Chinas First Civilizations Chapter 6 Lecture 1 Chapter

China’s First Civilizations Chapter 6, Lecture 1

Chapter 6, Lecture 1 Objectives • After this lesson, students will be able to: – describe how rivers, mountains, and deserts helped shape Chinese civilization. – explain how rulers known as the Shang became powerful because they controlled land had strong armies. – describe how Chinese rulers claimed the right to rule by a Mandate of Heaven.

China’s Geography • Huang He River (Yellow River) – flows from Mongolia to the Pacific Ocean – particularly fertile due to loess – nicknamed “China’s Sorrow” • Chang Jiang River (Yangtze River) – flows east across China and empties into the

China’s Geography • Less than 1/10 of China’s land is arable (fit for farming) – Himalayas – southwest – Kunlun Shan & Tian Shan – western border – Gobi & Taklimakan Deserts • Gobi – a cold, rocky desert that separates China from its northern neighbors

The Shang Dynasty • The Huang He valley was the site of the first Chinese civilizations. • Xia dynasty (? ) – Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project (Chinese government, 1996 -2000) • Shang dynasty – founded c. 1750 B. C. – most historians use the rise of this dynasty as the beginning of Chinese civilization – made the city of Anyang China’s first capital city (the first capital in all of East

The Shang Dynasty • social order became more organized under the Shang – strong monarchy – aristocracy (nobles whose wealth comes from the land they own) made of warlords and officials – large army and military innovations – agricultural society (farmers could be pulled nobles artisans farmers You need to write this down! → slaves

Spirits and Ancestors • supreme deity Di • spirits in mountains, rivers, etc. • ancestor worship – tie back to prehistoric times? – family was central to society – believed departed ancestors could bring good fortune and good luck – offerings made even today • human and animal sacrifice under the Shang

Telling the Future • government and religion closely linked • oracle bones – Shang boasts first examples of Chinese writing

The Chinese Language • pictographs – characters that stand for objects • ideographs – a character that joins two or more pictographs to represent an idea • logographs – symbols formed of two elements: the semantic element suggests the meaning of the word, and the phonetic element gives some clue about how it should sound. – advantage: people from all over could read = unity – disadvantage: too many characters to remember (needed to know 1, 500 to be barely literate)

Shang Artists • bronze casting – the best-known Shang art form

The Zhou Dynasty • Wu Wang led a rebellion against the Shang, and created the Zhou dynasty (1045 B. C. – 256 B. C. ). – dynasty lased for more than 800 years – developed the idea of the Mandate of Heaven

What Was the Mandate of Heaven? • mandate – a formal order • Mandate of Heaven – idea that the king had been chosen by heavenly order to rule; Zhou claimed that principle gave them the right to rule – catches: • Dao – the proper way kings were expected to rule • people had the right to overthrow an unjust king or one that has apparently lost the Mandate of Heaven – dynastic cycle

The Dynastic Cycle in China New dynasty gains power, restores peace and order, and claims to have the Mandate of Heaven. Dynasty is overthrown through rebellion and bloodshed; new dynasty emerges. Strong dynasty establishes peace and prosperity; it is considered to have the Mandate of Heaven. Old dynasty is seen as having loss the Mandate of Heaven; rebellion is justified. In time, dynasty declines and becomes corrupt; taxes are raised; power grows weaker. . Disasters such as floods, famines, peasant revolts, and invasions occur.

New Tools and Trade • iron – population boom • roads and canals • coined money introduced • silk

The Zhou Empire Falls • Western Zhou (c. 1050 – 771 B. C. ) • Eastern Zhou (770 – 256 B. C. ) – Spring and Autumn Period (722 – 481 B. C. ) – Period of the Warring States (480 – 256 B. C. ) – Zhou endgame • invention of the saddle and stirrup allowed for mounted combat

Chapter 6, Lecture 1 Questions 1. Between which two rivers is the heartland of China found? 2. Why is China’s arable land limited? 3. What is a dynasty? 4. What were oracle bones and how were they used? 5. What is the Mandate of Heaven and which dynasty used it as a justification for their rise to power? 6. How is the dynastic cycle connected to

Life in Ancient China Chapter 6, Lecture 2

Chapter 6, Lecture 2 Objectives • After this lesson, students will be able to: – describe three main social classes Chinese society, landowning aristocrats, farmers, and merchants. – explain how Chinese philosophies grew out of a need for order in China.

Life in Ancient China • Chinese social classes • tenant farmers – people pay rent by giving the landlord a portion of their crops • changes to the social order (draw it as a diamond)→ landowning aristocrats peasant farmers merchants

What was Life Like in a Chinese Family? • Family was the basic building block of Chinese society. • filial piety – practice that requires children to respect their parents and older relatives • The leader of the family was usually the oldest male.

