ANCIENT CHINAChapter 6

ACADEMIC VOCABULARYInstructions: Put the correct letter beside each number

a. Civilb. Convertc. Cultural

diffusiond. Economice. Establishf. Excerptg. Hermitageh. Ideologyi. Omitj. Pinnaclek. Prosperousl. relic

___1. cause to change in form, character, or function.

___2. successful in material terms; flourishing financially.

___3. achieve permanent acceptance or recognition for

___4. A place where one can live in seclusion; a retreat.

___5. an object surviving from an earlier time, esp. one of historical or sentimental interest.

___6. Of or relating to citizens and their interrelations with one another or with the state.

___7. Of or relating to the production, development, and management of material wealth, as of a country, household, or business enterprise

___8. a short extract from a film, broadcast, or piece of music or writing.

___9. leave out or exclude (someone or something), either intentionally or forgetfully

___10. The highest point ___11. the spreading out of culture, culture traits,

or a cultural pattern from a central point. ___12. a system of ideas and ideals, esp. one that

forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

GEOGRAPHY

About the size of the United States (4 million square miles)

North: Gobi (Goh-bee) Desert

East: low –lying plains (one of the world’s largest farming regions)

Eastern boundary: Pacific Ocean

GEOGRAPHY

Climate: Vary

Northeast: cold and dry

Northwest: deserts are very dry

Eastern Plains: heavy rains

Southeast: tropical and wettest region = monsoons

GEOGRAPHY

Rivers:

Yellow River (Huang He) in northern China

Floods = silt (river often floods and leaves layers of silt = great for

farming)

(River is know China’s Sorrow because millions of people have died in floods)

Yangzi River (Chang Jiang) in southern China

Longest river in Asia (cuts through central China)

(In early China these two rivers helped link people in eastern part of country

with those in the west.)

CIVILIZATION BEGINS

First settled along rivers

Farming along Yellow and Yangzi Rivers

Yangzi River: rice

Yellow River: cereals (millet and wheat)

Early Settlements: houses partly underground and maybe straw-

covered roofs

Walls surrounded towns for defense

Artifacts: arrowheads, fishhooks, tools, pottery, cloth, some

water wells

CIVILIZATION BEGINS

Burial: Tombs with objects: food (suggested a belief in the afterlife)

Graves of rich: jewelry and other objects made of jade (a hard

gemstone)

Chapter 6: Ancient China

Dynasties Chart

Dynasty and Years

Ruler (s) Social Class System

Achievements

FIRST DYNASTIES

Xia (Shah) Dynasty founded by Yu the Great 2200 BC

Dug channels to drain water to the ocean (because of the floods)

(archaeologists have not yet found evidence of this dynasty. Dynasty is

described in ancient historical chronicles such as Bamboo Annals, Classic of

History and Records of the Grand Historian.

Concrete existence of the Xia is yet to be proven)

Shang Dynasty established by 1500s BC in northern China

Social Order:

Highest level: king, royal family, nobles, warrior leaders

Nobles owned most of the land which was passed on to sons

Middle level: artisans

Lived outside city walls. Lived in groups based on what they

made. (Made weapons, pottery, tools, clothing)

FIRST DYNASTIES

Lowest level: farmers and slaves

Farmers worked long hours. Taxes claimed much of what they

earned.

Slaves were important source of labor.

First Writing System

More than 2,000 symbols to express words or idea

Writing on cattle bones and turtle shells. Priest carved questions

about the future on bones and shells. Heated them, they cracked.

Read cracks to predict future.

Bones called oracle bones. Oracle is a prediction.

FIRST DYNASTIES

Shang Achievements:

Bronze containers for cooking and religious ceremonies, axes,

knives, and ornaments from jade, war chariots, powerful bows,

bronze body armor, and astrologers developed a calendar based

on the cycle of the moon.

ZHOU DYNASTY

Zhou (Joe) Dynasty 1100s BC overthrew the Shang

Lasted longer than any other Chinese dynasty.

Political System

Based on the “Mandate of Heaven”. Dynasty life usually around

300 year.

Expanded territory to the northwest, east, and south.

Granted land in return for loyalty, military support, and other

services.

