Transcript File - Mr. Butts World History

Chapter Three
Ancient India and China
2600 B.C.-550 A.D.
Section Four
Rise of Civilization
in China
The ancient Chinese
called their land the
Middle Kingdom.
The ancient Chinese believed
China was the center of the Earth
and the source of its civilization.
At left is a 1763 copy of a 1418 Chinese map. Many modern Chinese world maps position
China at the center. Ancient China was not organized into city-states. It was ruled by kings.
Book II of The Counsels of the Great
Yu offers insights into early China.
Yu the Great was a legendary ruler in ancient China
famed for his introduction of flood control,
inaugurating dynastic rule in China by founding the
Xia Dynasty, and for his upright moral character.
Like all the river civilizations of the ancient world,
the ancient Chinese had to cope with flooding and
design systems for irrigating their fields.
This is Yu the Great as imagined by the Song Dynasty painter Ma Lin
(about 1180 to after 1256 A.D.). The painting is a hanging silk scroll.
Yu sacrificed a great deal to control the floods.
Yu had only been married for four days
when he was given the task of fighting
the flood. He said goodbye to his wife,
not knowing when he would return.
This is Yu
the Great
controlling
the flood.
At right is a bronze sculpture of Yu the Great
and his wife. The statue stands in a garden in
Wuhan in central China’s Hubei Province. Yu
founded China’s first dynasty in 2070 B.C.
Thirteen years of flooding
passed. Yu walked past his
family’s doorstep three times.
He did not step inside.
The first time he passed, he heard
that his wife was in labor.
The second time he passed, his son called out
to him. His family urged him to return home.
A depiction of Yu the Great
from the Han Dynasty
(206 B.C. to 220 A.D.)
The third time he passed, his son was older than ten.
Each time, Yu refused to
go in the door. The flood
was rendering countless
numbers of people
homeless and he could
not rest.
The king was so impressed by
Yu’s irrigation and
engineering work - and his
diligence, that he gave his
throne to Yu.
This is the Yu the Great statue at Wenchuan,
Ngawa prefecture in south central China.
The king said, “The
inundating waters
filled me with dread,
[but then] you …
completed your
service - thus showing
your superiority to
other men. … You
are without any
prideful assumption…
I see how great is
your virtue, how
admirable your vast
achievements.”
Yu agreed to become
the new king.
Yu established a
capital at Anyi.
The ruins of Anyi are in modern Xia County in
China’s southern Shanxi Province.
Yu founded the Xia
Dynasty. It is
traditionally considered
China’s first dynasty.
The Xia Dynasty was replaced by the Shang
Dynasty. The Shang Dynasty began in 1766 B.C.
and lasted until 1122 B.C.
The Shang Dynasty is the first
dynasty for which scholars have
found solid archeological evidence.
This is the burial pit of a Shang
Dynasty queen. It was unearthed in
1976 at the Shang capital at Yinxu in
northernmost Henan province, near
the modern city of Anyang.
During the Shang Dynasty, Shang rulers shared
power with the loyal princes and local lords who
controlled most of China.
This is a bronze mask from the Shang Dynasty.
In 1122 B.C. the Zhou Dynasty replaced
the Shang Dynasty.
The Zhou Dynasty created a
new concept to make their
rule seem legitimate.
The rulers of the Zhou Dynasty
claimed to have the “Mandate
of Heaven,” or the right to rule
given by the gods.
An artist’s depiction of a ruler and his advisors.
The rise and fall of China’s ruling dynasties is
called the Dynastic Cycle.
Many rulers have made similar arguments. In Europe they called it the Divine Right of Kings.
As long as a dynasty provided good
government, it had the Mandate of
Heaven.
King Wu, at left, was
the first of the Zhou
dynasty kings. He was
the first to invoke the
Mandate of Heaven to
legitimize his rule.
This is another painting on silk by Ma
Lin. Ma Lin was active during the
early to mid-Thirteenth century.
If a dynasty’s rulers
became weak or corrupt,
or if floods or famines
occurred, a dynasty could
lose the Mandate of
Heaven. When a dynasty
lost the Mandate of
Heaven, a new leader
would rise up and create
a new ruling dynasty.
Zhou Dynasty rulers maintained their power
through feudalism.
The ancient Chinese chariot
was invented during the Zhou
Dynasty in about 1200 B.C.
