Transcript China - My CCSD

China
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Third largest country in area
Largest population
Oldest continuing civilization
Has existed for over 3,500 years
Land consists of mountains, desert, green hills and
plains
Only a tenth of the land is good for farming
In the third century, the lead of the state deemed
himself Emperor expanding China and creating a
great empire
In the third century, the first Great Wall of China was
completed
Writing system developed from pictographs
Pictographs are simplified drawings of objects
Since 3,000 B.C. silk has been produced in China
Chinese Dynasties
• Shang (1600-1050 B.C.)
– Headed by a king to which they were loyal
– Warrior Nobles
– Loved warfare and hunting
– Loyal to king, family, and ancestors
– Honored ancestors with sacrifices
– Learned art of making silk into cloth
– First to leave written records
Chinese Dynasties continued
• Chou (1050 – 221 B. C. ) [jo]
– Overthrew Shang Dynasty
– Longest Dynasty in Chinese history
– Time of great expansion and feudalism
– Confucius praised the early Chou
Dynasty as a model society
– Dynasty declined during the “Warring
States” period
• Lords fought each other
• Tribes from north invaded
Chinese Dynasties continued
• Ch’in (221-207 B.C.)
– Origin of the name China
– Ch’in king declared himself the first Emperor
• Ruled cruelly
– Subdued internal conflicts
– Conquered invaders
– Centralized the government
– Built extensive roads and created standards
for weights and measurements
– Forced peasants to build the Great Wall
– Murdered scholars and burned books
– Dynasty ended in revolt after Emperor’s death
Chinese Dynasties continued
• Han (206 B.C. – A.D. 220)
– Lasted over 400 years
– Lasting influence on China
• Government, education, culture, and commerce
• Technology, agriculture, arts, and literature flourish
– Buddhism spread from India to China
– Political, social, and economic problems occur
– Dynasty disintegrated into three rival
kingdoms
Chinese Dynasties continued
• T’ang (A.D. 618-907)
– Promoted foreign trade
– Restored government and civil service system
– Golden Age of poetry and painting
– Had a woman emperor who ruled during her
husband’s illness
• Murdered Emperor’s wife and married him
• Ruthlessly ambitious and cruel
– Dynasty falls due to weaker Emperors and
falls to rebel forces
Chinese Dynasties continued
• Sung (A.D. 960-1279
– Education Spread
– Literature, calligraphy, and painting flourished
– Careful study of human anatomy
– Inventions of moving type, paper money, and
magnetic compass
– Chinese culture spread throughout Asia
– The position of women declined
– Dynasty fell to the Mongols
Religions and Philosophies
• Confucianism
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Family Relationships
Societal Order
Virtue in all interactions
Value of learning, respect, and duty
• Taoism
– “the Way” of the universal life force
– Focus on humility, simplicity, and harmony in nature
• Buddhism
– Originated in India
– Detachment from earthly life to reach enlightenment
– Siddhartha Gautama
Confucius
• 551-479 B.C.
• Born at a time of crisis and violence
• Sought instruction in Chinese classical arts, traditions,
music, archery, math, calligraphy, poetry, and history.
• Never gained the political reform he desired
• His ideas became a foundation for Chinese thought for
over 2,000 years
• Passion to restore order and moral living
• Left home and taught for almost 12 years
• Taught rule should come from moral commitment, not
from hereditary status
• Eventually gained a following and was respected for
his ideas of good character and the need for order and
authority in all areas of life.
• Ideas and sayings were preserved by his disciples
Lao-tzu (500s B.C.)
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Not proven to have existed
Credited as first philosopher of Taoism
Legend says he lived to be 160 years old
Said to be keeper of sacred books
Sought virtue and harmony with universe
over fame
• View on virtue, simplicity, and harmony
with nature still valued (over 2,000 years)
• Scholars now believe the Taoism writings
were created by more than one author
Gautama Siddhartha (563 B.C.)
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Creator of Buddhism
Born into the ruling class
Left wife and son to find truth at age 29
Supposedly achieved enlightenment six
years later
Legend says Hindu gods encouraged he
preach to others his learning
Ultimate goal of Buddhism is Nirvana
Four Nobel Truths
Living the 8 Fold Path