Transcript Diapositiva 1

Early Chinese
Civilizations
The Indian Subcontinent
The First Chinese Civilizations
• Huang He Valley – flooded yearly with
destructive results
– Too much water rushed the dikes and caused
it to soar over the land
– Thousands of people and animals drowned
– Houses, tools, and crops were destroyed
– The river was given the nickname the “river of
sorrows”
The First Dynasties: Xia and
Shang
• Xia – earliest Chinese dynasty
– Agricultural based economy but people still
lived in cities
• Shang – overtook the Xia dynasty
– Developed a writing system for the Chinese
language
The Zhou Dynasty and the
Mandate of Heaven
• Zhou rebelled against the Shang
• Mandate of Heaven
– Deities in heaven ordered the Zhou to replace
the Shang
– Emperors ruled by divine right – power came
from the gods
– Gave people the right to rebel against an
unjust ruler
The Importance of the Family in
China
• Family is the basic unit of Chinese Society
• Filial Piety – Governs relationships among
family members
– Sons and Daughters were to obey their
parents
– Parents were to obey their parents
• All family members were to obey the
oldest male of the family
Early Chinese Civilizations
CHINESE PHILOSOPHIES
Chinese Philosophies
• Philosophy is the search for knowledge
about the world
• Religion is the belief in and worship of a
divine or superhuman power
• Philosophy and Religion are NOT the
same
The Teachings of Confucius
• Confucianism is based on the teachings of
Confucius
• Confucius wanted to bring harmony to the
world
• Taught that duty to the family and the
community is more important than a
person’s own needs and wants
The Teachings of Confucius
• Older people are considered superior to
younger people
• Men are always on a higher level than
women
The Teachings of Confucius
• Influence
– Rulers are responsible to heaven for the well
being of their subjects – if the ruler failed the
subjects could overthrow him
– Believed public officials should be moral and
well educated
Daoism and Legalism
• Daoism comes from the word Dao
meaning “the way”
– The way to happiness is to live in harmony
with nature
– A good ruler was one who did little
Daoism and Legalism
• Legalism
– All people are naturally bad
– Strong rulers, long list of laws, and harsh
punishments are vital to bringing order to
society
Early Chinese Civilizations
THE RISE AND FALL OF
DYNASTIES
The Rise and Fall of Dynasties
• Qin Dynasty
– Qin declared himself China’s first emperor
– Centralized Government
– Bureaucrats were appointed to oversee the
new regions
– Army to keep order and protect China
– Authorized the building of the Great Wall to
keep fierce fighters and warring nations away
• Built with forced labor
Han Dynasty
• Liu Bang – peasant revolt leader
– Took the name Han and declared a new
dynasty
– Replaced harsh laws and punishments
– Adopted Confucianism
Han Dynasty
• Lasting Impacts
– Population tripled
– Empire grew in land area
– Towards the end of 170 AD peasants were
revolting over their living conditions
The Silk Road and Sea Routes
• Merchants traded along land and sea
routes
• The land route became known as the Silk
Road
– China’s most important good that was
transported on this route was silk
• Spices, tea, porcelain, ivory, cotton, pepper, and
gems