Transcript Classical China Zhou, Qin, Han Dynasties

Bellringer: 10/20 and 10/21
1. Pick up the papers by the door.
2. Take 5 minutes to review for your
World Religions quiz on Judaism,
Hinduism, and Buddhism.
After your quiz…
1. Turn your quiz into the class drawer.
2. Update your ToC:
Page 33: Notes – Classical China (Qin +
Han Empires)
Page 34: Quiz – World Religions
3. Write down your HW:
Read pages 72-78 (stop at “Qin Empire”
section) in your DUIKER textbook and
take notes.
Classical China:
Qin & Han Dynasties
Timeline of Classical China
Shang: 1766 - 1122 BCE
Zhou: 1029 - 258 BCE
Era of Warring States: 402 BCE - 201 BCE
Qin: 221 - 202 BCE
Han: 202 BCE - 220 CE
Timeline of Classical China
Shang: 1766 - 1122 BCE
Zhou: 1029 - 258 BCE
Era of Warring States: 402 BCE - 201 BCE
Qin: 221 - 202 BCE
Han: 202 BCE - 220 CE
Recap: What does the
dynastic cycle look like?
1. New family establishes dynasty (new
institutions, economy)
2. Dynasty weakens
3. Rebellions against that dynasty (can be
internal or external)
4. New dynasty emerges
Mandate of Heaven
Belief that the gods give their blessing
to a specific family in China that is
meant to establish a dynasty and rule
the region
How is the mandate lost?
Emperors = considered “Sons of
Heaven”
Period of Warring States
402 BCE - 201 BCE
Competing interests of landowners and
elites cause political turmoil
Period of a lot of civil war
Landowners raise own military - origins of
regional warlords
No political unity - China is exceptionally
weak
Cultural innovations survive
Results in new philosophies
Dynasties in China
Qin Dynasty
Qin China Vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bZ
XxGv52t8
Qin Dynasty: Main Ideas
Emerges out of end of
Zhou Dynasty/Period
of Warring States
Founder: Shi Huangdi
(“First Emperor”)
Goals:
Unify and expand
China
Restore order
Qin: Social
Primogeniture eliminated
Primogeniture = practice of having eldest son
inherit all property and land
Social class = less hereditary and less
important
Nobles must leave land and live in
Emperor’s court
Does this because the emperor is paranoid!
Qin: Political
Emperor rules via autocracy (ruler has
all the power) and force
Uses force to establish/keep control
“Strengthening the trunk by weakening the
branches”  weakens power of the
bureaucracy, noble families in China
Political achievements:
National census
Single law code
Qin: Interactions
Army gets larger
Why? To crush rivals and regional
rebellions
Expanded territory of China
Takes land in Hong Kong, Vietnam
Qin: Cultural
Legalism promoted over
Confucianism
Shi Huangdi is focused on maintaining
control and keeping power = Legalism
supports this more then Confucianism
Architectural: Starts construction of
Great Wall; Terracotta Soldiers/Tomb of
Shi Huangdi
Uniform written language
Banned books
Qin: Economics
Introduced standard currency (weights
and measures)
Forced labor for construction projects
(i.e. roads, Great Wall)
Extremely high taxes
Sponsored agricultural projects (irrigation)
and manufacturing of silk
Why did the Qin Dynasty
Fall? (write under Political)
Shi Huangdi = too paranoid to rule for long
Extremely paranoid; killed off suspected enemies
(nobles, intellectuals, warlords)
Desire to control EVERYTHING
High taxes, forced labor
Shi Huangdi dies in 210 BCE; followed by 8
years of peasant revolts to determine
successor - winner establishes Han Dynasty
Dynasties in China
Han Dynasty
Han China Vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS7
pKZJ3zPs
Han Dynasty: Main Ideas
Han dynasty = “Golden Age” of Chinese
civilization
Period of prosperity and stability
Strengthened gov’t, expanded borders
Bureaucracy, not autocracy
Achievements:
 Silk Road trade begins
 New inventions (paper, pulley, ox-drawn plows, collar)
Han: Social
Confucianism over Legalism
Emphasis on family/gender roles
Filial piety (honoring one’s father/male elders)
More emphasis on social class than the Qin
Large divides between classes
Upper class controls most of the land but are only a small
percent of the population (2%)
Social class = hereditary
It is hard to move from one class to the other
Han: Political
Power of bureaucracy and noble families
strengthened = emperor has less power than
during Qin
Lowered taxes (but still relatively high)
Civil service exam = really important
Social class + civil service determines if you can
serve in the gov’t
Han: Interactions
Interactions deal mostly with trade
(i.e. start of Silk Road trade)
Trade routes connect China to India, the
Middle East, etc.
Han = expands into more territory
Means more interaction with other peoples
– “encourages” assimilation of these
peoples into Han culture
Han: Cultural
Confucianism over Legalism
Interested in art and literature (poems, paintings)
Classic of Songs – 300 poems about values
important to Han China (love, family, politics)
Famous authors = Sima Qian, Ban Biao
Calendar based on 365 days created
Astronomy (noted the movement of planets)
BIG 3: Paper, ox-drawn plow, wheelbarrow
invented
Han: Economics
Agriculture and trade = help fuel
economy
Trade and production are focused on
getting/making luxury goods for upper
class
Means there is an artisan class
The Fall of the Han
Social inequality runs rampant in Han
China
Wealthy classes lived in luxury while
peasants worked under difficult
conditions.
Land is not distributed evenly
Banditry and rebellions organized by
desperate peasants hurt Han gov’t
Internal weakness eventually brought an
end to the Han.