China’s Long History

World Studies Summer School

4000 years of history

• Civilizations grew between two rivers.• Yellow River and Yangtze• Anyang first early city of importance• Chinese culture grows

– Importance of Family• Respect for parents

– Social Classes divided between nobles and peasants– Development of writing

• Characters are similar today as they were 4000 years ago

Dynastic Cycle• Dynasty gains power establishes peace, people

believe they have Mandate of Heaven• Dynasty declines becomes corrupt, raises taxes,

power weakens• Disasters cause peasants to revolt and

invasions to occur• Dynasty loses mandate to heaven Rebellion is

justified• Dynasty overthrown through bloodshed, new

dynasty emerges• New Dynasty gains power restores peace and

order and claims mandate of heaven.

First Great Dynasties

• Zhou (Joh) – One of first large Chinese Dynasties– Establishes system called Feudalism

• Nobles granted use of land by King who owns ALL land.

• Those who work and live on land are protected by nobles and must be loyal to king.

• They must provide military service when asked. • Local Lords grow in power and become less

dependent on King

Zhou Innovations

• Roads and canals built for agriculture and trade

• Coined money first introduced

• Iron first used

Zhou at War

• Due to size and weakened by the loss of their ruler in 771 BC. Zhou begin to deteriorate into warring states loyal only to their local noble.

• Dynastic cycle about to begin again.

• Zhou rule – 1027 – 256 B.C.

Confucius 551- 479 B.C.

• Born at time of crisis in China• Desire to restore moral living of earlier times and bring

back values of family• This can be achieved through 5 basic relationships

– Ruler and subject– Father and son– Husband and wife– Older and younger siblings– Friend and friend

• A code of conduct to regulate each relationship– Example Ruler practices kindness. In return subjects should be

loyal and abide by law.

Confucius and the Family

• Three of the 5 Relationships involve family– Filial piety – respect for parents and ancestors– Most important and children should dedicate

themselves to their parents during their lifetime.

– Also honoring parents after their death

Confucius and Government

• Wanted to show rulers how to govern wisely

• Impressed by his wisdom, Duke of Lu appoints him minister of Justice.

• According to legend, Confucius overwhelmed people with his kindness and courtesy that overnight crime vanished

• When the Duke changed his ways he resigned.

Confucius and Education

• Education could transform a person into a gentleman

• Believed a trained civil service could run government

• Education became important to work in government

• Confucius spent the rest of his life teaching.• His students later collected his words in a book

called the Analects• Not a religion but an ethical way to live your life

based on the premise of right and wrong• Becomes foundation for Chinese social order

and spreads throughout southeast Asia

Qin (chihn) Dynasty

• 3rd century BC• Leagalism

– Provide rich rewards for those who follow and carryout orders

• Unites country and new Dynasty begins• Shi Huangdi

– Takes control 221BC– Policy of strengthening central authority– Forces all nobles to live in capital – This allows him to keep a closer eye on all those who could rise up to

oppose him. (friends close, enemies closer)– Prevents criticism by murdering Confucian scholars– Orders “useless” books burned– Education not as important as following orders

Centralization and Great Wall• Advancements due to Centralization

– Roads built– Standard unit of measurements– Standard writing– Standard currency– Standard law

• Great Wall– To protect great new empire he forces poor to work on new defensive

wall.– Earlier leaders had built smaller walls in different areas.– He wanted them combined, enlarged to cover the entire northern

border. – Hundreds of thousands die building wall.– Peasants not paid – Build it or die – Many died anyway

• Qin Dynasty Short but effective and Falls in 202 BC– Shi Huangdi’s Son’s prove ineffective leaders and Dynastic Cycle

begins again

Han Dynasty

• 202 BC Rules China for 400 years• Han Dynasty broken into two parts

– Approx. 200 years each– First Han

• Follows idea of centralized Government• Establishes Local HUBS called Commanderies to

rule local areas• Lower taxes and harsh punishments• Become very popular• Embrace Confucianism

2nd Han

• First Han fall due to Rich taking advantage of the poor.

• Han overthrown briefly, and chaos ensued for 40 years

• Strong leader needed to restore stability– Han royal family steps back in and takes control 23

AD.– Restore order and prosperity returns for 200 more

years till 220 AD– Han eventually disintegrate into 3 rival kingdoms

Assignment

• Questions:

p.100 #3-6

p.107 #3-5

Tang Dynasty 618-907

• Conquers and expands land united. – Create powerful man made canals that

provide increased trade and communication– Expand and re-vive civil service examinations

begun by Han.– Bring back centralized power– Due to growing costs of government, raise

taxes and lose power. – Fall to armies from central Asia 907

Tang and Song innovations

• Moveable type– Leads to increased learning especially in

mathematics

• Agricultural improvements– Double harvest of Rice

• Trade through shipping on coast as far as India and into pacific.

• Golden age of poetry and art

Song Dynasty 960-1279

• Does not re-gain western lands lost.• Attempts buying peace with northern and

western enemies and attempt to rule smaller empire

• While the Song were mostly focused in South and especially on the coast, they thrived.

