Transcript Ancient India and China Section 1

Ancient India and China
Section 1
“Anyone who believes you can’t change history
has never tried to write his memoirs.”
- David Ben Gurion
In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman
somewhere.
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China’s First Dynasties
Main Idea
China’s river valley civilizations built the
foundations of a long-shared Chinese culture.
The achievements of the Shang and Zhou
dynasties can be felt to this day.
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China’s Geography
The development of civilization in early China was aided by features
like long rivers, fertile soils, temperate climates, and isolated valleys.
Rivers, Soils, Climates
• China’s first civilizations
developed in river valleys
• Two major rivers supplied water
for earliest civilizations
– Chang Jiang, also called
Yangzi
– Huang He, or Yellow River
– Both flow east from Plateau
of Tibet to Yellow Sea
Loess
• Annual floods deposited
rich soil, loess, on flood
plains
• Valley of Huang He
particularly fertile due to
loess
– Fine dusty soil
– Carried into China by
desert winds
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Crops
• Most of eastern China covered with fertile soils; some regions better
suited than others for growing certain crops
• Southern China—warm, receives plenty of rainfall, excellent region
for growing rice
• Further north—climate cooler, drier; suitable for grains, wheat, millet
Isolation
• Combination of rivers for irrigation, fertile soil for planting allowed
Chinese to thrive, as did China’s relative isolation
• Mountains, hills, desert protected China from invasion
• Himalaya Mountains separate southern China from India, rest of
southern Asia; vast Gobi Desert prevented reaching China from west
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China’s Geography
Beginnings of Civilization
Xia
• Archaeological
discoveries suggest
Chinese civilization
began in Huang He
valley
• Legend says earliest
Chinese ruled by Xia
dynasty
• People started
growing crops there
9,000 years ago
• Most historians date
beginning of Chinese
civilization to rise of Shang
dynasty
• No written, archaeological
evidence Xia dynasty
existed
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Question:
What geographic features influenced
life in early China?
Answer(s): Rivers deposited rich soil for farming;
mountains, hills, and desert isolated the area.
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The Shang Dynasty
According to ancient Chinese records, the Shang dynasty formed
around 1766 BC, although many archaeologists believe it actually
began somewhat later than that.
Government and
Society
• China ruled by
strong monarchy
• At capital city,
Anyang, kings
surrounded by
court
• Rituals performed
to strengthen
kingdom, keep safe
Order
• King’s governors
ruled distant parts
of kingdom
• King also had large
army at disposal
• Prevented
rebellions, fought
outside opponents
Agricultural Society
• Shang China
largely agricultural
• Most tended crops
in fields
• Farmers called on
to fight in army,
work on building
projects—tombs,
palaces, walls
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Shang Elite
Leisure
• Ruling elite had free time to
pursue leisure activities, hunting
for sport
• Wealthy enjoyed collecting
expensive bronze, jade objects
Afterlife
• Tombs held remains of
sacrificed prisoners of war
• Believed in afterlife where ruler
would need riches, servants
Artifacts
• Much of what is known comes
from studying royal tombs
• Contained valuable items made
of bronze, jade
Ancestor Worship
• Shang offered gifts to deceased
ancestors to keep them happy
in afterlife
• Steam from ritual meals
nourished ancestors’ spirits
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Oracle Bones
As part of worship, Shang asked ancestors for
advice
• Sought advice through use of oracle bones
– Inscribed bits of animal bone, turtle shell
– Living person asked question of ancestor
– Hot piece of metal applied to oracle bone
resulting in cracks on bone’s surface
– Specially trained priests interpreted meaning of
cracks to learn answer
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Shang Achievements and Decline
Writing
• Development of Chinese writing closely tied to use of oracle bones
• Earliest examples of Chinese writing, questions written on bones themselves
• Early Shang texts used picture symbols to represent objects, ideas
Bronze
• Shang religion led to great advances in working with bronze
• Highly decorative bronze vessels, objects created for religious rituals
• Also built huge structures like tombs; created calendar, first money systems
End of Dynasty
• Shang ruled for more than 600 years, until about 1100 BC
• Ruling China’s growing population proved too much for Shang
• Armies from nearby tribe, Zhou, invaded, established new ruling dynasty
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Question:
How did religion influence other
aspects of Shang culture?
Answer(s): ritual meals for ancestors; oracle
bones connected to early writing; bronze work for
rituals; built stable tombs
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The Zhou Dynasty
Beginning around 1100 BC, the Zhou rules China for several centuries.
The Zhou dynasty is divided into two periods. During the Western
Zhou, kings ruled from Xian in a peaceful period. Later conflict arose,
kings moved east to Luoyang, beginning the Eastern Zhou period.
Government
• When Zhou conquered Shang,
leaders worried Chinese people
would not accept them
Dynastic Cycle
• Zhou said Shang overthrown
because they lost gods’ favor
• Introduced idea they ruled by
Mandate of Heaven
• Later rulers used Mandate of
Heaven to explain dynastic cycle,
rise and fall of dynasties in China
• gods would support just ruler, not
allow anyone corrupt to hold power
• If dynasty lost power, it obviously
had become corrupt
In that case, they said, it was the will of the gods that that dynasty be
overthrown and a new one take power.
