Early ChinaEarly China

Terms to Know

Confucius Tao Ying/Yang Legalism Dynasty Footbinding Chinese Society

The Silk Road Mongols Isolationism

Confucius (Kung Fu-Tzu)*Confucius (Kung Fu-Tzu)*(551-479 BC)(551-479 BC)

*Family name = Kung (Kong) Personal name = Zhong-ni Kung Fu-Tzu (Kong Fu-zi) = “Master Kung” “Confucius” = Latinization of “Kung Fu-Tzu”

““Never kiss a fool, or be fooled by a kiss.”Never kiss a fool, or be fooled by a kiss.”

The Life and Legacy of The Life and Legacy of ConfuciusConfucius

Born in 551B.C.E. to a Born in 551B.C.E. to a noble but poor family.noble but poor family.

Confucius died in 479 Confucius died in 479 B. C. E.B. C. E.

Confucius was an Confucius was an exceptional student exceptional student who later became a who later became a teacher and a teacher and a government official.government official.

The ancient State of Lu

That’s where Confucius was born & spent most of his life.

Anthem

Confucianism originated in China, but its influence spread to Korea & Japan over the centuries.

TAOTAO (“Way”) - the Ultimate; the (“Way”) - the Ultimate; the One; the Absolute; the underlying One; the Absolute; the underlying Power; the SourcePower; the Source

Yin/Yang - the dual expression of Yin/Yang - the dual expression of TAO;TAO; neither is superior to the other neither is superior to the other

Central concepts in Confucian thoughtCentral concepts in Confucian thought

China DynastiesChina Dynasties Chinese history is rarely as neat as it is portrayed, it was rare Chinese history is rarely as neat as it is portrayed, it was rare

for one dynasty to end calmly and give way quickly and for one dynasty to end calmly and give way quickly and smoothly to a new one.smoothly to a new one. Dynasties were often established before Dynasties were often established before the overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after the overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after they had been defeated.they had been defeated.

In addition, China was divided for long periods of its history, In addition, China was divided for long periods of its history, with different regions being ruled over by different groups. At with different regions being ruled over by different groups. At times there was no dynasty ruling a unified China.times there was no dynasty ruling a unified China.

The Post-Han InterimThe Post-Han Interim 220 Han Dynasty Collapsed220 Han Dynasty Collapsed Regional Kingdoms 400 yearsRegional Kingdoms 400 years

Farm Production ExpandedFarm Production Expanded Technology ImprovedTechnology Improved Buddhism spreadBuddhism spread Nomads invaded but Adopted Chinese CultureNomads invaded but Adopted Chinese Culture

The Tang DynastyThe Tang Dynasty

Li Yuan Sui Dynasty GeneralLi Yuan Sui Dynasty General Li Shimin (Tang Taizong)Li Shimin (Tang Taizong)

Forced his father to AbdicateForced his father to Abdicate Murdered 2 BrothersMurdered 2 Brothers Brilliant General, Government ReformerBrilliant General, Government Reformer Historian, Master CalligrapherHistorian, Master Calligrapher China’s Most Admired EmperorChina’s Most Admired Emperor

Expansion under the TangExpansion under the Tang

New TerritoriesNew Territories Largest China EverLargest China Ever ManchuriaManchuria KoreaKorea VietnamVietnam Aral SeaAral Sea TibetTibet

Tributary States Tributary States

Tang GovernmentTang Government

Empress Wu ZhaoEmpress Wu Zhao Only Female Chinese emperor in HistoryOnly Female Chinese emperor in History Centralized GovernmentCentralized Government Merit SystemMerit System

• Civil Service ExamsCivil Service Exams Confucian PhilosophyConfucian Philosophy

Tang DeclineTang Decline

Lost Central Asia to ArabiaLost Central Asia to Arabia CorruptionCorruption Rising TaxesRising Taxes DroughtDrought FamineFamine 907 Rebellion907 Rebellion

Huang ChaoHuang Chao

Chinese SocietyChinese Society

1.1. Emperor & His FamilyEmperor & His Family

2.2. GentryGentry Wealthy Land-Owning ClassWealthy Land-Owning Class Government Workers, Business OwnersGovernment Workers, Business Owners

3.3. PeasantsPeasants MajorityMajority

• FarmersFarmers

Status of WomenStatus of Women Ran Family Affairs in the HomeRan Family Affairs in the Home

Managing ServantsManaging Servants Family FinancesFamily Finances

Boys were FavoredBoys were Favored Wives joined Husband’s family Wives joined Husband’s family @@ Marriage Marriage

Dowry went to her FatherDowry went to her Father Never able to RemarryNever able to Remarry

