Chapter 2 part 2- china

Who was the Shang Dynasty overthrown by?

Zhou (chou) Dynasty, an aggressive young state located to the west of Anyang, the shang capital, and near the great benf of the yellow river as it begins to flow directly eastward to the sea

How long did the Zhou dynasty last?

800 years, making it the longest lived dynasty in the history of China

What was the shang ruler like?

he was a tyrant, causing zhou to revolt and establish a new dynasty

What did the zhou dynasty establish?

a pattern of eastern and western capitals that would endure off and on in China for nearly 2,000 years, administered new territories captured from the Shang in the east

What type of government did the Zhou have?

a monarchy, they divided the kingdom into a number of territories

Who served the Zhou king?

a bureaucracy of growing size and complexity - included several ministries responsible for rites, education, law, and public works

How was the Zhou kingdom divided?

into a number of principalities, governed by membered of hereditary aristocracy, who were appointed by the king and were at least theoretically subordinated to his authority

What was the Mandate of Heaven?

Kings' right to rule came from the gods because of talent and virtue, kings ruled as a representative of heaven but not as a divine being, king was responsible for governing the people with compassion and efficiency, if the king ruled ineffectively he could be overthrown, each founder of the new dynasty would receive the mandate of heaven, heavely mandate would become a cardinal principle of Chinese statecraft

How were gods seen as?

capricious and not subject to human understanding

How was heaven viewed as?

viewed as a benevolent force devoted to the universal harmony and order that could be influenced by positive human action

What type of environment did people experience

a more predictable and beneficial environment

How did the "rites of zhou" portray the zhou dynasty

as a golden age where there was harmony in the world and all was right under heaven

why did the golden age not last?

increasing complexity of chinese civilization and moral weakness of the rulers of the zhou royal house

why did the zhou dynasty begin to decline?

as the power of the central government disintegrated, bitter internal rivalries arose among the various principalities, where the governing officials had succeeded in making their positions hereditary at the expense of the king

What happened as the powers of the governing officials grew?

they began to regulate to local economy and week reliable sourced of revenue for their expanding armies, tax system and government monopolies on key commodities such as salt and iron

What happened after Zhou rulers had lost all authority?

China was divided into a cauldron of squabbling states "The Period of Warring States"

What did the zhou dynasty continue regarding land ownership?

continued a pattern of land ownership that had existed under the shang; peasants worked on lands owned by their lord but also had land for their own use-practice called the "well-field system"

How did the well-field system work?

every peasant family tilled an outer plot for its own use and joined other families to work the inner one for the hereditary lord- represented an idea described by confucian scholars

Who carried out trade and manufacturing?

Merchants and artisans who lived in walled towned under direct control of the local lord

What did the merchants do?

did not operate independently, were considered the property of local lord, and could be bought and sold

What did the slave class do?

performed a variety of menial tasks, did not constitute a large portion of total population- most were prisoners of war

What was the main source of wealth and influence

economic wealth, after it replaced noble birth

what was valuable?

silk and jade

What was the birth of civilization accompanied by?

the emergence of being organized to comprehend the nature of the cosmos and the role of human beings within it

what did the shang begin to believe in?

the existence of one transcendent god, Shang Di, who presided over all the forces of nature

What did the chinese concept of religion evolve into?

a more interpersonal symbol of the universe, Heaven (Tian)

What did they believe about the universe?

idea that the universe was divided into good and evil, light and dark, male and female, claled the yang and the yin. Sun(yang) moon(yin), believed life was a process of interaction between the forced of yang and yin, believed bad times would be followed by good and vice versa

What was the "law of nature"?

could be interpreted by humans to predict the future

Who were Shamans?

similar to brahmins in india, were employed at court to assist the emperor in policy deliberations

How did confucianism view heaven?

a detached a skeptical view "If you are unable to serve men, how can you serve the spirits?"

