Transcript chapter 10 ancient china

CHAPTER 10
ANCIENT CHINA
Lesson 1
THE BIRTH OF CHINESE CIVILIZATION
The Geography of China
• China is a large country
on the Continent of Asia
bordering the Pacific
Ocean.
• Powerful Rivers such as
the Huang He (Yellow
River), and Chang Jiang
provide fresh water,
fertile soil for farming,
and transportation.
“China’s Sorrow”
The Geography of China
• China is surrounded by
Mountains and Deserts
acting like walls and
causing … “Geographic
Isolation!”
• The Himalaya Mts.
Separate China from India
in the south while the
Gobi and Taklimakan
Deserts reside in the
North and West of the
Country.
“The Middle Kingdom”
The Dynasties Of China
• A Dynasty is a line of rulers from
the same family that usually are
recognized as having an
important role in the
development of a civilization.
• Early Chinese people developed
myths and legends like other
cultures to explain the world
around them.
• One of the first myths was about
a man named YU – The Ancient
Chinese believe that YU created
the first Dynasty called the Xia
around 2000 B.C. but
Archaeologist have not found any
evidence of the Xia based on
written records.
The Shang Dynasty
• Built the first cities like the
capital Anyang along the
Huang He River valley.
• Shang Kings acted as the
military, religious, and
political leaders.
• Shang Kings appointed
Warlords or Military
Leaders to Govern their
local territories.
• The Shang developed a
system of Aristocracy or
Nobility based on Land
Ownership.
The Shang Dynasty
• Most people were farmers,
but smaller groups for
merchants, artisans, and
slaves existed as well.
• People in Shang China
worshipped many Gods the
foremost was Shang Ti –
Supreme Ruler
• People in Shang China also
honored their Ancestors –
Hoping that the spirits of
their dead relatives would
help them in their trials.
Pictographs and Ideographs
• Shang developed a
system of writing using
symbols for words –
called pictographs.
• The combination of
those symbols
combined together to
create ideographs
representing more
complex words or ideas.
Oracle Bones
• Were used by Shang
Kings to seek answers
or guidance about
future decisions.
• After the priests carved
questions into the bone
is was tossed in a fire
and the cracks created
represented the will of
the Gods or Guidance
from Ancestors.
Shang Arts and Technology
• Included Bronze crafting –
melted bronze is poured
into clay molds and then
cooled down.
• Harvesting Silk from Silk
Worms and creating a
valuable cloth that would
become an important
trading resource.
• Statues and Sculptures
made from Ivory and
Jade.
The Zhou Dynasty
• Chinese Dynasty
established by an
Aristocrat named Wu
Wang.
• The Zhou Dynasty
lasted for over 800
years and was the
“Longest Dynasty”
The Zhou Dynasty
• Zhou Kings ruled much
the same as the Shang
but they did not rely on
warlords to control
territories but developed
a bureaucracy of Loyal
Aristocrats to help
govern. Those titles were
hereditary and passed
down from generation to
generation.
The Mandate of Heaven
• Zhou Kings believed that
they were chosen to rule
by the Gods and the Gods
would only select wise,
good people to rule.
• The Idea that the King
must Rule by the Proper
Way or “The Dao” was
embraced by the people.
• If something bad
happened or the King was
unjust the people could
have him replaced.
Zhou Technology and Trade
• The Zhou developed a
new and better way to
irrigate there crops.
• More food leads to
more trade and
population growth.
• Archaeologist believe
they started trading
with outsider during the
Zhou Dynasty.
Period of the Warring States
• Zhou Aristocrats started to
cease power from the king and
began fighting one another.
These battles lasted for over
200 years.
• Farmers were enlisted to fight
during this time and the use of
the Horse as a military tool
was incorporated with the
creation of the Saddle and
Stirrups.
• These battle would mark the
end of the Zhou Dynasty and
the start of a new Dynasty in
China.
Lesson 2
Society and Culture in Ancient China
Chinese Philosophies
• Developed as a result of
Civil Unrest and
Violence. The Chinese
wanted to find peace
• Between 500 B.C. – 200 B.C.
Philosophers developed
3 major Philosophies
• They included
Confucianism, Daoism,
and Legalism
Confucianism
• Developed and taught
by a man named
Confucius between 550
B.C. and 479 B.C.
• He criticized the misrule
of the kings and urged
the people to follow the
way of their Ancestors
bringing peace and
harmony to China
Confucianism
• Duty is the central idea
behind Confucianism – One
should place Community
and Family above Individual
needs. Rulers had a duty to
rule justly and set a an
example of “right” living.
• The Parents duty is to love
their Children, and the
Children in return respect
their parents. A Husband’s
duty is to support his Wife,
and she in turn will obey
her Husband.
Confucianism
Confucius urged people to
• Be Good
• Behave Moderately
• Keep Promises
• Honor Traditions
• Respect the Elderly
• Seek Knowledge
And If people did these
things society would do
well.
The Influence of Confucius
• Believed all men based on
ability and merit should
have the opportunity to be
in government service not
just nobility.
• His followers wrote down
his sayings and collected
them in a book called the
Analects.
• Confucius died in 479 B.C.
but his teachings influenced
China’s society and are still
utilized throughout the
World today.
Daoism
• Created by a man named
Laozi, it translates as the
“Path” or the “Way”.
• Promotes a peaceful
society. It encourages
people to live a simple life
free from worldly desires.
• People should turn to
nature and the Dao or
spiritual force and they
would have a happy life.
• Many Chinese Followed
both believing that they
supported each other.
