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PART I
CLASSICAL CHINA:
THE POLITICS
Chinese Dynasties
• Chinese history is organized into dynasties
• Dynasty: Succession of rulers from same family
• Marked by technology, culture, politics, kings, etc.
Shang Dynasty (1766-1066 BCE)
• Originally thought to be mere legend
• Discovery of “oracle bones” confirmed existence
• Revealed royal line, early Chinese writing
• Traditional beginning of Chinese civilization
Timeline of Classical China
"Classical Period"
The Zhou (“Chou") dynasty was the longest in Chinese
history. (1066 - 403 BCE)
Its territory only included portions of what is today
Northern and Central china.
The Zhou introduced many important
changes to China that would continue
long after the dynasty ended.
patriarchy
(men in charge)
Zhou
Innovations
veneration of ancestors
Divine Emperor
rules with the
“Mandate of
Heaven”
Toward the end of the dynasty, chaos reigned, and China
became divided into many "warring states.“
Although this was a time of trouble, it was also a time when
china’s three great philosophies appeared.
The chaos of the Warring States period
ended when a vicious warlord named
Qin Shi Huangdi conquered his neighbors
and established a huge empire.
(His ideas followed the “legalist” tradition.)
The Qin “Dynasty” did not last long, but it
had an important role to play in Chinese
history.
221 - 207 BCE
Qin Shi Huangdi is famous for some of his policies...
building walls, canals and roads
to unify and protect his realm
burning history books and
burying scholars to prevent
criticism of his government
Qin Shi Huangdi
building fifteen
thousand terra-cotta
warriors in his tomb
standardizing written
Chinese language, weights,
currency
The Qin’s greatest legacy was unifying China for the
next (and perhaps greatest) Chinese dynasty: the Han
(206 BCE-220 CE).
Here are five things you should
know about the Han Dynasty.
1. The Han expanded China to the west
where they established trade routes with
Turkic tribes and developed the “Silk
Road(s).”
2. To govern their sprawling empire, the
Han created a huge, central bureaucracy.
To ensure that the best and the brightest
served the emperor, a standardized test
was given to worthy individuals from every
level of society.
(“Meritocracy” was a radical idea at the time.)
3. China was prosperous under the Han.
Population exploded, making China the
biggest, richest nation on earth – status it
would enjoy for 1600 years.
Chinese silk was in demand from India to Rome.
4. The Han were very innovative.
fine ironwork
magnetic compass
water wheels
paper
high quality silk
365 day calendar
5. The Han were so powerful, that their
influence spread Chinese culture to
Korea, Vietnam and Japan – an influence
that can still be found today.
Although the Han were able to defeat outside
invaders, such as the nomadic Xiongnu,
internal squabbling ended their rule in 220 CE.
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Fqta4jyAs4k
Xiongnu
With the fall of the Han, China’s “Classical Period” -what many consider to be the “Golden Age” of China
came to an end.
Architectural model from Han
tomb, 2nd Century CE
Part II
Classical China:
Three Philosophies
The chaos of the Warring States period inspired the
writings of Kong Fuzi -- Master Philosopher
(551 - 479 BCE). ("Confucius")
Confucius sought to create a code of personal
conduct that, if followed, would create social
harmony and peace among all people.
His ideas influenced China, Japan, and Korea perhaps more than
any other single human being.
Confucius says that to be a perfect
gentleman (junzi) one must...
Be humane, treat
others as you
wish to be
treated (“ren”)
Show special
respect [filial piety]
for parents and
elders – even dead
ones (“xiao”)
Do not lie or take
things that belong to
others. Be ethical.
Behave politely
and it will
become
automatic (“li”)
Set a good example
for others and seek to
right wrongs.
During the chaos of the Warring States
period, Confucius’ ideas were spread
by followers hoping to bring about
social stability.
Mencius
(372 – 289 BCE)
Xunzi
(298 – 238 BCE)
Until the 20th Century, Confucianism was
the dominant social philosophy of China
and many nearby nations.
modern Confucianism festival
Even as Confucianism spread, another
powerful rival philosophy was spreading –
Daoism.
Laozi, Founder
of Daoism, 6th
Century BCE
In a book about Laozi’s teachings entitled
“The Dao De Jing” the “Dao” is described
as “The Way the World Is.”
-- The Dao cannot be fundamentally altered, so why try to change it?
Instead, learn to be at peace with the world as you find it.
-- A Daoist engages in Wuwei – simple living and disengagement from
the world.
-- politics, ambition, and social activism are to be avoided.
The Yin Yang has been
adopted by many beliefs,
including Daoism.
In Daoist philosophy, yin and yang epitomize
opposites in harmony.
For instance, dropping a stone in a calm pool of water will
simultaneously raise waves and lower troughs between them.
This alternation of high and low points in the water will
radiate outward until the movement dissipates and the pool is
calm once more. Grain that reaches its full height in summer
(fully yang) will produce seeds and die back in winter (fully
yin) in an endless cycle. People with ambition to improve the
world will always become corrupted by their power, and new
ambitious people will replace them.
Can you guess why the ideologies of
Confucianism and Daoism clashed?
?
Neither Confucianism nor Daoism could
solve the earthly problem of chaos
during the Warring States period. That
solution would come from a third
philosophy, the Legalists.
Han Feizi, founder
of Legalism
Legalists did not believe in moral
correctness, filial piety, or spiritual
harmony.
They cared about centralizing state
power so as to achieve peace.
And power, for them, came from
military might and control of food
supplies.
One does not have
special duty to family.
They must be watched
and reported if violating
the law.
to encourage
loyalty, harsh
punishments for
even minor
offenses
Legalist
Beliefs
Acting correctly did not mean
following one’s internal
(Confucian) sense of Junzi. It
meant following laws of the state.
discourage people
from becoming
merchants, artists, or
teachers: only
warriors or farmers
Can you speculate why Legalism would
clash with Confucianism and Daoism?
Women in China
• On a sheet of looseleaf…
• Take notes on the three short readings
• As you write, also note…
• What the reading tells you about women’s role
in Chinese society
• How the treatment of women relates to any of
the 3 main Chinese philosophies
We will be discussing your findings!
CHINESE SOCIETY
Chinese Society
• Central Bureaucracy
• Selected based on merit, not wealth or family
(Confucian)
• Imperial academy created to train potential officials
• Had to take civil service exam
• Theoretically open to all—usually limited to men with
means
• Did provide some social mobility
• Officials were very influential…
• Culturally
• Intellectually
• Politically
Cultural Homogeneity
• Assimilating people into the Chinese empires
• Culturally
• Linguistically
• Ethnically
• Not like Rome! In the Roman Empire you could become
a “citizen” but never share a cultural identity
Landlords v. Peasants
• Chinese landlords controlled most of the land, often didn’t
pay taxes
• Most farmers were peasants who worked on the landlord’s estates
• The landlords were usually from families of officials
• Peasants had to pay taxes, often paid a large share of
their crop to the landlord
• Led to disgruntled peasants, rebellion
Peasant Rebellions
• Yellow Turban Rebellion: Peasants who advocated for
equality and harmony (Daoist), would contribute to
overthrow of Han.
• Rebellions/overthrows were seen as a sign of weakness
and failure on the part of the emperor
• If a emperor was overthrown, then he had lost the “Mandate
of Heaven”
• He was likely corrupt, so he had lost favor with Heaven
Comparing Roman and Han Empires
• With 2-3 other people, compare and contrast the Roman
and Han empires
• Come up with at least 2 similarities and 2 differences,
and explain
• Similar questions have come up on the AP test!
Crash Course: China
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylWORyToTo4