Download File unit 2

Unit 2
Discussion and Review
China’s Flourishing Civilization
Impact of China’s Geography
1. Long distances and
physical barriers
isolated China, blocking
cultural diffusion
2. Protecting China from
invasion
3. Isolation contributed to
the Chinese belief that
China was the center of
the earth and the only
civilization.
Timeline of China’s
Earliest Dynasties
Religious beliefs of the early Chinese
• Veneration of ancestors
• people prayed to ancestors who would speak to the
gods on their behalf
• Oracle bones
– Used by Shamans to understand the will of the gods and
to foresee the future
– Wrote a question on animal bones or turtle shells and
heated it till it broke
– When it cracked priests interpreted the lines
– Gods controlled the forces of nature and shaped
destinies.
Mandate of Heaven
• Mandate of Heaven
• Used to legitimize and strengthen their right
to rule
– chief god “Heaven”
– the king was the “Son of Heaven”
– king’s rule was a product of the
“Mandate of Heaven”
• Incompetent or otherwise unfit would lose
the “Mandate of Heaven”
– Core belief of the Dynastic Cycle
Religion or Philosophy?
• Traditional Chinese beliefs are often
mistakenly called religion and they are not…
• Confucianism, Legalism and Daoism are not
religions!
• They are philosophies the Chinese regard as
more important than religion.
Confucianism
Teachings of Confucius
• China’s most influential scholar
was Kongfuzi (551-479 BCE)
• concerned with:
• how to ensure social order
• good government.
• His teachings were collected in
a work called the Analects
• Written by his students
Teachings of Confucius
Confucius & The Analects
His ideas included that everyone has duties and
responsibilities:
 Filial piety, or respect for parents, is the most
important duty.
 A ruler has the responsibility to provide good
government. In return, the people would be
respectful and loyal subjects.
 Government leaders and officials should be
well educated.
 Harmony is achieved when people accept their
place in society.
Confucianism
• Stressed the importance of
moral behavior in five basic
relationships:
• 1. ruler and subject
• 2. parent and child
• 3. husband and wife
• 4. old and young
• 5. friend and friend
• Which did he put the most
value in?
Legalism
•
•
•
•
Hanfeizi
People are evil
Emphasized the
importance of strict
laws and harsh
punishments
Strong leader and
central government
Became official
policy of Qin
dynasty
Daoism
Laozi
Emphasized living in
harmony with nature,
for example, improving
oneself mentally and
physically.
A direct reaction to the
formalism of
Confucianism:
Daoism looked for
the simple
Confucianism more
concerned with work
ethic and proper
conduct
Yin and Yang
Yin "moon"
• They are the dynamic force of the
Tao, constantly interacting with one
another
• Yin and Yang
• The female is the yin (shady)
– principal of passive, shaded, and
reflective. (moon)
• The male is the yang (sunny)
– principle of active, bright, and shining.
(sun)
Yang "sun”
Chinese Society
• Patriarchal family
– importance of hierarchy
– the dominance of men over women.
• Father has supreme authority!
– arranged marriages
– Men were permitted to have concubines, but only one wife.
• Role of the wife
– bear male offspring and honor the ancestors.
• Yin and Yang
– represent the balance of the natural order
– All things in the cosmos are in balance
– men and women play complementary roles in the natural order.
The Dynastic Cycle in China
The dynastic cycle refers to the rise and fall of
dynasties.
Qin Dynasty
• “Shi Huangdi” (first
emperor) wiped out
the Zhou and
conquered northern
China uniting under
central government
• Enforced legalism
How Did Shi Huang di Unite China?
1. He replaced feudal states with military districts
governed by loyal officials.
2. He sent spies to report on local officials.
3. He forced noble families to live in his capital so he
could monitor them.
4. He jailed, tortured, and killed those who opposed
his rule.
5. He had all books of philosophy and literature
burned.
6. He standardized weights & measures, coins, laws
7. He connected the various parts of the Great Wall
and expanded it. 4,000 miles
8. He eliminated primogeniture and slavery
Shi Huangdi Army Going to the
Afterlife with Him!
Terra Cotta Soldiers
Han Dynasty
• The Han dynasty
ruled from 207
B.C.E to 220 CE;
rivaled Roman
empire in power
and technological
achievement
• Silk Road
connected China
to Roman Empire
Emperor
Wudi
Han Dynasty
• Implemented the
policies of
Confucianism
• Established a
civil service
examination for
public posts
• Based on merit
• Opportunities
for all males.
Really?
The Han Golden Age
MEDICINE
1. Diagnosed diseases.
2. Used herbal remedies
and other drugs for
treatments.
3. Explored uses of
acupuncture.
The Han Golden Age
TECHNOLOGY
1.
2.
3.
4.
Horse collar
Watermill
Made paper out of wood pulp.
Crossbow
An old saying…
Confucius has a sour
look as he tastes
the vinegar.
Buddha has a bitter
look as he tastes
the vinegar.
Laozi has a smile as
he tastes the
vinegar.
Interpretation
• Confucianism saw life as sour, in need of rules
to correct the degeneration of people
• Buddhism saw life as bitter, dominated by pain
and suffering
• Daoism saw life as fundamentally good in its
natural state.
• Another interpretation of the painting is that,
since the three men are gathered around one
vat of vinegar, "the three teachings are one".
Ancient India
Ganesha
Roots of Hinduism
