Transcript Eurasian Cultural Traditions 500 BCE to 500 CE Chapter 5

Eurasian Cultural Traditions
500 BCE to 500 CE
Chapter 5
AP World History Notes
“China and the Search for Order”
The State of China
 Chaos
Growing violence
Disharmony and disunity
“Age of Warring States”
These issues led many to find solutions
to China’s problems
The Legalist Answer
Founder of Legalism = Han
Fei
Legalists viewed humans as
inherently stupid and immoral
Legalists believed in rules
and laws that were strict,
clearly spelled out, and
enforced through a system of
rewards and punishments
The Legalist Answer
 Legalism = used by
Emperor Qin
Shihuangdi during the
Qin Dynasty to restore
unity and order to
China
The Confucian Answer
Confucius = from an
aristocratic family in
northern China
Became a teacher
Believed in ethics =
good conduct and
moral judgment
The Analects
 A short book of the
teachings of
Confucius
Compiled by his
students after his
death
The Confucian Answer
 The moral example of superiors
 Relied on unequal relationships within
society
Ruler over subject
Parent over child
Husband over wife
Old over young
Emphasis on Filial Piety
Filial piety =
respect for one’s
elders and
ancestors
Civil Service Exams
 Confucianism = incorporated into
China’s civil service exams during the
Han Dynasty
 Chinese men had to apply Confucian
values to specific situations in these
tests
The Daoist Answer
 Founder = Laozi
Focus of Daoism =
living in harmony
with nature
Urges withdrawal
from society and
entrance into a
world of nature
The Dao
“The Way”
Universal force
that guides all
things
Yin and Yang
 2 opposing forces present
in all of nature
 YIN = cool, dark, female,
submissive
 YANG = warm, light, male,
aggressive