china
(CHAP 12) Early China
[ 4,000 years.]
China: Good government, ideals and ethics of Confucius. Government officials chosen by merit.
Meritocracy + Dynasty
The Chinese Establish Lasting Traditions
Developed along “The Yellow River” ; begins from mountains of western China, loops 3k mile to the yellow sea. creating a broad valley, the North China Plain. “Hwang ho”
Yellow cause of silt, leaves yellow residue behind
Other river: Yangtze River(connects these two rivers eventually)
Cut off geographically from the rest of Asia by desert and mountains. Called their land Chung - Kuo “the Middle Kingdom”
Rise of China's early rulers.
Yellow River regularly overflows its banks and leaves rich topsoil on the land.
North China Plain is so flat, disastrous floods are common.
Hsia:China's first ruling house dynasty (2000BC) by Yu the engineer of Hsia.(found a way to control the flood.)
Shang dynasty rules in North China
Sons of heaven- given mandate of heaven
Hsia rulers were cruel they lost the mandate to the Shang dynasty 160 or 150 bc.
ruins of a great Shang city at An-yang, on the North China Plain : Bronze Age culture of the Shang.
make most tools and weapons of stone, bone, and wood
BRONZE: used by the rulers and priests in religious rituals.
Shang metalworkers: cups and cauldrons to hold the food or drink ot the gods and to the spirits of royal ancestors.
Ruled fairly small state near yellow river. Often at war with neighboring people and with sheep herding nomads.
the Chou (JOH) from the Wei River region to the west, overthrew the Shang about 1100в.c.
Early Chou kings
900 years (longest dynasty) rulers governed from their western homeland along the Wei River.
They put family members and trusted military leaders in charge of the eastern lands taken from the Shang.
local lord lived in a walled town protected by an army of warrior nobles; ruled peasants and slaves
Chou kings, in 71 B.C., local lords rebelled against them.
Chou rulers fled 30 miles east along the Wei River ot anew capital at Loyang
Eastern Chou rulers had little power and less land than many of the great local lords
reign (770-256 B.c.) was a time of war, lawlessness, and disunity,
Chinese culture and technology advance.
Agriculture, technology, trade, and transportation
Metalworkers of the Chou period learned to work with iron. Iron weapons
Making sturdy plows and sharp weapons.
Canals for shipping grain were built, and irrigation systems were developed.
Canals and irrigation systems
Towns and merchant traders
Merchants became wealthy and influential, although they were considered the lowest social class.
nomadic herding peoples: domesticate and ride horses, raided border areas, introduced horseback riding to the Chinese.
Soldiers learned to ride horseback rather than drive war chariots.
Better news and communication
Helped rulers control distant territories
Adopted nomads' clothing style of wearing trousers rather than the traditional long robe.
Individual states develop systems of government.
New states in ring around the old central states of the North China Plain.
Chinese culture spread over an area from the borders of Mongolia in the north to the Yangtze River in the south
Including habitants of the Middle Kingdom considered uncivilized barbarians
almost-independent out lying states began to centralize their rule.
established tax systems, military organizations, and codes of law.
took control of the trade ni salt and iron( state income)
build walls along their frontiers to keep out nomadic invaders.
rulers needed efficient government; for irrigation, flood control, and defense,
new class of trained public officials and administrators, or bureaucrats
not high-ranking nobles but scholars and teachers, philosophers
Bureaucrats working for different rulers as tutors, consultants on correct behavior, and political advisers.
books came to be known as "The classics," China's Classical Age.
CONFUCIANISM Confucius considers the roles of people in society.
Kung Fu-tzu ("Master Kung")China's greatest philosopher and teacher. Confucius (551-479 B.c.)
questions of ethics and of morality in politics
five basic social rela- tionships: first four relationships, one person was viewed as superior and worthy of respect and obedience. In turn, this superior person was expected to set a good example of moral behavior. evil rulers were responsible for the evil actions of their officials and subjects.
between ruler and subjects,
father and son,
husband and wife,
older and younger brothers,
and friends or members of a community.
virtues included inner qualities such as integrity, loyalty, and generosity, but they also included good manners. culture, and politeness. manners. culture, and politeness.
Mencius teaches that the individual is good.
philosopher Meng-tzu, Mencius, lived about 200 years after Confucius (372-289 B.C.).
