ANCIENT AND CLASSICAL CHINA ANCIENT LEGENDS THE THREE

ANCIENT AND CLASSICAL CHINA

ANCIENT LEGENDS: THE THREE WISE SAGE KINGS – King Yao: a virtuous ruler bringing harmony to society – King Shun: regulating the four seasons, weights, measures, and units of time – King Yu: rescued China from raging floods of the Yellow River Legends reflected the values of society; many may prove true!

ANCIENT CHINA

Dynastic Cycle

MANDATE OF HEAVEN u The right to rule granted by heaven – – – u Zhou justified their overthrow of Shang Ruler called "the son of heaven" Only given to virtuous, strong rulers To lose mandate = someone else should rule Replacement of dynasties = Dynastic Cycle Signs one had lost mandate – – – Corruption, heavy taxes Lazy officials and rulers Revolts, invasions, civil wars, crime Natural disasters Society develops bad morals, habits

Chinese Dynastic Cycle Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han (classical China) u Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han – Sui, Tang, Song (post-classical) – Sui, Tang, Song u u Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republic u Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republic – Mao Zedong, Deng! http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Xq. HR 1 u. Ac _-Q&feature=player_detailpage

THE ZHOU DYNASTY: 1122 -256 B. C. E. – The rise of the Zhou u The last Shang king was a bad ruler u The Zhou forces toppled the Shang – Political organization u u u Adopted decentralized administration Used princes and relatives to rule regions Consequences – Weak central government with ceremonial functions – Rise of regional powers; often called feudalism – Constant rivalry between warring families, nobles

FAMILY u u Xia to Zhou ruled through family, kinship Veneration of ancestors u u u u Belief in ancestors' presence, continuing influence Burial of material goods with the dead Offering sacrifices at the graves Eldest males presided over rites honoring ancestors Only males could perform religious duties Filial Piety- respect or reverence for one’s parents Patriarchal society u During Neolithic times, Chinese society = matrilineal Rise of states, war due to men's contribution s u After Shang, not even queens merited temples u

THE SOCIAL ORDER u The ruling elites u u u Peasants, the majority of population u u u Royal family and allied noble families at the top Their lavish consumption of bronze products, silk Hereditary aristocrats with extensive landholding Most of the land owned by the king, nobles Called the “mean” people Landless peasants provided labor Lived in small subterranean houses Wood, bone, stone tools before iron spread in the 6 th century B. C. E. Women’s World u u u Wine making, weaving, silkworm raising Managing household, raising children Elite women vs. poor women

OTHERS u Specialized labor u u u Merchants, trade were important u u Jade from Central Asia, tin from SE Asia A few pieces of pottery from India Merchants ranked socially lower Slaves u u Free artisans, craftsmen in great demand Also served the needs of the ruling elites Mostly war prisoners Performed hard work Became sacrificial victims Suspicious towards Foreigners

THE FALL OF THE ZHOU u Iron metallurgy – – – u u Iron technology spread; 1 st millennium B. C. E. Iron weapons helped regional authorities to resist the central power Qin mastered iron technology, weapons Nomadic invasion sacked capital Other Troubles – – Territorial princes became more independent Warring States (403 -221 B. C. E. ) Rise of Qin state Last king abdicated his position in 256 B. C. E.

Chinese Dynastic Cycle Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han u Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han – Sui, Tang, Song u u Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republic u Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republic – Mao Zedong, Deng! http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Xq. HR 1 u. Ac _-Q&feature=player_detailpage

SECULAR CULTURAL TRADITION u No organized religion, priestly class u u Impersonal heavenly power - tian Males performed few duties – Fathers took care of family duties – Rulers took care of the public duties u Oracle bones u u Rulers, people question tian for direction Primary instruments of fortune-tellers – Discovery of the "dragon bones" in 1890 s – Bones recorded day-to-day concerns u Early Chinese writing – – – Earliest form was the pictograph From pictograph to ideograph Absence of alphabetic or phonetic component More than two thousand characters Modern Chinese writing is direct descendant

THOUGHT, LITERATURE u Zhou literature u u u The Book of Change, a manual of diviners The Book of History, the history of the Zhou The Book of Rites – The rules of etiquette and rituals for aristocrats u The Book of Songs – The most notable of the classic works – Verses on themes both light and serious – Reflected social conditions of the early Zhou u Destruction of early literature u u Most Zhou writings have perished 1 st emperor destroyed most writings

NOMADS, PASTORALISTS u u u Steppelands – – Pastoralists domesticated animals Lived on grassy lands Seasonal migrations to pasture lands Became nomads, ancestors of Turks, Mongols – – Little farming, but relied on herding animals Exchange of products between nomads, farmers Nomads often invaded rich agricultural society Nomads did not imitate Chinese ways Nomadic society Nomadism relied on grains and manufactured goods of the Chinese

