Trevor Anderson
Period 3 Sands
China: Pre-Classical through Han
Theme 1: Interaction Between Humans and the Environment
Early China and the Shang Dynasty
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No later than 6000 B.C.E. wheat and millet were being grown in northern China
In southern China, along the Yangzi and below, rice could be cultivated by 6000 B.C.E.
Zhou Dynasty
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Around 300 B.C.E. ox-drawn plows were introduced which increased agricultural productivity
Han Dynasty
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Han used improved agricultural techniques including better irrigation and the invention of the horse collar,
which allowed horses to pull heavier loads
The first water-powered mills were introduced, allowing further gains in manufacturing
Theme 2: Development and Interaction of Cultures
Early China and the Shang Dynasty
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Pre-classical China developed as an early river valley civilization along the Yellow River
Around 8000 B.C.E. small neolithic societies formed along the Yellow River
Early Shang dynasty culture used chariots that they discovered through their contact with the Middle East
The Shang learned cavalry warfare from the steppe nomads they fought in the north
Shang developed one of the first communication systems by forming a system of writing and pictograms
They developed the two most important aspects of early Chinese religion: divination and ancestor veneration
Zhou Dynasty
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Around 600 B.C.E. the Zhou entered the iron era and began to make iron tools and weapons
A major religion of the Zhou Dynasty was Confucianism due to Confucius living from 551-479 B.C.E.
Confucius wrote multiple doctrines of the proper relationship between society and the individual and stressed
that a harmonious society was composed of a good ruler and good subjects willing to follow
Confucianism spoke of the existence of gods but stressed wise and ethical conduct in this world
Confucianism squared well with the mandate of heaven ideology that emerged during the Zhou period and
remained central to Chinese political thought
Qin Dynasty
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Qin introduced iron weapons, crossbows, and cavalry warfare
The Qin is the Chinese dynasty that began the construction of the Great Wall of China
Han Dynasty
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The Han favored Confucianism and worshipped its beliefs exclusively
Under the Han paper was invented becoming a major part of government and communication
Theme 3: State Building, Expansion and Conflict
Early China and the Shang Dynasty
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Tradition speaks of a dynasty called the Xia from around 2000 B.C.E. as being the first Chinese dynasty, but
it is often thought to be mythological
The first verified dynasty was the Shang which emerged on the Huang He River and became a rapidly
growing state around 1750 B.C.E.
The Shang fought their barbaric neighbors to the North and West to expand its boundaries by conquest
Zhou Dynasty
Trevor Anderson
Period 3 Sands
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The second China dynasty was the Zhou, they were the longest lasting dynasty, and they were founded by a
herding society from the west that rebelled against the Shang rule
Zhou dynasty began circa 1046 or 1045 B.C.E. due to the Battle of Muye
The Zhou lasted until 221 B.C.E. and collapsed due to internal corruption and collapse and civil wars
Qin Dynasty
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The Qin dynasty ruled from 221-206 B.C.E
Shi Huangdi, founder of the Qin, ended the “Warring States” period and united northern China with the
Yangzi valley in the south
The Qin turned China into a dictatorial, centralized nation governed by a large and effective bureaucracy
Han Dynasty
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The Han were brought to power by the fall of the Qin dynasty
The Han armies expanded absorbing all of Inner China, much of Outer China, and parts of Vietnam, Korea,
Manchuria, and inner Mongolia
Han dynasty governed less ruthlessly than the Qin, and revived the Zhou ideal of the Mandate of Heaven
Han rulers expanded China’s law code from three volumes to twenty-seven, providing the foundation for the
code used by later dynasties
Theme 4: Creation, Expansion and Interaction of Economic Systems
Early China and the Shang Dynasty
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The Shang traded extensively with networks reaching as far as the Middle East
Zhou Dynasty
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Much trade throughout China during this time period focused on luxury items for the upper class such as silk,
jewelry, leather goods, and furniture
Wheat and rice began to be traded as well as a copper currency being used to regulate trade
Qin Dynasty
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The Qin taxed so heavily that shortly after Shi Huangdi’s death, rebellions broke out and destroyed the
dynasty
Han Dynasty
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The Han developed a tributary system, exacting payment from neighboring states not under their rule
They built roads and canals throughout China to link the country’s major rivers
During Han rule China’s economy was strong in part by their monopoly on silk production which made it a
dominant player in Silk Road trade
Theme 5: Development and Transformation of Social Structures
Zhou, Qin, Han Dynasties
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Considerable gaps developed between China’s upper class, which controlled large landed estates, and the
masses, farmer-peasants who produced little more than what was needed for their own subsistence
Classical China consisted of three main social groups:
1. Landowning aristocracy plus the educated bureaucrats
2. The laboring masses, peasants and also urban artisans who manufactured goods
3. The “mean” people, the general category identified as those without meaningful skills
In most families, the emphasis on obedience to parents, and a corresponding emphasis on wives’ obedience to
husbands, kept them stable
Chinese culture saw the family as the center of the hierarchy
Women, although subordinate, had their own clearly defined roles and could sometimes gain power through
their sons and as mother-in-law of younger women brought into the household