Studied by 23 people
Qin Dynasty
221 - 206 BC; shortest of China’s dynasties
Followed philosophy of Legalism
Harshly punished those with differing beliefs, especially Confucianists
Dynasty ended 4 years after Qin Shihuangdi’s death
Controlled both Yangtze & Yellow Rivers
Qin Shihuangdi
First Qin emperor
Eliminated Feudal system
Unified & simplified writing system
Built network of roads to move troops
Standardized money throughout China
Had elaborate burial chamber built
Terracotta Army
Accidentally discovered by farmers digging a well in 1974
~6000 warriors, each with different facial features
Designed to protect Qin Shihuangdi in the afterlife
~700,000 workers used on the burial complex
Burial chamber decorated to look like earth
Rivers made of mercury
Burial chamber has not been dug up yet; waiting until it can be done safely
Great Wall
~400,000 people died during its construction
Originally a series of separate fortifications to keep out tribes to the north.
The wall that exists today is not the one that was built during the Qin Dynasty
Watchtowers would communicate with each other with fire and smoke signals
Used to protect traders along the SIlk Road
Silk Road
Network of trade routes that connected China, India, and the Mediterranean
~4000 miles
Individual traders rarely travelled the entire route
Camels were the most commonly used animal: could withstand extreme weather and needed minimal water.
The Silk Road allowed religions such as Islam and Buddhism to spread; this is an example of Cultural Diffusion
Han Dynasty
202 BC to 220 AD
Founded by Liu Bang, a former peasant
Developed civil service exams to hire for government jobs Invented rudders for ships, paper, wheelbarrow, acupuncture, seismograph Han astronomers studied Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn Chang Ch’ien was sent westward to explore/set up trade. Returned 13 years later with only 1 member of his party, but his journeys encouraged the development of the Silk Road
Silk Road grew greatly during the Han Dynasty.
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