First Emperor, Chinese Dynasties and the Mongols Quiz

The Warring States Period

* China = not united
* Chaotic, disorganized and violent
* 7 great states fighting each other
* one = Qin

Qin Shi Huangdi (Qin Wang)

* ruler of the Qin
* Major goal: unite china
* fierce military leader
* clever diplomat
* conquers other states (230-221 B.C.E.)
* becomes the first emperor of China

As First Emperor:

* Goal = become immortal
* became paranoid
* kept moving around, built many palaces
* tried herbs, fungi and even drank mercury
* huge tomb with terracotta warriors

How did Qin Shi Huangdi rule China?

* micromanager
* divided country into sections
* chose officials to run each section (appointed by ability)
* uses strict enforcement of laws
* reporting requirements
* penalties for inadequate performance
* heavy taxes
* private possession of arms made illegal
* criticism of gov. not allowed
* rewarding for reporting crimes
* criminals punished severely: execution, hard labor, mutilation
* use of conscription (forced labor)
* required military and labor service (1 in 10 drafted for military or labor)
* used to build improvements in the empire
* EXAMPLE: Qin Wall
* protected against nomads (Xiong-nu, maybe the Huns)
* built of pounded earth
* first version of the Great Wall; the Great Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty
* Impact on learning
* education only for training new officers
* All writings other than useful manuscripts were burnt

Assassination Attempts on Qin Shi Huangdi

* 3 major attempts; most famous involves Jing Ke

Jing Ke (227 B.C.E.)

* great swordsmen who was sent by the Yan to assassinate the king (Qin Shi Huangdi)
* hid swords in rolled up maps

How long did it take Qin Wang to conquer all of China?

\~10 years

How many men were killed during the Unification Wars?

\~1.2 million

What new name did Qin Wang take?

Qin Shi Huangdi, which means supreme God

What steps did Qin Shi Huangdi take to unify and control his empire?

* moved all the royal families from the different states to Qin to keep an eye on them and enforce unity (made sure there was no chance of rebellion)
* Made the Ting currency the country currency
* standardized script
* harsh punishments
* common measurements and weight
* spies in the marketplace

Describe the rationale, process and impact of building the Qin Wall (basis for the Great Wall).

* Huns invading China territory
* protection from invading nomads
* connected smaller walls form Warring States period
* done by conscripted labor (just over 1 million people)
* \~100,000 people die, horrible conditions
* dissatisfied population

What factors led Qin Shi Huangdi to develop psychotic paranoia? Give examples of how this impacted him.

* 3 assassination attempts (including his trusted, blind, court musician and his own mother)
* sent out spies and found out the general public disliked him
* scholars criticised him (he ended up killing them)
* violent childhood
* bad omens
* didn’t stay in one place for too long (would move from palace to palace)
* seeked immortality
* became suspicious of those around him (overly analyzing bening comments)
* burned any books “against” his rule

What revolutionary changes did the First Emperor implement that are still integral parts of modern Chinese society? What cultural artifacts did he leave behind? How would you describe his legacy today?

* left behind the terracotta warriors
* tomb
* political system of China now is similar to that of the first emperor’s
* unified writing system
* unified/official currency
* the Great Wall (at least the basis of it)
* helped form the transportation system

What was made the official state ideology under the Han Dynasty?

Confucianism, encouraged literacy/the study of history

Han Dynasty: What were the Civil Service Exams?

* means for young men to enter bureaucracy
* allowed the state to find the best candidates to staff the vast bureaucracy
* tested on Confucian classics

What developed into an artform during the Han Dynasty?

Calligraphy

What was invented during the Han Dynasty?

Paper, invented by Cai Lun

What was opened during the Han Dynasty that will serve as a major economic achievement?

The Silk Road, a major trading route

Even though discriminated against at times, what religion spread into China during the Tang Dynasty with the building of many monasteries?

Buddhism

The Tang Dynasty is well remembered for the era’s contributions to what artform?

poetry

What notable invention was created during the Tang Dynasty?

gunpowder, changed the way battles were fought

Who was a Tang ruler and the only female in Chinese history to take the title of empress?

* Empress Wu Zetian
* took control after her husband became incapacitated
* previously a concubine

How did the Chinese diet change in the Song Dynasty?

