China

SOL Standards Essential Questions

• Why was the Great Wall of China built?

• What were the contributions of classical China to world civilization?

• Why were Confucianism, Taosim, and Buddhism important in the formation of Chinese culture?

Huange He River

Classical China

was centered on the Huang He River (Yellow River) and was geographically isolated.

Gobi Desert

Geographical barriers include the Gobi Desert in the northwest.

Himalaya Mountains in the southwest.

Yellow Sea, to the east, and South China Sea to the southeast.

Barbarian invaders raided Chinese settlement in the North.

These barbarians were the Mongols, skillful horseman who raised trouble with the Chinese.

Mongol Armies• Destroyed cities and countryside• Conquered China, Russia, and Muslim states in SW Asia• Created the largest empire ever

Genghis Khan, ruler of the Mongols, conquered most of Asia, including China and Russia. He ruled and conquered using great strategies and fear. He believed in terrifying his enemies.

Due to these invasions from the North, China builds a man-made barrier to keep the Mongols out, the Great Wall of China.

The Great Wall of China was built by Qin Shi Huangdi, emperor of China.It was built as a line of defense against invasions from the North.

Qin Shi HuangdiFirst Chinese Emperor.

Terracotta army buried with Shi Huangdi. Over 2,000 of them.

China was governed by a succession of ruling families called dynasties.

Chinese rulers were considered divine. The gods gave them the right to rule as long as their rule was just.

Dynastic Cycle

They served under a Mandate of Heaven.

Dynasty is founded by a powerful leader

Period of great power and prosperity

Period of Decline

Period of Rebellion and overthrow of Dynasty

It facilitated trade.Helped to maintain contact between China and other cultures as far away as Rome

Silk Road

The Silk Road extends from China to the Mediterranean Sea. This helped with Cultural Diffusion, spreading ideas and culture from China to Rome.

Trade was spread from such cities as, Xi’an (Chang’an) in China to Samarkand in Uzbekistan.

Besides spreading trade, the Silk Road was used to spread such ideas as religion. Buddhism, one of India’s main faiths, spread to China on these major trade routes.

Many scientific and technological advances came about during the Tang and Song Dynasties.

China’s Contributions

Porcelain a white ceramic made of a special clay and mineral only found in China

Silk was kept secret for thousands of years by the Chinese. They raised worms which feed off of mulberry leaves.

The worms are killed in their cocoons and then unwrapped as a continuous thread of over 2,000 feet. It takes approximately 2,000 cocoons to make a pound of silk. Silk production was eventually spread to other Asian countries like Japan.

Paper• Paper making technology spread from China to the

Muslim world and from there to Byzantium and Western Europe

Block Printing was invented by the Chinese. A printer would carve a word or letter in a block of wood, ink the block, and then print. Chinese writing is made up of thousands of characters.

Paper money was invented to replace the heavy metal coins used by merchants, especially those crossing the silk road.

Water Wheels

• Used the movement of running water to provide power to grind grain.

• Technology spread to Europe during the Middle Ages.

Magnetic Compass• Before its invention, navigators had to depend on

the positions of the sun, the moon, and the north star for their bearings. Used by the Chinese for centuries before the compass reached Europe. Helped to make the Chinese powerful seamen.

Civil Service -

A system developed during the Han Dynasty. Chinese civilians could take examinations to see what government jobs they qualified for.

This system of testing was well received by Confucian scholars.

The Civil Service system was part of the Chinese bureaucracy. It included 18 ranks of civil service jobs.

Confucianism was never a religion, it was a philosophy.

It became the foundation for Chinese government and social order.

Confucianism

Confucius spread beyond China and influenced civilizations throughout East Asia.

For Confucius, social order of family and government were the most important.

"Confucius cared most about people

and was perhaps the

first great humanist in

history."--Sanderson Beck

His disciples wrote The Analects, a compiling of Confucius beliefs. These beliefs included:

Belief that humans are good, not bad

Respect for elders

Code of politeness still used in Chinese society today

Emphasis on education

Ancestor worship

Helped to form the social order in China

Taoism (Daoism)

Chinese thinker, Laozi, is the founder.

His values for people included:

Viewed by Chinese as a philosophy and a religion.

Simple life and inner peace - by seeking harmony with nature.

Humility - people can do little to influence the outcome of events

Laozi believed that government should do as little as possible and leave the people alone.

Yin/Yang represent opposite for both Confucianism and Taoism.

It is the balance of opposites (i.e. good/bad, dark/light, man/woman)

Buddhism

Begins in India and spreads throughout Asia

Is a religion that stressed that everyone could reach Nirvana - inner peace.

In order to reach Nirvana Buddhist most follow:

Four Noble Truths

Eightfold Path

Spreads throughout Asia with the help of rulers like Asoka.

Buddhism is divided into two major sects:

Mahayana and Theravada

Mahayana - this sect offered salvation to all who worked to save humanity.

Primarily found in Tibet, Mongolia, China, Korea, and Japan.

Theravada - this sect held to the Buddha’s strict, original teachings.

Practiced primarily in Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

Reflection

• Printing and paper money came fromA. India.B. Persia.C. Japan.D. China.