Transcript Chinese Dynasties - SCF Faculty Site Homepage

ANCIENT
CHINA
PRE-HISTORIC
CHINA
Paleolithic China:
Peking Man
 Fossils
found in 1920’s -30’s -- date to
500,000 bce
 Zhoukoudian Cave -- 40 km. south of
Beijing
 Classified as HOMO ERECTUS
Neolithic China
ca. 12,000-2000 bce
Neolithic China
ca. 12,000-2000 bce
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Although Neolithic period began ca. 12,000 bce in
China, good evidence dates back only to 4,000 bce
Largest concentration of agriculture near Yellow
River: millet was main crop
Much wetter geography: most of N. China was lakes
and marshes, and central China was covered with
enormous lake.
Silk production in Northern China began even before
the Neolithic period.
Clustered dwelling suggest importance of kinship
9000 year-old flutes
These 9,000-year-old Chinese flutes are believed to be the oldest
known playable instruments.
They're made from the forelimbs of a rare crane.
Yangshao Culture
5000-2500 bce
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Primitive techniques of cultivation: millet main
crop
Semisubterranean houses in mountains of northern
and western China
Their handcrafted, Painted Pottery occasionally
bears a single incised sign that may be a
forerunner of Chinese writing
Domesticated the dog and the pig
Lung-shan Culture
ca.2500-1000 bce
 More
advanced agriculture
 Permanent
settlements in the eastern
plains, and expansion into Manchuria, and
Central and South China.
 Black
Pottery
 Practiced
ancestor worship
 Domesticated
pig, dog, sheep and ox
 Early
Chinese describe
jade as embodying five
virtues:
Jade
 Benevolence
is typified
by its luster that is
bright and warm
 Integrity
by its
translucency
 Wisdom
by its sonorous
ring when struck
 Courage
by its hardness
 Steadfastness
durability
by its
Ornament in shape of pig-dragon (zhulong)
Neolithic, Hongshan culture ca. 3600-2000 bce
Neolithic Jade
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Modern jade includes nephrite and jadeite: only
nephrite used in Neolithic times
Ranges widely in color, from pale to dark green,
from white to yellow, from brown to black.
Extremely hard, so inordinately difficult to work.
It cannot be carved, but must be ground by a
material harder than itself
The Neolithic tools of choice were probably a gut
saw and bamboo drill together with an abrasive in
the form of river sand or sludge.
Earliest pieces date ca. 7000 bce
Hongshan Jade
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to the northeast, in the Manchurian
hills, archaeologists have uncovered traces
of a ceremonial center at Niuheliang
associated with the Hongshan culture
(4700-2920 B.C.).
 Jade objects found in tombs
Liangzhu Jade Congs
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Found almost exclusively
in burial contexts,
indicating ritual and
religious significance
Unique form of a circle
within a square suggests
some cosmological
significance.
Perhaps the circle
symbolizes heaven, and
the square symbolizes
earth
Xia Dynasty
21st-16th c. bce
Xia Dynasty
21st-16th c. bce
 First
prehistoric dynasty: descendants of
Lung-Shan culture
 Early bronze age sites in Henan first
discovered in 1928
 Urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs
that point to the existence of Xia
civilization in the same locations cited in
ancient Chinese texts
 Evolutionary stage between the late
neolithic cultures and the urban civilization
of the Shang dynasty.
HISTORIC
DYNASTIES
Shang Dynasty
16th-11th c. bce
Shang Dynasty
 Central Yellow River Valley
Oldest examples of Chinese
writing
 Hunters and farmers
 Brilliant bronze culture
 Cities
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Cheng Chow (16th c. bc)
 Anyang (C. 1384-1111 bc)
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Ornament of the late Shang,
7 cm The figurine shows the
costume and headdress usually
worn by people in the
Shang Dynasty
Shang Social Organization
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Shang Tang - the first ruling
king of the Shang dynasty
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City-states under the nominal
rule of a high king
Proto-feudalism.
The area under the jurisdiction
of the king quite probably was
small, perhaps not more than
100-200 miles in any direction
from Anyang.
Traces of a family ruling system
and of ancestor-worship are
discernible.
Rigidly patriarchal society.
Writing
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Oracle bones used for
divination.
A question was written on the
bone, which was then fired and
a T shaped crack was produced
to be interpreted; the
interpretation was then
written on the bone.
After the predicted event
occurred, the date of the
occurrence was also written on
the bone.
Astronomy and Calendar
Oracle bone with record of
solar eclipse
Ox bone inscribed with a table
of the Heavenly Stems and
Earthly Branches
Zhongqi
Shang Bronzes
 Ritual
bronze vessels
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from the very small and light to very
large
 Bronze
vessels are called "zhongqi" or
heavy vessels in Chinese.
4 Elements of Zhongqi
 Sophisticated
bronze technology
 Li-qi: ritual art -- used for worship, not
utilitarian
 Restricted decoration and shape
 Shang bronze types were copied and
reused later in Chinese history, even into
the nineteenth century
Taotie
Taotie
This pattern appears
on nearly all Shang
bronzes, and has
been interpreted as a
vague suggestion of
an animal's head. The
animal is unclear, as
are many of the
elements of the
decoration, so it is
called zoomorphic:
shaped like an animal.
Shang Religion
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The Shang worshipped the "Shang Ti," a supreme
god over lesser gods, the sun, the moon, the wind,
the rain, and other natural forces and places.
