Do Now
• Which of the following approaches do you think would be most
effective in dealing with school violence?
1. Assign violent students a “big brother/sister” who is a
respected older student in another grade. They would teach
the bully how to behave properly
2. Allow studenst guilty of fighting or bullying to go unpunished,
hoping they will eventually learning from their mistakes
3. Have school authorities publish the rules for unacceptable
behavior and assign harsh punishments for violating rules
What makes China Unique?
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First modern state government
First civilization that wrote down their history
Period of Dynasties
Overall the system lasted from 150 BC – 1911AD
Timeline of Classical China
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Shang: 1766 - 1122 BCE
Zhou: 1029 - 258 BCE
Era of Warring States: 402 BCE - 201 BCE
Qin: 221 - 202 BCE
Han: 202 BCE - 220 CE
Dynastic Cycle
• Dynasties would
continue as long as
there were male
heirs (although some
female heirs had
Emperor like power)
• WHO SHOULD
DECIDE WHEN A
DYNASTY IS OVER?
Mandate of Heaven
• Dynasties end because Heaven is upset with their actions:
• Jie was violent so he lost power (Shang conquers them)
• Storms, Famines, and Uprisings always happen toward the end of
dynasties (Coincidence????)
• The last Shang Emperor is believed to have roasted and eaten his
enemies (Zhou take over)
• Conquests are justified – History is made easier for periods
between Dynasties
Shang Dynasty
• Government and Society
• Strong Monarchy
• Order
• King’s governors ruled distant parts of kingdom
• King also had large army at disposal
• Prevented rebellions, fought outside opponents
• Agricultural Society
• Shang China largely agricultural
• Most tended crops in fields
• Farmers called on to fight in army, work on building projects—tombs,
palaces, walls
Zhou
• Social
• Rise of a strong, landowning class; inherit social status
• Farmers prospered, population growth
• Political
• Loose alliance of regional princes, depended on loyalty; relatively weak rulers
• Exchange land for promise of taxes and military - Feudalism
• Landowners become more powerful than rulers
• Interactions
• Expanded the Middle Kingdom
• Cultural
• Banned human sacrifice; formalized religious practices; Ancestor worship; focus
on harmony
• Promoted use of one language for everyone
• End of dynasty leads to development of new philosophies (Confucianism)
• Tea ceremonies; chopsticks
• Iron Age
• Economic
• Agriculture dominated (N-wheat; S-rice)
Period of Warring States
• 402 BCE - 201 BCE
• Competing interests of landowning class and ruling class cause
political turmoil
• Landowners raise own military - origins of regional warlords
• No political unity - China is exceptionally weak
• Cultural innovations survive
• Results in new philosophies
Confucianism
• Confucius (K’ung Fu
Tzu)
• Period of Warring States
• Scholar - history, music,
ethics
• Main Writing: The
Analects
• Promoted by followers Mencius
Main Ideas
• Restore social order, harmony and good
government to China
• Ethical systems based on relationships and
personal virtue
• Emphasized family
• Filial piety - respect for parents and elders is necessary
for order
• Early Zhou Dynasty was seen as perfect society
• Inferiors devoted to service
• Superiors looked after dependents
Li --> Rite, rules
Ren --> humaneness, benevolence,
humanity
Shu --> empathy
Do not do unto others what you would
not want others to do unto you.
Yi --> Righteousness
Xiao --> Respect your elders!
1. Ruler
2. Father
Subject
Son
3. Husband
Wife
4. Older
Brother
Younger
Brother
5. Older
Friend
Younger
Friend
* Knowing what he knows and knowing what he
doesn’t know, is characteristics of the
person
who knows.
* Making a mistake and not correcting it, is
making another mistake.
* The superior man blames himself; the
inferior man blames others.
* To go too far is as wrong as to fall short.
Confucianism today – how it affects our
world
• Confucius was the founder of the modern
ideal that all people deserve an education
and a chance to govern, not just the noble
class.
• Confucius started the system of going to
school throughout your childhood to
prepare for a few tests that would
determine your status and occupation for
the rest of your life.
