Transcript Chapter 5 Early East Asia

Chapter 5
Early Societies in East
Asia
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Huang He “Yellow” River
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Loess, extremely fertile
China’s Sorrow, devastating floods and
changes of course
Center of Early Chinese civilization
King Yu, dredging and canal work to control
the flood effects
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The Earliest Dynasties, 2200 BCE-256 BCE
Yellow River: 3000 Miles, Tibet to the Yellow Sea; Deposits fertile, light
colored soil; Periodic flooding: “China’s sorrow”
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Xia
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Shang
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Written records and materials
Bronze metallurgy
Walled cities
Zhou
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Organized village network
Hereditary monarchy
Flood control
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The mandate of heaven
Produced books
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Oracle Bone from Shang Dynasty
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Southern Expansion of Chinese
Society
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Yangzi Valley
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Yangzi river: Chang Jiang, “long river”
Excellent for rice cultivation
Irrigation system developed
The State of Chu
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Autonomous, challenged Zhou dynasty
Culture heavily influenced by Chinese
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Warring States Period
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Zhou Dynasty
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The Period of the Warring States result
Zhou attacked by nomads, aid was refused from the
vassal states, Zhou dynasty moved and the dynasty
lost as it’s subordinate states fought amongst
themselves for the right to rule
At this time the three major philosophical traditions of
Chinese culture developed, which we will discuss
later, so why are you writing every word that is
placed in a power point. It takes up too much time
and you miss the big points.
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Family and Patriarchy
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devotion to family, ancestor veneration
connection of spirit world to physical world
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Ritual sacrifices
Father ritual head of family rites
Earlier prominence of individual female leaders
fades in later Shang, Zhou dynasties
Concept of tian (heaven) but no formalized
religion ever develops, which serves to strengthen
what beliefs they already have
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Social Order
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Ruling classes great advantage
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Palatial compounds, luxurious lifestyle
Supported by agricultural surplus, tax revenues
Defended by monopoly on bronze weaponry
Hereditary privilege
Support class of artisans, craftsmen
Evidence of long-distance trade, merchant class
Large class of semi-servile peasants
Slave class
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Economics
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Trade networks to India as of 2000 b.c.
Sail technology, interaction with Korea
By the Zhou Dynasty they are using star
navigation
Silk, as early as 2600 b.c.e.
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Family
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Gender, evidence of early matrilineal
systems replaced by the Shang times for a
patrilineal one
Patriarch and extended family possessed
tremendous authority over the lives of its
members
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Culture
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Concept of Tian, was and impersonal power
responsible for bestowing or revoking the
Mandate of Heaven
Not for monitoring or judging personal
behavior
No large priestly class develops!
Writing becomes an important part of culture
and expression
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Chinese
Ideograms
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The dynamo of the
ancient world
Effect upon the
Chinese people, a
unifier
Why?
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Nomadic Peoples of Central Asia
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Steppe nomads
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Poor lands for cultivation, extensive herding activities
Horses domesticated c. 4000 BCE, bronze metallurgy
in 2900 BCE
Extensive trade with sedentary cultures in China
Tensions: frequent raiding
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Relationship with Nomads
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Constant interaction
Weak China, threatening force
Strong China, source of trade and interaction
Never adopted Chinese culture, why?
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