EXPANSION OF CHINESE SOCIETY u The Yangzi valley u u Indigenous peoples of S. China u u The longest river of China Two crops of rice per year Dependable and beneficial to farmers Many assimilated into Chinese society Some pushed into hills, mountains Migrated to Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand State of Chu (Conquered by Qin) u u u Emerged in the central Yangzi region Challenged the Zhou for supremacy Adopted Chinese ways

UNIFICATION OF CHINA u The Qin State and Dynasty – – – u Partially sinified pastoralists, perhaps even Turkish Located in west China and adopted Legalist policies Encouraged agriculture, resulted in strong economy Organized a powerful army equipped with iron weapons Conquered other states and unified China in 221 B. C. E. Qin Shi Huang di – – – King of the Qin proclaimed himself First Emperor, 221 B. C. E. Established centralized imperial rule Held sons of nobles as hostages; demolished nobles castles Project of connecting and extending the Great Wall 700, 000 people worked on project; 100, 000 killed

QIN STATECRAFT u u Suppressing the resistance – – – Bitterly opposed, was opposed by Confucian scholars Buried 460 scholars alive because of their criticism against the Qin Burned all books except some with utilitarian value – – – Standardization of laws, currencies, weights, measures Standardized scripts: tried to create uniform language Creates a uniform writing system but not language – – – The tomb was an underground palace Excavation of the tomb since 1974 Terracotta soldiers and army to protect tomb – – – Massive public works generated ill will among people Waves of rebels overwhelmed the Qin court in 207 B. C. E. A short-lived dynasty, left deep marks in Chinese history Policies of centralization Tomb of the First Emperor The collapse of the Qin dynasty

THE EARLY HAN DYNASTY – Liu Bang u u A general, persistent man, a methodical planner Restored order, established dynasty, 206 B. C. E. – Han was long-lived dynasty – Early Han policies u u Sought middle way between Zhou and Qin Royal relatives were not reliable, returned to centralized rule – Martial Emperor (141 -87 B. C. E. ) u u Han Wudi ruled for 54 years Pursued centralization and expansion

HAN STATECRAFT u – Han centralization Adopted Legalist policies u u – Established Confucian educational system for training bureaucrats u u u – – Built an enormous bureaucracy to rule the empire Continued to build roads and canals Levied taxes on agriculture, trade, and craft industries Imperial monopolies on production of iron and salt Confucianism as the basis of the curriculum in imperial university Thirty thousand students enrolled in the university in Later Han imperial expansion Invaded and colonized northern Vietnam and Korea Extended China into central Asia u u Han organized vast armies to invade Xiongnu territory Han enjoyed uncontested hegemony in east and central Asia

HAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE • • Patriarchal, patrilocal households averaged five inhabitants Large, multigenerational compound families also developed Women's subordination (Ban Zhao Admonitions for Women) Cultivators were the majority of the population Differences apparent between noble, lower class women Scholar bureaucrats: Confucian trained bureaucrats • Scholar Gentry • Merchants held in low social esteem • • Officials selected through competitive testing Used to run the government in Early Han • • • Confucian bureaucrats intermarried with landed elite New class comes to dominate local, national offices Strongest in late Han

TRADE AND COMMERCE – – – Iron metallurgy: Farming tools, utensils, and weapons State monopolies on liquor, salt and iron Silk textiles u u u – Paper production u – u Invented Began to probably before 100 C. E. replace silk and bamboo as writing materials Population growth u – Sericulture spread all over China during the Han High quality Chinese silk became a prized commodity Traded as far a field as India, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Rome u Increased from twenty to sixty million from 220 B. C. E. to 9 C. E. Despite light taxation, state revenue was large Silk Road established: horses for silk

HAN TROUBLES u Expeditions consumed the empire's surplus u u u Raised taxes and confiscated land of some wealthy individuals Taxes, land confiscations discouraged investment Much of defense consumed on defending against nomads Social tensions, stratification between the poor and rich Problems of land distribution – – – Early Han supported land redistribution Economic difficulties forced some small landowners to sell property Some sold themselves or their families into slavery Lands accumulated in the hands of a few No land reform, because Han needed cooperation of large landowners The reign of Wang Mang – – A powerful Han minister Dethroned the baby emperor, claimed imperial title himself, 9 C. E. Land reforms - the "socialist emperor" Overthrown by revolts, 23 C. E.