• Trade with foreigners had begun• Conquered by Mongols

The Mongols Invade• Kublai Khan Conquers China 1279

– First foreigner to rule entire country– Founds new Dynasty called Yuan

• Unites China for first time in 300 years– Moves his capital to new Square Palace in what is

now Beijing.– Restored the grand canal– Increased foreign trade

• Meets Marco Polo

• Kublai dies 1294– None of the successors were able to replicate his

power and control. Empire declines

Ming Dynasty 1368-1644

• Ended Mongol Rule• Determined not to allow outsiders to threaten

peace and prosperity in empire• Return to Confucianism and moral standards• Trade with outsiders severely restricted• Allowed only in certain areas on coast

– Where it was allowed though it flourished– Chinese goods were becoming very popular in

Europe

Fall of Ming and Rise of Qing

• Ming falls weak due to corruption and growing power in the north from Manchus.

• Manchus seize Beijing and their leader becomes new emperor

• Qing dynasty will rule till its fall in 1908• Opens country to Europeans

– Leads to Empires downfall as they become more and more dependent upon European trade.

– Opium

Imperial China Collapses

• Early 1900s China had been facing years of foreign humiliation

• Economy and trade controlled by foreign countries

• Many Chinese believed modernizing was the way

• Others believe a return to traditional ways was best

Qing Overthrown

• 1911 – Nationalist forces overthrow last Emperor

• Sun Yixian becomes President of new republic of China– 3 Principles

• Nationalism• Democracy• Economic Security

– Does NOT have power to unify country

Assignment

• Questions:p.374 #3-6

p.382 #3-5

p.465 #3-4

p.777 #3-5

Nationalism and Democracy vs. Communism

• Who would be able to unite Country?

• Mao Zedong– Founder of Communist Party– Peasants love

• Jiang Jieshi– Nationalist Leader– Business and Trade– Intellectuals

Civil War for Control Begins

• U.S. recognize Nationalist government

• Nationalist nearly defeat communists in 1927

• Communists barely survive through 1930s

• 1937 changes everything

• Japan invades Manchuria

• WWII Begins and sides must work together to defeat them.

Post WWII – Communists come to power

• Nationalists– Southern China– U.S. Support– Goal – Defeat

Communists– Weak due to failing

post-war economy– Corruption in

leadership

• Communists– Northern China– Soviet Support– Goal – National

Liberation– Strong Peasant

Support– Experienced

leadership and highly motivated

Civil War Resumes 1946-47

• Nationalist did little to win popular support• As China’s economy collapsed, thousands of

Nationalist soldiers deserted for communists• Spring 1949 Red forces claim major cities• Mao promises to return land to peasants.• Makes him wildly popular• October 1949 remnants of Jiang’s government flee

to Taiwan• Mao proclaims Peoples republic of China October

1949

Communist China

• Mao expands China– Tibet, parts of India, and Mongolia claimed by

China and Army.– Tibet is promised Freedom

• Never comes• Still seeks freedom to this day

• Mao claims New “Mandate of Heaven”– Helps to win over more traditional Chinese– Communist party members only 1 percent of

country

Great Leap Forward

• Great Leap Forward – 1958– Called for Communes or large Farms– Average commune supported by 25,000

people covering 15,000 acres– Life strictly Controled– NO private ownership– Huge failure

• Poor planning and inefficient home industries prevent growth.

• Famine cause by crop failures kill 20 million in 1961

Cultural Revolution – 1966-68

• Establish society of peasants and workers who were all equal

• Led by “Red Guard” Mostly high school and college age students who leave school to “Change China”

• Intellectual and artistic activity considered useless and dangerous

• Red Guard shuts down colleges and schools• Intellectuals had to purify themselves by doing hard labor

in remote villages• Thousands were executed or imprisoned• Mao realizes his error in 1968 and uses Army to put

down Red Guard and Cultural Revolution

1970s – China reopens doors

• Relations between U.S. and China were poor since 1949 when the U.S. refused to recognize the Communist government– Zhou Enlai – Communist Premier – Worried

about China’s Isolation from the world.– 1971 – U.S. Table Tennis team invited to tour

country.– 1971 – U.S. reverses policy and endorses UN

membership for Peoples Republic of China.– 1972 – Nixon Visits China

Mao and Zhou Die• 1976 China loses it’s 2 most influential

leaders.– Deng Xiaoping takes over

• Supports more moderate economic policies• Willing to use capitalist ideas

– 4 Modernizations• Called for progress in Agriculture, industry, defense,

and Science and Technology.• Eliminates communes ad leases land to individuals.• This system increased production by 50% from 1978-

1984

China Begins to Modernize

• Deng welcomes Foreign technology and investment.– People begin buying western goods, TV’s,

Appliances.– Western Style clothes and music become

popular with the youth.– New Hotels filled with tourists show new

emphasis on tourism industry.

Growing Pains• Unexpected Problems

– As standards improved, the gap between poor and rich widened.

– Communist Party officials began to cash in on their positions. – Students demand Democracy

• 1989 students spark uprising that surprised China’s leaders.

• 100,000 Students occupied Tiananmen Square. Win popular support and call for Democracy

• Deng declares martial law and orders Army to surround Square. Most students leave. 5000 remain

• June 4th 1989 Standoff comes to an end as Army ordered to storm square. Tanks and soldiers destroy square and hundreds die and thousands wounded.

• Becomes known as Tiananmen Square Massacre

Assignment

• Questions:– P.873 #3-5– P.991 #3-4– P.1080 #3,6