• Confucianism was the official Chinese
philosophy from 206 B.C.E. to 1912 C.E.,
and it is still considered the backbone of
Chinese culture.
*
Status
* Age
* Gender
* The emperor is the example of
proper behavior --> “big daddy”
* Social relationships are based on
“rites” or “rituals.”
* Even religious rituals are
important for SOCIAL, not
religious reasons, acc. to Confucius.
Legalism
• Practical, political reaction to
Confucianism
• Han Feizi - 3rd century BCE
• Lived during the Warring States
Period
• Powerful and efficient government
is key to restoring order
• Laws will end civil war and
restore harmony
• Rewards to good subjects and
punish disobedient
• Rulers must control ideas and
actions of people
• Favored by Shi Huangdi during
Qin dynasty
Classroom Rules
• All students must sit with both feet flat on the floor
• All students must sit up straight in their chairs
• All students must have both hands and elbows on the desk at all
times
• All students must look at the SMARTboard and not interact with
classmates
• No food or drink allowed
• Clear all desks
• When addressed by the teacher the students must answer “Yes
Sir”
• When called upon and responding to a question by the teacher
the student must stand up
• When a teacher asks a student do something they must obey
without hesitation
• FAILURE TO FOLLOW ANY OF THESE RULES WILL RESULT IN HARSH
PUNISHMENTS
1. Human nature is naturally selfish.
2. Intellectualism and literacy is
discouraged.
3. Law is the supreme authority.
4. The ruler must rule with a strong,
punishing hand.
5. War is the means of strengthening
a ruler’s power.
The ruler, therefore, “cracks
his whip” on the backs of his
subjects!
Daoism/Taoism
• Founded by Lao Tze (604531 BCE)
• Main Writing: Tao-te-Ching
(The Way of Virtue)
• Human actions are not
important
• Most important part of
society is natural order of
things
• The Tao (The Way) - guides
all things
Daoism/Taoism
• Search for knowledge and understanding of
nature
• To understand nothing, it is best to do
nothing, to observe nature
• Nature is not jealous or power hungry
• Does not argue about right or wrong, good or
bad
* The basic text of Daoism.
* In Chinese, it means The Classic in
the Way and Its Power.
* “Those who speak know nothing:
Those who know are silent.”
These words, I am told,
Were spoken by Laozi.
If we are to believe that Laozi,
Was himself one who knew,
How is it that he wrote a book,
Of five thousand words?
1. Dao [Tao] is the first-cause of the
universe. It is a force that flows through
all life.
2. A believer’s goal is to become one with
Dao; one with nature.
3. Wu wei --> “Let nature take its course.”
--> “The art of doing nothing.”
--> “Go with the flow!”
4. Man is unhappy because he lives to
man-made laws, customs, & traditions that
are contrary to the ways of nature.
To escape the “social, political, & cultural
traps” of life, one must escape by:
1. Rejecting formal knowledge and
learning.
2. Relying on the senses and instincts.
3. Discovering the nature of universe
4. Ignoring political and social laws.
*
Masculine
* Active
* Feminine
* Passive
* Darkness
* Cold
* Weak
* Earth;
Moon
* Light
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Warmth
* Strong
*
Heaven;
Sun
How is a man to live in a world
dominated by chaos, suffering, and
absurdity??
Confucianism --> Moral order in society.
Legalism --> Rule by harsh law & order.
Daoism --> Freedom for individuals and
less govt. to avoid
uniformity and conformity.
Discuss
• Which philosophy will be the best way to rule a kingdom?
Explain
Chinese Philosophies/Religions
Philosophy/
Religion
Founders
Characteristics
Confucianism
Confucius
(Kongzi)
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Peace and order
Respect for elders
Ethical human relationships
Daoism
Laozi
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Reject material things
Commune with nature
Become one with Dao (force within all things)
Buddhism
Budda
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Four Noble Truths
Eightfold path
Nirvana
Harmony with the universe
Legalism
Han Feizi, •
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Shangzi
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Authoritarian
Law is supreme authority
Leader must rule strongly