ZHOU DYNASTY

Zhou Society Rank

Highest: king who led government and gave land to lords

Middle: Lords and warriors. Lords paid taxes to king and

provided warriors to protect the lands.

Lowest: Peasants (farmers) farmed the nobles’ land.

ZHOU DYNASTY

Zhou Decline

Political order broke down: Lords passed power to sons who

were less loyal to the king. Local rulers gained power and

rejected authority of Zhou king.

Warring States: time of many civil wars.

Changes in Chinese family structure

Family had been foundation of life in China. Families broke

apart = lost their power. Relatives became rivals.

Upper Classes - sons plotted against each other.

QIN DYNASTY

States battled each other for power. Qin (Chin) state built strong

army that defeated armies of rivaling states.

Qin dynasty united country under one government.

Qin king, Ying Zheng, unified China in 221 BC.

Titled self Shi Huangdi(Shee hwahng-dee) = “first emperor”.

Followed Legalist political beliefs = strong government with

strict laws and harsh punishments.

Burned writings that did not agree with Legalism. Ex. Books saved

– farming, medicine, and predicting the future. Buried 460 scholars who opposed book burning.

QIN DYNASTY

Shi Huangdi used armies to expand empire. When conquered a

city destroyed walls and took all the weapons.

He claimed all power and did not share it with the lords.

Divided China into districts, each with its own governor.

Districts subdivided into counties that were governed by

appointed officials.

Helped in enforcing tax system and enforcing strict chain of

command.

Set up a uniform system of law. Rules and punishments were to

be the same in all parts of empire.

QIN DYNASTY

Standardized the written language = write using the same set of

symbols.

People of different regions a sense of shared culture

and common identity.

New money system = standardized gold and copper coins =

currency used in all China.

Weights and measures standardized.

Trade between regions became easier.

QIN DYNASTYQin Achievements:

Network of roads connected capital to every part of empire. =

Travel easier. Roads same width = army moved quickly and

easily.

Canals connected rivers. = Improved transportation.

Faster and easier to ship goods north to south.

Irrigation system = more land good for farming.

Great Wall: A barrier that linked earlier walls across China’s

northern frontier. To stop invasions. (Years of labor from hundreds of

thousands of workers which many died.)

QIN DYNASTY

Terra-cotta Army

6,000 life-size terra cotta or clay soldiers in one chamber

1,400 clay figures of cavalry and chariots

Designed to be with Shi Huangdi in the afterlife.

Discovered in 1974 in Xi’an

QIN DYNASTY

Shi Huangdi’s policies brought resentment from peasants,

scholars, and nobles.

Died in 210 BC and empire began to fall apart.

Rebel forces formed. Attacked capital and burned palace.

Country fell into civil war.

3 Major Chinese Philosophies

Use the Tri-Venn to explain Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism

Confucianism

LegalismDaoism

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

• -

Instructions: Must have at least 3 things in the major circles and at least 1 thing in the minor circles.

• -

• -

• -

• -

Pages: 169-171

Use the Tri-Venn to explain Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism

Confucianism

LegalismDaoism

• -Confucius

• -China was rude and needed to return to having good ethics and morals (respectful and loyal)

• -focus starts on the family and continuous learning

• Government shouldn’t have to be harsh with good people and rulers should inspire not scare.

• -first to put their ideas into practice in China

• people were bad and needed to be controlled with laws by harsh rulers to have order

• -political and social philosophy that does not involve religion

• Laozi

• -go with the flow and let nature take its course (the way)

• -yin and yang (everything has a force)

• People shouldn’t fight and government shouldn’t make rules (stay out of people’s lives)

Instructions: Must have at least 3 things in the major circles and at least 1 thing in the minor circles.

• A philosophy

• How people should behave and how government should rule

• Popular beliefs and competed for followers

• A philosophy• A philosophy

that turned into a religion to some

• Famous teacher/founders

• -Involves Nature

Pages: 169-171

CONFUCIUS AND SOCIETY

Confucius “Kongfuzi”: most influential teacher

in Chinese history

Grew in poverty. Served in minor government

position.

China overrun with rude and dishonest people.

Chinese needed to return to ethics/moral values.

