Chapter 3 Part III
An Age of Empires
Zhou, Qin, Han Dynasties
AP World History
8000 BCE - 600 CE
Timeline of Classical China
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
Chapter 3 pages 133
Question: Why was the
Chinese empire able to take
shape so quickly compared
to Roman which took
centuries?
1. Identify this statue. Who does it show, and where is it from?
This male figure in full body armor and rolled-up long hair in a
kneeling position is part of the immense funerary complex
constructed for the Chinese ruler Qin Shihuangdi, founder of the
Qin Dynasty, from about 221 B.C.E. The unearthed complex revealed
a Terra Cotta Army of roughly 6,000 soldiers of varying heights.
This figure’s position—the right elbow resting on the right knee with
the right shoulder forward, both hands pointing downward on his
left—suggests that he once held a bow as an archer in Qin
Shihuangdi’s army.
2. Discuss the craft and artistic value of this statue.
The statue is finely detailed with almost lifelike facial features and
carefully carved clothing that shows folds in the archer’s scarf and
sleeves. His position is anatomically accurate and proportionate,
making this statue the work of a highly skilled sculptor.
3. Consider the fact that this statue was one of 6,000 similar
figures. How does this shape your interpretation of the
artifact’s significance?
The scale of the Terra Cotta Army turns this individual example of
artistic capability into a testimony to the power of empires in the
second wave of civilizations. Not only did Qin Shihuangdi lord over
a vast army that could bring other Chinese kingdoms under his
control; he also commandeered more than 700,000 conscript workers
to build a shrine and an army for his afterlife. This statue is an
excellent example of the rise of empire and the god-like selfrepresentations of the heads of these new vast states.
Chinese Dynastic Cycle
1. New family establishes dynasty (new
institutions, economy)
2. Dynasty grows weak
3. Social Divisions Increase
4. Internal rebellions and/or external
rebellions
5. New dynasty emerges
Mandate of Heaven
Belief that the gods transfer their power to a
specific family in China that is meant to
establish a dynasty and rule the region
Emperors were Sons of Heaven
Zhou
 Social
 Rise of a strong, landowning class; inherit social status
 Patriarchal
 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
 Economic
 Agriculture dominated (N-wheat; S-rice)
Period of Warring States
480–221 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
Shi Huangdi and Li Si
 Suppressed Confucianism
 Eliminated rival centers of authority
 Abolished primogeniture and slavery
 Constructed a rural economy of free land-owning/taxpaying farmers
 They standardized weights and measures
 Knit the empire together with roads
 Defended it with a long wall
 The oppressive nature of the Qin regime and its exorbitant
demands for taxes and labor led to a number of popular
rebellions that overthrew the dynasty after the death of Shi
Huangdi in 210 b.c.e.
Rise of Chinese Philosophies
Confucianism
Daoism/Taoism
Legalism
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
Confucianism
Five Basic Relationships in Society
Ruler/Subject
Father/Son
Husband/Wife
Older Brother/Younger Brother
Friend/Friend
Chinese gentleman - education and moral standards;
birth status not important
Bureaucracy - those who help run government
Courteous, precise, generous, just/fair
Women in Confucianism
According to the ideals of the upper classes,
women were to cook, take care of household
chores, respect their parents-in-law, and obey
their husbands
Lower-class women may have been less
constrained. Marriages were arranged, and a new
wife had to prove herself to her husband and to
her mother-in-law through hard work,
obedience, devotion, and by bearing sons.
Daoism/Taoism
Founded by Lao Tze
(604-531 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
Legalism
Practical, political reaction to Confucianism
Han Feizi - 3rd century BCE
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
Emerges out of end of
Zhou Dynasty/Period of
Warring States
Founder: Shi Huangdi
(“First Emperor”)
Established a strong
centralized state on the
Legalist model
Goals:
Unify and expand
China
Restore order
Qin Dynasty
 Social
Primogeniture eliminated (practice of having eldest son inherit
all property and land)
Nobles must leave land and live in Emperor’s court
 Political
Emperor had complete control over all aspects of society
Use of brutality and force to accomplish goals
Bureaucracy (not of the nobility) expanded to help control all
regions
National census
Single law code
 Interactions
Army expanded to crush rivals and regional rebellions
Expanded territory of China, including Hong Kong
Influenced parts of Vietnam through conquest
Expanded infrastructure to increase interactions
 Cultural
 Confucianism looked down upon and followers persecuted
 Legalism promoted
 Architectural: Initiates construction of Great Wall; Terracotta
Soldiers/Tomb of Shi Huangdi
 Uniform written language
 Banned books
 Economic
 Introduced standard weights and measures
 Eliminated the very rare practice of slavery
 Forced labor necessary for construction projects
 Extremely high taxes
 Sponsored agricultural projects (irrigation) and manufacturing of silk
Visual Source 3.3 page160
Why did the Qin Dynasty Fall?
Shi Huangdi
Extremely paranoid; killed off suspected enemies
(nobles, intellectuals, warlords)
Desire to control EVERYTHING
High taxes, forced labor
Shi Huangdi dies in 210 BCE; followed by 8
years of peasant revolts to determine
successor - winner establishes Han Dynasty
Establishment of Han Dynasty
202 BCE - 220 CE
 Liu Bang - leads peasant revolts after
death of Shi Huangdi
 202 BCE - Liu Bang has eliminated
almost all of his competition through
military might and diplomacy
 After a period of consolidation, the
Han went through a period of
territorial expansion under Emperor
Wu (r. 140–87 b.c.e.)
 During the Western Han period (202
b.c.e.–8 c.e.) the capital was at
Chang’an.
 During the Eastern Han (23–22 c.e.)
the capital was at Luoyang.
Han Society
Some lower classes allowed into bureaucracy
Strict emphasis on family relationships
Women
Patriarchal
Some could gain influence through male relatives
Three main groups:
Landowners & educated bureaucrats
Peasants and Artisans
“Mean People” - merchants, actors, musicians
Han Politics/Government
Centralized administration, with less brutality than
Qin dynasty
Improved bureaucracy
Attacked warlords/regional princes
Focused less on military buildup
Emphasized Confucianism - education for
bureaucrats
Wu Ti - most famous emperor (140-87 BCE)
Brought peace to much of Asia
Expanded territory
Civil Service Examination
Han Interactions
Expansion into Korea, Vietnam and Central
Asia
Expanded contact/trade with India and
Persian empires
Later with Roman Empire
Han Culture
Treated Confucianism as religion-shrines
constructed
Gov’t promoted philosophy
Continued construction of Great Wall
Innovations - Seismograph, anatomical research,
hygiene
Animal collars
Pulleys and gears
Increased production of textiles
Water-power mills
Paper
Han Economy
Taxes lower than Qin, but get higher as dynasty
progresses
Copper coins
Required people to work on gov’t projects
Gov’t influenced and controlled parts of economy
Iron and Salt production
Weights and Measures
Trade - silk, jewelry, leather goods, agricultural goods
Public works programs - canal systems
Store surplus of rice and grain