Classical China
CLASSICAL ERA IN THE EAST
KEY TERMS (HW)
• Aryans
• Hinduism
• Reincarnation
• Caste System
• Buddha
• Emperor Asoka
• Mauryan Empire
• Gupta Empire
• Zhou Dynasty
• Mandates of Heaven
• Confucius
• Qin Dynasty
• Shih Huang-ti
• Great Wall of China
• Han Dynasty
MANDATE OF HEAVEN
DYNASTIES OF CHINA
Zhou Dynasty (1027 B.C.- 221 B.C.)
• Conquered Shang Dynasty
• Rulers were Mandate of Heaven (chosen to rule by heaven)
• Selfish rulers would be overthrown by disasters and riots
• Land given to nobles in exchange for military service
• Civil unrest ensued once nobles gained too much power
• Out of the unrest came Confucius and Lao Tzu
CONFUCIANISM
• Built a philosophy based on the order of the universe ( our role in society)
• Follow traditional ways (obedience and social order)
• Each person should live up to his or her name and fulfill their social obligations
• Family is very important and children should show their parents total devotion called filial piety
• Confucianism stressed the importance of family and order
• No matter who was in charge Confucianism continued because of its social benefits.
CONFUCIANISM CONTINUED
DAOISM
• Based on the teachings of Lao Tzu
• Nature has a way in which it moves (the Dao)
• Accept the way of nature and don’t try to resist it
• Acceptance is a major part of the Dao for harmony
• Achieve enlightenment by “non- striving,” enjoying nature, and using contemplation to abandon earthly concerns
QIN DYNASTY (221 B.C.- 206 B.C.) (CHIN)
• Shin Huang-ti was provincial ruler who unified all of China through conquest (1st to call himself “Emperor”)
• Absolute ruler and would punish those who were bad
• Despised Confucianism and persecuted scholars
• Built the Great Wall of China, canals and roads connecting China, unified written language and measurements
• Also had an immense army of clay soldiers surround him in his tomb
VIDEO
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HAN DYNASTY (206 B.C.E.- 220 C.E.)
• The Han took over for the Qin Dynasty.
• After several years of civil war the Han Emperors emerged victorious
• During Han China the culture Invented:
• Paper
• Lead glazed ceramics
• Advanced silk weaving
• Porcelain
• Created Civil Service Exams for Govt. service based on history and Confucianism
• Used for the Bureaucracy. Government Jobs.
• Civil Service exams allowed common men to move up the social ladder
• Weakened Nobles’ powers.
• Made the Han Emperors more powerful
HAN DYNASTY - GOVERNMENT
SIZE OF HAN CHINA
• Established the “Silk Roads” from China to the Roman Empire
• Network of Trade Routes.
• Nobody traveled entire route.
• Multiple exchanges along the way
• Buddhism traveled to China from India on the Silk Road
SILK ROADS
SILK ROADS
LIFE IN THE HAN DYNASTY
• Families had many children, the boys were raised to be in the military or work in the government, and the girls would be raised to serve their future arranged husband
• Each Family split their land among their sons evenly
• So each generation had less and less wealth and land
• Eventually this caused social instability and civil unrest
• The Han Empire lasted over 400 years
• The Empire was so big that communication suffered and individual Governors started to break away
• Social Instability
• Corruption in the Govt.
• Huns Also invaded
• They never overran China the way they did Rome or India
END OF THE HAN EMPIRE
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