China BCE: China BCE Adler Chapters 6 and 18
Impressions of China
Geographical Influences: Geographical Influences Mountains, sea, and desert provide some protection and isolation
Vulnerable to northwest
River valleys 1. Yellow(Huang Ho) earliest civilization - damaging floods 2. Yangtze- very important in unification- transportation- irrigation
Earliest Civilizations- most isolated: Earliest Civilizations- most isolated Earliest- Neolithic- Ban Po- similar to other parts of the world/ one of the oldest
Shang Dynasty 1500-11 BCE in No China along the Huang Ho- raised silk worms- silk part of lure and fascination of China, famous for bronze sculpture, daggers, jade jewelry paid homage to ancestors- family important
Chou (Zhou) 1027-256-longest-developed foundations for Chinese society
Ancient China Way of Life- Confucianism p58-59: Ancient China Way of Life- Confucianism p58-59 Moral and ethical code highly developed treat everyone with consideration
Advocated paternalistic government
Value on family head- ancestor respect
Values- loyalty, righteousness, wisdom, sincerity
very practical and humanistic Gentility
Daoism (Taoism) LaoTzu (Lao Zi) p 60: Daoism (Taoism) LaoTzu (Lao Zi) p 60 contemporary of Confucius
Tao= the road way
Absolute=sum of existence
Goal to bring people into harmony
very introspective
not as influential as Confucius
Zhou (Chou) Dynasty (cont): Zhou (Chou) Dynasty (cont) Feudal society- emperor gave out fiefs
Shang thought they had a divine right- Chou rulers had responsibility
Zhou did take title “Son of Heaven”
compared to medieval Europe- had a code for dress, fighting etc.
no contracts
Ancient Philosophies: Ancient Philosophies About 500BCE Buddha, Confucius, Greek Philosophers and Chinese - Lao Tze
Called a flowering period
India more concerned with cosmos and soul
China more concerned with ethical life on earth
Ironic comparison of Asoka and Shi Huangdi
Qin (Ch’in) Dynasty 221-206 BCE : Qin (Ch’in) Dynasty 221-206 BCE dominated by “The First Emperor”
Qin Shi Huangdi (Chin Shi Huang Ti)
ambitious= understatement
centralized the government- rid of feudal lords
constructed roads and canals
The Great Wall- sacrifice AND
An amazing tomb found in 20th Cen
Han Dynasty 202BCE-220 CE(Roman Times): Han Dynasty 202BCE-220 CE(Roman Times) Similar: built cities, officials to carry out edicts, heavy taxes collapsed under invasions and internal revolts
contact along the Silk Road, Buddhist Missionaries to China
combination of Confucius and legalism
advanced in science and literature
invented rudder, paper, magnetic compass, acupuncture
Short period of Civil War- Sui Dynasty connected two rivers with canal- over extended
Tang Dynasty 618-907 CE Contributions: Tang Dynasty 618-907 CE Contributions Internal renewal(improved lives of people) and external expansion
Used formal civil service exam to recruit-set up university
Tried to equalize land holdings- fought corruption
literature and art flourished- Tang horses p 203
Inventions- paper during Han- used for clothes and tp- 589 used for writing- invented printing, gun powder, encyclopedia
Song(Sung) Dynasty 960-1279: Song(Sung) Dynasty 960-1279 moved the capitol east-
economic expansion- used paper money,
used abacus-
Silk Road traffic at height
when dangerous went to sea routes
first period of great oceanic commerce
trades tea, silk and porcelain for exotic woods and precious stones
The Mongols Nomadic peoples: The Mongols Nomadic peoples Loosely organized clans in a state of stress
Genghis Kahn- son of impoverished noble with army of less than 130,000 conquered Asia
mastered military tactics on horseback- pursue and ambush, firelance, took China
Kublai Kahn- grandson Yuan dynasty at Peking- adopted Chinese ways- lasted 100 years- gave way to Ming dynasty