Transcript Document

Early China
By Christina King and Tala Sullivan
Early China
By
Kap and Stephanie
Geography
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Northern climate colder
Southern climate temperate
Yellow and Yangzi rivers
Isolated by
o Himalayan Mountains in the Southwest
o Takla Makan Desert, Pamir and Tian Mountains in the West
o Gobi Desert and Mongolian Steppe in the Northwest
o Pacific Ocean in the East
Geography and Resources
• Isolated from the Eastern Hemisphere by natural
barriers: Himalaya Mountains, Pamir Mountains, Tain
Mountains, Taklamakan Desert, Gobi Desert and Pacific
Ocean
• Because of the barriers it made trade and transportation
difficult, but there was still a lot of trade between India
and Central Asia
• Rivers ( Yellow and Yangzi) provided East and West
movement
Geography Continued...
• People in the rivers valleys were able to practice
intensive agriculture
• East river valleys and north China contained natural
resources such as timber, stone, and scattered deposits
of metal
• Soil is very fertile but loose, so they frequently have
earthquakes
• Crops such as millet, grain, and wheat. Also rice in the
south
• Mined copper and tin
Neolithic China
• Early China raised animals and used stone
tools
• Made pottery on a wheel
• Started the invention of silk cloth (raised silk
worms on mulberry trees and carefully
unwrapped the silk from the cocoons)
• Started to make bronze around 2000 B.C.E.
Shang Dynasty
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1750-1027 B.C.E. Shang Dynasty
Ruled core region of Yellow River Valley
Lies in present day Hanan
Used military strength and strategy
Ruled by a king who was a intermediary between the gods and the
people
Aided by high class officials that acted as generals, ambassadors
and public servants
Royal family and native rulers governed conquered and far-off
territories
Prisoners of war were enslaved by Shang rulers
Lasted 6 centuries
The Shang Period 1750- 1027 B.C.E
• Dynasty lasted more than six centuries
• Society was dominated by a warrior aristocracy
• King and court ruled the main area of the civilization
o Aristocrats served as generals, ambassadors, and
supervisors of public projects
o Members of the royal family and high ranking nobility
governed outlying provinces
o Most distant regions were governed by native rulers
who swore alliegence to to the king
• King often traveled to the courts in other provinces to
reinforce their loyalty
Shang Period continued...
• There was nomads who occupied the steppe and desert
regions in the north and west were considered "barbarians"
o They would frequent have military campaigns, where
large numbers of these nomads were taken asPOW's and
used as slaves in the Shang capital
• Cities were the centers for political control and were
surrounded by walls
o Commoners lived in agricultural villages outside of the
city
• During this time period people glorified the king
o Shang royal family and aristocracy worshiped their male
ancestors because they believed that they could influence
the gods, would also make sacfrices to their ancestors
and gods to try and win divine favor
Shang continued... (Trade)
• Trade was difficult due to the geography
o Brought jade, ivory, mother of pearl
o May have adopted the horse-drawn chariot idea from
western Asia (used in war)
• May have traded as far as Mesopotamia
• Gained many valuable things through trade and travel
Culture
• Pictograms and phonetic symbols represented sounds of
syllables which formed many different signs
o Only a special elite group was able to learn this system
• King burials involved animal and human sacrifice
• Possession of bronze was a symbol of authority
o Bronze vessels were used in rituals seeking support of
ancestors and gods
• Many of the peoples morals came from Confucius
• Cities were aligned to the north polar star and there were
gate openings in the cardinal directions
• Would elaborately decorate their weapons with stylized
depictions of real and imaginary animals
• Feng Shui was important to them because it symbolized the
order imposed by the gods and monarchs, still used today.
Zhou Dynasty
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1027-221 B.C.E. Zhou Dynasty
Defeated the Shang king in 1027 B.C.E.
Mandate of Heaven key to dynastic cycle
The ruler was believed to be "The Son of Heaven"
New ruler needed support from people to justify overthrow
Kingdom divided into 100 territories each ruled by allies or
relatives of the king
Government officials expected to rule fairly, system began to fail
around 800 B.C.E.
Leaders imposed new system called Legalism around 480 B.C.E.
Legalism based on the view that human nature is evil, order is
maintained with laws and punishments
Longest lasting dynasty
The Zhou Period 1027-221 BCE
• Longest dynasty
• Preserved essentials of Shang culture
o Added ideology and technology
• In terms of leaders:
o Chief deity = heaven
o Monarchs = son of heaven
o His rule = mandate of heaven
• Ruler was chosen by supreme deity & stayed as the ruler until a
mistake was made
• The power of priests faded and there was a decline in extravagant/
bloody sacrifices & burials.
