Transcript China’s Dynasties - Highline Public Schools

China’s Dynasties
I. Ancient China
Neolithic
China
• 12,000B.C. to 2,000 B.C.
• Agricultural communities with
some hunting and gathering
• Climate wetter, warm
• Most of North - lakes and
Marshes
• Most Central – 1 big lake
• Silk already been discovered
• Painted and Black Pottery
• Bury dead face down
• Fired bones to see into future
Xia Dynasty
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2100-1800 B.C.
Thought to be myth
Only in oral history
Evidence found 1959 in city of
Yanshi
Agrarian (farmers)
Bronze weapons and Pottery
Ruling acted as shamans
Dramatic rituals to confirm power
Shang Dynasty
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1700-1027 B.C.
First true dynasty
King had much power
Polytheistic
Human sacrifice
Bronze weapons, fittings for
chariots, worship vessels
• Descent passed from eldest
bro to youngest bro
• Writing invented (found on
oracle bones, bronze and
stone)
• Many Public works = Many
People
Zhou Dynasty
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1027-221 B.C.
Western and Eastern
“Mandate of Heaven”
Took over because Shang were
morally degenerated
Changed govt. to feudal system
(landowners vassals to king)
Descent became patriarchal
Banned human sacrifice
Polytheistic (sun/stars)
Second half called “Warring State
Period”
“One Hundred Schools Period” –
Cultural flowering
Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism(++)
Laws written down
Much poetry/prose
Money economy
Population explosion!!
2. Early Imperial China
Qin Dynasty
• 221 – 207 B.C.
• Qin Shi Huangdi unified China for first
time
• Ruled only 37 years
• Implemented Legalism (rewards and
punishments)
• State had absolute control over
people
• Group responsibility
• Standardized language, writing,
currency, measurements and axle
length
• MANY Public works (Great Wall,
roads, irrigation canals, palace, Terra
cotta Army (6,000 soldiers)
• Shi Huangdi not popular!
– Public works/taxes great burden
– Nobility transplanted, all power taken
away
– Writings of great philosophers burned
– Banned all books advocating other
forms of government
– Executed 400 opponents
Han Dynasty
• 206B.C. -220A.D.
• Western and Eastern
• Continued to rule like Qin but gradually
incorporated Confucian ideals
• Main Goal was unification of China
• Much expansion
• Silk Road developed
• Education more important
• Encyclopedias written
• Millions died in fighting
– Left land for peasants and freedom of debt as
lenders died!
• Economic and Political struggles arose
• Peasants revolted (begun by Yellow Turbans)
• 3 kingdoms emerged
The Three
Kingdoms
• 220A.D. – 265A.D.
• Disunity and civil war
• Kingdoms grew out of the 3
chief economic areas
• Buddhism began to spread
• Tea Discovered
• Porcelain developed
• Ts’ao Ts’ao made great impact
– Used other cultures “barbarians”
in army
– Assimilation among people
Chin Dynasty
• 265A.D. – 420A.D.
• Eastern and Western
• Ssu-ma Yen started Dynasty
– Was an assimilated barbarian
• Reunified China again
• Never a stable empire
• Declared armies disbanded and all
arms returned
• Some sold theirs instead to
neighboring countries
• Fatal mistake!
• Chin defeated by Huns
• Disunity continued
Dynasties of
North and
South
• 420A.D. – 588A.D.
• Another lengthy period of disunity
– N. Dynasties = N. Wei, E. Wei, West
Wei, N. Qi, N. Zhou,
– S. Dynasties = Song, Qi, Liang, Chen
• Buddhism flourished (in N.
especially)
– Tenets appealed to country people
– Offered hope in Buddhism’s
reincarnation to a better life if one lived
their current life well.
– Meant nobles who oppressed them
would come back to a harder life
3. Classical Imperial China
Sui Dynasty
• 580A.D. – 618A.D.