* Rice and tea became staples of Chinese cuisine and drink
* it was PREVIOUSLY wheat and wine

What exploded during the Song Dynasty?

the population; went from 50 million to 100 million

This artform aimed for greater realism during the Song Dynasty. It became an important Chinese artform. What was it?

landscape paintings

This architecture became popular during the Song Dynasty with its turned corners and became known as the “Chinese roof”. What is it?

pagodas

What group overthrew the Song Dynasty?

the Mongols

What type of pottery became popular during the Ming Dynasty?

white and blue porcelin

What structure was restored to its full glory and power under the Ming Dynasty?

the Great Wall

What famous palace and imperial residence in Beijing was built during the Ming Dynasty?

the Forbidden City

How did the capital city change during the Ming Dynasty

Went from Nanjing to Beijing

Ming Dynasty: Zheng He

* China’s “greatest” explorer
* brought southeast asia into the sphere of the Chinese tribute system
* brought back plenty of knowledge of foreign lands and customs (and a giraffe!!)

What type of forces invaded China to begin the Qing Dynasty? What did Han men in China have to do during this time period?

* Manchurian forces
* cut their hair in Mongolian fashion or face execution

What military confrontations between China and the western world weakened China during the Qing Dynasty?

* The Opium Wars
* Opium War (1840): 2 years versus Britain
* Second Opium War (1856-1860) verses France/Britain

What was the name of the rebellion led by Hong Xiuquan against the Qing Dynasty?

* The Taiping Rebellion
* Hong believed he was the brother of Jesus and king of the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace.
* This rebellion resulted in 40 to 70 million people dying and the weakening of this Dynasty

What rebellion during the Qing Dynasty was a revolt against the foreigners in China?

* Boxer Rebellion
* Rebels during this event had the motto of “Revive the Qing, Destroy the Foreigner”. It was crushed by a coalition of foreign troops, which led to the further weakening of this Dynasty

What was the last Dynasty in Chinese history?

The Qing Dynasty

The Dynasties in Order

Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E. - 220 C.E.)

Tang Dynasty (618 C.E. - 906 C.E.)

Song Dynasty (960 C.E. - 1269 C.E.)

Ming Dynasty (1368 C.E. - 1644 C.E.)

Qing Dynasty (1644 C.E. - 1912 C.E.)

Who are the Mongols?

* Nomads: people who have no permanent home; travel from place to place
* Herded Animals
* sheep, goats, yak, oxen, camels, **horses**
* horses vv important!!!!
* moved homelands several times a year
* slept in a ger: a circle-shaped, felt-covered, mongol shelter

Mongol Conquests

* largest connected land empire in world history
* 11-12 million square miles
* mostly the work of Genghis Khan and later Kublai Khan

Genghis Khan (1167-1227)

* Birth Name: Temujin
* military leader, brilliant strategist, ruthless
* united all of the Mongol tribes
* became Genghis Khan in 1206

Accomplishments:

* created a new law code
* reorganized his army and people
* developed military strategies which made the Mongols a fearsome fighting force
* all calvary
* absorbed conquered members into his groups
* fake retreat
* developed new tech (better bow, tech for horses)
* created a massive empire

After death:

* left no way for succession
* empire was divided among his four sons

Khubilai Khan

* mongol ruler who conquered all of China
* ruled China, Tibet, Manchuria, Korea and eastern Mongolia
* Different from Genghis Khan, used political smarts and adopting Chinese culture to do so
* his rule became the Yuan Dynasty

Yuan Dynasty

* new legal code (less harsh)
* made taxation regular
* increased status of artisans and merchants
* reduced tariffs and made paper money more available
* supported the arts and invested in medicine and astronomy
* lots of construction projects
* forced labor
* got rid of the Civil Service Exams

Collapse of the Mongols

* spending too much money (weakened the empire)
* expansion went too far (Mongols on boats are never a good idea)
* building projects
* bad weather
* floods, many homeless, became a rebel force
* spread of the bubonic plague
* abandoned earlier ideas of religious and cultural tolerance

Legacy of the Mongols

* United the tribes into one group
* created an empire
* tolerance for other religions and cultures (didn’t impose their system onto others)
* written language (books and literacy increased)
* trade and crafts
* legal code
* led to connection between Asia and Europe (exchange of goods, ideas, religion and tech)