Download Chinese Empires Presentation

Audrey Laker, Kevin Murphy, Peter Bowden, and Thomas Samuelson
Date
Event
221 B.C.E.
Multistate empire of Zhou was replaced by a centralized
empire.
221 B.C.E. – 206 B.C.E.
221 B.C.E. – 210 B.C.E.
Qin Dynasty
200 B.C.E. – 200 C.E.
Temperature was unusually warm.
207 B.C.E.
206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E.
Shi Huangdi’s son was overthrown.
200s B.C.E.
141 B.C.E. – 87 B.C.E.
Huns/Xiongnu were a threat to China.
141 B.C.E.
Confucianism became state ideology.
Shi Huangdi ruled.
Han Empire
Wu Di ruled.
Date
Event
127-120 B.C.E.
General Wei Qing made successful operations against the
Huns/Xiongnu
2 C.E.
97 C.E.
Population of Han Empire was over 60 million people.
100s C.E.
Millions were killed by epidemics and tax revenues were
reduced.
100 C.E.
190 C.E.
Cause of lunar eclipses explained by Zhang Heng.
General Gan Ying traveled to the Persian Gulf and reported
of the geography.
The abacus was invented.
 Li Shi – Li Shi was the prime minister of the Qin dynasty
who was a strong believer in Legalist ideas and believed
that Confucianism needed to be ended.
 Shi Huangdi - Shi Huangdi was the first ruler of the Qin
dynasty who was very private and secretive. He looked for
something to make him immortal. He felt that the
government should be a unified state and should control
everything. As a product of his ruling, roads, bridges,
dams, and canals were built. He chose a standard language
and created a postal system. Also, part of the Great Wall
was built. After Shi Huangdi dies, he was buried with
7,000 life-size warriors and horses made of terracotta.
 Liu Bang – Liu Bang was a radical leader after Shi Huangdi. He
was a strong believer in Legalism and executed many of his allies.
 Wu Di – Wu Di ruled the Han Empire for over fifty years. He
believed in a strong army, like many other rulers. As a result of
having a strong army, Wu Di conquered southwest China. He
also rejected Legalism and made Confucianism the main
ideology.
 Ban Zhao - Ban Zhao was a famous, female scholar in the Han
Empire. She was a historian, astronomer, and mathematician.
She added to Confucianism that women should be obedient and
devoted.
 Liu Xiang – Liu Xiang was a scholar in the Han Empire. Liu
wrote that women could be both selfless and brave individuals.
1. Necessary preconditions for the rise of empires
a. State level government: Qin state (predecessor) holds a
strong legalist centralized government, also used by
the Han.
b. High Agricultural potential in the area: Yellow, Yangtze,
Huai, and countless streams provided great potential.
Also mountains provided water and the rivers flooded
predictably. The Han also had a large population.
c. An Environmental mosaic: In the north, cattle and
horses were abundant. Flat lands provided easy
commerce of trade (i.e. Silk Road). In the south,
mountains and forests provided diversity with protection.
In the west, the desert provided protection and provided
diversity in the climate. In the east, the seas provided
trade.
d. Several small states with no clearly dominant state: The
warring states had no true domination. The states were
later centralized by Qin when Shi Huangdi conquered
the Zhou.
e. Mutual antagonisms among those states: The states
were constantly in and out of wars.
f. Adequate military resources: Large population, stable
food supply, and wealth provided good resources.
2. Ideology that inspires and develops a state: Relaxed form of legalism in
government and Confucianism was strongly emphasized. The basis of
God, family, country was very present. With the basis of family, honor
encouraged the desire to be a war hero.
3. Major rewards of empire
a. Economic rewards: Large amount of silver and gold
provided by the Romans fostered a strong economic system.
Location helped provide a center point for Asian trading and
with trade, specialization occurred.
b. Population increase: Population reached 60 million by the
hand of a family system.
4. Empire fall because:
a. Expansion beyond practical limits: Overspending by Wu Di,
and fighting for power between elites, caused the Han to
decline.
b. Decline in Economy brings decline in faith in ideology:
Decline in belief system caused the government to face
more revolts by the peasants.
c. Revolutions: Revolutions began by revolting peasants.
Qin
Han
 Powerful authoritarian
 Strong central
government based on
legalist ideas
 Monolithic state
 Government played role
in every day lives
government
 Did not affect everyday
lives
 Mandarins and scholargentry played an
important role in the
government
Qin
Han
 Government controlled
 Family system
everyday life
 Gender roles
Qin
Han
 Controlled by the
 Silk Road
government
 Agriculture based
economy
 Peasants did not have
easy life
Qin
Han
 Government had total
 Mandate of Heaven
control
 Burned books
 Gender roles
• Rice-growing and millet-growing allowed for
stability in all conditions.
• The Yangtze River was the main axis of China.
• The empire encompassed multiple rivers.
• The environment was much better suited for life
than the steppelands, thus creating tension
between the Han and the Xiongnu.
 Sinicization – The invaders of China, of which there were many,
maintained continuity with China’s past by adopting Chinese
culture. Thus, Chinese culture remained relatively unchanged
overtime.
 Silk Road – The Silk Road linked China with India, the Middle
East, and southern Europe. The Silk Road allowed for the
transportation of silk, one of the most desired products of the
time, porcelain, and bamboo across great distances. Romans
traded great amounts of silver for Chinese silk, the imbalance of
which ultimately aided in the decline of the Western Roman
Empire. The Silk Road also affected populations, as Central
Asia became a melting pot.
 Legalism – Legalism exhibited the basic, politically pessimistic
principle that “goodness” was meaningless, and society required
only obedience. Legalism was based on ruthlessly harsh
punishment and intense security, sometimes to the point of
spying. However, crime rates were greatly reduced by this
ideology and the government-controlled economy boomed.
 Confucianism – Confucianism advocates appeasement and
taught: healthy personal life leads to a regulated family which
leads to an ordered state which leads to a peaceful land. The
Han mixed Legalism and Confucianism creating the next 2,000
years of Chinese culture.