Ideas of Confucius = Confucianism

Wanted to return to time when people knew their proper roles in

society.

His ideas complied into book: The Analects

CONFUCIUS

Confucianism: a unique teaching that is both philosophical and

religious.

A guiding force in human behavior and religious understanding in

China.

When people behaved well and acted morally they simply

carrying out what heaven expected of them.

Confucius’s ideas about virtue, kindness, and learning became

dominant beliefs in China.

DAOISM

Daoism from “Dao” meaning “the way”.

Daoism stressed living in harmony with the Dao, the guiding

force of all reality.

Dao gave birth to universe and all its things.

Daoism a reaction to Confucianism.

Wanted government to stay out of people’s lives.

People should be like water and simply let things flow in a

natural way.

Universe is a balance of opposites: female and male, light and

dark, low and high.

Opposing forces should be in harmony.

DAOISM

LAOZI “Old Baby”: most famous Daoist teacher.

People should not try to gain wealth, nor should they seek power.

Wrote basic text of Daoism, The Way and all Its Powers.

LEGALISM

Legalism: belief that people were bad by nature and needed to be

controlled, contrasted with both Confucianism and Daoism.

A political philosophy without religious concerns. It dealt only

with government and social control.

Legalists felt society needed strict laws to keep people in line and

punishment should fit crimes.

Example: citizens should be held responsible for each other’s

conduct: guilty person’s relatives and neighbors should be

punished.

Unlike Confucianism and Daoism Legalist first to put ideas into

practice throughout China.

HANS DYNASTY GOVERNMENT

Liu Bang (lee-oo-bang) first emperor of Hans Dynasty 206 BC

A peasant and first common person to become emperor.

Lasted more than 400 years.

Lowered taxes for farmers and made punishments less severe.

Set up government structure that built on foundation begun by

Qin. Relied on educated officials to help him rule.

HANS DYNASTY GOVERNMENT

Emperor Wudi (Woo-dee) 140 BC

Strong central government: took land from lords, raised taxes,

placed supply of grain under control of government

Confucianism- China’s official government philosophy

Possible good government position if pass exam on Confucian

teachings. Exams only open to people who had been

recommended for government service.

Result: wealthy or influential families control government

FAMILY LIFE

Four classes

Upper class: emperor, his court, and scholars

Second class: the largest – peasants were poor

Third class: artisans – produced items for daily life and some

luxury goods

Lowest class: merchants, non producers, bought and sold what

others made. Some were wealthy and powerful.

Military not in an official class

Joining army offered chance to rise in social status

FAMILY LIFE

Classes divided people into social rank and did not indicate wealth or power.Emperor and his court lived in palace.Wealthy families owned large estates.Private army to defend estates. Expensive decoration in homes: paintings, pottery, bronze lamps, jade figures, hired musicians for entertainment

90% of population were peasants who lived in countryside,worked long hours in fields. In winter worked on building projects for governmentSimple lives in small villages and in small wood-framed houses with walls made of mud or stamped earth

FAMILY LIFE

Confucian teachings on family:

Children respect their elders. Disobeying parents = crime

Father head of house= absolute power

Women’s duty=obey husband

Strong family and obey father =obey emperor

Children serve parents even dead parent with ceremonies and

offerings.

Boys were valued more than girls since sons carried family line

and took care of parents

Daughters became part of husband’s family.

HAN ACHIEVEMENTS

Art

Figure painting: portraits of people of religious figures and

Confucian scholars

Paintings of realistic scenes from everyday life

Literature

Poetry: fu style most popular and poets combined prose and

poetry to create long works

Shi style = short lines of verse that could be sung.

Works of History: Historian Sima Qian – complete history of all

dynasties through early Han.

HAN ACHIEVEMENTS

Inventions and Advances

Invented paper

Scholars produced “books”. Pasted several pieces of paper

together into a long sheet. Rolled sheet into a scroll.

Sundial: uses position of shadows cast by the sun to tell time of

day.

Seismograph: device that measures the strength of an

earthquake.

Emperors believed earthquake were signs of future evil events.

Acupuncture: practice of inserting fine needles through skin at

specific points to cure disease or relieve pain.