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/ gods 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 heavens 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 govt 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
Chinas 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 govt and a strict legal system are the keys to social order
Feared disorder
Strong govt & strict laws would restore order
16. Strict Laws & Harsh Punishments
Legalists believed human nature was wicked
People do good only when forced to
Govt 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 didnt should be executed
Legalists
Did not want people ? or complain about the govt
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
Govt 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 Confuciuss model for a good ruler
Groundwork was laid for fair and skilled govt 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
Didntnot argue about good and bad & didnt try to change things
Accepted things as they were
Didnt want to be involved with govt
Thought govt 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 govt
To gain control
Tried to weaken Chinas noble families
Took their land & forced them to live at the capital
This strengthened emperors power
Linked lands together
Built highways & irrigation projects
Forced peasants to work & set taxes high to pay for projects
Set govt 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 Huangis 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 govt, but lowered taxes
Made punishments less harsh
Peasants owed 1 month labor on emperors public projects
Built roads, canals, & irrigation projects
Bureaucracy was set up
System of departments to carry out the work of the govt
Officials chosen by ruler ran offices
Helped enforce emperors rule
Han put family members & trusted people in local govt
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 Lus 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 Chinas 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 govt offices
Han faced rebellions, peasant revolts, floods, famine, & economic disasters but strong govt & 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 govt
Merchants, craftspeople, & govt 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 govt & 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 govt
Now govt 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