Transcript 4 China Spring S14

Ancient China Notes
World History
4 Philosophies of Ancient China
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Buddhism (Imported from India)
Confucianism: (official state belief system)
Daoism: (stressed harmony with nature)
Legalism: (strict laws, severe punishments, & a
strong central government)
Dynastic China
Zhou (Joe) Dynasty (1027-256 BCE)
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Rulers claimed the Mandate of Heaven (permission to
rule was granted by the divine power)
Mandate of Heaven was later used to explain the Dynastic
Cycle: (dynasty remained in power as long as it was
providing good government)
Developed manufacture and trade of silk
Developed bookmaking
Qin (Tsin) Dynasty (221 – 206 BCE)
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Unified China
Qin Shi Huangdi was known as the “First Emperor.”
Developed cavalry
standardized the language, writing, currency, & measurements
Great Wall of China built
Confucianism
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Confucius was a scholar, taught history, studied
music, and had an upstanding moral character.
Thought order could be attained through
development of 5 relationships: 1 ruler and subject,
2 father and son, 3 husband and wife, 4 older
brother and younger brother, and 5 friend and
friend.
People should practice filial piety (respect for their
parents.
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Confucius led the way for the creation of a
bureaucracy – a trained civil service that rain the
government.
Confucianism is NOT a religion it is an ethical
system.
Environmental Challenges
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The Huang He (Yellow River) and the
Yangtze River flood frequently . The Huang
He’s floods were especially disastrous which
led to it being called “China’s sorrow.” (Three
Gorges Dam)
Natural boundaries did not protect them from
repeated invasions.
Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE)
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Considered China’s Golden Age
economic development: the Silk Road
~ main export: silk
~ imports: glass, cloth, food, architecture, gold, camels, Buddhism
Confucianism was the state belief system
Civil Service Exam: the Merit System
accurate clocks, ship rudders, & PAPER
Buddhism
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Developed out of the personal religious
questioning of Siddhartha Gautama
Buddha means “the enlightened one”
The “Four Noble Truths”
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Life is filled with suffering
Suffering is caused by desire for the pleasures of
this world
To end suffering, one must end desire
The was to overcome desire is to follow the Eightfold Path
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By following the Eight-fold Path one could
reach Nirvana
Nirvana is the release from selfishness and
suffering.
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Tang Dynasty:
strict social structure
dev. of gunpowder, block
printing
Song Dynasty:
movable type printing
200 yrs. before Gutenberg