China Creativity Continues to Flow

1. ChinaCreativity Continues to Flow

2. Chinese Civilizations Map showing early Yellow River Societies (with later expansion to Yangtze River area)

3. Chinese Civilizations • Yellow River • High Silt content (40% of its volume) • Rich topsoil when it floods • Unpredictable flooding • Isolated • Deserts • Distance • The Great Wall (eventually)

4. Chinese Civilizations:Xia or Hsia Dynasty(2200-1700 BC) • Earliest Dynasty (compare to Egypt) • Lasting Contributions • Domestication of the horse • Development of bronze weapons and tools • Expansion of territory • People were largely tribal

5. Chinese Civilizations: Shang Dynasty (1700-1000 B.C.) • Chinese Writing System developed • Uses logograms or pictographs • Over 50,000 characters, but good literacy requires only 5,000. • Horse-drawn chariots • Bronze weapons improved • Improvement occurred later than the Mesopotamian’s did, shows isolation

6. Chinese Civilizations: Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.) • Mandate of heaven concept introduced, Emperors were chosen by divine right • Two most important thinkers of Chinese history lived during this dynasty • Lao Tzu • Confucius (Kung Fu-Tzu) Confucius Lao Tzu

7. Chinese Civilizations: Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.) Confucius(551-479 BC) • Kung Fu-Tzu, Master Kung • Born to a family of bureaucrats (minor nobility) • Received a good education • Worked for several governments and developed a system of good government, which was based on • Honesty • Dependability • Hard work • Loyalty

8. Chinese Civilizations: Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.) Confucius • Had a small group of disciples during lifetime • Teachings were recognized later during Han dynasty • Humans are basically good but some traits need to be built and others diminished • Society should be adapted to the goodness of people • Status of a person should be decided upon merit • Each person has a role to fill • Family is the basic unit of society • Confucianism is not a religion but a collection of moral teachings • “A clever tongue and a fine appearance are rarely the signs of goodness”

9. Chinese Civilizations: Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.) Lao-Tzu: Taoism • Lived about the same time as Confucius • Teachings known as Tao Te Ching or The Way • Nature is the great teacher • By observing nature we can find the correct path in life.

10. "The term wu wei is frequently used in Taoist philosophy and means literally "non-action." What the Chinese mean by wu wei is not abstaining from activity but abstaining from a certain kind of activity, activity that is out of harmony with the ongoing cosmic process. [Perhaps a better definition of wu wei is] refraining from action contrary to nature... This is the meaning of Lao Tzu's seemingly puzzling statement: "By nonaction everything can be done." – The Turning Point, Fritjof Capra Taoism

11. "Lao Tzu in his Tao Te Ching shares an invaluable piece of wisdom: 'The world is ruled by letting things take their course. It cannot be ruled by interfering.'" – Ray, Michael and Rochelle Myers, Creativity in Business, Broadway Books, 1986, p. 29.

12. "When the effective leader is finished with his work, the people say it happened naturally." –Lao Tzu, quoted in Thorpe, Scott, How to Think Like Einstein, Barnes & Noble Books, Inc., 2000, p.172. Taoism

13. Taoism Yang Male Heaven Sun Day Summer Dryness Warmth Surface Rational Expansive Demanding Aggressive Competitive Analytical Yin Feminine Earth Moon Night Winter Moisture Coolness Interior Intuition Contractive Conservative Responsive Cooperative Synthesizing

14. "Yin corresponds to all that is contractive, responsive, and conservative, whereas yang implies all that is expansive, aggressive, and demanding...In Chinese culture yin and yang have never been associated with moral values. What is good is not yin or yang but the dynamic balance between the two; what is bad or harmful is imbalance." – The Turning Point, Fritjof Capra

15. Taoism Government—do more by doing nothing Man’s relationship to nature Confucianism Government─do more, but do it better Man’s relationship to man Chinese Civilizations: Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.) Comparison:

16. Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.) • Later Zhou period: • Kings became weak and so kingdom fragmented • Bureaucrats became powerful • Society became fixed • Many wars between kingdoms • Creativity slowed

17. Chinese Civilizations: Qin/Ch’in Dynasty (221-207 BC) • First Sovereign emperor • Powerful and feared • All territory united for the first time • Ch’in emperor knew value of • Communication • Unity for his empire • Good roads for trade • Silk Road went from the capital Xi’an to the Black Sea • Principle route for trade between Europe and China • Was expanded through history • Used through Middle Ages

18. Chinese Civilizations: Qin/Ch’in Dynasty (221-207 BC) Movie: Hero

19. Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty • The Great Wall of China • Improved in Ch’in dynasty to avoid revolt by keeping peasants busy • Surpassed original expectations of Zhou dynasty • 1500 miles • Stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Tibetan mountains • Large enough to march armies along the top

21. Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty • Built terracotta warriors in the capital Xi’an

22. Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty

23. Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty

24. Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty Silk Road

25. Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty • Attempted to destroy knowledge books • Required all aristocracy to leave their land and come to the capital so he could watch them • Distributed land to peasants, but heavily taxed Control:

26. "Geographic connectedness and only modest internal barriers gave China an initial advantage [by developing civilization over a wide area]. But China's connectedness eventually became a disadvantage, because a decision by one despot could and repeatedly did halt innovation. In contrast, Europe's geographic balkanization resulted in dozens or hundreds of independent, competing statelets and centers of innovation.“ – Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel, 1999, 414-416.