FootbindingFootbinding

Emerged in Song DynastyEmerged in Song Dynasty Tiny Feet & Stilted Walk became a sign Tiny Feet & Stilted Walk became a sign

of nobility and beautyof nobility and beauty Extremely PainfulExtremely Painful Spread to Lower ClassesSpread to Lower Classes

Arts & LiteratureArts & Literature

Essential Gentry EducationEssential Gentry Education PoetryPoetry PaintingPainting CalligraphyCalligraphy

Chinese Landscape PaintingChinese Landscape Painting Daoist TraditionsDaoist Traditions Misty MountainsMisty Mountains Delicate Bamboo ForestsDelicate Bamboo Forests

ArchitectureArchitecture

Buddhist ThemesBuddhist Themes Indian Stupa – Chinese PagodaIndian Stupa – Chinese Pagoda

Multishaped Temple with Eaves curving upMultishaped Temple with Eaves curving up PorcelainPorcelain

Glazes, Vases, Tea ServiceGlazes, Vases, Tea Service Figures of Camels, Ladies playing PoloFigures of Camels, Ladies playing Polo Bearded foreigners from the Silk RoadBearded foreigners from the Silk Road

The Silk Road

The region separating China from Europe and Western Asia is not the most hospitable in the world. Much of it is taken up by the Taklimakan desert, one of the most hostile environments on our planet. There is very little vegetation, and almost no rainfall; sandstorms are very common, and have claimed the lives of countless people. The locals have a very great respect for this `Land of Death'; few travelers in the past have had anything good to say about it. It covers a vast area, through which few roads pass; caravans throughout history have skirted its edges, from one isolated oasis to the next. The climate is harsh; in the summer the daytime temperatures are very dry and hot. In winter the temperatures dip below minus 0. Temperatures soar in the sun, but drop very rapidly at dusk. Sand storms here are very common, and particularly dangerous due to the strength of the winds and the nature of the surface. Unlike the Gobi desert, where there are a relatively large number of oases, and water can be found not too far below the surface, the Taklimakan has much sparser resources.

By the third century B.C., the area had already become a crossroads of Asia, where Persian, Indian and Greek ideas met.

In the west, the Greek empire was taken over by the Roman empire. Even at this stage small quantities of Chinese goods, including silk, were reaching the west. This is likely to have arrived with individual traders, who may have started to make the journey in search of new markets despite the danger or the political situation of the time.

The description of this route to the west as the `Silk Road' is somewhat misleading. No single route was taken; several different branches developed, passing through different oasis settlements along the way from East to West.

Secondly, the Silk Road was not a trade route that existed solely for the purpose of trading in silk; many other commodities were also traded, from gold and ivory to exotic animals and plants. Of all the precious goods crossing this area, silk was perhaps the most remarkable for the people of the West. It is often thought that the Romans had first encountered silk in one of their campaigns against the Parthians in 53 B.C, and realized that it could not have been produced by this relatively unsophisticated people. They learned from Parthian prisoners that it came from a mysterious tribe in the east, who they came to refer to as the silk people. The Romans obtained samples of this new material, and it quickly became very popular in Rome, for its soft texture and attractiveness. The Parthians quickly realized that there was money to be made from trading the material, and sent trade missions towards the east. The Romans also sent their own agents out to explore the route, and to try to obtain silk at a lower price than that set by the Parthians. For this reason, the trade route to the East was seen by the Romans as a route for silk rather than the other goods that were traded.

The creation of “Middlemen” In addition to silk, the route carried many other precious commodities.

Caravans heading towards China carried gold and other precious metals, ivory, precious stones, and glass, which was not manufactured in China until the fifth century. In the opposite direction furs, ceramics, jade, bronze objects, lacquer and iron were carried. Many of these goods were bartered for others along the way, and objects often changed hands several times. There are no records of Roman traders being seen in China, nor Chinese merchants in Rome, though their goods were appreciated in both places. This would obviously have been in the interests of the Parthians and other middlemen, who took as large a profit from the change of hands as they could.

Bandits soon learned of the precious goods traveling the route and took advantage of the terrain to plunder these caravans. Caravans of goods needed their own defense forces, and this was an added cost for the merchants making the trip. This was partially overcome by building forts and defensive walls along part of the route. Sections of `Great Wall' were built along the route to try to prevent the bandits from harming the trade. However, these fortifications were not all as effective as intended, as the Chinese lost control of sections of the route at regular intervals. Many settlements were set up along the way, mostly in the oasis areas, and profited from the passing trade. Very few merchants traversed the full length of the road; most simply covered part of the journey, selling their wares a little further from home, and then returning with the proceeds. Goods therefore tended to moved slowly across Asia, changing hands many times.

