ancient china
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ANCIENT AND CLASSICAL CHINA ANCIENT LEGENDS: THE 3 WISE SAGE KINGS The Sage Kings Gave the Chinese “civilization” King Yao King Shun Rescued China from raging floods of the Yellow River Legendary? Regulating the four seasons, Invented weights, measures, and units of time King Yu A virtuous ruler bringing harmony to society Legends reflect values of society Many may prove true! The Xia Dynasty Considered historical by Chinese Possibility that the Sage Kings were from the Xia Dynasty APPEARANCE OF HUMANS IN EAST ASIA Beginnings Over two hundred thousand years ago Domesticated rice Millet cultivation In the valley of the Yellow River Also around 8000 BCE Wheat and barley Around 7000 B.C.E. In the valley of the Yangzi River Became staple foods of north China by 2000 B.C.E. Two Hearths? Genetic and archaeological evidence says yes Northern hearth (Yellow R) ethnically Chinese Southern hearth (Yangzi R) ethnically Polynesian EMERGENCE OF CHINESE SOCIETY 2ND MILLENNIUM BCE Agricultural villages Appeared in the valleys of the two rivers Society was patriarchal Fathers dominated families Elder males ruled village Males performed religious sacrifices Political Institutions Towns and small states Appeared in north China during 2nd millennium B.C.E. Three dynastic states in the valley of Yellow River: Xia Shang Zhou EARLY AGRARIAN SOCIETY The Yellow River Water source at high plateau of Tibet Loess soil carried by the river's water, hence "yellow" River was "China's Sorrow" as it flooded uncontrollably Loess: rich soil, soft, easy to work Neolithic societies after 5000 B.C.E. Yangshao society, 5000-3000 B.C.E. Excavations at Banpo village: fine pottery, bone tools Longshan culture: 3000 – 2000 BCE ANCIENT CHINA XIA DYNASTY • Archaeological Evidence Discovery of Xia is still in preliminary stage Archaeologists have found some tombs Chinese scholars believe it existed • • • • Supposed History Established about 2200 B.C.E. Legendary King Yu • • • • • The dynasty founder A hero of flood control Erlitou: possibly the capital city of the Xia XIA CHINA THE SHANG DYNASTY: 1766-1122 B.C.E. Arose in the North China Along Yellow River Between Ordos Bulge and Mouth of Yellow River Evidence Many records, material remains discovered Bronze metallurgy, monopolized by elite Vast network of walled towns Agricultural surpluses supported large troops Shang Society Shang-kings were warriors Constant struggle with nobles for power The Shang capital moved six times Small Shang elite ruled large common population Lavish tombs of Shang kings Contained chariots, weapons, bronze goods Sacrificial human victims, dogs, horses SHANG CHINA MANDATE OF HEAVEN The right to rule granted by heaven Zhou justified their overthrow of Shang Ruler called "the son of heaven" Only given to virtuous, strong rulers To lose mandate = someone else should rule Replacement of dynasties = Dynastic Cycle Signs one had lost mandate Corruption, heavy taxes Lazy officials and rulers Revolts, invasions, civil wars, crime Natural disasters Society develops bad morals, habits THE MANDATE OF HEAVEN AND THE DYNASTY CYCLE THE ZHOU DYNASTY: 1122-256 B.C.E. The rise of the Zhou The last Shang king was a bad ruler The Zhou forces toppled the Shang Political organization Adopted decentralized administration Used princes and relatives to rule regions Consequences Weak central government with ceremonial functions Rise of regional powers; often called feudalism Constant rivalry between warring families, nobles THE ZHOU MAP THE FALL OF THE ZHOU Iron metallurgy Iron technology spread; 1st millennium B.C.E. Iron weapons were cheaper to produce than bronze Helped regional aristocrats to resist the central power Feudal state of Qin mastered iron technology, weapons Nomadic invasion sacked capital Prior period called Western Zhou Capital moved to Loyang beginning Eastern Zhou Warring States Period (403-221 B.C.E.) Territorial princes became more independent Rise of Qin state States warred one with another Rise of Sun Tzu as military strategist Qin began conquering rivals Created vast army, no one able to stop Qin kings Last Zhou king abdicated his position in 256 B.C.E. FAMILY Central to Chinese culture: kinship Veneration of ancestors Filial Piety Young must respect elders without question Elders always right, make decisions Belief in ancestors' presence, continuing influence Burial of material goods with the dead Offering sacrifices at the graves Eldest males presided over rites honoring ancestors Only males could perform religious duties Patriarchal society During Neolithic times, Chinese society = matrilineal Rise of states, war due to men's contribution s After Shang, not even queens merited temples THE SOCIAL ORDER The ruling elites Imperial Family Nobles Peasants, the majority of population Royal family and allied noble families at the top Their lavish consumption of bronze products, silk Hereditary aristocrats with extensive landholding Most of the land owned by the king, nobles