1. Chapter 6 Ancient China

2. Section 1 Geography Shapes Ancient China

3. Geographic Features of China Civilization centered around two rivers which brought water and silt Made farming possible Isolated by Barriers Water barriers: Yellow Sea, East China Sea, & Pacific Ocean Desert barriers: Gobi Desert & Taklimakan Desert Mts.: Pamir, Tian Shan, & Himalaya mts. Geographically isolated Made spread of ideas & goods difficult Few outside influences

4. Two River Systems Chang Jiang a.k.a. Yangtze Rivers Central China Huang He (or Yellow River) North China Ancient farming Done between Chang Jiang & Huang He Silt made fertile soil Center of Chinese civilization

5. A Varied Climate Had varied climate Western China: dry, mostly deserts & mts.; sparsely populated & usable farmland Northeast China: cold winters & warm summers Southeast China: mild winters & hot, rainy summers Climate variety lead to variety of crops produced Rice, wheat, soybeans, & millet

6. The Shang Dynasty Shang Kings 1766 B.C. Shang family began to control some cities Set-up dynasty (a family or group that rules for several generations) Kings: responsible for religious activities Ruled w/ god’s permission Ruled central North China Plain Used chariots to defend themselves against nomads

7. Shang Families Respect for parents & ancestors was important Close tie to religion Spirits of ancestors could bring good fortune Animals were sacrificed Men ruled within the family

8. Developing Language Kings claimed to be able to influence gods Received messages through oracle bones Animal bones that were scratched to question the gods (became early form of writing) Developed pictographs Used huge # of symbols Could read Chinese w/o being able to speak it Helped to unify a large varied land

9. The Zhou Dynasty Zhou moved down from the northwest Clashed w/ Shang 1027 B.C. Wu Wang led forces & defeated Shang Adopted many Shang ways New ideas also introduced

10. The Zhou & the Dynastic Cycle New dynasty est. Dynasties rose & fell in a pattern Dynastic Cycle Trouble resulted from rulers losing heaven’s favor Claimed last Shang ruler was bad & god took away Shang right to rule & gave it to Zhou Mandate of Heaven Bad or foolish ruler = approval of the gods would be taken away Examples: uprisings, invasions, floods, or earthquakes

11. Zhou Government Central gov’t was weak People w/ family ties or other trusted people were in charge Local rulers (lords) owed loyalty & military service to king King promised in return to protect their lands Lords became more powerful as cities grew More group under their power Less dependent on king Lords began to fight with each other & other peoples Added lands expanded Chinese territory

12. The Time of the Warring States Invasion was a constant theme 800 B.C. Nomads from the north & west invaded 771 B.C. Invaders destroyed capital city of Hao & king was killed Kings were weak Lords fought constantly As their power grew they claimed to be kings of their own territories (Time of the Warring States)

13. Section 2 China’s Ancient Philosophies

14. Intro During Time of Warring States Chinese society experienced much disorder Kings & Warlords fought over land, while scholars wondered what it would take to bring peace 3 ways of thinking developed Legalism Confucianism Daoism

15. Legalism Belief that a powerful, efficient gov’t and a strict legal system are the keys to social order Feared disorder Strong gov’t & strict laws would restore order

16. Strict Laws & Harsh Punishments Legalists believed human nature was wicked People do good only when forced to Gov’t should pass strict laws to control behavior in people Needed to make people afraid to do wrong

17. An Increase in Government Control Legalists believed rulers should reward those who carried out their duties well Punishment was, however, stressed more than rewards Shang Yang (Legalist) Wanted people to report lawbreakers Those who didn’t should be executed Legalists Did not want people ? or complain about the gov’t Arrested those that did Burned books that contained different philosophies or ideas

18. Confucianism Confucius Lived from 551-479 B.C. during time of unrest in China Wanted to restore order Believed more in peace to end conflict Respect for others was absolutely necessary for peace and order Gov’t leaders should set good example for people to see Ideas were collected in a book called the Analects Became belief system of Confucianism

19. The Five Relationships Code of proper conduct/behavior for people 5 basic relationships in Confucianism each with its own duties and its own code Father and son Elder brother and younger brother Husband and wife Friend and friend Ruler and subject *Two basic categories: proper conduct in the family & proper conduct in society

20. Proper Conduct Confucius Good conduct & respect began at home Husband good to wives, wives obeyed husbands, brothers kind to brothers, younger had to follow wishes of older Most important teaching Filial piety: treating parents w/ respect Behavior in society Authority should be respected Ruler was to live correctly & respect subjects Subjects should obey if they did Peace in society would come if followed

21. The Impact of Confucianism Chinese found ways to avoid conflict and live peacefully Many rulers tried to live up to Confucius’s model for a good ruler Groundwork was laid for fair and skilled gov’t officials

22. Daoism Laozi 500s B.C. Book of his teachings was Daodejing The Way Believed a universal force called the Dao (or Way) guides things All creatures, except humans, live in harmony w/ this force Humans argue about right and wrong (arguments are pointless) To relate to nature humans had to find individual was to follow Each should learn to live in harmony w/ nature & their inner feelings Natural order was more important than social order Social order would follow if everyone learned to live in their own individual harmony

23. Following the Way Daoists Didn’t not argue about good and bad & didn’t try to change things Accepted things as they were Didn’t want to be involved with gov’t Thought gov’t should leave people alone Yin and Yang Two things that interact w/ each other and represent the natural rhythms of life Yin (black): all that is cold, dark, & mysterious Yang (white): all that is warm, bright, and light Forces complement each other; forces always change and evolve Helps people understand how they fit into the world Daoists pursued scientific studies Astronomy & medicine

