Transcript Imperial China: From the First to the Last Emperor - East

Imperial China: From the
First to the Last Emperor
Shana J. Brown
Department of History
University of Hawaii
Tactics in studying Chinese
history…
• Appreciating the extraordinary degree of
geographical, cultural, linguistic, and ethnic
diversity
• Countering the myth of “eternal China” by
defining historical units and themes that
acknowledge growth, change, influences by
outside world
• Looking for historical themes that enrich our
understanding of contemporary problems,
without reducing them to stereotypes
Aspects of the imperial system
• The bureaucratic operation and ritual
coherence of the empire provided social
coherence despite significant ethnic,
linguistic, religious, and other cleavages
• China’s borders were malleable – the empire
grew and contracted in size, without losing
distinctive political, economic, and cultural
features
• Imperial system required social consent and
cultural harmony – numerically small regimes
can only survive via strategic partnerships
Part I:
Legalism v. Confucianism
Zhou feudalism and decline
• Spring and Autumn Period
(771-481 BC)
• Feudal: central king &
subservient fiefdoms
• Central state loses
authority as kings become
corrupt
• Last Zhou king is defeated
by vassal, allied with
“barbarian” forces
• Fiefdoms devolve into
independent states
Warring States (481-221 BC)
• Age of Confucius and the
philosophers
• Effective political & social structures
attract & control subjects
• Confucians: ruler relies on moral
example and elite cooperation
Rise of the State of Qin &
Legalism
• Ruler is distant,
impartial, and stern
• Strict rules &
punishments leads
to secure,
prosperous society
• No hereditary
nobility; private
ownership &
taxation
Imperial ambitions
• Qin Shihuang (259 – 210 BC)
conquers neighboring states
• Builds Great Wall to the north,
Lingqu Canal to the south
Rule by standardization
• Weights & measures,
currency, cart axels
standardized
• Non-Qin characters
outlawed
• Outlaws & burns existing
most texts, kills scholars
who resist
Search for immortality
• Qin Shihuang
obsessed with elixir
of life
• Builds enormous,
elaborate tomb to
ensure power and
comfort in afterlife
Qin conquered by Han
(206 BC – 220 CE)
• After collapse of
Qin, two rebel
commanders
emerge; victor is
proclaimed
emperor of new
dynasty
• Han initially
reestablish feudal
system, but
gradually develop
new administrative
system
Han administration system
• Semi-autonomous
fiefdoms gradually
made smaller, and
autonomous staff
was replaced by
appointees from
central court
• Introduced an
Imperial College to
teach Confucian
texts and literature
• Confucian ritual
elevated above
Legalist focus on
power of the
emperor
• Concepts of
Mandate of
Heaven and rule
by ethics replace
Legalist emperor’s
claim to absolute
power and rule by
decree
A flourishing economy
• Government monopolies
on salt, iron, and other
commodities encourage
trade and increase state
revenue
• Loyalty of wealthy
landowners essential to
government taxation &
functioning
Han Dynasty coin and mold
Ritual and performance
• Elaborate temple &
tomb architecture
• Ritual practice
aimed to achieve
purification,
repentance, and the
expiation of sins
• Minister of
Ceremonies
organized court
ritual, administered
imperial
examinations
The tensions of the imperial
system
• New states founded by conquest, but survive
by accommodation and consent
• Administrative power relies on pragmatic
rule, ritual persuasion
• Rulers emphasize popular welfare as the
definition of good government, but expect
obedient population
Part II:
Inner and Outer
Empires
After Han, age of disunity
• Invasion of nomadic
groups from
northern steppes
• diverse cultures and
political structures
• Rise of Buddhism as
significant moral
and cultural
influence
Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE)
• Tang rulers linked to
nomadic groups
• Population reached
some 50 million people
• Creation of unified
legal code;
resurrection of Han
institutions
• Buddhist & Daoist
institutions at the
height of their power
and wealth
Tang culture and society
Increased trade led to greater
variety of foodstuffs, including
the “golden peaches of
Samarkand”…
Control and danger
• How to defend and police
such a large population,
such diffuse borders
• Problem of rebellion,
particularly in
borderlands: An Lushan
and the Tibetans
• Attacks on the
Buddhism: in 846,
seizure of temples and
other property
Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE)
• Introduction of fastgrowing rice led to
dramatic population
growth
• Development of
specialized agriculture
and more sophisticated
urban markets
• Rise of NeoConfucianism as state
orthodoxy
The idealized Song capital:
“Going upriver on the
Qingming Festival”
Why no industrial revolution?
• Did language
impede innovation?
• Was there an
“equilibrium trap”
between population
and need for laborsaving devices?
• Too protective to
take advantage of
trade and culture
exchange?
Song falls to northern invaders
• Song conquered
first by Jin, then by
Yuan (Mongols)
• Mongols
discriminate against
Han Chinese, but
eventually revive
many aspects of
Song imperial
system
China in the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644)
Korean map dating to 1402 (before Zheng He’s voyages)
Ming administrative power
Great walls
Imperial political “parties”
• “Maritime party” –
wants to direct
more resources
towards SE Asia,
maritime trade
• Anti-maritime
party: wanted to
focus on domestic
development,
threats from NW
frontier
The tributary system
Mongol envoys to Ming court
(courtesy of a Dutch artist)
• Foreign states
expected to hold
peaceful, if
subservient attitudes
• Gift exchange
reinforced China’s
position of as supreme
political power, as well
as trade
• Tribute included native
products, like
elephants from Siam,
or eunuchs and virgin
girls for harem