The most significant commodity carried along this route was not silk, but religion. Buddhism came to China from India this way, along the northern branch of the route.

The new religion spread slowly eastwards, encouraged by an increasing number of merchants, missionaries and pilgrims.

The Buddhist faith gave birth to a number of different sects in Central Asia. Of these, the `Pure Land' and `Chan' (Zen) sects were particularly strong, and were even taken beyond China; they are both still flourishing in Japan.

Decline of the Silk Road From the point of view of those in the far west, China was still

an unknown territory, and silk production was not understood. Since the days of Alexander the Great, there had been some knowledge of India, but there was no real knowledge of, or contact with China until about the 7th century, when information started to filter along the Road. It was at this time that the rise of Islam started to affect Asia. Trade resumed with the Muslims playing the part of middlemen. The sea route to China was explored at this time, and the `Sea Silk Route'opened, eventually holding a more important place than the land route itself, as the land route became less profitable.

But the final shake-up that occurred was to come from a different direction; the hoards from the grasslands of Mongolia

MongolsMongols

Nomadic People of Central AsiaNomadic People of Central Asia Constantly Fighting InternallyConstantly Fighting Internally Genghiz Khan “World Emperor”Genghiz Khan “World Emperor”

Pacific Ocean to Eastern EuropePacific Ocean to Eastern Europe

Genghiz KhanGenghiz Khan

Strict Military DisciplineStrict Military Discipline Often destroyed entire CitiesOften destroyed entire Cities

Demanded Absolute LoyaltyDemanded Absolute Loyalty Rewarded the Most LoyalRewarded the Most Loyal

Highly Trained, Mobile ArmyHighly Trained, Mobile Army Most Skilled Horsemen in the WorldMost Skilled Horsemen in the World

Mongol Invasion of ChinaMongol Invasion of China

Walled CitiesWalled Cities Cannons & New WeaponsCannons & New Weapons

Metal Tubes filled with GunpowderMetal Tubes filled with Gunpowder Khan Descendants continued ConquestKhan Descendants continued Conquest

150 Years150 Years Devastated SichuanDevastated Sichuan Annihilated Chengdu, the Chinese CapitalAnnihilated Chengdu, the Chinese Capital

Mongol ChinaMongol China

Administrative TolerationAdministrative Toleration Heavy TaxesHeavy Taxes

Pax MongolicaPax Mongolica (1200s-1300s) (1200s-1300s) Economic GrowthEconomic Growth Controlled the Silk RoadControlled the Silk Road

InventionsInventions Windmills, Gunpowder, PapermakingWindmills, Gunpowder, Papermaking

Khan KonquestKhan Konquest

Genghiz Khan – NorthGenghiz Khan – North Kublai Khan – SouthKublai Khan – South

70 Years Later 127970 Years Later 1279 Defeated the Song DynastyDefeated the Song Dynasty Capital: Cambulac (Beijing)Capital: Cambulac (Beijing) Added Korea, Tibet, VietnamAdded Korea, Tibet, Vietnam

Kublai KhanKublai Khan

Resisted Sinicization Resisted Sinicization “becoming Chinese”“becoming Chinese”

Only Mongols in the MilitaryOnly Mongols in the Military Only Mongols in highest Govt. JobsOnly Mongols in highest Govt. Jobs

Allowed Chinese to rule in the ProvincesAllowed Chinese to rule in the Provinces There were not enough MongolsThere were not enough Mongols

Adopted a Chinese name: Yuan (yoo ahn)Adopted a Chinese name: Yuan (yoo ahn) Hired Arabs to build his PalaceHired Arabs to build his Palace

Kublai KhanKublai Khan

Capable but DemandingCapable but Demanding Repaired & Improved the Grand CanalRepaired & Improved the Grand Canal

Many human lives Many human lives Welcome foreignersWelcome foreigners

Ibn Battuta, African MuslimIbn Battuta, African Muslim Marco PoloMarco Polo

Marco PoloMarco Polo The first Europeans to arrive in China were Northern

European traders, who arrived in 1261. However, the most well known and best documented visitor was the Italian Marco Polo. As a member of a merchant family from Venice, he was a good businessman and a keen observer. Starting in 1271, at the age of only seventeen, his travels with his father and uncle took him across Persia, and then along the southern branch of the Silk Road, finally ending at the site of present-day Beijing. He traveled quite extensively in China, before returning to Italy by ship.