What did confucius tell his followers?

to revere the deities but keep them at a distance, believed it was useless to speculate too much about metaphysical questions

What was Confucius philosophy?

ensuring social order and good government

What was the key to proper behavior for confucianism?

to live in accordance with the Dao(way)

What is Dao?

similar to the idea of Dharma (similar role in government), assumed all human beings had their own Dao, dependind on their individual role in life and it was their duty to follow it

2 interpretations of the Dao:

concept of duty, idea of humanity "human-heartedness"

Concept of Duty

it was the responsibility of all individuals to subordinate their own interests and aspirations to the broader need of family and the community. Assumed that if each individual worked hard to fulfill his or her assigned destiny, the affairs of society as a whole would prosper as well. was important for ruler to set a good example

humanity "Human-heartedness"

involves a sense of compassion and empathy for others "Do not do unto others what you would not wish done to yourself", symbolizes an element of tolerance that was not in other societies

how were confucius' ideas passed down?

through analects and writing attributed to him - had a strong impact on chinese political thinkers

Legalism

human beings were by nature evil and would follow the correct path only if coeced by harsh laws and stiff punishments

School of Law

"Believed that humans were evil by nature and humans could only be brought to the correct path through harsh punishments" - these thinkers were referred to as the "School of Law" because they rejected to confucian view that government by "Superior men could solve society's problems"

What did legalism believe?

disagreed with the confucian belief that the universe has a moral core. only firm action by the state could bring about social order= only a strong leader could create organized society

Daoism

A religion in China which emphasizes the removal from society and to become one with nature.

Who was the daoist school founded by?

Lao Tzu, a contemporary of Confucious

Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)

a primary document, a book about Daoism that confused scholars

What does daoism attempt to do?

set forth proper forms of behavior for human beings, doesnt anguish over the meaning of the cosmos, presents a view of life and its ultimate meaning, opposite of confucianism

What does the confucian doctrine assert?

it is the duty of human beings to work hard and improve life on earth

How did daoists interpret the way of heaven?

the way to interpret the will of heaven is not action but inaction (wu wei)= the best way to act in harmony with the universal order is to act spontaneously and let nature take its course.

Who did daoism appeal to?

appealing to people who preferred a more individualistic approach, popular among intellectuals

What was popular daoism like?

less of a philosophy than a religion; comprising a variety of rituals and behaviors that were regarded as means of achieving heavenly salvation or even a state of immortality

What did daoist sorcerers practice?

exercises for training the mind and body in hope of achieving power, sexual prowess, and a long life- people like this survived longer

What advancements did the zhou make in agriculture?

Large-scale irrigation projects to regulate flow of rivers and distribute evenly to fields, also to construct canals to facilitate the transfer of goods from one area to the other

what stimulated population growth?

food production, it also helped grow commerce and manufacturing

what was the first form of money?

seashells

What was normally paid in grain?

taxes, rents, and salaries

did the population cared about the philosophical forms of confucian and daoism?

no$$- debate over the meaning of life was less important than survival

what were the elites interested in?

interest in the occult and in astrology was high, and many royals courts included a hereditary astrologer to help predict the intentions of heavenly forced

what coexisted with interest in natural science and humanistic philosophy?

magico-religious ideas

What was heaven like for most chinese?

Heaven was a terrain peopled with innumerable gods and spirits of nature, both good and evil, who existed in trees, mountains, and streams as well as in heavenly bodies.

What did people ask god for?

a good harvest

What did they believe about the spirits of dead humans?

they lived in the atmosphere for the time before going to heaven or hell- during that time, families had to care for them with proper ritual, or they would become evil spirits and haunt the survivors

What did the zhou kingdom become when it divided?

divided into powerful states: Qu- central gantze valley, Wu- yangtze delta, yue- south eastern coast

what started the period of warring states?

mutual rivalries were held in check until it turned into a civil war

What happened during the period of warring states?

powerful principalities vied with each other for preeminence and largely ignored the authority of the zhou court

what types of new warfare emerged?

