Transcript an_emerging_empire2 - Etiwanda E

An Emerging Empire
By Kristin Ledesma
Post Han Dynasty China
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Imagine a country with very little order.
The majority of people are laboring, living
a difficult life with few comforts. They
have lived through brutal attacks, famine,
and floods. Landowners are refusing to
pay taxes, and the army is fighting within
their own troops. There is no money to
buy food or seeds.
Years of Disorder
Emperor Xian Di could not solve China’s
problems.
 As a result, China’s first great empire
broke apart into small, competing
kingdoms.
 This was the end of the Han Dynasty.

Geography Creates Regions
The most significant events in China’s
history took place in the eastern third of
the country.
 This section of China is divided into
North and South by the Qin Ling
Mountains

Geography Divides China
Prior to the Han Dynasty in 221 B.C.,
the north and the south had very little
contact with each other.
 Even after, contact was limited to traders,
soldiers, and government officials.

Barriers Protect the Empire

In addition to dividing China, the
geography protected China from the
outside world.
– The Himalayas in the southwest and the
Taklimakan Desert in the west cut China off
from other countries.
– The East China Sea protected China on
the east side.

The open steppe in the in the north left
China open to attack.
Map of China
A Period of Unrest

China remained in a state of political disunity for 360
years after the fall of the Han Dynasty.
The Southern Region

Local affairs were mostly controlled by
large landowners.
– Private armies were maintained to defend
lands and strengthen homes.
– Many small farmers were forced to work in
exchange for food and protection, forced to
give up their own land.
The Central Region
Control changed hands many times from
220 to589
 This upheaveal promoted growth in
Southern China’s economy.

– Nanjing the capital city, became the center of
commerce, as a result of good harvests and a
growing market for silk.
– By the 500s, Nanjing was trading with
Southeast Asia, India, and Persia.
The Northern Region
Groups of nomads invaded and
established short-lived kingdoms.
 Native Chinese culture and government
structure were adopted by these nomads.
 By 589, descendants became fully
integrated into Chinese culture and life.

From Confucianism to Buddhism

During the Han Dynasty, most people practiced
Confucianism.
Due to the period of chaos that followed the fall of the
Han Dynasty, people were ready for relief from
uncertainty.

Buddhism offered this relief.

Buddhism
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Offerred promise of
escape from suffering
taught that life is cycle of
pleasure and sorrow, life
and rebirth
Suffering caused by focus
on material world
Escape through meditation
Goal was enlightenmentstate of complete freedom
and peace.
The Reunification
of China
Emperor Wen established a
national identity by:
following ancient Chinese political
practices
 organizing public work projects
 founding colleges for the study of the
classics

Emperor Wen set up a new
system of administration.
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Departments were created for different government
functions.
– Each department was then divided to perform
specific duties.
Officials were classified by rank, and this determined
their salary.
Local governments were ordered to send local men to
be tested and possibly placed in government.
Favoritism was prevented by having officials serve in
areas away from their homes.
Emperor Wen encouraged three systems of
thought and practice. This promoted unity.
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Though he was a Buddhist, he recognized that
other belief systems could strengthen his empire.
He stressed the Confucian ideas of good conduct,
scholarship, and public service, knowing that
Confucianism was an important tradition in Chinese
government.
He also encouraged Daoism, a thought system that
emphasized living in harmony with nature and being
content with life.
Quiz
– What happened as a result of the fall of the Han
Dynasty?
– What geographic feature made China difficult to
govern?
– What three barriers protected the empire?
– Where was China vulnerable?
– What happened in the Southern Region after the
fall of the Han Dynasty?
– How was the Northern Region affected by the fall of
the Han Dynasty?
Works Cited
– Map_of_China
– www.nationalgeographic.com/.../ ngo/maps/view/chinam.html