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Ancient China

Explore the reign of Shi Huangdi and the Qin Dynasty, from the conquest of warring kingdoms to the construction of the Great Wall and the mysterious Terracotta Army. Learn about the ruthless rule of Shi Huangdi, his desire for immortality, and how the dynasty ultimately crumbled.

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Ancient China

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  1. Ancient China

  2. Warring Kingdoms Unite Section 3

  3. The Qin Dynasty • Shi Huangdi: China’s first emperor • United the warring kingdoms through conquest of the other kingdoms, they were 7 but after Shi Huangdi there was only one • Was a very harsh ruler • Wanted to protect China's northern border so ordered the construction of what we now know as the Great Wall of China • Was not finished under him, after death wall fell into disrepair • Ordered roads to be built so an and all rebellions could be put town • Divided the empire into districts run by the emperor's trusted officials

  4. The Qin Dynasty

  5. Shi Huangdi • Founded Qin dynasty • Came to power when he was only 13 • Mother was named regent and tried to oust him for her other sons (From a different man) • Shi Huangdi found out, banished mother, executed brothers and father of his brothers • United China • Very brutal ruler • Will survive three assassination attempts • Made him a very paranoid ruler--sought immortality

  6. Shi Huangdi • Bragged his dynasty would last 10,000 generations • Barely lasted 15 years • Sons could not keep empire together • Leading theory of Shi Huangdi’s death • Mercury poisoning • Believed to have drank mercury and ingested mercury via pill because he believed it would give him immortality • It did not….

  7. The Great Wall • Could not defeat Northern nomads--wanted to keep them out and his people in • Ordered the building of a massive Northern Wall • Many walls already on Northern Border, joined them together • Made of wood, stone, brick and tamped Earth • Workers were conscripted and paid very little • Estimates believe hundreds of thousands and maybe up to a million workers died building the Great Wall • Why it is also known as the World’s Largest Graveyard

  8. The Great Wall

  9. The Tomb of Shi Huangdi • Mausoleum or tomb of Emperor Shi Huangdi • The whole complex is said to be 98 square kilometers (38 square miles) • Rumored to have a miniature copy of Shi Huangdi’s capital city with rivers of mercury • Unknown what is actually in it because tomb remains largely unexplored/unopened due to concern of the preservation of the artifacts and booby traps • What is discovered is the The Terracotta Army

  10. The Terracotta Army • Collection of Terracotta sculptures in the tomb of Shi Huangdi • They “stand guard” at the emperor’s tomb • Other people say it is so that when Emperor Shi Huangdi went to the afterlife he had an army to rule over it with • What is special about the Terracotta soldiers is that everyone is unique • Meaning that each sculpture has no other like it, each has unique features (tall v. shorter, weight, facial hair and facial structure

  11. The Terracotta Army • It is believed that each sculpture is modeled after an actual soldier in Shi Huangdi’s army

  12. The Terracotta Army

  13. Unifying Culture and Economy • Economic and Cultural Improvement of Shi Huangdi • Ordered adoption of a common currency: type of money • Common currency allowed regions of china to trade with one another • Ordered adoption of common weights and measures • Ordered an improved system of writing and a law code • Shi Huangdi restricting freedoms • Outlawed ideas of Confucius, practiced legalism • Legalism: people should be punished for bad behavior and rewarded for good behavior • Work for the betterment of the government and the emperor • If people spoke out against the government they were killed • Shi Huangdi practiced a particular brutal form of legalism

  14. Unifying Culture and Economy

  15. The End of the Qin • Shi Huangdi died in 210 BC • Son took over • Dealt with 4 years of chaos and civil war, ended with the murder of Shi Huangdi’s son • Power passed to Shi Huangdi’s grandson • He could not hold China together • Thus ended the Qin dynasty, Shi Huangdi claimed that his dynasty would rule 10,000 years, it only lasted 15

  16. The Han Dynasty • Liu Bang: won out over his rivals and became emperor of China in 202 BC • Became the first emperor of the Han dynasty • Liu Bang created a stable government, much less cruel than Shi Huangdi’s government • Realized that they needed educated people to work in the government, set up merit system based off of Confucianism

  17. Wudi: The Warrior Emperor • Wudi: in 140 BC Liu Bang’s great grandson came to power and would rule the Han dynasty under its golden age • Main interests involved military matters as well as war • Wudi strengthened the army, continued construction on the Great Wall and extended Chinese rule into Central Asia, Korea and Vietnam

  18. The Han Dynasty

  19. The End of the Han Dynasty • Wudi died in 87 BC, Han emperors continued stable rule • Eventually series of ineffective and then young rulers (youngest being 100 days old) led to the downfall of the Han • People in the govt. Began to struggle to control the young emperors and roads and canals fell into disrepair • Lack of attention to running the empire allowed local warlords or local leaders of armed groups to rise up and take control of parts of China

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