Imperial China -- Qin to Ming Dynasties · Qin Dynasty • Unlike the Zhou before it, the Qin...
Transcript of Imperial China -- Qin to Ming Dynasties · Qin Dynasty • Unlike the Zhou before it, the Qin...
TheDynasticCycle
A new dynasty
comes to power.
Lives of common people improved;taxes reduced;
farming encouraged.
Problems begin(extensive wars,invasions, etc.)
Taxes increase;men forced towork for army.
Farming neglected.
Govt. increasesspending; corruption.
Droughts,floods,
famines occur.
Poor loserespect for govt.They join rebels
& attack landlords.
Rebel bands findstrong leader who
unites them.Attack the emperor.
Emperor isdefeated !!
The emperorreforms the govt.& makes it more
efficient.
Start here
Shang DynastyThe Shang left written records so much
more is known about them
• Bronze, horses, wheeled vehicles and come to China via Indo-European migrants around 2000BCE
• The Shang dominated bronze production by controlling copper and tin ore mines
• And had artisans make huge amounts of weapons only for the government
• Shang Kings had large militaries and strong allies for sharing in agriculture and metals.
Shang Dynasty
1700 B.C. - 1027 B.C.
• They also did not appear to have developed a law
code.
• Towns had massive city walls
• Developed the spoked wheel and were experts in silk
and pottery.
• Patriarchal- family led by eldest male
Zhou “Joe” Dynasty 1027 B.C. - 221 B.C.
• Defeated Shang and ruled for almost 900 years, longer
than any other!
• Maintained many traditions (familiar?)
• Believed in the “Mandate of Heaven”o Heaven would grant the Zhou power as long as its rulers governed justly and
wisely
Chinese Culture• Did not believe in a supreme being
• Believed in Mandate of Heaven
• Oracle Bones were used to foretell the future
• Traded with nomadic tribes but nomads did not imitate Chinese ways
• Also trades metal goods to nomadic tribes for horses
• “Book of Songs” were poetry, history, etiquette, and moral and philosophical essays. They even used them in schools as textbooks.
-• Ancestor worshipo A family could expect to prosper only if ALL family members (living and
dead) worked cooperatively toward common interests.
o Extended family had much influence over public and private lives of the
family
o Eldest male possessed tremendous authority
o Women increasingly lost their status in Chinese society
Zhou Feudal system• King was ruler of the nation
• Nobles were given power
over regions because empires
were too large to manage.
• King gave nobles protection
as long as they stayed loyal
• Nobles eventually gained power and broke
away to develop their own kingdoms and
fought one another. “Period of Warring States”
• There are 3 main philosophies that will develop
during this time period…
Zhou Wen Wang 1131- 1115 BC
Li --> Rite, rules, ritual decorum (Binding
force of an enduring stable society)
Ren --> humaneness, benevolence,
humanity
Shu --> Reciprocity, empathy
Do not do unto others what you would
not want others to do unto you.
Yi --> Righteousness
Xiao --> Filial Piety (Respect your elders!)
1. Ruler Subject
2. Father Son
3. Husband Wife
4. Older
Brother
Younger
Brother
5. Older
Friend
Younger
Friend
The single most important Confucian
work.
In Chinese, it means “conversation.”
Focus on practicalities of interpersonal
relationships and the relationship of
the role of rulers and ministers to the
conduct of government.
Knowing what he knows and knowing what he
doesn’t know, is characteristics of the person
who knows.
Making a mistake and not correcting it, is
making another mistake.
The superior man blames himself; the
inferior man blames others.
To go too far is as wrong as to fall short.
1. Human nature is naturally selfish.
2. Intellectualism and literacy is
discouraged.
3. Law is the supreme authority and
replaces morality.
4. The ruler must rule with a strong,
punishing hand.
5. War is the means of strengthening
a ruler’s power.
One who favors the principle that
individuals should obey a
powerful authority rather than
exercise individual freedom.
The ruler, therefore, “cracks his
whip” on the backs of his
subjects!
1. Dao [Tao] is the first-cause of the
universe. It is a force that flows through
all life.
2. A believer’s goal is to become one with
Dao; one with nature.
3. Wu wei --> “Let nature take its course.”--> “The art of doing nothing.”--> “Go with the flow!”
4. Man is unhappy because he lives according to
man-made laws, customs, & traditions that
are contrary to the ways of nature.
1. Rejecting formal knowledge and
learning.
2. Relying on the senses and instincts.
3. Discovering the nature and
“rhythm” of the universe.
4. Ignoring political and social laws.
To escape the “social, political, & cultural
traps” of life, one must escape by:
How is a man to live in a world dominated by
chaos, suffering, and absurdity??
Confucianism --> Moral order in society.
Legalism --> Rule by harsh law & order.
Daoism --> Freedom for individuals and
less govt. to avoid
uniformity and conformity.
Qin Dynasty
• Unlike the Zhou
before it, the Qin lasted
only a few decades.
-developed strong economy based on ag.
-powerful army equipped with iron weapons
-conquered regions under one emperor
Qin “Chin” Dynasty• Stopped and unified warring states
• Connected separate fortified wall to make the
Great Wall of China
• Standardized: laws, currency, weights, measures,
and systems of writing
• Made Legalism philosophy of the time
The Terra Cotta Army • Was found at the
burial site for Shi
huangdi. The army
consisted of 6,000
pottery soldiers that
protected the tomb.
They may be a
replacement
for the actual people who had previously been buried with the rulers.
Qin [Ch’in] Dynasty, 221-206 B.C.E.
Established China’s first empire
Shi Huangdi (221-206 B.C.E)
Legalist rule
o Bureaucratic administration
o Centralized control
o Military expansion
o Book burnings targeted
Confucianists
• Buried protestors alive!
Unified and expanded the Great Wall
Fall of the Qin, 221BCE-209BCE
• Despite all of these accomplishments, Shi Huangdi was not a popular leader. The public works and taxes were too great a burden to the population. It seemed that Shi Huangdi could not be satisfied. Also, the nobility disliked him because they were deprived of all their power and transplanted. Finally, he banned all books that advocated forms of government other than the current one. The writings of the great philosophers of the One Hundred Schools time were burned and more than 400 opponents were executed.
• The Qin rule came to an end shortly after the First Emperor's death. Shi Huangdi had only ruled for 37 years, when he died suddenly in 210 B.C. His son took the throne as the Second Emperor, but was quickly overthrown and the Han dynasty began in 206 B.C.
Han Dynasty 200BCE –200CE
• Strong Warrior Emperor Wu Ti
• Prevented Huns (nomadic group from North Asia)
from invading China
• Trade thrived along silk roads
Han and the Civil Service System
• Believed those in government should be highly educated and excellent communicators
• Developed a civil service exam, very difficult test lasting for several days.
• Open to anyone, but really only the wealthy could afford to prepare for it.
• Chinese also invented paper during this time
• Buddhism also spread along silk roads at this time
Han Dynasty, 206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.
Confucian ideals
Paper invented [105 B.C.E.]
Silk Road trade develops; improves life for many
Buddhism introduced into China
Expanded into Central Asia
The Collapse of the Han• Three Kingdoms
• The end of the Han dynasty was marked by the separation of the large families of that dynasty. The families took advantage of the weakened state of the government and started to establish their own private armies. Three dynasties were established during this time.
• Wei Dynasty (220 AD - 265 AD)
• Shu Dynasty (221 AD - 263 AD)
• Wu Dynasty (222 AD - 280 AD)