He describes the way of life in the cities and small kingdoms through which he passed, with particular interest on the trade and marriage customs. His classification of other races centre mainly on their religion, and he looks at things with through eyes of the Catholic Church. He judges towns and countryside in terms of productivity; he appears to be have been quick to observe available sources of food and water along the way, and to size up the products and manufacture techniques of the places they passed through. His description of exotic plants and beasts are sufficiently accurate to be quite easily recognizable, and better than most of the textbooks of the period.

Sparked European interest in AsiaSparked European interest in Asia

The Ming DynastyThe Ming Dynasty

Most Chinese despised the MongolsMost Chinese despised the Mongols Heavy TaxesHeavy Taxes CorruptionCorruption Natural DisastersNatural Disasters

Restored the Civil Service SystemRestored the Civil Service System Exams were made more DifficultExams were made more Difficult Instituted a Board of CensorsInstituted a Board of Censors

Ming EconomicsMing Economics

100 Million People100 Million People Increased Rice ProductionIncreased Rice Production

Improved FertilizationImproved Fertilization New Crops: Corn & Sweet Potatoes New Crops: Corn & Sweet Potatoes Growing IndustriesGrowing Industries

PorcelainPorcelain PaperPaper

PrintingPrinting

Zheng HeZheng He

Chinese AdmiralChinese Admiral 1405 – First of Seven Expeditions1405 – First of Seven Expeditions 62 Large Ships (400’)62 Large Ships (400’)

More Small ShipsMore Small Ships 25,000 Sailors25,000 Sailors Promote TradePromote Trade Collect TributeCollect Tribute

Zheng HeZheng He

1405-14331405-1433 Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia IndiaIndia Persian GulfPersian Gulf Red SeaRed Sea East AfricaEast Africa

IsolationismIsolationism 1433 Zheng He died1433 Zheng He died

Ming banned Ship BuildingMing banned Ship Building China turned inwardChina turned inward After the Zheng He voyages in the 15th century, the After the Zheng He voyages in the 15th century, the

foreign policy of the Ming Dynasty in China became foreign policy of the Ming Dynasty in China became increasingly isolationist. One reason China decided on increasingly isolationist. One reason China decided on this was to keep out as much foreign influence on this was to keep out as much foreign influence on religious beliefs as possible, especially from European religious beliefs as possible, especially from European traders who came into China with Christian missionaries. traders who came into China with Christian missionaries. The first missionary said to have an impact on Chinese The first missionary said to have an impact on Chinese religious beliefs was an Italian Jesuit called Matteo Ricci. religious beliefs was an Italian Jesuit called Matteo Ricci. Many of the educated Chinese opposed this Christianity Many of the educated Chinese opposed this Christianity introduced by missionaries, but Ricci's scientific introduced by missionaries, but Ricci's scientific knowledge gained him prestige in these circles, first knowledge gained him prestige in these circles, first introducing the concepts of trigonometry, and predicting introducing the concepts of trigonometry, and predicting an eclipse of the sun more accurately than Chinese an eclipse of the sun more accurately than Chinese astronomers of the day.astronomers of the day.

Isolationism is a foreign policy which combines a non-Isolationism is a foreign policy which combines a non-interventionist military policy and a political policy of economic interventionist military policy and a political policy of economic protectionismprotectionism. In other words, it asserts both of the following:. In other words, it asserts both of the following:

Non-interventionism - Political rulers should avoid entangling Non-interventionism - Political rulers should avoid entangling alliances with other nations and avoid all wars not related to alliances with other nations and avoid all wars not related to direct territorial self-defense. direct territorial self-defense.

Protectionism - There should be legal barriers to control trade Protectionism - There should be legal barriers to control trade and cultural exchange with people in other states. and cultural exchange with people in other states.

The policy or doctrine of trying to isolate one's country from other The policy or doctrine of trying to isolate one's country from other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, and generally attempting to commitments, international agreements, and generally attempting to make one's economy entirely self-reliant; seeking to devote the make one's economy entirely self-reliant; seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement, both entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement, both diplomatically and economically, while remaining in a state of peace diplomatically and economically, while remaining in a state of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities.by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities.

Learning Log-Early ChinaLearning Log-Early China(Left Side)(Left Side)

Essay (1Essay (1stst-5-5thth periods) periods) Write a 5 paragraph essay Write a 5 paragraph essay

describing the government and describing the government and economy of Early China and what economy of Early China and what life was like for Chinese citizens.life was like for Chinese citizens.

BibliographyBibliography MSN. Encarta. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761573937/Isolationism.html January 14, 2008 Wild, O. The Silk Road. http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk.html. December 4, 2007 ChangAn. xy2.youxizhu.com February 22, 2008 The Silk Road. lib.blcu.edu.cn February 22, 2008