Taught ideas of Confucius; argued that individuals are naturally good and that this goodness can be developed into the Confucian virtues
people's right to overthrow a ruler who did not live up to high principles and so lost the mandate of heaven.
Taoism urges harmony with nature.
While confucian philosophers set up strict rules for people's behavior within society, the Taoists rejected these as artificial.
discover the Tao or "way" of the natural universe and live in harmony with nature.
Lao-tse , who may have been only a mythical figure.
third century B.C., the principles of Taoist thought were collected in a book called the Tao Te Ching.
Tao could not really be explained in words. It had to be sensed or felt.
Symbols were raw silk, an uncarved block of wood, and a newborn child.
natural state, unchanged by society.
Some taoist became hermits and went to live in the mountains and forests. mystical philosophy served as a balance to the practical rules of Confucianism.
The Legalists place the state above the people's welfare.
Hsun-tzu (SHUN-DZOO),
People were basically evil and selfish but could be improved by education, great teachers, and strict laws.
LEGALISM: a ruler must have absolute power so that he could turn all his people's efforts toward making the state wealthy and powerful.
Rulers and statesmen in the state of Ch'in adopted many Legalist ideas. By 256 B.C., the Ch'in leaders had defeated other Chinese states and destroyed the last Chou rulers.
Chinese philosophies stress the importance of the family.
filial piety
- respect and obedience To ones' parents. This respect extended to the family's ancestors. The early rulers of China worshiped not only various deities, but also the spirits of their "honored ancestors."
Classic of Filial Piety
A major theme in Confucianism was filial piety. Fulfilling filial duties, Confucius said, was the foundation on which good character was built.
Older male members of a family - the father, the husband, and the eldest son —were given positions of respect and superiority.
the same relationship existed between rulers or high officials and their subjects. That is, the king had the same authority over his subjects as a father over his family.
Women are given a lesser role.
Keeping a family name was important: the birth of a son or grandson was a joyous event.
Daughters might be loved, but only through marriage could a woman bring "honor" to her family.
obedience to her father, a woman moved on to obedience to her husband and
then to her sons.
She could own nothing except her dowry and even in her own household might have to be obedient to her mother-in-law or her husband's other wives.
Only in old age might a woman acquire some authority of her own as a mother-in-law.
Maintaining the household, peasant women worked in the fields with men and were valued by their husbands.
Moreover, a woman's prestige increased when her son brought back a wife, who would obey her and assume many of the homemaking responsibilities.
Age brings respect.
Old age :wisdom, respect, and leisure. Filial piety required the eldest son to provide a good life for his aging parents.
China's Rulers Create an Empire
Fall of Chou dynasty in 256 BC.,. after 900 years,
Problems causing rise and fall of the dynasty:rebellions by local Lords and peasants, barbarian invasions, and natural disasters.
PATTERN(11 steps)
A new dynasty begins with a period of peace, prosperity, and loyalty to the ruler. Population increases.
The government spends money on public works
less able rulers come to power. Court officials and bureaucrats become corrupt and used to luxury,which causes them to spend more of the government's money.
The peasants are taxed more heavily, but the government still does not have enough money to keep things in repair.
Peasant rebellions break out.
During the uprisings, dams and walls are weakened by ne- glect, allowing floods or invasions.
Crops are destroyed, and famine may result
nobles begin to seize power from the ruling dynasty.
The population decreases, and tax revenues are smaller.
Finally the old dynasty falls.
The new dynasty starts by establishing a period of peace and prosperity, and the cycle begins again.
The Ch'in dynasty unites China.
Ch'in overthrew the last of the Chou rulers in 256 B.c.
221 the Ch'in had brought together the other states under the central government. Ch'in dynasty lasted less than fifteen years
Shih Huang Ti (SHER HWAHNG DEE), "First Emperor."
the most trusted adviser was Li Ssu (LEE SOO), one of the originators of Legalism.
Extended the walls built by the rulers of states on the northwest border. About one million laborers were forced to work on the Great Wall
Yellow Sea to China's western frontier, a distance of about 1,500 miles
ACHIEVEMENTS:
TO UNIFY GOVERNMENT- built roads and canals, making communication between provinces quicker and safer.
