Download ANCIENT DYNASTIES OF CHINA - World History

ANCIENT DYNASTIES OF CHINA
SHANG
ZHOU
QIN
HAN
Geography and First Dynasty
• Two major rivers
– Chang Jiang – also called the Yangzi
– Huang-He – also called the Yellow River or the
River of Sorrows
• Xia Dynasty is considered to be the beginning of
Chinese civilization
Shang Dynasty 1766 -1122 BC
• Farming society ruled by an aristocracy whose
major concern was war
– Aristocracy = an upper class whose wealth is
based on land ownership
• Kings were buried in royal tombs along with their
valuable possessions and sacrificed prisoners of war
and servants
• Belief in the afterlife
• Shang religion centered on the idea of ancestor
worship called veneration of ancestors
• Used oracle bones to ask questions of the gods
– Wrote questions on bones, inserted a hot piece
of metal into the bone until it cracked, and then
read the cracks to get an answer
• Shang achievements
– Development of Chinese writing, which used
picture symbols
Zhou Dynasty 1100 – 256 BC
• Longest-lasting dynasty in Chinese history
• The king was the head of the gov’t and was seen
as a link between heaven and Earth
• The Zhou dynasty claimed it ruled China because
it possessed the Mandate of Heaven
– Gods gave “permission” to rule China
• Set up a “right of revolution” which led to
dynastic cycles
• Development of two Chinese philosophies =
Confucianism and Daoism
Qin Dynasty 221 – 206 BC
• First to create a unified Chinese empire
– The word China is derived from the Qin
• Ruler Qin Shi Huangdi became the “first
emperor”
– Regime = the gov’t in power
• Shi Huangdi adopted Legalism as the official
ideology to build a strong centralized gov’t
– Anyone who opposed the policies of the new
regime were imprisoned, tortured, or killed,
especially Confucian scholars
• A nomadic people in the Gobi desert called the
Xiongnu threatened China
– To deal with the threat and to keep them out
of China, Shi Huangdi had workers join the
separate defensive walls in northern China
– This united wall became the Great Wall of
China
Han Dynasty 206 BC – 220 AD
• Model for later Chinese dynasties, the main
population of China still calls itself the Han
people
• Exchanged Legalism for Confucianism and
appointed numerous Confucian scholars
Qin and Han Dynasties
Chapter 8, page 225
• To create a regular system for new officials, the
civil service exam was introduced
– These officials gained gov’t jobs based on
merit, how well they did on the test
– A school was established to train candidates
for the exam
– Students were expected to learn the
teachings of Confucius
• Silk Road
– Road that linked China to Rome, was 4,000
miles long
– Traded in luxury goods such as silk, spices,
teas, and ivory
– Dangerous due to geography and bandits
• Women
– “raising daughters is like raising children for
another family”
Confucianism
• Based on the teachings of Confucius (Kongfuzi)
• Main book is the Analects, which contains Confucius’
thoughts
• Concerned about human behavior
– People should treat one another with love and
respect
– Confucius believed that the disappearance of this
love and respect was responsible for the violence
in society
• Focuses on improving society
– Restoring a respect for tradition would make
society stable once again
• Proper behavior is to follow the Dao (the way)
– Two elements to the Dao – duty and humanity
– Everyone must work hard to fulfill their duties
• Needs of the family and community come before
personal needs
• Five Relationships
– Ruler and subject
– Husband and wife
– Parent and child
– Older sibling and younger sibling
– Friend and friend
• Belief in filial piety = obedience and devotion to
parents, especially the male head of the family
• Honor one’s ancestors
• A ruler must set a good example and lead by
virtue
• A ruler should be advised by qualified, wellinformed people
– Select advisors based on merit rather than
birth
• Spread to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam
Legalism
• Founded by Hanfeizi and Li Si, two advisors to
Emperor Shi Huangdi of the Qin dynasty
• Believed that human beings are evil by nature
• Reject Confucius’ idea of leading by virtue
• Instead need harsh laws and punishments to
make sure people stay on the correct path
– A ruler does not need to be compassionate or
show mercy
– People must be kept in line by fear of
punishment
• A powerful and efficient gov’t was key to
maintaining order and control over an empire
• Rulers should be strong and govern through
force
– Strong ruler = orderly society
Daoism
• “The Way”
• Main teachings by a philosopher named Laozi
– Main book Dao De Jing
• Also concerned with proper behavior
– Encourages people to retreat from the laws
of society and yield to the laws of nature
– Promotes harmony with nature
– By finding one’s place in nature, it is possible
for a person to achieve harmony with the
universe
• The true way to follow the will of Heaven is
not through action, but inaction
– Let nature take its course
• Embraced an ancient Chinese concept, the
notion of yin and yang
– Yin and yang represent the balancing aspect
of nature
• Male and female, dark and light, hot and
cold
– When balanced, yin and yang represent the
perfect harmony of nature