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ANCIENT CHINA

ANCIENT CHINA. World History 9 Honors. CHINA: HUANG HE RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATION. Huang He River is also known as the Yellow River Located in Eastern China Two early civilizations and dynasties were established in this region: Shang Dynasty (1750 – 1045 B.C.E.)

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ANCIENT CHINA

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  1. ANCIENT CHINA World History 9 Honors

  2. CHINA: HUANG HE RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATION • Huang He River is also known as the Yellow River • Located in Eastern China • Two early civilizations and dynasties were established in this region: • Shang Dynasty (1750 – 1045 B.C.E.) • Zhou Dynasty (1045 – 221 B.C.E.)

  3. Early China: Shang Dynasty • Earliest Chinese dynasty • Little is known about the Shang • Very few written documents • Earliest documents are oracle bone inscriptions • Cities served as political and religious centers • Developed the first divination techniques • The interpretation of phenomena in the natural world as signs of the gods will and intentions

  4. Early China: Zhou Dynasty • Overthrew the Shang dynasty • Responsible for the “Mandate of Heaven” theory • An ideology in which God grants power to the ruler of China and takes away that power if the ruler fails to conduct himself justly and in the best interests of his subjects • The government became decentralized when local leaders began to act on their own, posing a threat to Zhou rule

  5. CHINA: QIN DYNASTY • China’s first empire that lasted from 221 – 206 B.C.E. • Shi Huangdi was a strict and authoritative ruler who united China • Shi Huangdi believed in legalism – strict laws, harsh punishments • Shi Huangdi supervised the building of the Great Wall

  6. CHINA: HAN EMPIRE • Centralized government (not as brutal as the Qin Dynasty) • Expanded Chinese territory • Made contact with India and the Middle East (Silk Road) • Most famous Han ruler – Wu Ti • Wu Ti enforced peace, emphasized Confucian values and teachings, and set up civil service examinations • Patriarchal society • Women were expected to obey males (the five relationships) • Gentry – scholar officials, upper class, privileged, educated • Enjoyed a time of prosperity

  7. CHINA: BELIEF SYSTEMS Confucianism Are these codes fair or unfair? What if we had to live by these codes? Son must obey their father Younger brother must obey their older brother Wife must obey their husband Subject must obey their ruler Friends are equal

  8. CHINA: BELIEF SYSTEMS Confucianism WHERE WAS IT FOUNDED? • China WHO IS THE FOUNDER? • Confucius WHAT IS THE SACRED TEXT? • The Analects WHERE DID IT INFLUENCE? • China

  9. Confucianism MAJOR BELIEFS • Filial Piety: respect for parents, elders • 5 Relationships: set of five superior to inferior relationships that control society • Moral & ethical conduct leads to harmony/order SUPERIOR Father, Ruler, Husband, Elder Brother Set a Good Example INFERIOR Son, Ruled, Wife, Younger Brother Obedience and Loyalty

  10. CHINA: BELIEF SYSTEMS Legalism WHERE WAS IT FOUNDED? • China WHO IS THE FOUNDER? • Han feizi WHAT IS THE SACRED TEXT? • None WHERE DID IT INFLUENCE? • China during the Qin Dynasty

  11. Legalism MAJOR BELIEFS • Human nature was evil and required restraint and discipline • Strict laws, harsh punishments SHI HUANGDI: Leader of the Qin Dynasty who practiced legalism

  12. DECLINE OF THE HAN • The fall of the Han began in the third century C.E. • Corrupt officials, barbaric invasions, uprisings of starving peasants, banditry, poverty and despair • Hired foreign soldiers served in the army for pay, but were not loyal to the Han state • After barbaric attacks, Chinese fled to the Yangzi River Valley

  13. TANG DYNASTY 618 – 907 C.E. • A large empire that gave a great deal of power to local nobility in order to ensure control • Buddhist monasteries that supported Tang rule were rewarded with monetary gifts, tax exemptions, and land grants • Reinstituted the tributary system – both Japan and Korea paid tribute to the Tang • Tang capital, Chang’an, was a major trading center that attracted people from all over • Chang’an became a center for cultural exchange • Took part in Indian Ocean trade

  14. THE FALL OF THE TANG • In the 8th Century the Tang began to be threatened by rival states • Internal rebellion • Overexpansion • Buddhism became the scapegoat for many of the problems faced by the Tang Empire • Accused of being a foreign evil • Accused of draining money from the state • Accused of causing the breakdown of the family

  15. SONG DYNASTY 960 – 1279 C.E. • Was never as large as the Tang • Made outstanding scientific and technological contributions • Used their knowledge of astronomy to build a mechanical celestial clock and to improve the compass and the junk (Chinese seafaring ship); improved iron and steel production • Economic accomplishments • Paper money • Footbinding symbolized the restrictions on women in Song China and became a status of the elite in China

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