Unit 1: Ancient Civilization
Lesson 5: China
Name: _________________________
Date: __________ Period: __________
SSWH1 The student will analyze the origins, structures, and interactions of complex societies in the
ancient Eastern Mediterranean from 3500 BCE to 500 BCE.
c. Describe the development of Chinese civilization under the Zhou and Qin.
d. Explain the impact of Confucianism on Chinese culture; include the examination system, the Mandate
of Heaven, the status of peasants, the status of merchants, and the patriarchal family, and explain
diffusion to Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korea.
Verbs
Nouns
Classical China
Zhou, Qin, Han Dynasties
Timeline of Classical China
Shang: 1766 - 1122 BC
Zhou: ______________________________
Era of Warring States: 402 BC - 201 BC
Qin: _______________________________
Han: 202 BC – 220 AD
Chinese Dynastic Cycle
New family establishes dynasty (new institutions, economy)
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________
Mandate of Heaven
1. Belief that the __________________ transfer their ____________________ to a specific
family in China that is meant to establish a dynasty and rule the region
2. Emperors were ________________________________________________________
Zhou
Social
1. _______________________ of a strong, landowning class; inherit social status
2. ____________________________________________
Political
1. _________________ alliance of regional princes, depended on loyalty;
relatively weak rulers
2. Exchange land for promise of taxes and military ________________________
3. ____________________________ become more powerful than rulers
Interactions
1. Expanded the __________________________ _________________________.
Cultural
1. Banned ______________________ sacrifice; formalized religious practices;
Ancestor worship; focus on harmony
2. Promoted use of one language for ___________________________________
3. End of dynasty leads to development of new philosophies ________________
4. Tea ceremonies; chopsticks
Economic
1. _________________________________ dominated (N-wheat; S-rice)
Period of Warring States
402 BC - 201 BC
1. Competing interests of ____________________________ class and ruling
class cause political turmoil
2. Landowners raise own military - origins of regional
_______________________
3. No political unity - ____________________________ is exceptionally weak
4. Cultural innovations survive
5. Results in new philosophies
Rise of Chinese Philosophies
 ____________________________________________
 Daoism/Taoism
 Legalism
 ____________________________________________
Confucius (K’ung Fu Tzu)
1. Main Writing: ___________________________________________
2. Promoted by followers – Mencius
Main Ideas
1. Restore _______________________ _______________________, harmony and good
government to ____________________________
2. Emphasized _____________________________________
3. Filial piety - respect for parents and elders is necessary for order
Confucianism
1. Early ________________________________ Dynasty was seen as perfect society
2. Inferiors devoted to__________________________________
3. Superiors looked after _____________________________
Five Basic Relationships in Society
1. ________________________________/_______________________________
2. Father/Son
3. Husband/Wife
4. ________________________________/_______________________________
5. Friend/Friend
Chinese gentleman - _________________________ and _________________________
standards; birth status not important
Bureaucracy - those who help run government
1. Courteous, precise, generous, _________________________/_____________________
2. Based on merit
Daoism/Taoism
1. Founded by Lao Tze (604-531 BCE)
2. Main Writing: Tao-te-Ching (________________________________-)
3. Human actions are not important
4. Most important part of society is natural order of things
The Tao (_____________________________) - guides all things
Daoism/Taoism
1. Search for knowledge and understanding of ___________________________________
2. 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
Legalism
Practical, political reaction to ___________________________
1. Han Feizi - 3rd century BCE
2. 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 dyansty
Qin Dynasty
1. Emerges out of end of Zhou Dynasty/Period of Warring States
2. Founder: __________ _____________________(“First Emperor”)
Goals:
1. Unify and expand _____________________
2. Restore order
Social
1. Primogeniture eliminated (practice of having eldest ____________ inherit all property
and land)
2. Nobles must leave land and live in _____________________________ court
Political
1. Emperor had __________________________ control over all aspects of society
2. Use of ____________________________ and force to accomplish goals
3. Bureaucracy (not of the nobility) expanded to help control all regions
4. National census
5. Single __________________________ __________________________
Interactions
1. Army expanded to crush rivals and regional rebellions
2. Expanded territory of China, including __________________ _____________________
3. Influenced parts of __________________________ through conquest
4. Expanded infrastructure to increase interactions
Cultural
1. __________________________ looked down upon and followers persecuted
2. Legalism promoted
3. __________________________: Initiates construction of Great Wall; Terracotta
Soldiers/Tomb of Shi Huangdi
4. Uniform written language
5. Banned ______________________
Economic
1. Introduced standard weights and ___________________________
2. Eliminated the very rare practice of _________________________
3. Forced labor necessary for construction projects
4. Extremely high ______________________________
5. Sponsored agricultural projects (___________________) and manufacturing of silk
Why did the Qin Dynasty Fall?
Shi Huangdi
1. Extremely ___________________________; killed off suspected enemies (nobles,
intellectuals, warlords)
2. Desire to control ______________________________
3. High taxes, forced labor
4. Shi Huangdi dies in 210 BC; followed by 8 years of peasant revolts to determine
successor - winner establishes ___________ ________________________
Establishment of Han Dynasty
202 BC – 220 AD
1. Liu Bang - leads __________________________ revolts after death of Shi Huangdi
2. 202 BC - Liu Bang has eliminated almost all of his competition through military might
and _________________________________
Han Society
1. Some lower classes allowed into _______________________________
2. Strict emphasis on family _________________________________
Women
1. ______________________________________
2. Some could gain influence through _________________________ relatives
Three main groups:
1. Landowners & educated ________________________________
2. Peasants and Artisans
3. merchants, actors, ________________________________
Han Politics/Government
1. Centralized administration, with less brutality than ________________ dynasty
2. Improved ________________________________
3. Attacked warlords/regional princes
4. Focused less on military ________________________________________________
5. Emphasized Confucianism – _________________________________ for bureaucrats
Wu Ti - most famous emperor (140-87 BC)
1. Brought peace to much of __________________________________________________
2. Expanded ____________________________________________________________
3. Civil Service Examination
Han Interactions
1. Expansion into ______________________________, _________________________ and
Central ____________________________
2. Expanded contact/trade with India and Persian empires
3. Later with ___________________________________ Empire
Han Culture
1. Treated Confucianism as _________________________-shrines constructed
2. Gov’t promoted _______________________________________
3. Continued construction of _________________________ ________________________
4. Innovations - Seismograph, anatomical research, _____________________________
 _________________________ collars
 Pulleys and _____________________________
 Increased production of __________________________________
 Water-power _______________________________________
 _______________________________________________
Han Economy
1. Taxes lower than ___________________________, but get higher as dynasty progresses
2. ____________________________________ coins
3. Required people to work on gov’t __________________________________
4. Gov’t influenced and controlled parts of economy
 _________________________and ___________________________ production
 Weights and ____________________________________________
 __________________________ - silk, jewelry, leather goods, agricultural goods
 Public works programs - ___________________________________ systems
 Store surplus of rice and ___________________________________________