EQ – Why did the Chinese call themselves the “Middle Kingdom?” Preview – In a brief...
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Zhong Zhong Guo Guo EQ – Why did the Chinese call themselves the “Middle Kingdom?” Preview – In a brief paragraph, examine the “Dynastic Cycle” and the “Mandate of Heaven” as they relate to the Chinese
Transcript of EQ – Why did the Chinese call themselves the “Middle Kingdom?” Preview – In a brief...
ZhongZhong Guo Guo
EQ –
Why did the Chinese call themselves the “Middle Kingdom?”
Preview –
In a brief paragraph, examine the “Dynastic Cycle” and the “Mandate of Heaven” as they relate to the Chinese Dynasties.
CHINA IS GEOGRAPHICALLY
ISOLATED
desertGobi
Desert
Pacific Ocean
Thick Jungles
Himalayan Mountains
Zhong Guo = Middle Kingdom
Huang He = Yellow River
River of Sorrows
Deposits yellow silt called loess
Location of China’s earliest civilization
New Dynasty
Period of peace & prosperity
Period of decline & struggles
Rebellion is justified
Old Dynasty loses Mandate of Heaven
New Dynasty gains Mandate
of Heaven
Shang Dynasty(1600-1027 BC)
First recorded dynasty in ChinaPeriod of constant warfareExpert bronze casters (ceremonial vases)Wove silk into fabricDeveloped a system of writing where
symbols = ideas(no direct connection w/ spoken language)
Oracle Bones
The Shang consulted the gods by writing questions on bones or shells and then interpreted the fragments after they were cracked.
Shang Bronze
Zhou Dynasty(1027-c.256 BC)
Developed “Mandate of Heaven” theoryEstablished feudalism
(ruler exchanged land for loyalty)Produced cast iron, built roads/canals,
developed a uniform currencyApp. 500 years of disunity and struggles
Spring & Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC) Warring States Period (476 – 221 BC)
Legalism, Confucianism, Daoism emerge
Sun Tzu’s Art of War
The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.
- “Planning a Siege”
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
- “Strategic Assessments”
Qin Dynasty(221-207 BC)
Est. by Shi Huangdi – “First Emperor”Forced the nobility to move into the
capital.Autocratic (absolute) govt. based on LegalismDivided empire into 36 military districtsUnified existing walls creating 1st “Great Wall”Promoted unity by…
standard weights/measurements; uniform written language; good transportation; very harsh rule
Shi Huangdi’s Tomb
Scale model of his kingdom
Flowing river of liquid mercury
Accurate star map made of diamonds
Life size army of terra cotta warriors
Terra Cotta Army
Han Dynasty(206 BC – AD 220)
Pinnacle of Chinese power & prosperityEst. by a peasant named Liu Bang Wudi – “martial emperor” – expanded
the empire through warfareStrong central govt. where people got
jobs based on their educationEncouraged assimilation (conquered
peoples become a part of Chinese culture)
Han Achievements
App. eastern equivalent to Roman Empire
Invented paper, collar harness, wheelbarrow, water-mills
Traded with the west over the Silk Road Govt. ran businesses- salt, iron, coinage, silkConfucian civil service exams
Anyone could take them – but very difficultUsed for govt. appointments until AD 1912
China VocabularyOracle Bones – earliest examples of
Chinese writing – how Shang contacted their gods
Mandate of Heaven – divine authority to rule China
Dynastic Cycle – theory detailing the rise and fall of Chinese dynasties
Assimilation – one group is made a part of another group’s culture
Silk Road – overland trade route from China to the Mediterranean
Processing Choose one of the following
Imagine you are a poor farmer and one day you stumble across Shi Huangdi’s tomb. Write a journal entry for that day. What did you see? What were your thoughts?
Imagine you are a merchant on the Silk Road. Write a journal entry depicting several days of your journey. What have you encountered? Are you going to or from China? What types of goods do you currently have in your possession?