• China united again
• Accomplished many things
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Grand Canal extended
Built granaries around capitals
Fortified The Great Wall
Reconstructed 2 capitals near
Yellow River
– Confucianism regained popularity
T’ang
Dynasty
• 618A.D. – 907A.D.
• T’ang Code
– Continuous scale of penalties
– Degree based on amount of time that
would be spent mourning if the person
died
• Tax based on # of people in family,
not how much land
• Rice production rapidly increased
• Expanded empire to Iran
• Only female empress (Wu Chou)
• Finances put in order
• Tea became popular
• Warfare and internal struggles
made peasant life difficult
• Peasant uprisings led to T’ang’s fall
The Five
Dynasties
• 907A.D. – 960 A.D.
• 4 important advances
– Trade increasingly important, especially
tea
– Translucent porcelain developed
– Movable type
• Books became readily available
• Allowed more people to become
educated
– Paper money invented
• Foot binding began
– Widely practiced-rich and poor
– Few did not-boat women of Kuang-tung,
aboriginals of S.W., non-Chinese groups
surrounding China
• Buddhism experienced sharp
decline
North and South
Song Dynasties
• 960A.D. – 1279A.D.
• Great advances
– Used gunpowder as weapon
– First autopsy performed
– Neo-Confucianism developed
• “Pursuit of the Way” encouraged nobles
to live up to Confucian ideals by being
less selfish.
• Education and examination system
became central to upper class
• Best ships in world
– Carried 500 men, 4 decks, 6 masts, 12
sails
– Used charts and compasses
• Most technologically and culturally
advanced people in the world
• Diplomacy favored instead of fighting
4. Late Imperial China
Yuan Dynasty
• 1279A.D. – 1368A.D.
• 1st time China ruled by foreigners-Mongols
• Genghis Khan conquered, but grandson,
Kublai Khan became emperor
• Culturally very different –made ruling very
difficult
• Excessive spending & trade restrictions
severely depleted China economically.
• No trade out, but outside could come in
• Marco Polo experienced friendlier China than
the natives
• <100years China impoverished
• Governing duties led to lax military training
• No interest in holding onto an impoverished
country.
Ming
Dynasty
• 1368A.D. – 1644A.D.
• Founder (Hongwu) was peasant
• Created laws that improved peasant life
– Low taxes
– Granaries stocked (famine)
– Maintained dikes
• Great cultural development
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Novels written (still read today)
Blue and white porcelain
Encyclopedias written
Dictionaries written
Reduced # of Chinese characters
Built more of and repaired Great Wall
• Money always a problem, went back to
copper coins but counterfeiting a problem
• Zheng He made 7 diplomatic expeditions
• After last voyage records destroyed and
shipbuilding restricted to small ships
• Internal power struggles led to downfall
Qing
Dynasty
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1644A.D. – 1911A.D.
Last Dynasty
2nd time ruled by foreigners – the Manchu
First 3 emperors= peace and prosperity.
Peace=growth
– Taxes low but Public works maintained
– Internation trade grew
– European missionaries allowed. Later outlawed
when Christian sailors looted the Chinese coast
– Boarders expanded
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Instituted changes in dress
– Men = Shave heads and wear queues. Also wear
Manchu cothes
– Women = No change in clothes but outlawed foot
binding. Impossible to enforce. 1688A.D. ruling
withdrawn
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West’s impact felt for first time
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British imported opium
Much Chinese $$ used to pay for opium
Many became addicted
1839A.D. opium trade abolished
BOXER REBELLION
China forced to sign treaty-Hong Kong and trade
rights. Virtually turned China into a British colony.
Qing
Dynasty
(Cont.)
• Internal rebellions weakened China
• Japan’s Westernization meant
China needed to buffer for attack
• Emperors were younger and
younger – power in hands of
empresses and other advisors
• Tzu His – empress who held the
most power of all empresses
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Uneducated
Opposed all reform
Reformers executed
Before death placed 2 year old on
thrown!
– After 2 years Republic of China arose.
• No more dynasties