Who Was Confucius? • Confucius – China’s first great teacher and thinker – goal: to bring peace to society through social order and education (junzi) – basic premise: people needed to have a sense of duty – Confucianism – taught that if each person does his or her duty, society as a whole will do well – Analects – influential

Who Was Confucius? • The Five Relationships of Confucianism: the way things should be done in social life… preserves hierarchical status quo – (a) father and son (loving / reverential) – (b) brother and brother (gentle / respectful) – (c) husband wife (good / listening)

Who Was Confucius? • Confucius describing himself (education as a ceaseless process): – Why did you not simply say something to this effect: he is the sort of man who forgets to eat when he engages himself in vigorous pursuit of learning, who is so full of joy that he forgets his worries, and who does notice that old age is coming on? (7: 18) • Confucius on what he expected of his students: – I do not enlighten anyone who is not eager to learn, nor encourage anyone who is not anxious to put his ideas into words (7: 8).

Who Was Confucius? • “I am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge: I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there. ” • “To see what is right and not do it is want of courage. ” • “Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself. ”

What Is Daoism? • Laozi – the “Old Master”(? ) founded Daoism (Taoism) – people should give up their worldly desires – turn to nature and the Dao – turn away from worldly concerns and live in peace with nature – Dao De Jing – influential text of

What Is Daoism? • There are implications in this understanding for how to live one’s life: “The sage experiences without abstraction And accomplishes without action; He accepts the ebb and flow of things, Nurtures them, but does not own them, And lives, but does not dwell. ” • Daoism says that to truly live in harmony with the cosmos and with other humans in civil society, we must retreat from engagement in the world of politics and

Excerpts from the Daodejing 8 - The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to. It is content with the low places that people disdain. Thus it is like the Tao. In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present. When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you. 9 - Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity 78 - Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true, but few can put it into practice. Therefore the Master remains serene in the midst of sorrow. Evil cannot enter his heart. Because he has given up helping, he is people's greatest help. True words seem paradoxical.

Confucius and Laozi

What Is Legalism? • Hanfeizi – thought people were naturally evil – developed Legalism – taught that people needed harsh laws and punishment to make them live rightly – strong ruler necessary – aristocrats liked Legalism

Chinese Ethical Systems Confucianism Daoism Legalism • Social order, harmony, and good government should be based on family relationships. • Respect for parents and elders is important to a well ordered society. • Education is important to both the welfare of the individual and to • The natural order is more important than social order. • A universal force guides all things. • Human beings should live simply and in harmony with nature. • A highly efficient and powerful government is the key to social order. • Punishments are useful to maintain order. • Thinkers and their ideas should be strictly controlled by the government.

Chapter 6, Lecture 2 Questions 1. What is unique about the ancient Chinese social structure? 2. Define filial piety. 3. Name the founders of Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. 4. Which philosophy was centered around a strong system of laws and punishments in order to keep society in order? 5. Compare Confucianism and Daoism.

The Qin and Han Dynasties Chapter 6, Lecture 3

Chapter 6, Lecture 3 Objectives • After this lesson, students will be able to: – describe the harsh methods Qin Shihuangdi used to unify and defend China. – describe how people were tested for jobs under the Han dynasty and how new inventions improved life for all Chinese. – explain how the Silk Road carried Chinese goods as far as Greece and Rome.

Emperor Qin Shihuangdi • Period of the Warring States (475– 221 BC) – period of violence that made people look for a way to restore order

Emperor Qin Shihuangdi • Qin Shihuangdi (sp) – “First Qin Emperor” (221 B. C. ) – from the state of Qin (China) – Ying Zheng – establishes the Qin Dynasty (221 B. C. – 206 B. C. )

A Powerful Ruler • Qin Shihuangdi – based his rule on the ideas of Legalism • eliminated opposition • private ownership of weapons is outlawed • burned books • instituted a practice called “strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches” – created an autocracy – a government that

A Powerful Ruler • accomplishments – set standards for writing, law, currency, weights, and measures – over 4, 000 miles of roads constructed – irrigation projects improved farm production – early Great Wall (one we know today built in the Ming Dynasty)

A Powerful Ruler • The Terracotta Army – Qin Shihuangdi’s burial complex

Why Did the People Rebel? • Four years after Qin Shihuangdi’s death, the Qin dynasty was overthrown. – farmers, scholars, and aristocrats were all displeased with how he had ruled

The Han Dynasty • Liu Bang – founded the Han Dynasty (202 B. C. – A. D. 220) • Han Wudi – wanted talented people to work in government; developed the civil service exam (Confucianist influence) – population reaches 60 million under Han Wudi – expansion policy –”Martial Emperor”

An Era of New Inventions • • • waterwheels iron drill bits steel paper rudder advances in medicine – acupuncture – treatment that is supposed to ease pain by sticking needles into the skin

The Silk Road • Silk Road – network of trade routes that stretched from China to southwest Asia – China exported silk, spices, tea, & porcelain – Zhang Qian – explored areas west of China; brought back stories of the Roman Empire • Han dynasty ended in 220 due to internal struggles.

Chapter 6, Lecture 3 Questions 1. Which of the doctrines discussed in Section 2 did Qin Shihuangdi follow? 2. Why was the Qin Dynasty overthrown? 3. Who founded the Han Dynasty? 4. What is the purpose of the civil service exam? 5. Give examples of items that the Chinese exported using the Silk Road.