ANCIENT CHINA

THE BEGINNING After 10,000 BC people in China lived by hunting

and gathering plants. Then, about 5,000 BC, the Chinese began farming.

From about 5,000 BC rice was cultivated in Southern China and millet was grown in the North. By 5,000 BC dogs and pigs were domesticated. By 3,000 BC sheep and (in the south) cattle were domesticated. Finally horses were introduced into China between 3,000 and 2,300 BC.

Meanwhile by 5,000 BC Chinese farmers had learned to make pottery. They also made lacquer (a kind of varnish made from the sap of the Chinese lacquer tree). The early Chinese farmers also made baskets and wove cloth (before sheep were domesticated hemp was woven). The Chinese also made ritual objects from jade such as knives, axes, and rings. The wheel was invented in China about 2,500 BC.

A MORE ADVANCED SOCIETY IN CHINABy 2,000 BC the Chinese had learned to make

bronze. They probably started by making copper in pottery kilns then experimented by adding tin, so creating bronze.

Warfare was becoming more common in China. Walls of earth, which was rammed till it was hard, surrounded some settlements. Warfare probably became more common because these early societies were becoming richer. As wealth grew so did the temptation to attack your neighbors and steal their goods. By 2,000 BC there was also a growing gulf between the classes. People were buried with their goods and some people were buried with far more than others.

By 2,000 BC human sacrifice was practiced in China. The bodies of the victims were buried under the foundations of building. By 2,000 BC fortune telling was carried out by heating bones till they cracked then interpreting the cracks. Meanwhile between about 2,000 and 1750 BC the semi-legendary Xia ruled parts of China.

THE SHANG DYNASTY IN CHINAThe Shang were polytheists (they

worshiped many gods). The most important god was called Di. Furthermore during the Shang dynasty in China the practice of ancestor worship began. Ancestor worship is the belief that the dead can intervene in the affairs of the living. Offerings were made to them to keep them happy. Ancestor worship became part of Chinese culture for thousands of years.

Silk was probably first made in China during the Shang era. It was made by 1,300 BC. During the Shang era bronze was more widely used. Previously it was only used to make weapons. After 1700 BC bronze vessels were made. However tools such as sickles, ploughs and spades were usually made of wood and stone.

The Shang built the first real cities in China. The first capital at Zhengdou had walls more than 6 kilometers long. (Later the capital was moved to Anyang). The Shang also built palaces and temples.

During the Shang era slavery was common in China. Prisoners of war were made into slaves. Human sacrifice was still practiced. When a Shang emperor died his servants and slaves either committed suicide or were killed to accompany him into the afterlife. Because of the need to capture slaves warfare was common in China. After 1200 BC chariots pulled by 2 or 4 horses were used in Chinese warfare.

However the Shang were overthrown by their neighbors the Zhou about 1022 BC. So began the Zhou dynasty.

THE ZHOU DYNASTY IN CHINA

Zhou Society

ZHOU SOCIETYThe dynasty ruled China from about C. 1022 BC to

221 BC. The first part of the Zhou era from C. 1022 BC to 771 BC is called the Western Zhou (because the rulers had their capital in the west of China).

In ancient China because transport and communications were very slow it was difficult for a ruler to control a wide area. The Zhou kings solved this problem by creating a feudal state. They gave their followers land. In return the followers provided chariots and soldiers in time of war. Soon the follower’s positions became hereditary. Below them were officials who worked as generals and administrators. At the bottom of society were the peasants who provided the food supply.

The peasants had to spend some of their time working on the Lord’s land. Usually land was divided into 9 sections. Individual families worked eight sections. Everybody had to work on the ninth section but the crops from it went to the lord. After 600 BC coins were used in China and some peasants paid their Lord taxes rather than work on his land. Under the Shang there were many slaves in China but under the Zhou there were few of them.

There were some important technological changes during the Zhou period. The most important was the invention of iron. It was used for weapons as early as 650 BC. By about 500 BC iron was used for all kinds of tools. By about 400 BC Chinese farmers used iron plows drawn by an oxen.

About 300 BC the Chinese invented the horse collar. Previously horses were attached to vehicles by straps around their necks. The horse could not pull heavy load because the strap would tighten around its neck! The horse collar allowed horses to pull much heavier loads.

During the Zhou dynasty the Chinese invented kites. Tea was first mentioned in China during the Zhou dynasty (although it may have been drunk much earlier). The umbrella was invented in China in the 4th century AD. Covered in oiled paper it sheltered the user from both sun and rain.

Warfare also change in China. Previously war was dominated by chariots. However after 600 BC cavalry began to replace chariots. Furthermore rulers began to raise large armies of infantry. Peasants were conscripted to provide them. About 500 BC a general called Sunzi wrote a book called the ART OF WAR, which was the world’s first military manual. About 400 BC the crossbow was invented in China.