• Who’s the founder?
• No original founder
• Grew out of early Aryan beliefs
in multiple Gods.
• Is there a sacred text?
• Beliefs come from the Vedas and
other Indian epics, poems and
songs
• Each believer sees Brahman
differently
Polytheistic or monotheistic ?
• Hinduism is sometimes called a polytheistic
religion, but strictly speaking, this is not
entirely accurate.
• Hinduism believes in One God (Brahman), but
recognizes that the One God can appear to
humans in multiple names and forms
• Three most important gods:
– Brahma-the Creator
– Vishnu-the preserver
– Shiva-the destroyer
Characteristic of gods
• Each god represents a
characteristic of
Brahman.
• How many gods exist?
• As many as 330 million
gods
Brahman the Creator
god of knowledge & intellect
Reincarnation
• What’s the ultimate goal
of existence?
• to achieve moksha, or
union with Brahman.
• What is reincarnation?
• the soul (atman) passes
through many lifetimes:
before it finally achieves
moksha
Methods to Achieve Moksha:
Karma
• Explain Karma
• the lifetime actions that
affect a person’s fate
• Good choices leads to
higher rebirth
• Bad choices leads to lower
birth maybe a rat or an
ant
Methods to Achieve Moksha
• Ahimsa?
• Promote
nonviolence
toward all living
things
Methods to Achieve Moksha
• What is Dharma?
• Follow the religious
& moral duties of
your varna or caste
• Code of conduct for
each caste
Harijan
"outside" the caste system
(once known as "untouchables")
• The “Untouchables”
were thought to be
dirty and not pure.
• There jobs consisted of
cleaning the sewers and
digging graves
Effects of the Caste: Duty
• Ensured social order. How?
• Caste rules governed every
aspect of life: clothes, foods,
friendship, marriage, job,
neighborhood and education
• Law of Karma determined
caste
• It gave people a sense of
identity
• Ensured spiritual purity
Hinduism
• What does the
red dot
represent?
• symbolizes the
mark of the
supreme being
and identifies
you as Hindu.
Hinduism
Today
• 3rd largest religion in
the world
• Estimated I billion
Hindus in the world.
• Mostly live in India
and Nepal.
India’s Caste System
Still Alive Today!
• Though the castes system is now
illegal by Indian law - its “duties” still
remain a strong social influence.
• There are very few who will ignore the
“duties” but if it happens it is generally
in the urban areas.
India’s Caste System
Still Alive Today!
“They died for love…”
• In 2002, two teenagers (16 & 17) killed
by their father and brother for
“dating” outside their caste!
• Another young female teen in 2000
was hung in public display for her
young male lover to see what
happens when you venture outside
your caste!
• None of these were give a proper
Hindu funeral, all of the family
members and the village ignored this
key Hindu teaching.
Rise of Buddhism
• Many Hindus grew dissatisfied
with religion looking for more
spirituality.
Siddhartha Gautama
• Born around 566 BCE
• Founder of Buddhism
• Grew up an Indian prince
surrounded by wealth and
luxury
• Saddened by amount of
suffering by people.
Buddha: The Enlightened One
“Four Noble Truths”:
1. All life is full of suffering
2. The cause of suffering is
wrong desires like wealth
and power
3. The only cure for suffering is
to overcome desire
4. The way overcome is by
following the “Noble Eightfold Path.”
1
The Teachings of the
Buddha
•Enlightenment
is achieved
through
meditation.
The Teachings of the Buddha
• What is the ultimate
goal?
• reach nirvana, or union
with the universe and
release from the cycle
of rebirth.
• Life is no longer filled
with suffering and pain!
How Buddhism Spread from
India to East Asia
Spread of Buddhism
•How did Buddhism
Spread?
•Missionaries and
Traders helped to
spread Buddhism
across India to many
parts of Asia.
Geography
•Political fragmentation
throughout much of India’s
History
• Complex social
hierarchy, many
language and ethnic
groups, political and
social division
•Mauryan Empire lasted from
(322 B.C.E to 185 B.C.E.
•Situation on rich alluvial soil
and mineral deposits.
Trade/Economy
•Mauryan empire was
driven by agriculture
•Farmers were free of tax
and crop collections
•Internal trade expanded
greatly due to newfound
political unity and internal
peace
•Chandragupta established
single currency coinage
across India.
Silver punch mark
coin
Writing System
Sanskrit - was
the writing system
that was used
during the Mauryan
Empire. Only used
by scholars
however.
Religious Beliefs
Hinduism
Buddhism
Jainism
Gender and Family Structure
The Caste System
Hierarchy
•Regulated the
marriages
•Husbands,
fathers were
dominant,
women were
always
submissive
•Passed down the
family, hard to
move upward.
•Laws limited
women’s life
and abilities.
The Arts
Stupa
The Mauryan Empire were the
first in India to transition from
wood to stone in their
architecture and art.
Pillars
Coins
Asoka (304 – 232 BCE)
 Religious conversion to Buddhism
after the gruesome
battle of Kalinga in
262 BCE.
 Dedicated his life to
Buddhism.
 Built extensive roads.
 Conflict  how to balance the
methods of keeping power
and Buddha’s demands to
become a selfless person?
Asoka’s
Empire
Asoka’s law code
 Edicts scattered in
more than 30 places
in India, Nepal,
Pakistan, & Afghanistan.
 Written mostly in
Sanskrit, but one was in
Greek and Aramaic.
 10 rock edicts.
 Each pillar [stupa] is 40’-50’ high.
 Buddhist principles dominate his laws.
Gupta Empire:
CE
320 CE – 647
Gupta Rulers
 Chandra Gupta I