Called the “mean” people Landless peasants provided labor Lived in small subterranean houses Wood, bone, stone tools common Iron spread in 6th century B.C.E. Women’s World Wine making, weaving, silkworm raising Managing household, raising children Elite women vs. poor women Peasants OTHERS Specialized labor Artisans Jade from Central Asia, tin from SE Asia A few pieces of pottery from India Merchants ranked socially lower Slaves Free artisans Artists, musicians Craftsmen in great demand Served the needs of ruling elites Merchants, trade were important Slaves Mostly war prisoners Performed hard work Became sacrificial victims Suspicious towards Foreigners Merchants SECULAR CULTURAL TRADITION No organized religion, priestly class Impersonal heavenly power - tian Males performed few duties Fathers took care of family duties Rulers took care of the public duties Oracle bones Rulers, people question tian for direction Primary instruments of fortune-tellers Discovery of the "dragon bones" in 1890s Bones recorded day-to-day concerns Early Chinese writing Earliest form was the pictograph From pictograph to ideograph Absence of alphabetic or phonetic component More than two thousand characters Modern Chinese writing is direct descendant CHINESE POPULAR RELIGION Customary beliefs and practice Syncretic in nature Will absorb many different traditions Blends all major ideas, philosophies Exists in harmony with official philosophies, faiths Believes gods, spirits (shen) influence family, world As old as civilization in China Never encouraged/discouraged by state Power over world affairs Deceased members of community, family Deified figures of history, literature Spiritual embodiment of nature, geography Maintenance of family shrines, community temples Prayers, supplications Food offerings Shamanism and divination are practiced HOUSEHOLD & PUBLIC RITUALS Household Rituals Always performed by males Expression of Confucian filial piety Worship of the stove god Oversees family’s moral conduct Reports on family to heaven Public Rituals Domestic altar Names of deceased, icons Preserve social harmony, local identity Local earth god protects area from spirits City god important; has temple at center of city Physical, public processions, offerings Supreme Deity and Influence of Daoism Shangdi (Ruler on High) Cannot be addressed directly Shang kings called up other spirits to address Shangdi Later called Tian or Heaven Rulers called Son of Heaven Empire is his favorite government Mandate of Heaven is an off-shoot of this idea THOUGHT, LITERATURE Zhou literature The Book of Change, a manual of diviners The Book of History, the history of the Zhou The Book of Rites The Book of Songs The rules of etiquette and rituals for aristocrats The most notable of the classic works Verses on themes both light and serious Reflected social conditions of the early Zhou Destruction of early literature Most Zhou writings have perished 1st emperor destroyed most writings PASTORALISTS Steppelands Pastoralists domesticated animals Lived on grassy lands Seasonal migrations to pasture lands Became nomads, ancestors of Turks, Mongols Nomadic society Little farming, but relied on herding animals Two classes – a royal clan and then all commoners Patriarchal society but women had influence Interactions Constant warfare between nomads over best grazing area Relied on grains and manufactured goods of the Chinese Exchange of products between nomads, farmers Nomads often invaded rich agricultural society Nomads did not imitate Chinese ways EXPANSION OF CHINA The Yangzi valley Indigenous peoples of South China The longest river of China Two crops of rice per year Dependable and beneficial to farmers Ancestors of the Malayo-Polynesians Many assimilated into Chinese society Some pushed into hills, mountains Many migrated to Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand State of Chu (Conquered by Qin) Emerged in the central Yangzi region Challenged the Zhou for supremacy Adopted Chinese ways CONFUCIUS’ SEARCH FOR ORDER Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.) Confucian ideas A strong-willed man, from an aristocratic family Traveled ten years searching for an official post Educator with numerous disciples Sayings compiled in the Analects by disciples Fundamentally moral and ethical in character Restore political and social order; stress ritual Formation of junzi - "superior individuals" Edited Zhou classics for his disciples to study The key Confucian concepts Ren - a sense of humanity Li - a sense of propriety Xiao - filial piety Cultivating of junzi for bringing order to China 5 Relationships and filial piety as basis of society LATER CONFUCIANS Mencius (372-289 B.C.E.) Principal spokesman for the Confucian school Believed in the goodness of human nature Government by benevolence, humanity Xunzi (298-238 B.C.E.) Served as a governmental administrator Cast doubt on the goodness of human nature Harsh social discipline to order to society Stress moral education, good public behavior CONFUCIAN