24. Section 3 The Qin & the Han

25. The Qin Unified China New rulers of China New Emperor: Shi Huangdi Unified & expanded China

26. A Legalistic Ruler 221 B.C. Shi Huangdi began to end internal battles between warring states Believed in legalism (killed 460 critics & Confucianists) Also burned books w/ ideas he disliked

27. Uniting China Huangdi wanted strong central gov’t To gain control Tried to weaken China’s noble families Took their land & forced them to live at the capital This strengthened emperor’s power Linked lands together Built highways & irrigation projects Forced peasants to work & set taxes high to pay for projects Set gov’t standards for weights, measures, coins, & writing Made business easier everywhere in China

28. The Great Wall Wall along northern boarder to keep out nomadic invaders Great Wall linked together other walls built during Warring States period Peasants & criminals were forced to build the wall Many died from hard labor Great resentment among people

29. The Qin Dynasty Ends 210 B.C. Shi Huangdi died Buried in an elaborate tomb guarded by army of clay soldiers

30. The Han Dynasty Shi Huangi’s son was not an effective ruler Rebellion & civil war broke out Military leader Liu Bang ended civil war & reunited China (started Han Dynasty)

31. Han Government Liu Bang kept Qin policies of strong central gov’t, but lowered taxes Made punishments less harsh Peasants owed 1 month labor on emperor’s public projects Built roads, canals, & irrigation projects Bureaucracy was set up System of departments to carry out the work of the gov’t Officials chosen by ruler ran offices Helped enforce emperor’s rule Han put family members & trusted people in local gov’t Later skills of people determined appointment Set up system to find most educated & ethical people Tested people on their knowledge of Confucianism

32. Empress Rules 195 B.C. Liu Bang died Wife Empress Lu ruled for their young son Actually outlived her son & continued to place infants on the throne (allowed her to retain power because infants were too young to rule) When she died those loyal to Liu Bang executed every member of Empress Lu’s family

33. Expanding & Unifying the Empire 141 – 87 B.C. Wudi ruled China (descendant of Liu Bang) Called Martial Emperor because he used war to expand China Brought southern Chinese provinces, northern Vietnam, & northern Korea under his control Chased nomadic invaders out of northern China To unify: Encouraged conquered people to assimilated (adopt China’s culture) Chinese farmers sent out to settle newly colonized areas Encouraged to marry conquered people to spread Chinese culture Schools were set up to teach about Confucianism Appointed local scholars to gov’t offices Han faced rebellions, peasant revolts, floods, famine, & economic disasters but strong gov’t & unified population helped them stay in power

34. Life in Han China Han were industrious people whose civilization prospered for many decades Daily Life in Han China Most worked on farms Farmers lived in villages near the land they worked Lived in 1-2 story houses Rich farmers had ox to pull plow, but poor had to pull plow themselves Farmers had a few simple tools to make farming easier They wore simple clothing & sandals Grew wheat & millet in the north & rice in the south Vegetable gardens were kept for additional food Fish and meat were available, but expensive

35. City living Cities were centers of trade, education, and gov’t Merchants, craftspeople, & gov’t officials lived here Cities were crowded & had many kinds of entertainment Musicians, jugglers, & acrobats Also had street gangs

36. Section 4 The Legacy of Ancient China

37. The Silk Road Han Dynasty Only Chinese knew how to make silk it was important in opening trading routes to the west

38. A Trans-Eurasian Link Silk Road: overland trade route Traders carried silk & other goods on caravan trails From China-Asia-Mesopotamia-Europe Called trans-Eurasian because they stretched across two continents 100 B.C Silk Roads were well est. Traders made fortunes carrying goods Trips could take several years Cities along the road provided food, water, shelter & goods for trade Goods traded: silk, paper, jade, pottery, sesame seeds, oil, metals, precious stones, & horses

39. Cultural Diffusion Ideas & cultural customs also moved on the Silk Roads Known as cultural diffusion Can occur whenever one group of people comes in contact w/ another group of people New goods, ideas, & customs began to enter China i.e. military techniques, Buddhist teachings, western cultural style Chinese art, silks, & pottery influenced the west

40. The Spread of Buddhism Buddhist missionaries entered China during Han Dynasty Few followers at first After fall of Han Dynasty China suffered The Buddhist promise of escape from suffering attracted many Chinese Buddhism was modified by Chinese to better fit w/ their own traditions

41. Influential Ideas & Beliefs Philosophies continued to influence China & the world Standards of Confucianism remained significant in Chinese gov’t & education Spread to Japan, Korea, & Vietnam Daoism had lasting influence in China Became religion w/ priests, rituals, & volumes of writings Remained primarily a Chinese belief system

42. Chinese Inventions & Discoveries Population of China was growing Farming was the most important & honored profession Agricultural Improvements Perfected a two blade plow Better iron farm tools Both helped increase crop production Collar harness for horses Horses could pull heavier loads Wheelbarrow Water mills

43. Paper A.D. 105 Paper was invented Made from mixture of old rags, mulberry tree bark, & fibers from the hemp plant Inexpensive paper made book more available Paper also affected the gov’t Now gov’t documents were not recorded on wood, but paper; more convenient

44. Silk Allowed Chinese to get silver and gold from lands to the west Was important because China did not have rich deposits of either mineral