Qin and Han China

1. Qin and Han China Revised May 4, 2011

2. Qin Dynasty Han Dynasty General Info 221 B.C. - 206 B.C. 206 B.C. – 220 A.D. The Most Famous Ruler First Emperor Qin Shih Huangdi Wu Ti Dynasty Dynasty It was short-lived. It lasted over 400 years.

3. Geography Qin Dynasty • Extended Chinese territory to the south • Reached up to present-day Hong Kong on the South China Sea and Northern Vietnam.

4. Geography Han Dynasty • Extended to Korea, Indochina, and Central Asia.

5. Trade • Silk Road- origins in the Han dynasty. • The 7000 mile route spanned China, Central Asia, Northern India, and the Parthian and Roman Empires. • Raw and processed silk was transported from China along the Silk Road. • The routes opened by Emperor Han Wudi(Woo Dee) provided access to the Roman Empire via India. • Increased the number of foreign merchants present in China

6. War • Chu-Han War 206 B.C. Liu Bang conquered the troops of the Qin Dynasty. After four years of war Liu Bang defeated his rival and established the Han Dynasty. • The Yellow Turban Rebellion 184 A.D. Through Taoism, Zhang Jue began to convince masses of people that the Han rulers had lost the Mandate of Heaven. Subsequently, he called for a full blown rebellion which turned out to be extremely violent and destructive, and eventually lead to the downfall of the Han dynasty.

7. Agriculture • Silk was invented and was used as currency. • Grew rice, and wheat, and provided salt. • Under Wu Di’s reign the Lou Che was invented, which was used for ploughing and sowing. This saved manual labor. • The Emperors encouraged the development of agriculture.

8. Social Structure • Aristocracy & Bureaucracy • Skilled laborers, Iron workers, farmers, etc. • Unskilled laborers • In Han China, there was a three tier social system. At the top of this were the Aristocrats and Bureaucrats, followed by the skilled laborers (iron workers, farmers, etc) and then the unskilled laborers which included people like servants.

9. Family Organization • Patriarchal families (based on the father’s side) • Extended family networks through brothers, uncles, grandparents, and others. • Considered the head of family, the oldest son who had the most authority other than his father, inherited everything. • Village authority was supreme over family rule among the ordinary farmers.

10. The Arts Qin Dynasty • The arts did not exist in the Qin Dynasty because Emperor Qin Shihuang ordered musical instruments and art forms to be burned. He considered them an unnecessary item in China because it taught people to have their own thoughts. Han Dynasty • Emperors and musicians during the Han Dynasty wished to bring back the arts. • They wanted to adapt to Confucian thought, which considered music as an intellectual pursuit. • Office of Music (Yuefu) was created to collect the folk music of China • During the Han Dynasty 829 people were employed in three orchestras.

11. Literature/Sacred Writings/Writing System • Confucian writing • Several writers elaborated Confucian philosophy during the Han dynasty. • Learning and reciting poetry became significant part of Chinese education • Confucius taught that good behavior and virtue • were important to every society. The focus on Confucius’ • teachings helped the empires of the Chinese empires rule. • During the Qin Dynasty, the language was unified as one dialect.

12. Government Structure Shih Huangdi (Qin) • He provided a single law code for the whole empire • Established a uniform tax system • Appointed governors to each district. These rulers had legal and military powers. They also had their own lower rulers for smaller regions. • Very effective centralized government

13. Government Structure Han Dynasty • Established 130,000 bureaucrats. Had to take examinations based on Confucius, but only wealthy were eligible to take the tests. (This kept the wealthy in power.) • Military was not extremely strong • Emphasized Confucian philosophy as an official Chinese value • Sponsored public works (irrigation/canal systems) • Standardized currency to facilitate trade • Regulated agricultural supplies

14. Religious Beliefs Buddhism • Buddhism originated in northern India during the 6th century. • Han Buddhism was popular during the Han Dynasty. • Emperor Tai Wu first practiced and then denounced Buddhism. After he died, Buddhism was allowed to be practiced again. Confucianism • Confucianism returned during Han dynasty.

15. The End