Chinese Dynastic Cycle Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han u Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han – Sui, Tang, Song u u Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republic u Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republic – Mao Zedong, Deng! http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Xq. HR 1 u. Ac _-Q&feature=player_detailpage

LOSS OF THE MANDATE – The Later Han Dynasty (25 -220 C. E. ) u u u Overthrown of Wang Mang restores Han New Han much weakened Rule often through large families, gentry Rise of Eunuchs in government as new source of power The Yellow Turban Uprising (Daoist Revolt) – Rulers restored order but did not address problem of landholding – Yellow Turban uprising inflicted serious damage on the Han – Collapse of the Han u u u Factions at court paralyzed the central government Han empire dissolved China was divided into regional kingdoms

Chinese Dynasties ("Vogue" by Madonna) u http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v= NIC 4 zom 3 w 0 g&feature=player_detai lpage

CHINESE POPULAR RELIGION u Customary beliefs and practice – As old as civilization in China – Never encouraged/discouraged by state u Syncretic in nature – Will absorb many different traditions – Blends all major ideas, philosophies – Exists in harmony with official philosophies, faiths u Believes gods, spirits (shen) influence family, world – – u Power over world affairs Deceased members of community, family Deified figures of history, literature Spiritual embodiment of nature, geography Maintenance of family shrines, community temples – – – Prayers, supplications Food offerings Shamanism and divination are practiced

HOUSEHOLD & PUBLIC RITUALS u Household Rituals – Always performed by males – Expression of Confucian filial piety u u Domestic altar Names of deceased, icons – Worship of the stove god u u Oversees family’s moral conduct Reports on family to heaven Public Rituals – – Preserve social harmony, local identity Local earth god protects area from spirits City god important; has temple at center of city Physical, public processions, offerings Supreme Deity and Influence of Daoism – Shangdi (Ruler on High) u u Cannot be addressed directly Shang kings called up other spirits to address Shangdi – Later called Tian or Heaven u u u Rulers called Son of Heaven Empire is his favorite government Mandate of Heaven is an off-shoot of this idea

JUNZI FILIAL PIETY REN LI

CONFUCIUS’ SEARCH FOR ORDER u Confucius (551 -479 B. C. E. ) u u u Confucian ideas u u u A strong-willed man, from an aristocratic family Traveled ten years searching for an official post Educator with numerous disciples Sayings compiled in the Analects by disciples Fundamentally moral and ethical in character Restore political and social order; stress ritual Formation of junzi - "superior individuals" Edited Zhou classics for his disciples to study The key Confucian concepts u u u Ren - a sense of humanity Li - a sense of propriety Xiao - filial piety Cultivating of junzi for bringing order to China 5 Relationships and filial piety as basis of society

LATER CONFUCIANS u Mencius (372 -289 B. C. E. ) – – – u Principal spokesman for the Confucian school Believed in the goodness of human nature Government by benevolence, humanity Xunzi (298 -238 B. C. E. ) – – – Served as a governmental administrator Cast doubt on the goodness of human nature Harsh social discipline to order to society – Stress moral education, good public behavior

LEGALISM – Legalism u The doctrine of statecraft u Doctrine used by Qin dynasty – Promoted a practical and ruthlessly efficient approach – No concern with ethics and morality – No concern with the principles governing nature – Shang Yang (ca. 390 -338 B. C. E. ) u u u A chief minister of the Qin state His policies summarized in The Book of Lord Shang Was executed by his political enemies – Han Feizi (ca. 280 -233 B. C. E. ) u u u Student of Xunzi, became the most articulate Legalist A synthesizer of Legalist ideas Forced to suicide by his political enemies

LEGALISM IN PRACTICE – The state's strength u u – – – – Agriculture Military force Discouraged commerce, education, and the arts Harnessing self-interest of people for needs of state Called “carrot and stick” approach in west Called for harsh penalties even for minor infractions Advocated collective responsibility before law Not popular among the Chinese, Chinese used legalism if state threatened Legalism still doctrine common to China

“the way” Nature Wuwei

DAOISM u Prominent critics of Confucianism u u u Laozi and Zhuangzi u u u Laozi, founder of Daoism; wrote the Daodejing Zhuangzi, Daoist philosopher, wrote Zhuangzi Philosophical Daoism u u u u Preferred philosophical reflection and introspection Understand natural principles, live in harmony with them Dao - The way of nature, the way of the cosmos Opposites in balance, complementary An eternal principle governing all workings of the world Passive, yielding, does nothing , accomplishes everything Tailor behavior to passive, yielding nature Ambition, activism brought the world to chaos Popular Daoism u u A folk or religious form of Daoism; not philosophical – – Emerged at end of Han Dynasty Seek to master forces of natural, spiritual world – – – People venerated the immortals or saints Symbolized prosperity, happiness Many saints were patrons of certain occupations Gods associated with natural cycles, agriculture Daoist priests were shamans, performed exorcisms Many deities including immortals

DAOIST WUWEI – The doctrine of wuwei u u u Disengagement from worldly affairs Called for simple, unpretentious life, living in harmony with nature Advocated small state, self-sufficient community – Political implications u u u Served as a counterbalance to Confucian activism Individuals could live as Confucians by day, Daoists by night Generally Daoism flourishes when society at peace, prosperous