Li Ssu simplified the written language so that more people could learn to read and write.
Weights and measures were standardized throughout the country, = simpler for government officials to collect taxes and business
The Ch'in suppress freedom of thought
Following legalism, Ch'in officials felt that other ways of thinking were dangerous to the state. In 213 B.C., Li Ssu began a wide- spread program of book burning.
The court library kept copies of early histories and the classics, but privately owned books were ordered destroyed.
Scholars; criticized the government, or objected to the control of ideas were executed or banished,
Ended Classical China Age creativity and weakened dynasty.
The banished Confucian scholars had been the best-trained public officials.
educated and influential people could not wholeheartedly support the rigid Legalist policies.
Soldiers and peasants rebelled, and the dynasty fell only a few years after the death of the First Emperor.
Han rule for 4 centuries
In 202Bc, a military leader declared himself emperor and established the Han (HAHN) dynasty.
(was once a peasant) took the title Kao Tsu (KOW DZOO), which means "Great Ancestral Father."
drew on Ch'in patterns of governing but avoided the extremes of that rigid rule.
The 400 years of Han rule were so remarkable that the Chinese still call themselves "the Han people."
Han capital at Ch'ang-an' ni the Wei River valley became a model city,
Wu Ti expands the Han empire.
long reign of Wu Ti (141-87 B.C.).
Han's greatest growth in land and power
CONQUERED:
SOUTH coast and in Southeast Asia.
To the north and east, the empire expanded far beyond the Great Wall to include large parts of Korea and Manchuria.
campaign against the nomadic Huns of Central Asia.
borders of China reached as far west as the Kushan empire in Central Asia and northern India
Trade develops between China and the West.
raise silkworms and weave silk cloth from the fibers spun by the worms.
Chinese silk was valuable for trade. silk and jade from China to India, Persia, and the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
They called the Roman Empire "Great Ch'in," while the Romans referred to China as Serica, "the silk country."
Confucian ideas return to government.
Scholars who followed Confucian ideas of ethical government became influential at court.
Written examinations were used to find enough educated and competent men to fill government jobs
scholar-officials replaced men of noble birth as the leading class in Han society.
Merchants, no matter how well educated, were barred from government posts because money making was despised by the Han rulers.
examination system, set up as a way to find efficient bureaucrats, later developed into the first real civil service system.
Science and technology develop.
recording information about the stars and planets since ancient times.
Comets, sunspots, and eclipses
accurate calendar, star maps, and several astronomical instruments.
principle of the magnetic compass used to determine direction and had made an instrument to record earthquakes.
chemistry and made discoveries in medicine.
Paper, silk, fine porcelain/ “china”, han potters and glaze
The Age of Disunity begins.
second century A.D., the later Han rulers were facing economic ruin.
Examination system became corrupt
chosen through political influence than on the basis of their knowledge.
Han empire split into three kingdoms.
Age of Disunity. It continued for more than 300 years, until the year 589.
Imperial China Dominates Asia
Chinese empire Reunited in 6th century by the Sui Dynasty( for a sec greatest empire of the world)
China surpassed Europe in culture and technology, and Chinese civilization became a model for all eastern Asia.
The Sui reunite the empire.
Near the end of Age of Disunity a military leader in northern China conquered the south and declared himself first emperor of the Sui(swI) dynasty.
two Sui emperors, and their dynasty lasted from 589 to 618, ( 30 years)
rebuilt the Great Wall, reconquered part of Central Asia, and reclaimed part of Southeast Asia.
Canal-building, which included the Grand Canal linking the Yellow River and the Yangtze
The Tang built a stronger empire.
Tang rebelled against Sui rule.
a former Sui official and his son took control of the throne in 618.
(1)The Tang (TAHNG) dynasty which they established lasted until 907.
It created another "golden age" in China.
(2)second Tang emperor, Tai-tsung (TYE-DZOONG), was a warrior, a scholar, and a good administrator.
Strengthened the government WITHOUT imposing too heavy a tax burden on the people.
Chinese armies extended the empire by making conquests in Central Asia and Tibet.
Empress Wu Hou (woo oH).
655 all of Korea was brought under Chinese control.
the only woman ever to hold that title in China, throned in 690
forced her from the throne in 705, when she was eighty years old,
The examination system gains new importance.