At right is a painting of a powerful feudal
lord in his chariot from China’s Hebei
province. It was created during the
Eastern Han Dynasty (25 to 220 A.D.).
Under feudalism, ancient Chinese dynasties allowed local lords to govern in their
lands in exchanged for a promise to support the king.
If a war broke out, peasants had to leave their fields and fight for their lords.
When a dynasty
was threatened, its
ruler called upon
those feudal lords
for military
support.
Sometimes those feudal lords decided that the old
dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven. Then they tried
to overthrow the old dynasty and begin a new one.
The rulers of China’s ancient dynasties gave gifts
to their lords to try to keep them loyal.
This is a ceremonial
bronze of cooking-vessel
form inscribed to record
that the King of Zhou gave
a fiefdom to Shi You,
ordering that he inherit the
title as well as the land and
people living there.
The Zhou dynasty ended in 256 B.C. After the
Zhou dynasty fell, rival warlords fought for
decades to gain control of all of China.
China’s last
dynasty was
the Qin
Dynasty.
The Qin
Dynasty
unified
China. It
lasted from
221 to 206
B.C.
Ancient Chinese
civilization had an
organized religion.
The people of ancient China
prayed to many gods and spirits.
China’s kings were
thought to be a link
to Shang Di, ancient
China’s supreme god.
At right is a traditional
depiction of Shang Di.
Shang Di has also been identified as “Heaven,” the “Universe,” and
the “Great All.” The Temple of Heaven (above) was built from 1406
to 1420 to honor Shang Di.
Buddhism came
to China in about
100 A.D. By 400
A.D., Buddhism
was the
dominant
religion in China.
Buddhism is a nontheistic religion. Buddhism has a variety of traditions,
beliefs, and spiritual practices based upon the teachings of Siddhartha
Gautama, the Buddha - but Buddhism does not have gods.
Confucius was a Chinese
philosopher who lived during the
Zhou dynasty.
Confucius was not a religious leader.
Confucianism is a philosophy.
It is easy to hate and it is
difficult to love. This is how the
whole scheme of things works.
All good things are difficult to
achieve; and bad things are
very easy to get.
- Confucius
This is a portrait
of Confucius by
Wu Daozi, a Tang
Dynasty artist
who lived from
680 to 740 A.D.
Confucius taught that harmony was created when
people accepted their place in society.
Confucianism teaches rules
for maintaining good
government and social order.
Confucius did not write down his
ideas, but his students collected
many of his sayings in the
Analects. At left is a page from the
Analects of Confucius. In Chinese,
analects literally means “edited
conversations.”
Confucius taught that there are five key relationships.
Confucianism emphasizes
the importance of law and
social order.
Confucius’ first key
relationship is between the
ruler and the ruled:
This is a photograph of a priest paying his
respects at an altar of Confucius in about 1900.
“Let the ruler be a ruler, the
subject a subject, the father
a father, the son a son.”
Confucius put filial piety, or respect for parents,
above all other duties.
Confucius’ second key
relationship was between the
father and the son:
“…Being good as a son and
obedient as a young man is,
perhaps, the root of a man’s
character.”
This is a scene from the Song Dynasty Illustrations. It shows the concept of filial piety. In the painting the son
kneels before his parents. This painting on silk is traditionally attributed to Ma Hezhi (1131-1189 A.D.).
Specific duties were prescribed to each of the
participants in these sets of relationships.
Confucius’ other
key were
relationships were
those between a
husband and a
wife, an elder
brother and a
younger brother,
and between
friends.
This is an illustration created to accompany Confucius’
instruction about choosing friends.
Laozi founded a philosophy called
Daoism. Daoism means “The Way.”
Laozi was a Chinese philosopher who
also lived during the Zhou Dynasty.
This is Confucius Meeting Laozi, by Shih K’ang of the Yuan Dynasty.
According to Chinese
legend, Laozi left
China for the west on
a water buffalo.
Laozi taught that people should reject conflict.
Laozi used
water as a
metaphor for
describing
“The Way.”
Water does not resist; it yields to outside pressure - yet it is an unstoppable force.
At left is the Colorado river as it meanders through the Grand Canyon it created. At right is
The Wave, a sandstone formation created by water erosion. It is located in Arizona near its
border with Utah on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes on the Colorado Plateau.