Highly ritualized, ancestor worship
Sacrifice to the gods and the ancestors
When a king died, hundreds of slaves and
prisoners were often sacrificed and buried with
him.
Woman Warrior: Fu Hao
13th c. bce
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The tomb of Fu Hao is the only royal Shang tomb
to have been found unlooted.
The floor level housed the royal corpse and most
of the utensils and implements buried with her.
Below the corpse was a small pit holding the
remains of 6 dogs, and the skeletons of 16
humans.
Fu Hao was mentioned in oracle bone inscriptions
as the consort of King Wu Ding and a general who
participated in several campaigns.
ZHOU DYNASTY
1027 bc-221 bc
Periods of Zhou Dynasty
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771 bce -- Zhou invaded by barbarians allied with
rebel lords; king killed. Capital moved eastward to
Luoyang in Henan Province
Western Zhou: 1027-771 bce
Eastern Zhou 770-221 bce
 770-476 bce: Spring and Autumn Period
 475-221 bce: Warring States Period
Zhou Dynasty
 Introduced
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organized agriculture
Feudal society
 Land
grants in return for support in war and
loyalty
 Ruler: Tian or “Son of Heaven
 Principal of societal relationships illustrated in
the Book of Odes and the Book of Rituals
 Confucianism
and Taoism introduced
Zhou Jade: Ritual
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Changes in ritual and funeral
custom manifested themselves
in the appearance of jade-piece
masks and, much later, jade
burial suits.
Belief that jade could protect
the corpse from decay, thereby
providing the spirit with a
"living" home.
The pieces of this jade mask
were sewn on a silk veil to
define the facial features of
the deceased.
Musical Instruments
Bian zhong was the
main ritual
instrument played
at sacrificial
activities or feasts
of aristocrats in
the Western Zhou
Dynasty.
Percussion instrument of
Western Zhou, height 38.5-48 cm
Qin (Chin) Dynasty
221 bce -206 bce
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First unified the country by
subjugating the Warring
States
Established central
bureaucracy
Legalism supplanted
Confucianism: scholars
persecuted and books burned
Standardized writing,
currency, weights and
measures
Qin Shihuangdi
Qin Building Projects
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Used forced labor
of convicts and
peasants
Roads and canals
Palaces
Connected
fortification walls
to build 5000
kilometer Great
Wall
Mausoleum of
Qin Emperor ShiHuangdi
(First Emperor)
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Qin ShiHuangdi’s Mausoleum
was discovered in 1974 by
farmers digging a well.
The 13 year-old emperor had
ordered 800,000 workers to
build his tomb.
Terra Cotta Army
Rebellions broke out after
Emperor’s death in 210 bce:
dynasty overthrown after only
15 years of rule
Confucius
K’ung fu-tzu or Kongfuzi
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551-479 bc
Son of aristocrat, raised in poverty
Itinerant teacher
Sayings collected in The Analects
Possibly edited The Book of Songs
Confucianism
Importance of traditional values:
self-control, filial piety, propriety,
ritual
 Individual virtue leads to societal
virtue
 Contextual morality -- guided by
circumstances of a particular problem
 Obedience contingent upon
benevolence
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Confucian Values
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Li: propriety, ceremony, civility. 4 basic rules of human
conduct: courtesy, politeness, good manners, respect
(reverence for age)
Jen (Ren): respect for self and others:”Do not do to
others what you do not want done to you.” Charity and
courtesy
Te: virtue, the power of moral example as in a strong
leader who guides by example or in the forces of nature
Wen: the arts of peace: music, poetry, art -- conducive
to harmony and order and a model of excellence.
Traditional Chinese art always strives for beauty.
The Six Relationships
Obedience in The Six Relationships is contingent
upon the superior members observing their duty to
be benevolent and caring.
Ruler
Teacher
Subject
Student
Older
Friend
Younger
Friend
The Mandate of Heaven
 The moral order of the Universe: right
and wrong
 Fate: Life and death are beyond our
control.
 The right to rule: knowing and observing
the moral order of the Universe
 The judgement of history: losing the
Mandate of Heaven results in loss of
power.
Lao Tzu or Lao Zi
“Old Sage” or “Old Master”
Born c. 604 bc
 Author of Tao te Ching or Taodejing:
The Way and Its Power
 Legendary life
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TAOISM
Tao: the ultimate reality behind
existence, a transcendant essence.
 Highly individualistic and mystical
character
 Existential skepticism
 Wu-wei: spontaneity -- to discern
and follow the natural forces -- to
follow and shape the natural flow of
events, not to struggle against nature
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Yin and Yang
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Negative and positive principles of the universe.
One cannot exist without the other, and they often
represent opposites in relations to each other.
As there is more and more Yang, eventually, Yin
will appear and replace this increase. Similarly in
the opposite direction, Yang will appear to replace
the increase in Yin
YIN
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Negative
Female
Dark
Evil
Earth
YANG
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Positive
Male
Light
Good
Heaven
Three Jewels
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Compassion - leads to courage
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Moderation - leads to generosity
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Humility - leads to leadership
Earliest Dynasties
ANCIENT
Xia Dynasty
21st-16th c. bce
Shang Dynasty
16th-11th c. bce
first writing
CHINA
Zhou Dynasty
1027 bc-221 bc
Confucianism
Taoism
CLASSICAL
Dynasties
Qin (Chin) Dynasty
221 bc-206 bc
origin of name of China
CHINA
The Han Empire
206 bce-220 ce