• The sacred bronze vessels from the Shang dynasty were now just
family treasures.
• The fading from religion to government led to philosophical &
mystical systems.
The Zhou Period, continued
• 11-9 BCE was considered the West Zhou Era
o Capital locations were in the Western areas
o Capitals were built with pounded earth foundations & walls
o All major buildings faced the South
o Government officials were models of morality, fairness, & concern for
people.
• Members and allies of the royal family ruled 100+ territories
• 771 BCE was considered the East Zhou Era
o Time of political fragmentation, shifting centers of power & constant
warfare
o 2 different time periods within the East Zhou Era:
 The Spring and Autumn Period (771-481 BCE)
 The Warring States Period (480-221 BCE)
• They learned from the Steppe nomads to put fighters on horseback
• In 600 BCE, iron began to replace bronze ad the material for tools and
weapons
o Iron came to China from the nomadic people of the Northwest
• The Chinese were the first to forge steal
• Legalism
o Legalists believed that all aspects of human society ought to be controlled
& personal freedom sacrificed for the good of the state.
Economic
• Agriculture
• Cities are surrounded by agriculture
• North harvested millet grain
o Rain was hard to predict
• South harvested rice
o Predicted monsoons
o Rice patties must be flat and very wet
o Used channels to create controlled floods
o An acre of rice can feed more people then an acre of grain
o Cultivating rice is very labor intensive requires many people
o South eventually became more populated and important then
the North
• Trade
• Jade, ivory and bronze weapons were traded
• Silk was the most valuable innovation and was in high demand
• Traded as far as Mesopotamia
Early Chinese Religion
• Government of major Zhou states took over many
of the traditional functions of aristocracy.
o To maintain influence, aristocrats sought to be
advisors to the rulers.
Confusianism
• One prominent aristocrat who lived through the time was Kongzi (551-479 BCE),
known in the West by the latin form his name, Confucius.
o Growing up in small state made him not well known
o His doctrine of duty was to become a central influence in Chinese thought.
o Elements of his teaching:
 Roots in earlier Chinese religion (folk religion & Zhou royal family.)
o Drew parallel between family & state
 Family hierarchy = sate hierarchy (father = ruler, sons = public officials,
women = common people)
o Took traditional term for feelings between family members (ren) and turned it
into a universal idea of compassion toward all humanity.
 Believed it was the foundation of a good government.
o He felt that the government should gain respect & authority by displaying
fairness & integrity
o Teachings emphasized benevolence, avoidance of violence, justice,
rationalism, loyalty, & dignity.
• At the time, he had no influence on his people but, in years to come, he had a
great impact.
• His sucessor Mencious (Mengzi, 371-289 BCE), made his teachings much more
well known.
Taoism (Daoism)
• Warring states period saw uprise of religion called Taoism
(Americanized to Daoism).
• Originator was Laozi (thought to have lived in the 6th
century BCE, but some doubt his existence).
• Went out to stop the warfare; urged people to follow Dao, or
"path."
• Taoists except the world as it is.
• Avoid violence
• Instead of fighting the current, they allow the rushing waters
to pass by them.
• Original philosophy was expanded in subsequent centuries
to incorporate popular beliefs, magic & mysticism.
• Idealized individuals who found their own path
Chinese Society
• Kingship structures of the Shang and Zhou dynasties faded
o transitioned from clan style to 3-generation family as the
fundamental social unit.
• Emergence of concept of private property
o Land considered to belong to men of family
o Divided equally among sons when fathered died
• Little known about the life of an early Chinese woman
o Some believe that they acted as shaman (entering
trances to communicate with supernatural forces,
receiving predictions of the future)
o From Written records we can see that later on, women
served in subordinate positions in strong patriarchs.
Chinese Society, continued
• Men were limited to 1 wife but were permitted additional sex partners
• Elite classes used marriage to create political alliances.
o Common for groom to offer a "bride-gift" to prove wealth.
• A man whose wife died had the duty of remarrying so as to keep the male
heirs going in the cult of ancestors.
• Differences in male and female activities were explained by yin and yang (the
complementary nature of male & female roles in the natural order).
o Yang- referenced to the sun, active, bright and shining.
o Yin- refrenced to the moon, passive, shaded and reflective.
o Male toughness was balanced by female gentleness, as was action &
inititive/endurance & completion and leadership/supportiveness.
• Classical Chinese patterns of society formed during the Zhou period and
competitiona among states.
• At the end of this period, the Qin (having aggressive & disciplined policies)
made it the premier power among warring states, defeated rivals and final
unified China.