Download The Han and Qin Dynasty

The Han and Qin Dynasty
By Lucas Sloan, Emma Sharpe, Mallory Kennedy, Gage Marshall
Social - Qin
- Every class has power over the class lower than it
- The emperor ruled the whole country and was at the top of the social
structure
- Advisors were next in social class, they helped the emperor make decisions
- Army generals are after the advisors. Generals helped lead the army.
- Nobles are next in class, they are people who were born into wealth.
- After nobles were the Scholars. Scholars dedicated their whole lives to
studying ancient Chinese traditions and beliefs.
Social - Han
- A three-tiered social system
- Aristocrats and bureaucrats were at the top of the hierarchy
- Farmers and peasants were second (skilled laborers)
- Slaves and servants (unskilled laborers) were the lowest of the hierarchy
- The emperor ruled over everyone
- First class government workers were immune to arrest, unless the emperor’s
permission was granted
- Second class was respected and depended on
State Building - Qin
- Qin Shi Huangdi- political leader that got rid of Zhou leader and eventually
became emperor
- His system of organization gave him complete control
- Under Qin’s rule, powerful armies crushed any resistance
- China was organized into large provinces ruled by bureaucrats appointed by
the emperor
- They conquered many neighboring states and unified China
State Building - Han
- The emperor was the head of the government
- He created laws, headed the armed forces as the commander-in-chief, and
served as the chief executive official
- Han rulers attained the centralized government but sought to reduce brutality
and repression of the Qin Dynasty
- Han mostly preserved the Qin’s government; became what is now known as
“classical Chinese politics”
- One peasant leader defeated all the other aggrieved peasants during a
massive and established the Han Dynasty
Environment - Qin
- The Qin Dynasty was located along the coast of the Pacific Ocean
- Difficult to maintain since it was spread over a large area of land
- Great Wall was built to keep outsiders from attacking
- Strong army allowed them to crush anyone surrounding them
Environment - Han
- Early Han Dynasty expanded the Chinese territory into Korea, Indochina, and
central Asia.
- This expansion allowed the Chinese to have contact with the Middle East.
- Afterwards the expansion extended into the Gobi Desert, Taklamakan Desert,
and Kunlun Mountains
Culture - Qin
Legalism - The Emperor eliminated this because it disregarded the Feudal system
and encouraged harsh punishments, Confucianism
- The government standardized weights and measures
- Created paper, gunpowder for battles, matches, canons, compasses,
umbrellas and much more
- New writing style known as calligraphy
Culture - Han
Confucianism, Western - Taoism Developed by Laozi and influenced by other
scholars, Buddhism starts to take over China
- Pottery was made, loom was invented
- Music Bureau, of the Yuefu, began to gather and record some ceremonial
songs and chants as well as ballads of popular people
Economic - Qin
- Road and canal systems enabled trade in the Qin’s newly conquered
territories
- Maintained armies of forced laborers, convicts and slaves who worked on
public projects like roads, canal systems, bridges, and completed the Great
Wall of China
- Economy was organized to create and agriculture-based and, militarized
society and to enhance power and wealth of its ruler
- Qin Shi Huang made the people pay more taxes and work more so he would
become wealthier as his people became poor
- Took land away from nobles
Economic - Han
- Economy was defined by population growth, trade, industry growth, and
nationalization
- At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the construction of the Great Wall took a
toll on the economy
- Relied heavily on the production output of peasants
- Han Dynasty got rid of Qin Dynasty’s suppressing policies by getting rid of the
Qin’s taxes on merchants, peasants, and lower the taxes for landowners.
- The government banned nobles from purchasing land, so farmers and
peasants can plant more.