ANCIENT CHINAWorld History 9 Honors

• Huang He River is also known as the Yellow River

• Located in Eastern China

• Two early civilizations and dynasties were established in this region:

1. Shang Dynasty (1750 – 1045 B.C.E.)

2. Zhou Dynasty (1045 – 221 B.C.E.)

CHINA: HUANG HE RIVERVALLEY CIVILIZATION

• Earliest Chinese dynasty• Little is known about the Shang• Very few written documents

o Earliest documents are oracle bone inscriptions• Cities served as political and religious centers• Developed the first divination techniques

o The interpretation of phenomena in the natural world as signs of the gods will and intentions

Early China: Shang Dynasty

• Overthrew the Shang dynasty• Responsible for the “Mandate of

Heaven” theoryo An ideology in which God grants power

to the ruler of China and takes away that power if the ruler fails to conduct himself justly and in the best interests of his subjects

• The government became decentralized when local leaders began to act on their own, posing a threat to Zhou rule

Early China: Zhou Dynasty

• China’s first empire that lasted from 221 – 206 B.C.E.

• Shi Huangdi was a strict and authoritative ruler who united China

• Shi Huangdi believed in legalism – strict laws, harsh punishments

• Shi Huangdi supervised the building of the Great Wall

CHINA: QIN DYNASTY

• Centralized government (not as brutal as the Qin Dynasty)

• Expanded Chinese territory• Made contact with India and the

Middle East (Silk Road)• Most famous Han ruler – Wu Ti• Wu Ti enforced peace, emphasized

Confucian values and teachings, and set up civil service examinations

• Patriarchal society• Women were expected to obey males

(the five relationships)• Gentry – scholar officials, upper class,

privileged, educated• Enjoyed a time of prosperity

CHINA: HAN EMPIRE

Are these codes fair or unfair? What if we had to live by these codes?

CHINA: BELIEF SYSTEMSConfucianism

Son must obey their fatherYounger brother must obey their older brother

Wife must obey their husband

Subject must obey their ruler

Friends are equal

WHERE WAS IT FOUNDED?• ChinaWHO IS THE FOUNDER?• ConfuciusWHAT IS THE SACRED TEXT?• The AnalectsWHERE DID IT INFLUENCE?• China

CHINA: BELIEF SYSTEMSConfucianism

MAJOR BELIEFS• Filial Piety: respect for parents, elders• 5 Relationships: set of five superior to inferior

relationships that control society• Moral & ethical conduct leads to harmony/order

Confucianism

SUPERIORFather, Ruler,

Husband, Elder Brother

INFERIORSon, Ruled,

Wife, Younger Brother

Set a Good Example

Obedience and Loyalty

WHERE WAS IT FOUNDED?• ChinaWHO IS THE FOUNDER?• Han feiziWHAT IS THE SACRED TEXT?• NoneWHERE DID IT INFLUENCE?• China during the Qin Dynasty

CHINA: BELIEF SYSTEMSLegalism

MAJOR BELIEFS

• Human nature was evil and required restraint and discipline

• Strict laws, harsh punishments

SHI HUANGDI: Leader of the Qin Dynasty who practiced legalism

Legalism

• The fall of the Han began in

the third century C.E.• Corrupt officials, barbaric

invasions, uprisings of starving peasants, banditry, poverty and despair

• Hired foreign soldiers served in the army for pay, but were not loyal to the Han state

• After barbaric attacks, Chinese fled to the Yangzi River Valley

DECLINE OF THE HAN

• A large empire that gave a great deal of

power to local nobility in order to ensure control

• Buddhist monasteries that supported Tang rule were rewarded with monetary gifts, tax exemptions, and land grants

• Reinstituted the tributary system – both Japan and Korea paid tribute to the Tang

• Tang capital, Chang’an, was a major trading center that attracted people from all over

• Chang’an became a center for cultural exchange

• Took part in Indian Ocean trade

TANG DYNASTY 618 – 907 C.E.

• In the 8th Century the Tang began

to be threatened by rival states• Internal rebellion• Overexpansion• Buddhism became the scapegoat

for many of the problems faced by the Tang Empireo Accused of being a foreign evilo Accused of draining money from the

stateo Accused of causing the breakdown of

the family

THE FALL OF THE TANG

• Was never as large as the Tang• Made outstanding scientific and

technological contributionso Used their knowledge of

astronomy to build a mechanical celestial clock and to improve the compass and the junk (Chinese seafaring ship); improved iron and steel production

• Economic accomplishmentso Paper money

• Footbinding symbolized the restrictions on women in Song China and became a status of the elite in China

SONG DYNASTY 960 – 1279 C.E.