r. 320 – 335 CE

“Great King of Kings”
Controlled
a powerful national army
 Chandra Gupta II

r. 375 - 415 CE

Profitable trade with
the Mediterranean
world!
25%
tax on agricultural produce
 Hindu revival.
Fa-Hsien: Life in Gupta India

Chinese Buddhist monk traveled along the
Silk Road and visited India in the 5c.
 He was following the path
of the Buddha.
 He reported the people to be happy, relatively free of
government oppression, and inclined towards courtesy
and charity. Other references in the journal, however,
indicate that the caste system was rapidly assuming its
basic features, including "untouchability," the social
isolation of a lowest class that is doomed to menial labor.
International Trade Routes
during the Guptas
Extensive Trade:
4c
spices
gold & ivory
Gupta
Art
Greatly influenced
Southeast Asian art & architecture.
Gupta
1000 diseases
Achievements:
classified
500 healing
plants identified
India’s Golden Age
Printed
medicinal guides
Plastic
Surgery
Kalidasa
Literature
Medicine
Inoculations
Gupta
India
C-sections
performed
Decimal
System
Mathematics
Concept
of Zero
PI = 3.1416
Solar
Calendar
Astronomy
The earth
is round
The Decline of the Guptas

Invasion of the White Huns in the 4c signaled
the end of the Gupta Golden Age, even though
at first, the Guptas defeated them.
Collapse 550 CE
 After the decline of the Gupta empire, north
India broke into a number of separate Hindu
kingdoms and was not really unified again until
the coming of the Muslims in the 7c.
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Indian women during the Gupta Empire?
Why did their status declined noticeably since the Vedic
period?
the emergence of a nonagricultural middle class, which
placed a high value on the acquisition and inheritance of
property.
Women lost
the right to own and inherit property.
Could not participating in many religious ceremonies.
Marriage
(Young age 6 or 7) intended to ensure that a woman would
behave according to her husband’s wishes.
Ritual of Sati
extreme example (a widow was expected to cremate
herself on her husband’s funeral)