Chinese History Since Last Visit

Friday, March 28: China Since Last Visit

  • Warm-Up:
    • What do you remember about Chinese history?

Agenda

  • Warm-Up
  • Key Definitions of Pre-Modern China
  • Division & New Dynasties
  • Activity: Fill in the blank
  • Wrap Up

Timeline of Chinese History

  • Timeline spans from 2070 BC to modern times, covering dynasties, periods, and key events.
  • Xia Dynasty (2070 BC - 1600 BC)
    • Yu the Great led people, overcame a massive flood.
  • Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1046 BC)
    • Bronze Age, walled cities, early writing systems.
  • Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC - 221 BC)
    • King Wu of Zhou overthrew Shang dynasty.
    • Mandate of Heaven, Zongfa and Fenfeng systems.
    • Western Zhou (1046 BC - 771 BC)
    • Eastern Zhou (771 BC - 221 BC)
      • Riot of capital residents.
      • Barbarians attacked the capital city.
      • Spring and Autumn Period (771 BC - 475 BC)
        • Five Hegemons
        • Confucius
      • Warring States Period (475 BC - 221 BC)
        • Seven Prominent States.
        • Shan Yang's reforms in State Qin.
  • Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC)
    • Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.
    • Great Wall construction.
  • Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD)
    • Emperor Wu of Han: Defeated Xiongnu; made Confucianism the official ideology; creation of the Silk Road.
    • Western Han.
    • Xin Dynasty (8 AD).
    • Eastern Han (25 AD).
    • Paper-making technology.
    • Yellow Turbans Rebellion.
  • Three Kingdoms Period (220 AD - 280 AD)
    • Wei, Shu Han, Wu.
    • Expeditions of Zhuge Liang.
    • Battle of Red Cliffs.
  • Jin Dynasty (265 AD - 420 AD)
    • Western Jin.
    • Wars of Eight Princes.
    • Uprising of Five Barbarians.
    • Eastern Jin (317 AD).
  • Southern and Northern Dynasties (420 AD - 589 AD)
    • Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang, Chen in the South.
    • Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou in the North.
    • Reform of Emperor Xiaowen.
    • Buddhism spread out in China.
  • Sui Dynasty (581 AD - 618 AD)
    • Grand Canal construction.
  • Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 907 AD)
    • Reign of Zhenguana under Emperor Taizong of Tang.
    • Empress Wu Zetian's Reign.
    • An Lushan's Rebellion.
    • Factional struggle between Niu and Li cliques.
    • Huang Chao's Uprising.
    • The peak of Tang.
  • Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907 AD - 960 AD)
  • Song Dynasty (960 AD - 1279 AD)
    • Northern Song.
    • Reform of Wang Anshi.
    • Gunpowder, compass, improved printing technology.
    • Jingkang Incident.
    • Jurchen Jin.
    • Southern Song.
    • Yue Fei.
    • Paper currency.
    • Neo-Confucianism.
  • Yuan Dynasty (1279 AD - 1368 AD)
    • The Conquest of Mongols.
  • Ming Dynasty (1368 AD - 1644 AD)
    • Sailings of Zheng He; Construction of Forbidden City.
    • Oversea trading is banned.
    • Tumu Fortress Incident.
    • Invasion of Japanese Pirates.
    • Zhang Juzheng's Reforms.
    • Li Zicheng's Uprising.
  • Qing Dynasty (1644 AD - 1911 AD)
    • Rising of Kangxi Emperor.
    • First Opium War, Second Opium War.
    • Taiping Rebellion.
    • Self-Strengthening Movement.
    • First Sino-Japanese War.
    • Hundred Days' Reform.
    • Boxers Rebellion; Invasion of Eight Allied Forces.
  • Republic of China (1912 - 1949)
    • Xinhai Revolution.
    • May Fourth Movement.
    • Establishment of Communist Party.
    • Long March of Red Army.
    • Second Sino-Japanese War.
    • The Chinese Civil War.
    • Republic of China relocated to Taiwan.
  • People's Republic of China (1949 - Present)
    • The Great Leap Forward Movement.
    • Death of Mao Zedong.
    • Cultural Revolution.
    • Tian'anmen Incident.
    • Deng Xiaoping's Economic Reforms.
    • Return of Hong Kong.
    • Manned space missions.

Key Definitions of Pre-Modern China

  • Filial Piety:
    • Basis of Chinese society and culture in the Middle Ages.
    • Confucian idea defining relationships based on respect and deference.
  • Mandate of Heaven:
    • Comes from Confucian idea of balance in relationships.
    • Emperor has support of heaven as long as he honors his part of the relationship.
  • Dynastic Cycle:
    • Signs of favor or disfavor from Heaven.
    • A dynasty has or has lost the Mandate of Heaven.
    • Justifies the overthrow of bad dynasties.

Collapse of the Han Dynasty

  • Caused by:
    • Internal corruption
    • Outside Invasions
    • Over taxation to maintain army and tax evasion
  • Han Golden Age would always be viewed as ideal.
  • Han Dynasty: 200 BCE - 220 CE

First Portion of the Warring States Period: Three Kingdoms (220 CE - 280 CE)

  • Wei, Wu and Shu fought over the corpse of the Han Empire.
  • None of the states won.
  • Jin Emperor took control for a decade, his death led to a second phase of civil war.

Impact of Roman Empire's Fall

  • Fall of the Roman Empire exacerbated the situation in China.
  • Dividing China into many small states led to a general breakdown of trade along the Silk Road.

Second Portion of Warring States Period: North - South Divide of China (280- 589 CE)

  • Conflict of Northern and Southern cultures.
  • Majority of states were divided along the Yangtze River.
  • Created an economic divide:
    • The North became more technologically advanced, richer, and dominated politics & society
    • The South remained agricultural.

Rise of the Sui Dynasty (581- 618 CE)

  • The Wen Emperor reunited China by defeating the Northern Zhou.
  • Stabilized China by promoting unity and trade.
  • Centralized power, strengthened bureaucracy, revived and improved laws, and tried to make land ownership more fair.

Fall of the Sui Dynasty → Rise of the Tang Dynasty

  • Didn’t last too long despite their accomplishments, since the Tang Dynasty overthrew them 40 years later.
    • The Sui existed for about the same duration as the Qin Dynasty
    • A disastrous attempt to conquer Korea in a time of peace destroyed the emperor’s popularity.
  • The Tang dynasty would take advantage of the the Sui’s accomplishments and usher in a new golden age, which lasted through the Song Dynasty.

The Grand Canal (The JingHang Canal)

  • Built by the Sui Dynasty
  • Longest Artificial River in the world at 1100 miles
  • Runs between two major trade cities, Beijing and Hangzhou
  • Helped bridge communication and transportation between the North and South.
  • Made shipping grain and salt much easier.

Activity: Fill in the Blank

  • Refer to the map on Page 13 to complete the fill-in-the-blank activity.

Wrap Up

  • Lesson Aim: What’s been happening in China since we were last there?
  • Homework: Finish today’s fill in the blank by Tuesday
  • Extensions: Beijing’s Extraordinary Grand Canal (BBC)
  • Next Lesson: What was China’s medieval golden age like?