Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Travel Brochure for China By Luna Ito-Fisher Period 3 Come visit China, the greatest civilization on earth! Read on for more about China’s rich history and achievements. Economy In earlier times, Chinese bartered goods or traded lengths of silk. Then merchants started making copper coins with holes in the center. A string was put through about a thousand of the coins and it was called cash. Merchants started trading in cash more when trade increased because it was easier to use money than barter. At first the merchants started making their own paper certificates and using them. When the paper money became more widely used the government took over and made the official paper money. They used an engraved metal plate to print them. This was the world’s first paper currency and as people started using cash and paper money more a money economy developed. The money economy required more jobs, like bankers and tax collectors, so the merchant class grew very much from this. The Chinese did not trade very much outside of the country because they believed that the rest of the world had nothing to offer them. The first Europeans to get to China and trade with them were the Portuguese in 1514. The Portuguese set up a trading station in China and that is when China was able to make more contact with the world. One of the coins used in a cash. The paper money used. Buddhism Religion Buddhism is the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama who is also known as the Buddha. The Four Noble Truths that Buddhists learn are 1) all life is suffering and pain; 2) suffering and pain are caused by desire for wealth, pleasure, fame, and power; 3) to end suffering one must overcome desire; 4) to overcome desire, one must follow the Middle Way. The Middle Way is following conduct and compassion to lead to calmness and the purity of the mind. They believe in the reincarnation of the soul which means that your soul is reborn into a new body. Buddhists work to stop wanting and desiring, so they can achieve nirvana and break the cycle of reincarnation. Breaking the cycle lets them leave the world of suffering. Confucianism Kung Fu Zi, also known as Confucius, taught Confucianism. They focus on good manners, respectfulness, education, and overall good behavior. He teaches a very practical philosophy for life. It all revolved around the five relationships to other people. These taught that people in authority have to respect people below them, so the lower people follow their example and respect them. Confucius wanted a very peaceful society. In Confucianism scholars were highly respected because of their knowledge. Daoism Laozi was the first Daoist philosopher. He taught that we should all live in harmony with nature and be balanced like nature. Nature goes with the flow which Daoists call the Dao. Nature does not want fame, power, or knowledge. Daoism teaches that you have to balance with the opposite force called yin and yang. Similarities All of them think about harmony. Confucianism is harmony with society, Daoism is with nature, and Buddhism is with your inner self. Confucianism teaches repect with people, Daoism with nature, and Buddhism with compassion. They all teach balance in life, yin and yang, and yourself. Religion Confucius A statue of the Buddha The yin and yang from Daoist teachings. Political Structure The Emperor was always the head of the whole structure. Then there were many departments that were separated into even smaller offices. Officials were ranked and their rank determined their salary. In earlier times Emperor Wen chose worthy men who did well on some exams. The Sui and Tang dynasties then developed an examination to find people to work in the government, but only aristocrats could afford all the money to study for it. They made the civil-service exam, so peasants could get a job in the government. Then the Tang and Song dynasties developed a meritocracy, so that they would have a strong government. The meritocracy helped lower class people stay in the government because they were loyal to the emperor and worked hard. China’s Great Achievements 1. 2. Fireworks 3. 4. Chinese Ship 5. Gunpowder was a great achievement that the Chinese accomplished. They discovered that mixing sulphur, saltpeter, and charcoal make an explosive mixture that we now know of as gunpowder. Back then they used it for fire arrows and catapults. They also discovered the first gun barrel. We still use gunpowder a lot in all our guns and fireworks. The Chinese developed the spinning wheel in A.D. 1035. They developed Spinning Wheel it to make winding silk much easier. They built it with two wheels and a drive belt. It was made so that it could be operated with one person. We still use a similar wheel today to wind our silk. Paper money was one of the greatest things that the Chinese invented. They first called it flying money because it could easily fly out of your hand. Before the paper money they were using copper coins. The coins were very heavy and the Chinese were running low on copper. At first merchants started making their own paper certificates and using them. Then the government made official paper certificates that were used as currency. We use this everyday now because our money is made out of Paper Money paper. The Chinese did not invent ships, but they did invent some useful traits to a ship’s sail that we use today. They were the first to use a light-weight sail made out of bamboo mat. They developed the triangular shape to the sail. They also developed the watertight compartment on a ship. Today when we sail we use all these inventions that help us sail better. The Chinese were the ones that invented the first magnetic compass. They used lodestone to create it and their compasses were south pointing. At first the pointer was a spoon. Then it started to vary and they made tortoises, fish, and a needle. They first used them to chart their Magnetic Compass course at sea. Today we use the compass to find what direction we are facing in any place. Timeline The Sui Dynasty. The first Emperor was Yang Jian who was known as Emperor Wen. He unified China. The Song Dynasty. Tai Zu became Emperor after 50 years of the civil war. During this time Mongols and Manchurians attacked for 200 years. A.D. 220 A.D. 907 The Ming Dynasty. Hong Wu led a peasant rebellion and became emperor. A.D. 1279 A.D. 1912 Civil War Unrest A.D 589 The Han Dynasty. The last Emperor was Xian Di and he got overthrown. A.D. 618 The Tang Dynasty. Li Shi Min was the first emperor. The only female ruler, Empress Wu Zhao was in this dynasty. A.D. 960 A.D. 1260 The Yuan Dynasty. Founded by Kublai Khan who was a Mongol ruler. Khan fought the Song for 40 years. A.D. 1368 A.D. 1644 The Qing Dynasty. These were Manchurians, but they adopted some of the Chinese traditions.