Laozi: “Nothing in the world is as soft and weak as water, and yet in
attacking what is hard and strong, there is nothing that can surpass it.”
The balance of opposites, Yin and Yang, are
central concepts in Daoism.
This is the taijitu is a Chinese symbol for
the concept of yin and yang. Because yin
and yang are central to Daoism, the taijitu
is also a symbol of Daoism. The statue of
Laozi above is in China’s Henan Province.
Laozi taught that forces that seem to be
opposites should be seen as connected.
Light and dark, fire and water, and expanding and
contracting are examples of yin and yang.
These are wildflowers
blooming the spring after
the 2009 Sheep Fire (The
fire started near Sheep
Canyon Road) in California’s
San Gabriel Mountains.
When a fire burns a forest
it destroys the life there,
but because of the fire the
forest begins again with
new life. The fire is
necessary to the forest’s
survival.
Ancient China had a complex writing system.
中国古代有一个复杂的书写系统。
Zhōngguó gǔdài yǒu yīgè fùzá de shūxiě xìtǒng.
Written Chinese includes tens of
thousands of symbols called
characters.
中国文字包括所谓的文字符号数以
万计。
Zhōngguó wénzì bāokuò suǒwèi de
wénzì fúhào shù yǐ wàn jì.
Chinese characters constitute the oldest
continuously used system of writing in the world.
Translations from Chinese usually come
in two forms, traditional and simplified.
The government in China
today is aware that this
complicated writing
system needs reform. It
issued its first round of
official character
simplifications in 1956.
Another simplification
came in 1964.
Chinese scholars turned writing into an elegant art
form called calligraphy.
This is the Lantingji Xu, a famous work of calligraphy by Wang Xizhi, composed in the year 353. It is
among the best known and most often copied pieces of calligraphy in Chinese history.
and now…
some final exam
questions…
Which civilizations were organized
into city-states?
a)
the Mayans
b)
Roman
c)
Phoenicia
d)
Ancient Chinese
Which civilizations were organized
into city-states?
a)
the Mayans
b)
Roman
c)
Phoenicia
d)
Ancient Chinese
The most common farming feature shared by all
river civilizations of the ancient world was
a)
creating and using irrigation systems.
b)
planting corn.
c)
the practice of sifting grain from a screen.
d)
the use of plows only made from stones.
The most common farming feature shared by all
river civilizations of the ancient world was
a)
creating and using irrigation systems.
b)
planting corn.
c)
the practice of sifting grain from a screen.
d)
the use of plows only made from stones.
One way in which the civilizations of the
Sumerians, the Phoenicians, and the Maya were
similar is that each
a)
developed extensive writing systems.
b)
encouraged democratic participation in government.
c)
emphasized equality and education.
d)
established monotheistic religions.
One way in which the civilizations of the
Sumerians, the Phoenicians, and the Maya were
similar is that each
a)
developed extensive writing systems.
b)
encouraged democratic participation in government.
c)
emphasized equality and education.
d)
established monotheistic religions.
Read the quote below and answer the question.
“The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger
may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the
possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder
may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all
their clans are preserved.
- The Analects - Confucius
The quotation above shows an ancient society that placed a great deal
of importance on
a)
safety and social order.
c)
creativity.
b)
business and trade.
d)
fun and entertainment.
Read the quote below and answer the question.
“The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger
may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the
possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder
may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all
their clans are preserved.
- The Analects - Confucius
The quotation above shows an ancient society that placed a great deal
of importance on
a)
safety and social order.
c)
creativity.
b)
business and trade.
d)
fun and entertainment.
Which ancient Asian philosophy placed “li” or the
“five proper social relationship” at the center of
its message?
a)
Legalism
b)
Daoism
c)
Stoicism
d)
Confucianism
Which ancient Asian philosophy placed “li” or the
“five proper social relationship” at the center of
its message?
a)
Legalism
b)
Daoism
c)
Stoicism
d)
Confucianism
The Egyptian system of writing is referred to as
a)
cuneiform.
b)
an alphabet.
c)
hieroglyphs.
d)
Linear B script.
The Egyptian system of writing is referred to as
a)
cuneiform.
b)
an alphabet.
c)
hieroglyphs.
d)
Linear B script.