Legalism
• Created by a man named
Hanfeizi in the 200 B.C.’s,
it stresses the importance
of Laws.
• Strict Laws and Harsh
Punishments are
necessary to force people
to do their duty.
• Legalism was embraced
by the leaders because it
promoted force and
ignored the needs and
wishes of the people.
Chinese Life
4 Social Classes Including:
• Aristocrats – Owned
Land
• Farmers – Worked the
Land
• Artisans – Made useful
Objects
• Merchants – Provided
Goods and Services
(Trade)
The Chinese Family
• Family was the center of
Chinese Society.
• Many Children to help
with Work in return
Children had the
obligation of Filial Piety –
or Devotion to their
Parents and
Grandparents, requiring
them to take care of them
when they get older.
Roles of Men and Women
• Men were respected
based on the job that
they did, which included
farming, attending school,
running the government,
and fighting wars.
• Women – Raised and
Educated Children, saw to
the home and finances.
Lesson 3
THE QIN AND THE HAN DYNASTIES
The Qin Emperor
• A strong kingdom called
the Qin used Cavalry to
conquer the other
states.
• The ruler called himself
Qin Shihuangdi (The
First Qin Emperor)
• Qin’s goals were to
strengthen and unify
China.
Unifying China
• Qin took control of all of
China’s Provinces, and
appointed governors
himself (no more hereditary
titles)
• Qin ruled with absolute
control relying on swift
harsh punishment for those
who disagreed with him or
law breakers.
• Qin also had many writings
destroyed that he did not
agree with or that
contradicted his opinions.
Unifying China Continued…
• Monitored government
workers by appointing
“Censors” – Officials who
watch over correct behavior.
• Qin also created a universal
currency that all Chinese
people had to use.
• Qin hired scholars to simplify
and set rules for the Chinese
writing system.
• Qin took on many building
projects – Palaces, Roads,
Dams, and a huge Canal for
transportation an trade.
Qin’s Tomb
• One of the major
projects that he
established was Qin’s
Tomb.
• It was so large that it
held and army of life
sized soldiers and
horses.
• Each terracotta clay
soldier had a uniquely
carved face.
The Great Wall of China
• Qin wanted to keep his
united empire safe from
Invasion.
• The Xiongnu were
nomads from the Gobi
Desert that attacked
China during this time
period.
• Qin connected earlier
pieces of wall together.
Starting the Great Wall!
The End of Qin Rule
• Qin Shihuangdi was seeking
everlasting life, He believed
that mercury was an
ingredient for immortality.
• Qin died in 210 B.C. of
mercury poisoning, just 11
years after taking over as
Emperor.
• Farmers and aristocrats
revolted against the harsh
Qin rule that existed, and by
206 B.C. The Qin Dynasty
was over.
The Han Dynasty
• In 202 B.C. a new
dynasty was established
by a farmer turned
soldier named Liu Bang.
• The Han Dynasty would
rule China for 400 years.
Emperor Han Wudi
• The first strong emperor of
the Han Dynasty was Han
Wudi (141 B.C. to 87 B.C.)
• Stopped nepotism in
government by hiring the
best people for civil service
jobs based on exam scores.
The wealthy still had an
advantage.
• Created schools to prepare
people for the exams, they
studied law, history, and
Confucianism.
The Han Empire Expands
• Population increases to 60
million people.
• Farmers have trouble
producing enough food
because of hereditary laws.
• They were forced to sell
their land an become
“Tenant Farmers.”
• The Han army conquered
new territories like Korea,
Southwest Asia, and parts
of Northern India.
• 150 years of peace after the
Han army defeated Xiongnu
Han Culture
• Literature and Arts
blossomed during the
era of Peace.
• The teachings of
Confucius spread, and
Ideas like “Filial Piety”
became very strong.
• The new class of
educated civil servants
helped solidify the
government.
Chinese Inventions
• Cast Iron Plow
• New Iron tools and
techniques for drilling and
drainage
• Water Wheels
• Wheel Barrows
• Silk Manufacturing
• Paper
• Rudders and New Rigging
for Sails
Medical Advances
• Certain Foods Prevent
Disease.
• Herbs were used to
treat illness.
• Developed Acupuncture
– Putting fine needles
under the skin to relieve
pain or treat disease.
The Silk Road
• Chinese traders grew rich by
delivering their goods to
different parts of the World.
• Chinese General Zhang Qian
was sent west to recruit
allies but instead returned
with stories of magnificent
horses. Han opened trade
with the west.
• The result was the Silk
Road, a series of trade
routes named because of
China’s most important
resource, the secret of silk!
The Silk Road
• When completed stretched
4000 miles from Western
China to the Mediterranean
Sea.
• The Chinese traded many
resources other than silk, like
fruits, vegetables, spices, and
paper.
• The Han traders encountered
the Powerful Roman Empire
and traded with them, and for
1000 years the Silk Road was
the main trade route linking
Asia and Europe.
Buddhism in China
• Brought in along the Silk
Road from India, It had
few followers at first.
• Following the collapse of
the Han Dynasty and the
long period of unrest,
spurred the growth of
Buddhism.
• Buddhism is still one of
the most prominent
religions in China today.
Fall of the Han Dynasty
• Weak and Corrupt Leaders
followed Han Wudi.
• Greedy, land-owning
Aristocrats continued to
take advantage of Farmers
causing rebellions.
• Rebel destroyed the capital
of Luoyang in 190 A.D. and
by 220 Civil War divided
China into small kingdoms
for the next 400 years.