Examination system in Hans times based on Confucian ideal of choosing officials for ability,
only the sons of aristocrats and high officials were likely to have the classical education and the influence to become examination candidates.
member of the educated class known as gentry.
Tang culture becomes a model for Asia.
High demand in Europe and Asia for silk and porcelain. The exchange of goods and ideas was two-way.
mathematics and astronomy developed from contact with India.
Foreign religions, including Buddhism, Islam, and some Eastern sects of Christianity
Tang capital at Ch'ang- an
Tang culture was copied by other countries in Asia, notably Japan, Korea, and Tibet.
Buddhism is influential in Chinese culture.
Buddhism reached in first century A.D., encouraged by King Kanishka
violate the Confucian rules for proper conduct and family responsibility, but Buddhism appealed to those who looked for peace and spiritual comfort.
Buddhist monasteries became centers of learning, places of pilgrimage, hospitals, and schools.
also gained political power.
Buddhism was encouraged and protected by early Tang rulers, particularly the empress Wu Hou.
Tang ruler ordered the destruction of thousands of Buddhist monasteries and temples and forced many monks and nuns to give up their religious life.
The T'ang dynasty ends in political confusion.
military leaders in the provinces rebelled and drove the last Tang emperor from the throne in 907.
Sung dynasty, reunited the country under one ruler.
The Sung prosper in southern China.
established ni 960, nomad people controlled northern china
Repeated invasions finally forced the Sun To leave the north in 1126.
Southern Sung (1127-1279), was one of growth and prosperity.
ocean-going trade became important, for the Chinese had learned to build large ships and to navigate by using the compass.
Population shifted to the cities, which grew into busy urban centers.
Yangtze Valley produced rice, tea, and silk for export, increasing Sung prosperity.
The arts and technology flourish in imperial China
Painting and poetry were favorite pastimes of the gentry.
porcelain and silks.
wheelbarrow and gunpowder, which was used only for fireworks, not weapons.
The greatest Tang poets - Li Po, Po Chu-i, and Tu Fu
Li. Po, a Taoist, often wrote about nature.
Po Chu-i, who lived slightly later, was a government official. His poem "Red Cockatoo" comments on the lack of freedom in Chinese society
Chinese paintings show the beauty and serenity of natural landscapes and objects such as a single-branch or flower.
The Chinese had invented paper about the first century AD. ,. and they later developed a method of printing an entire sheet from a carved wooden block.
China comes under Mongol rule.
early 1200's, the Mongol leader Genghis Khan
after Genghis Khan's death ni 1227, his grandson Kublai Khan completed the conquest of the Southern Sung.
1260 Kublai became "Great Khan" of the Mongol Empire ni East Asia and ruled for 34 years.
capital at Peking, the Khan established a new dynasty called Yüan.
Mongols lived apart from the Chinese, obeyed different laws, and restricted the Chinese to low-ranking government posts.
European travelers visit China.
Mongol Empire's control of the vast central plains
printing, gun- powder, and the compass,
European traveler was a young Venetian trader, Marco Polo
He traveled by caravan on the silk route across Central Asia, arriving in China in 1275.
colorful account of his travels in China was widely read in medieval Europe.
The Ming dynasty emphasizes classical scholarship.
Death of Kublai Khan in 1294 weakened Mongol rule,
1368 Peasant leader of one rebel army seized Peking and declared himself emperor and founder of a new dynasty - the Ming.
wanted to return to a purely Chinese state, modeled after the earlier Tang and Sung dynasties.
the examination system became very important. limited the examinations to knowledge of the Confucian classics. Scholars restored the classics and collected China's ancient knowledge in an encyclopedia.
China becomes a sea power.
Trade by sea; Chinese became skilled navigators and shipbuilders.
great admiral named Cheng Ho (JUNG HOH) on seven expeditions to India, Arabia, and the east coast of Africa,
Chinese tributary system; the rulers of "inferior" countries had to send him gifts, or tribute.
The Chinese look inward to their traditions.
Ming rulers stopped sponsoring expeditions and encouraging trade; cut off from the rest of the world.
Internal disorder and rebellion brought the dynasty to an end in 1644.
the traditional Chinese culture was so well-established that it endured through the reign of another foreign dynasty, the Manchu (1644-1912).