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HAN CHINA, CONT’D. Foodstuffs. MURAL OF KITCHEN SCENE. DISUNITY & INTERACTION BETWEEN CHINA & BORDER PEOPLES. History 103 Professor Constantine Vaporis. FALL OF THE HAN (dynastic cycle). Internal problems External problems. INTERNAL WEAKNESSES. Succession of ineffectual emperors
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HAN CHINA, CONT’D Foodstuffs
DISUNITY & INTERACTION BETWEEN CHINA & BORDER PEOPLES History 103 Professor Constantine Vaporis
FALL OF THE HAN (dynastic cycle) • Internal problems • External problems
INTERNAL WEAKNESSES • Succession of ineffectual emperors • Growth in power among local aristocracy • Power of empress’ family • Usurpation of power by eunuchs
EXTERNAL WEAKNESSES • Natural disasters, 173-179 AD • Popular uprisings--Yellow Turbans (184 AD); 5 Bushels of Rice Band • General CAO CAO (Ts’ao Ts’ao) • Incursions by non-Chinese nomads
WHY DO EMPIRES RISE & FALL? • Size of political unit • Productivity of the economy • Percentange of total output spent on administration and defence • Technological level
Barbarians (non-Chinese) • Military & civil officials from Jiaozhi (Vietnam) • Clothed (civilized) vs. partial nakedness (barbarity)
ERA OF PROLONGED DISUNITY 220 AD-589 AD
NORTH-SOUTH SPLIT • Xiongnu sack Jin (Chin) capital, Loyang (316 AD) • = time of “Peach Blossom Spring” (by scholar-official T’ao Ch’ien) • Beginning of migration of Han (ethnic) Chinese southward
5 DYNASTIES IN SOUTH • 31-589 AD • Capitals at Nanking (Nanjing) • Chinese = ethnic minority • Slow sinicization of non-Chinese
16 KINGDOMS (in north) • 304-589 AD • “Five Barbarians” • Conversion into sedentary peoples
Temporary unification of North • Under Tuoba Turks (NOT Chinese) • Establish NORTHERN WEI dynasty, 439-534 • Succeeded by 4 short-lived dynasties (E. Wei, W. Wei, N. Qi, N. Zhou) • Sinicization of Northern Wei
IMPORTANCE OF OUTSIDE INFLUENCES IN CHINESE CIVILIZATION • Cultivation, weaving of cloth; trousers • Medicinal plants • Food • Horse-breeding techniques • Saddle, breast harness • Stirrup? (5th c.) • Creation of aristocracy of mixed blood
Conclusion Chinese empire = Sino-barbarian synthesis
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