Key Terms for First Quiz: Chinese History

Vocabulary flashcards covering 25 key terms spanning ancient to modern Chinese history, designed for first-quiz review.

Shang Dynasty

Earliest documented Chinese dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE), noted for bronze metallurgy, oracle-bone script, and the first known Chinese writing system.

Warring States Period

Era of fragmentation and intense warfare among regional states (475–221 BCE) that ended with Qin unification of China.

Confucianism

Ethical-philosophical system founded by Confucius emphasizing moral virtue, filial piety, benevolent government, and social harmony.

Legalism

Chinese political philosophy advocating strict laws, centralized authority, and harsh punishments to ensure order and strengthen the state.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang

Founder of the Qin Dynasty and China’s first emperor (r. 221–210 BCE); unified China, standardized writing, currency, and began the Great Wall.

Mandate of Heaven

Traditional belief that Heaven grants rulers legitimacy and withdraws it if they become despotic, justifying dynastic change.

Qing Dynasty

Last imperial dynasty of China (1644–1912), ruled by Manchus; faced foreign encroachment, rebellions, and ultimately collapsed in 1912.

Taiping Rebellion

Massive civil war (1850–1864) led by Hong Xiuquan to establish the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom; caused millions of deaths and weakened the Qing.

Opium War

Conflict (1839–1842) between Qing China and Britain over opium trade, ending in Chinese defeat and increased foreign influence.

Treaty of Nanking

1842 treaty concluding the First Opium War; ceded Hong Kong to Britain, opened five treaty ports, and marked the first of the “unequal treaties.”

One Hundred Day's Reform

1898 reform initiative by the Guangxu Emperor to modernize China’s political, educational, and military systems; halted by Empress Dowager Cixi after 103 days.

Empress Dowager Cixi

Powerful Qing regent (1835–1908) who effectively ruled China for nearly half a century, balancing modernization and conservative interests.

Boxers' Rebellion

Anti-foreign, anti-Christian uprising (1899–1901) by the “Righteous and Harmonious Fists,” crushed by an eight-nation alliance.

Sun Yat-sen

Revolutionary leader and founder of the Guomindang; first provisional president of the Republic of China and proponent of the Three People’s Principles.

1911 Revolution (Xinhai Revolution)

Uprising that overthrew the Qing dynasty, ending imperial rule and establishing the Republic of China in 1912.

New Culture Movement

1910s–1920s intellectual movement advocating science, democracy, and vernacular literature while critiquing Confucian traditions.

Guomindang (Nationalist Party)

Political party founded by Sun Yat-sen; later led by Chiang Kai-shek, it governed China from 1928 to 1949 and retreated to Taiwan after defeat.

Anti-Japanese War

Chinese term for the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), during which China resisted Japanese invasion as part of World War II.

Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

Political party founded in 1921, led by Mao Zedong to victory in 1949; ruling party of the People's Republic of China.

Marxism

Theory developed by Karl Marx emphasizing class struggle, historical materialism, and the eventual creation of a classless society.

Jiangxi Soviet

Communist-controlled base area in Jiangxi Province (1931–1934) and early experimental government before the Long March.

Yan'an era

Period (1936–1947) when the CCP headquartered in Yan'an, consolidating Mao’s leadership and refining guerrilla warfare tactics.

Yan'an Rectification Movement

1942–1944 ideological campaign in Yan'an that promoted Mao Zedong Thought and enforced party discipline through self-criticism.

Chinese Civil War

Intermittent conflict (1927–1950) between the CCP and Guomindang, culminating in CCP victory and the Guomindang retreat to Taiwan.

People's Republic of China (PRC)

Socialist state proclaimed by Mao Zedong on 1 Oct 1949, governing mainland China under CCP leadership.