gentry • Merchants held in low social esteem • • • • Officials selected through competitive testing Used to run the government in Early Han • • • Confucian bureaucrats intermarried with landed elite New class comes to dominate local, national offices Strongest in late Han HAN TROUBLES Expeditions consumed the empire's surplus – – – – – – – – – Raised taxes and confiscated land of some wealthy individuals Taxes, land confiscations discouraged investment Much of defense consumed on defending against nomads Social tensions, stratification between the poor and rich Problems of land distribution Early Han supported land redistribution Economic difficulties forced some small landowners to sell property Some sold themselves or their families into slavery Lands accumulated in the hands of a few No land reform, because Han needed cooperation of large landowners The reign of Wang Mang A powerful Han minister Dethroned the baby emperor, claimed imperial title himself, 9 C.E. Land reforms - the "socialist emperor" Overthrown by revolts, 23 C.E. TRADE AND COMMERCE – – – Iron metallurgy: Farming tools, utensils, and weapons State monopolies on liquor, salt and iron Silk textiles – Paper production – Invented probably before 100 C.E. Began to replace silk and bamboo as writing materials Population growth – Sericulture spread all over China during the Han High quality Chinese silk became a prized commodity Traded as far a field as India, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Rome Increased from twenty to sixty million from 220 B.C.E. to 9 C.E. Despite light taxation, state revenue was large Silk Road established: horses for silk LOSS OF THE MANDATE – The Later Han Dynasty (25-220 C.E.) Overthrown of Wang Mang restores Han New Han much weakened Rule often through large families, gentry Rise of Eunuchs in government as new source of power The Yellow Turban Uprising (Daoist Revolt) – – – Rulers restored order but did not address problem of landholding Yellow Turban uprising inflicted serious damage on the Han Collapse of the Han Factions at court paralyzed the central government Han empire dissolved China was divided into regional kingdoms
