Transcript What was the dynastic cycle in Ancient China?

Five Minute Writing Assignment
• What was the dynastic cycle in Ancient
China?
• Dynastic Cycle: Pattern of the rise and
fall of dynasties
• What was the first ruling dynasty in
Ancient China?
• Shang Dynasty
Five Minute Writing Assignment
• List two of the Ancient Chinese
philosophies discussed during our last
class. For each philosophy, list two
characteristics.
• Philosophy #1 – _________________
• Characteristics ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
• Philosophy #2 – _________________
• Characteristics ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Still Unit 2!
(Last Civilization before TEST!)
Copyright © Clara Kim 2007. All rights reserved.
Political
• Ruled by dynasties
• As Mesopotamia and Egypt were
declining, Shang Dynasty in China was
rising to power
• Shang Dynasty
– Mandate of Heaven: Justification through
right of God
– Dynastic Cycle: Pattern of the rise and fall
of dynasties
– Feudalism: nobles have permission from
Kings to own and work king’s land
Economic
• Because of China’s
isolation by natural
barriers, early
settlers had to
supply their own
goods within China
• Not much trade
outside of China
Religious
• Family and Religion
are closely linked
–Prayed to ancestors
because they thought
their ancestors could
bring them luck or
disaster
–Consulted the gods
through ancestors
Chinese Religion/Philosophy
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What is a philosophy?
What you believe/doctrine/theory.
Look for word to end in, “ism”
Example: ?
Confucianism
Daoism
Legalism
Chinese Religion/Philosophy
• Terms to know:
• Filial piety: respect your elders
• Feudalism: system of government, based on
land owners and tenants. Also, economic
system.
• Dynasty: pass rule from father to son. Ruling
family.
• Seer: predicts future (Oracle Bones)
Confucius Say …
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Not a religion! (came from teaching of Kongfuzi)
Harmony in Society: (Book  Analects)
Five Basic Relationships
1. father to son = son does what father says
2. older brother is the boss= younger must obey
3. husband to wife = wife must obey
4. ruler to subject
5. friend to friend = friends are equal
Daoism/Taoism
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Founder: Laozi
Book: Dao De Jing
Philosophy:
The less government the better.
Harmony with nature. (ancient hippies)
Peace within yourself
All are equal
Daoism/Taoism
• Natural Rhythms of Life: Yin/Yang
• Yin and Yang: forces that effect your
everyday life.
• “If you don’t want to be robbed, don’t fill
your house with gold.”
• Yin – white, female, earth and passive
• Yang – black, male, heaven and active
Legalism
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Founder: Henfeizi
Used legal codes and laws to rule.
Rich rewards
Harsh punishments
Philosophy:
Most people are naturally selfish and
people pursue their own interests.
• (came about after 250 years of war)
Social
• Society was sharply divided
between nobles and peasants
• Family was central to society
• Had arranged marriages
• Group was more important
than the individual
Intellectual
• Shang Dynasty was the first to
leave written records
• Oracle Bones: animal bone or
tortoise shells where priests
scratched questions for gods
then applied heat until it
cracked. Then they priests
interpreted the cracks
Intellectual
• No connection between
written and spoken Chinese
–Advantage: ?
–Disadvantage: ?
–Advantage - Someone can read
Chinese without knowing how to
speak it
LOVE
HAPPY
Achievements
• Oldest Shang city –
Anyang built in the
woods mainly from
wood
–Had massive earth
walls for protection
–Found a wall 118
feet thick and 1.2
square miles
Achievements
• Introduced the
chariot – a
major tool of
war
• Skilled in
bronze work,
silk and
weapons
Achievements
• During the Zhou
Dynasty they:
–Built roads and
canals
–Developed blast
furnaces that
allowed them to
produce cast
iron
Geography
• Surrounded by natural barriers
in all directions:
–North: Gobi Desert
–East: Pacific Ocean
–South: Himalaya Mountains
–West: Taklaman Desert
GOBI DESERT
TAKLIMAKAN DESERT
PACIFIC OCEAN
HIMALAYA
MOUNTAINS
Geography
• Fertile plain found between 2
major rivers
–1. Huang He (Yellow River)
• Floods left behind LOESS: yellow
silt
–2. Yangtze River
• Flooded unpredictably
–Huang He (Yellow River)
Huang He (Yellow River)
Yangtze River
Yangtze River