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The 1 st Chinese Empire. 5.3. A. A Chinese Empire. After a while 1 kingdom began to dominate – the Qin (Chin) At 13 Ying Zheng became king Over the next 25 years he conquered northern China Used geography to protect the kingdom What features protected the Qin?
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A. A Chinese Empire • After a while 1 kingdom began to dominate – the Qin (Chin) • At 13 Ying Zheng became king • Over the next 25 years he conquered northern China • Used geography to protect the kingdom • What features protected the Qin? ________________________________________
A. A Chinese Empire (con’t) • Changed his name Shihuangdifirst Grand Emperor • His new ideas about government were more important than his armies • Appointed governors for 36 provinces • Allowed farmers to own land • Made the nobles move to the capitals w/o their weapons • All of these took power away from the nobility
B. Protecting the Growing Empire • Centralized the government • Language/writing • roads • weights & measures • money • Began the Great Wall • Life still centered around the flooding of the Huang He • The empire and the emperor began to demand more toil and taxes from the farmers All standardized
B. Protecting the Growing Empire • The government’s philosophy was legalism • Reward behavior that help the government • Severely punish behavior that hurts • They burned all histories of previous rulers • What were they afraid of? • Shihuangdi feared for his life – lots of enemies • Educated people – he burned books • Nobles - he took their power • Common people – he made extra taxes & work • Built the clay (terra cotta) army • Over 8000 soldiers and horses • Each one the portrait of a real person or horse
C. The Peasant Emperor • A rebellion started after Shihhuangdi’s death • The army tried to get his son (Hu Ha) to be the emperor • Liu Pang, with the help of a general defeated Hu Ha • Used the “Mandate of Heaven” to justify the new dynasty – the Han
D. Shihuangdi’s Legacy He only ruled for 20 years but left a big mark on Chinese culture • Administration • Weights & measures • Money • Writing • The name China
The Han Dynasty 5.4
A. A New Kind of Government • Used Confucious teachings to govern • Government jobs went to the educated not the nobility • Wudi expanded the beaucracy • Created the Grand School • After 1 year in school took a long exam, if they passed they got a job
B. Han Science and Technology • Confucianism’s emphasis on education led to scientific learning • Inventions – paper, seismograph • math • Medicine • astronomy • Writing • 3000-9000 new characters were added and a dictionary • Poetry of that time emphasized beauty of the land
C. Fall of the Han • Emperor was all powerful, but some were not that strong • Wang Mang seized power during the rule of one of these weak emperors • He wasn’t able to make the changes he wanted • Abolish slavery • Less power for the nobles • economic changes • Han over threw him with compromise • Han stayed in power • The nobility gained some independence and power