Classical Civilizations of China

The Yellow River (Huang He)

• Rivers supported farming and transportation

• Loess

• “River of Sorrow”  - known for devastating floods - caused death, starvation 

• The need to control the flooding likely led to the rise of strong central govt. in China 

  • Public works projects like irrigation, dams, dikes 

River of Sorrows

the yellow river; took many lives

Yangtze River

• Used to transport, fresh water, electricity, and fish 

• Asia's longest river

• Being populated - main water source for many cities

Gobi Desert

• Common animal is a camel 

• Hard to travel there - lots of off road 

• Sand dunes cover 5% of desert

The Himalayas

• These mountains are still getting taller 

• Many theories that Yetis and other animals exist on mountains 

• Very snowy/icy at top of mountain but very green with vegetation on ground

Loess

Yellowish wind blown silt that settled at the river bottom

Middle Kingdom

Natural barriers and long distances isolated China; thought of themselves as superior; an attitude ancient China

The Shang Dynasty

the dynasty before the Zhou Dynasty; was overthrown bc/ the people believed the mandate of heaven + didn’t think he was a fit ruler

Polytheism

the belief in more than one god

Oracle bones

an animal bone, drew questions on bone, the priest would heat up the bone, and the bone would crack. when cracked —> priests would read answers that consulted the ancestors

Social Structure

• Most people were peasant farmers who led a grueling life- all family members worked in the fields 

  • noble warriors were powerful 

The Mandate of Heaven

like an emperor / has all power; gave some power to the people =show power diversity during period. 

Dynastic Cycle

pattern of rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties

The Zhou Dynasty

• feudalism gave less power to king = downfall for dynasty

• unified cultures developed

Warring States Period

the period when many states warred each other from 475 BCE - 221 BCE. Various states battled for territorial advantage and dominance

Feudalism

a political system in which nobles are given land that legally belongs to the king and in return, the nobles owe their loyalty to the king; developed = trust of nobles and royal families; (Land = wealth and power) (ruler giving power = ruler is powerless)

Philosophy

no worshiping of anyone or anything

Confucianism

 a belief system based on the beliefs of Confucius; developed? = troubled with the social problems in his life (lots of war); believes in Five Cardinal Relationships; Goal? = to unite a peaceful China and make basic terms for a balanced society Impact? = made a more balanced society + Chinese followed basic terms for entire lives

Confucius

a philosopher during the Zhou period (period of war/social changes); offered advice to China’s rulers; born into a noble family + poor family; spent much of his life trying to give rulers advice. When couldn’t find a permanent position in government = turned to teaching; thought that rulers should lead by good example + have good education

The Five Cardinal Relationships

1. Father to son

2. Elder brother to younger brother 

3. Husband to wife 

4. Ruler to subject 

5. Friend to friend 

Filial Piety

respect for parents/elders above all duties; listen to those more knowledge than you; significant = teaches people to put others before themselves / make community more compassionate for others.

Virtues

connected to Confucianism; the inner morale power through which a person can positively influence people

Laozi

“Old Master”) authors the Tao Te Ching = (The way of the Virtue) = teaches ending conflict through inaction + yielding; practice = Wu Wei

Daoism

• promote govt. is unnatural / cause o problem

• promotes lifestyle of simplicity + solitude / harmony w/ nature

The Dao

“The Way” is the natural order of the universe

•  strive to be in harmony with this natural order; to become one with The Dao

  • ex: yin- yang

Wu Wei (inaction)

connected to Daoism; sort out problems through inaction

Han Feizi

created legalism

Legalism

to achieve order by passing laws and orders and impose harsh punishments; made by Hanfeizi

Qin Dynasty

the Dynasty with Shi Huangdi

Shi Huangdi

an emperor; legalist; made many things for development for China

Censorship

the act of getting rid of; govt. that doesn’t give the people lots of freedom

The Great Wall

a wall built to stop invaders; made by slaves and forced labors; many people died bc of this

Terra Cotta soldiers

clay soldiers; Huangdi made these to follow him into the after life

How did Chinese culture take shape under the Shang Dynasty?

• worshiped many gods, nature spirits, + family

• kings ruled a small portion of land

  • princes + nobles = govern rest

• Clans = group of families claiming common ancestors

• written + spoken languages = no connection

• social classes = most people were peasant farmers + all family members worked in fields

  • nobles = power

How did feudalism transform government in China?

After a while, the feudalism system came to be(after Mandate of Heaven). This system allowed the king power but was distributed towards nobles in exchange for military support and loyalty. (things don’t go well = “warrior states period”)

How do belief systems structure the lives of their followers?

religion = worship gods / philosophy = no worship of anyone or anything

• common between two - give example on how to act

How did Chinese philosophies impact the dynasties of China?

they all made a basic format on how people should live

How did the Chinese philosophies compare to one another?

Daoism: simplicity; inaction to something

Legalists: harsh punishment; very strict rule

Confucianism: respect all people; the 5 relationships

To what extent was Shi Huangdi a great visionary or a brutal tyrant?

Visionary:

• created script, measurement, and the Great Wall of China

• made terracotta soldiers for his tomb

Tyrant:

• killed many

• legalist

• burned many books and scripture because they weren’t his

Which factors are most responsible for the fall of empires?

1. power diversity

2. lack of trust for rulers

3. economic struggles

4. social and cultural problems

How did geography affect the development of civilization?

• made China be in isolation = made them develop on their own

Bureaucracy

a system of govt. in which the important decisions are made by the state officials rather than the elected representatives