Although warfare was frequent during the Zhou era trade and commerce flourished and Chinese cities grew larger. Furthermore agriculture was greatly improved by iron tools and by irrigation, which became more common. As a result of more efficient agriculture the population of China grew rapidly in the Zhou period.

During the Zhou era parts of the GREAT WALL OF CHINA were built. There was not single wall, at first, but different states built their own walls to keep out barbarians. Later they were joined together . In 486 BC work began on digging the Grand Canal. At first only one section was built but the canal was extended by later dynasties.

ZHOU PHILOSOPHYHuman sacrifice ended during the Zhou era but

divination continued. At that time the Chinese concept of Heaven emerged. Heaven was a kind of universal force. Heaven chose the emperor to rule but it was a moral force. If the king or emperor were evil heaven would send natural disasters as a warning. If the emperor failed to heed the warnings heaven would withdraw its mandate . Social and political order would break down and there would be a revolution. Heaven would choose somebody else to rule.

KONG-FUZIDuring the Zhou period in China there was a class of officials who advised kings and rulers on the right way to behave and also how to carry out rituals. The most important of these was Kong-Fuzi (known in the West as Confucius). During his lifetime the old feudal social and political order was breaking down. Appalled by this state of affairs Kong-Fuzi tried to restore ancient principles.

KONG-FUZI Kong-Fuzi taught that everyone should accept

their role in life and duties towards others. Rulers had a duty to be benevolent while subjects should be respectful and obedient. Children should honor their parents and everybody should honor their ancestors. Kong-Fuzi also believed that rulers should set a good example for their people.

KONG-FUZIMost of all Kong-Fuzi taught

consideration for others. At the heart of his teaching was ‘ren’ which is usually translated goodness or benevolence. Kong-Fuzi said ‘do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself’. Kong-Fuzi also taught the importance of courtesy and moderation in all things. Kong-Fuzi also taught that women should submit to their father when young, to their husband when married and to their son if widowed. Women in China were taught values such as humility, submissiveness, and industry.

KONG-FUZIKong-Fuzi never wrote any books but after his death his followers collected his sayings and wrote them all down. In the centuries after his death his philosophy became dominant in China and profoundly influenced its culture for more than 2,000 years.

KONG-FUZIOne disciple of Kong-Fuzi was Mengzi (372-289 BC), known in the West as Mencius. He stressed the goodness of human nature. He also emphasized the rulers duty to look after the well being of his subjects. Mengzi was opposed by Xuni (298-238 BC). He believed human nature tended to be evil and must be restrained.

LEGALISMNot everyone agreed with Kong-Fuzi

that rulers should rule by example. Legalists believed that rulers should be strict. The ruler’s word should be law. Legalists believed that rulers should be fair but firm and unwavering. One of the Chinese states, Qin, followed legalist teaching. The Qin rulers at first shared power with hereditary nobles but they changed the system so that the parts of their realm were governed by officials appointed by the ruler.

They also organized families into groups of 5 or 10 people. The members of each group were made responsible foe each other’s behavior. Legalists believed that since people are naturally evil punishments should be severe. The people must be made afraid of breaking the law. They also distrusted merchants and believed that only people who owned or worked on the land were trustworthy.

TAOISMTaoism began in China during the Zhou era. Taoists

believed in the Toa, which means the way. The Tao is an indescribable force behind nature and all living things. Taoists believe in Wuwei or non-action, which means going with the natural flow or way of things like a stick being carried along on a stream. Taoism also teaches humility and compassion. Taoists worship many different gods.

ANCIENT CHINESE BELIEFSThe Zhou period is

sometimes called China’s formative period because so much of Chinese philosophy developed at that time. The Chinese form of divination called I Ching was probably developed during the early part of the Zhou era.

ANCIENT CHINESE BELIEFSThe idea of Yin and Yang also appeared during the

Zhou dynasty.

The ancient Chinese believed that all matter is made of 2 opposite and complimentary principles. Yin is feminine, soft, gentle, dark, receptive, yielding, and wet. Yang is masculine , bright, hard, hot, active dry and aggressive. Everything is mixture of these 2 opposites. The ancient Chinese also believed there were 5 elements, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. During the Zhou period the Chinese art of acupuncture was invented.

THE END OF THE ZHOU DYNASTYIn 771 the Rong, people from the west, invaded and

the Zhou moved their capital to Louyang.

THE END OF THE ZHOU DYNASTYAfterwards the power of the Zhou kings declined.

The Zhou state broke up into separate states (although it was still nominally a single state with a Zhou king at its head). The nobles under the Zhou king effectively became independent rulers. The different states went to war and the stronger ones conquered the weaker till there were only a few left. Finally one state, the Qin, conquered its rivals and its ruler became emperor of China. So began the Qin dynasty.