iron weapons, the introduction of the foot soldier, and cavalry armed with a crossbow

what were cities threatened by?

larger and more competent armies- they tried to protect themselves with larger walls but opponents created new methods of warfare

who had become a major force in the contest for hegemony by adopting a number of reforms in agriculture, government administration, military organization, and fiscal policy

Qin, a young state located in the original hometown of the Zhou (was put into effect by Shang Yang (adviser))

how was qin society ruled?

with ruthless efficiency

was qin located i a good spot?

yes, it was located in a great defensive position by mountains and was by the yellow river

how did the qin subdue enemies?

through conquest or diplomatic maneuvering

who was the first unified government in chinese history?

qin

what contributed to the triumph of the Qin?

the character of the Qin ruler (Qin Shi Huangdi) first emperor of Qin

What type of personality did Qin Shi Huangdi have?

forceful personality and immense ambition, ascended to the throne at 13, found legalist views, founded a new dynasty with himself as emperor

what was prohibited during the qin dynasty?

philosophical doctrines from the Zhou

What was the official ideology of the qin?

legalism

what happened to the books that were contrary to the qin's beliefs?

they were burned

how was the central bureaucracy divided?

divided into 3 primary ministries: a civil authority, a military authority, and a censorate, whose inspectors surveyed the efficiency of the officials throughout the system

How many levels of administration were there below the central government?

2 levels: provinces and counties

how did officials obtain their positions?

they were appointed by the court and were subject to dismissal

What was the Penal Code?

provided for harsh punishments for all wrongdoers.

Who watched the officials?

censors, they reported directly to the throne. those guilty of malfeasance in office were executed

What did Qin Shi Huangdi unify?

the system of weights and measures, standardized the monetary system and the written forms of chinese characters, and ordered the construction of a system of roads extending throughout the empire

what dud qin shi huangdi do after eliminating the remaining powers

divided their estates among the peasants

what happened to members of the aristocratic clans?

they were required to live in the capital city at Xianyang, so that the court could monitor them

Did peasants benefit from the system?

No, the central government could now collect taxes more effectively and mobilize the peasants for military service projects

how did the qin dynasty view merchants?

as parasites, private commercial activities were severely restricted and heavily taxes, and many vital forms of commerce and manufacturing were placed under a government monopoly

how was the qin in foreign affairs

aggressive

where did the armies advance to?

a gradual adcance to the south or the border of china at the edge of the red river - they dug a canal to support the army (to travel)

who was active in the gobi desert?

nomadic people (xiongnu, possibly related to the Huns)

what was the climate like in the gobi desert?

milder and moister than today. some parts were heavily forested

how did the nomadic population live?

by hunting and fishing with a little agriculture and herding

what were nomadic people forced to rely on as the climate became drier

forced to rely on animal husbandry- caused them to master horseback riding and live a nomadic life

how were the nomadic people organized?

into communities consisting of a 39 number of kinship groups

when did nomadic people move?

they moved seasonally from one pasture to another, traveled several hundred miles carrying their goods and circular tents, called yurts

what did the growing population cause the nomadic people to do?

caused groups to compete for the best pasture - territorial warfare became commonplace throughout the frontier reigon

what happened when the nomadic groups unified?

they posed a serious threat to the security of china's northern frontier

how did the qin try to keep out the nomads?

they built walls, but warriors on horseback had advantage over the infantry of the chinese, causing them to strengthen the walls to keep them out,

what's the wall that the Qin built now known as?

the great wall- extends nearly 4,000 miles from the sandy wastes of central asia to the sea, constructed of massive granite blocks and the top is wide enough to serve as the road

What system did not work for the Qin?

legalist system

Eunuchs

castrated males who served as personal attendants for himself and female members of the royal family- made to restrict the influence of male courtiers, later became a standard feature of the chinese imperial system, were in the position of influence

what led to tensions between the "inner" imperilal court and the "Outer" court??

rivalry between the courts. the tension between them was there until the imperial system was over