ANCIENT
CHINA
Dynasties of China
•Dynasty – a family of rulers who pass down the
right to rule from generation to generation.
•3 Dynasties heavily influenced the
development of China
1. Zhou (pronounced Joe)
2. Qin (pronounced Chin)
3. Han
Mandate of Heaven
•Rulers of each dynasty believe that the
God of Heaven decided who should rule
China.
•When a new dynasty took over it was
because the old dynasty had lost the
Mandate of Heaven.
THE ZHOU
DYNASTY
Zhou Dynasty
•Longest of the 3 dynasties
•Did not create a centralized form of
government.
•Instead China was set up in territories.
•Each territory was ruled by a member of the
royal family.
•Rulers of each territory were responsible for
providing military service to the King.
Zhou Dynasty
•Made very important technological advances
in China.
• Irrigation
• Waterways & canals
• Dyed fabrics
• Perfected the calendar
• Iron weapons
• Used fertilizer & pesticides
• Medical methods such as acupuncture
End of the Zhou Dynasty
•Around 700B.C. local leaders began to fight
among themselves for control of more
territory.
•This caused the Zhou kings to lose control of
the country.
•Over time the kings become little more than a
figurehead – a person who has a leadership
role but no actual power.
•Real power was held by the rulers of about 150
states.
Rise of the Qin Dynasty
•By 550B.C. there were 4 major powers
competing for power and control in China.
• Qin
• Jin
• Qi
• Chu
•These were called the Warring States
•The Qin dynasty finally gained complete power
in 221B.C.
THE QIN
DYNASTY
Qin Dynasty
•Came to power by militarily conquering the
other Warring States.
•Their founder was Cheng.
•This dynasty only lasted about 15 years, but
made major changes in Chinese life.
•Ruled over an area almost twice the size of the
Zhou dynasty.
Qin Dynasty
•Emperor Cheng maintained order in China by
establishing an autocracy – a form of
government where the emperor has complete
and total power.
•He believed that it was dangerous for scholars
to be able to research and solve problems on
their own.
•He limited their right to discuss issues among
themselves & executed anyone who criticized
the government.
•Protected China
by building walls
along the borders
of each state.
•These walls were
eventually
connected to form
the Great Wall of
China.
•The wall is 1,500
miles long about
the distance from
Key West, FL to the
Upper Peninsula of
Michigan.
The End of the Qin Dynasty
•Emperor Cheng used forced labor to build the
Great Wall.
•The people were extremely upset about being
forced to work for the emperor.
•In 206B.C. a rebel army revolted again the
dynasty.
•Liu Bang, a general in the Qin army, overthrew
the empire and founded the Han Dynasty.
THE HAN
DYNASTY
Han Dynasty
• Liu Bang named himself the King of Han.
• The empire had a centralized government instead of
separate governments in each state.
• Remained in power in China for 400 years.
• Had so much influence over the development of
China that many Chinese people today still call
themselves the “People of Han”.
• Han rulers expanded the territory of China to an even
larger area than the Qin dynasty.
Accomplishments of the Han
Dynasty
• The Civil Service System
• A civil service system is a system that runs the everyday
business of the government.
• Originally government officials recommended people for
civil service positions.
• Eventually a system of tests were put in place to select
the best people for the jobs.
• The dynasty also established the imperial university
to train people for government positions.
• Usually only the wealthiest people could afford to train at
the university.
• Set up a system called leveling to help the economy.
• Under this system the government used price controls to
balance prices of farm products.
• Set up the Silk Road – a trade route that stretched
from China through central Asia.
• Traded jade & silk for gold, silver, and wool.
•China’s population grew to almost 50
million during the Han dynasty.
•People in the capital of the Han dynasty
began using paper for writing instead of
papyrus, clay tablets, and stone.
•This development influenced writing in
the rest of the world.
The End of the Han Dynasty
•The Han ruled China until 220A.D.
•After the fall of the last Han emperor the
country was overrun by many groups of
nomadic people.
•These people caused many Han subjects to
move south.
•China was not reunited until 581A.D.
PHILOSOPHIES
OF ANCIENT
CHINA
Ancient Chinese Beliefs
•Believed in two sides of nature.
•This idea says that everything in the world
results from a balance between two forces.
• Yin – a female force. Dark and passive.
• Yang – a male force. Bright and active.
•Yin & Yang depend on each other and attempt
to remain in balance.
•The concepts of Yin and Yang are believed to
apply to the balance in human life.
•Anything that disrupts the balance will
eventually end & balance will be restored.
Confucianism
•The most influential Chinese philosophy!
•The creator of Confucianism was Confucius.
•Taught the importance of family, respect for
elders, and reverence for your ancestors.
•Wanted to end the political trouble of the time
period.
•Did not discuss gods, or religious ideas.
•Focused on the political problems in Chinese
society & how moral and ethical leadership
could solve these problems.