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Zhou Achievements
• Before Zhou, Chinese metalwork done almost exclusively in bronze
• Zhou learned to use iron, became backbone of economy
• Iron was strong, could be cast more cheaply, quickly than bronze
• Iron weapons strengthened Zhou army, as did new weapons like
catapult and creation of China’s first cavalry
Growth
• Population grew under Zhou
• Farmers learned new techniques,
increased size of harvest, created
food surpluses; cities also grew
• Roads, canals allowed better
transportation, communication
• Introduced coins, use of chopsticks
Decline of the Zhou
• Conflict arose during latter part of
Zhou dynasty
• Clan leaders within China rose up
against king
• As time passed, more and more
local leaders turned against Zhou,
further weakening rule
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Small States Fight
Result of rebellions was Warring States Period
• 403 BC to 221 BC, number of small
states fought each other for land, power
• Zhou still nominally in charge, but
power almost nonexistent by mid-200s
BC
• Qin, new dynasty, arose to bring end to
Warring States Period, Zhou dynasty
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Question:
How did China change under the
Zhou?
Answer(s): iron technology, population grew, new
farm techniques, more food, cities grew, roads
and canals built, coins and chopsticks introduced
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New Philosophies
The conflicts of the late Zhou period led many Chinese thinkers to
question the nature of society and people’s roles in it.
Effort to make sense
of chaos led to
creation of many new
Chinese philosophies,
or ways of looking at
the world
Of many philosophies
created during late Zhou
period, two became
influential in later
Chinese history:
• Confucianism
• Daoism
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Confucianism
Confucius
• Confucianism based on teachings of scholar named Kongfuzi, better known
as Confucius, who thought people should treat one another humanely
• Should express love, respect for others, honor one’s ancestors
Love and Respect
• Believed that love, respect had disappeared and was responsible for
violence in society; restoring respect for tradition would make society stable
• Thoughts on how to improve society collected in book, Analects
Analects
• Ruler should treat subjects fairly; subjects reward ruler with respect, loyalty
• People should respect members of family, devote selves to public service
• Confucian ideas spread elsewhere in Asia, including Korea, Japan, Vietnam
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Confucianism: The Way of the Ancients
• Every human, animal, and object has an appointed place in the order of nature
and should behave as its station requires.
• Death and afterlife are not important – the conduct of life is.
• There is no sin
• Punishment is the shame of failing to meet expected standards of living.
• No church, priesthood, of god – Many Confucianists also practice another faith,
such as Buddhism. There are temples dedicated to Kongfuzi.
Confucius’ Five Relationships
• Confucius believed that everyone had their role to play based on their
relationship with others.
• If everyone fulfilled their duties and kept their place then society would be stable
and harmonious.
• There are five basic human relationships in Confucianism: 1) ruler to ruled; 2)
father to son; 3) husband to wife; 4) elder brother of younger brother; 5) friend to
friend
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Confucianism: The Way of the Sages
• Important behaviors and attributes:
• Calmness of spirit, trustworthiness, respect for tradition, respect for family, respect for
elders, kindness, politeness, social harmony, and education
• Quotes:
• “Do not do to others what you would not wish them to do to you.”
• “The superior man know what is right; the inferior man knows what will sell.”
• “The good man who wishes to provide for himself will provide for others; if he wishes
to better himself, he will better others.”
• “Man who stands on toilet is high on pot; if drop watch in toilet have crappy time.”
• “Man who eat many prunes get good run for money.”
• “He who thinks only of number one must remember this number is next to nothing.”
• “Man who runs in front of car is tired; behind he is exhausted.”
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Daoism
Definition
• Unlike Confucianism, which
focuses on improving society,
Daoism encourages people to
retreat from laws of society, yield to
law of nature
• Heart of Daoism is concept of the
dao, or the way
• Dao is the limitless force that is part
of all creation
• Through the dao, all things in
nature connected
• Finding one’s place in nature
allows person to achieve harmony
with universe
Yin and Yang
• Daoism embraced Chinese
concept of yin and yang,
representing balancing aspect of
nature—male, female; dark, light;
hot, cold
• Neither can exist without other
• Important for two to remain
balanced for perfect harmony
• Origins of Daoist teachings
attributed to philosopher named
Laozi
• Wrote book called Dao De Jing
• Laozi worshipped by some as a
god
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Some Lasting Effects
Daoism eventually proved less influential than
Confucianism in Chinese history
• Still played major role in later dynasties
• Idea of balance key concept in China for
centuries as result of Daoist teaching
• Daoist philosophy led many followers to
work for preservation, protection of natural
environment
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Question:
What is one difference between
Confucianism and Daoism?
Answer(s): Daoism—retreat from society and
commune with nature; Confucianism—improve
society
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