whap unit 0: classical china

who was the leader of the qin dynasty?

qin shihuangdi

centralized power was established, how?

civil servants were able to earn spots in government based on taking exams

what was the capital of the han dynasty?

chang’an

what natural force controlled trade on the indian ocean and how did their boats support that?

seasonal monsoon winds; the lateen sail on their dhow ship harnessed the power of the wind

why were the peasants upset?

they were landless and had to sell out to large landlords and work on their land, beg, or join gangs of bandits, (led to peasant rebellions such as yellow turban)

how did the yellow turban (rebellion) movement impact the han dynasty?

devastated the economy, weakened the state, and contributed to the overthrow of the dynasty

how did daoism influence the yellow turban movement?

the teachings of supernatural healing and public confessions of sin led to the great peace

what was the great peace?

an age of harmony, equality and common ownership of property

how did the qin dynasty try to stop the xiongnu nomads (ruled modern nw china)?

ordering the great wall of china to be built

how did the han dynasty attempt to stop attacks from the xiongnu?

a peace treaty (offering gold, silk or even princesses for marriage), emperor wudi (han) declared war after xiongnu would attack and raid the northern chinese frontier, han dynasty defeated the xiongnu empire

how did the war against xiongnu play a role in the fall of the han dynasty?

it destabilized the han government

why was trade not highly valued in classical china?

monsoons made it unreliable, china social classes allowed them to be more self-sufficient as everyone was working

how would the civil service exam aid someone in moving up in society?

taking the exam based on how well they know confucian texts and passing the exam (confucian values of respect and harmony are found to be more essential than daoism values of going with the flow)

decline of the han dynasty through disease

developed first in animals and then spread to humans, crowded living conditions, bubonic plague led to collapse of roman and han empires (sudden rise of arab muslims)