SOCIAL HIERARCHY Confucian Scholar Official LEGALISM Legalism The doctrine of statecraft Doctrine used by Qin dynasty Shang Yang (ca. 390-338 B.C.E.) Promoted a practical and ruthlessly efficient approach No concern with ethics and morality No concern with the principles governing nature A chief minister of the Qin state His policies summarized in The Book of Lord Shang Was executed by his political enemies Han Feizi (ca. 280-233 B.C.E.) Student of Xunzi, became the most articulate Legalist A synthesizer of Legalist ideas Forced to suicide by his political enemies LEGALISM IN PRACTICE The state's strength How to treat people Agriculture Military force Discouraged commerce, education, and the arts Harnessing self-interest of people for needs of state Called “carrot and stick” approach in west Called for harsh penalties even for minor infractions Advocated collective responsibility before law Not popular among the Chinese, Chinese used legalism if state threatened Legalism still doctrine common to China MOHISM Founder Mo Zi Lived 470 – 391 BC A commoner, worked with mean people Served in military, ideas based on it Beliefs Partiality, competition causes problems Advocates doctrine of universal love Advocates cooperation Stress discipline, order, authority Loyalty to all elders, not family Emphasized practical; hate waste, war Favor math, science over arts, ritual DAOISM Prominent critics of Confucianism Philosophical Daoism Preferred philosophical reflection and introspection Understand natural principles, live in harmony with them Laozi and Zhuangzi Laozi, founder of Daoism; wrote the Daodejing Zhuangzi, Daoist philosopher, wrote Zhuangzi Dao - The way of nature, the way of the cosmos Opposites in balance, complementary An eternal principle governing all workings of the world Passive, yielding, does nothing , accomplishes everything Tailor behavior to passive, yielding nature Ambition, activism brought the world to chaos Popular Daoism A folk or religious form of Daoism; not philosophical Emerged at end of Han Dynasty Seek to master forces of natural, spiritual world Many deities including immortals, which people venerated Symbolized prosperity, happiness Many saints were patrons of certain occupations Gods associated with natural cycles, agriculture Daoist priests were shamans, performed exorcisms DAOIST WUWEI The doctrine of wuwei Disengagement from worldly affairs Called for simple, unpretentious life Live in harmony with nature Advocated small state, self-sufficient community Political implications Served as a counterbalance to Confucian activism Individuals often both Confucians and Daoists Flourishes when society at peace, prosperous UNIFICATION OF CHINA The Qin State and Dynasty Partially sinified pastoralists, perhaps even Turkish Located in west China and adopted Legalist policies Encouraged agriculture, resulted in strong economy Organized a powerful army equipped with iron weapons Conquered other states and unified China in 221 B.C.E. Qin Shi Huang di King of Qin proclaimed himself First Emperor, 221 B.C.E. Established centralized imperial rule Held sons of nobles as hostages Demolished nobles castles Project of connecting and extending the Great Wall 700,000 people worked on project; 100,000 killed QIN STATECRAFT Suppressing the resistance Policies of centralization Standardization of laws, currencies, weights, measures Standardized scripts: tried to create uniform language Creates a uniform writing system but not language Tomb of the First Emperor Bitterly opposed, was opposed by Confucian scholars Buried 460 scholars alive because of their criticism against the Qin Burned all books except some with utilitarian value The tomb was an underground palace Excavation of the tomb since 1974 Terracotta soldiers and army to protect tomb The collapse of the Qin dynasty Massive public works generated ill will among people Waves of rebels overwhelmed the Qin court in 207 B.C.E. A short-lived dynasty, left deep marks in Chinese history THE EARLY HAN DYNASTY Liu Bang Han was long-lived dynasty Early Han policies A general, persistent man, a methodical planner Restored order, established dynasty, 206 B.C.E. Sought middle way between Zhou and Qin Royal relatives were not reliable Returned to centralized rule Martial Emperor (141-87 B.C.E.) Han Wudi ruled for 54 years Pursued centralization and expansion HAN STATECRAFT Han centralization Adopted Legalist policies Built an enormous bureaucracy to rule the empire Continued to build roads and canals Levied taxes on agriculture, trade, and craft industries Imperial monopolies on production of iron and salt Established Confucian educational system for training bureaucrats Confucianism as the basis of the curriculum in imperial university Thirty thousand students enrolled in the university in Later Han Han imperial expansion Invaded and colonized northern Vietnam and Korea Extended China into central Asia Han organized vast armies to invade Xiongnu territory Han enjoyed uncontested hegemony in east and central Asia MAPPING HAN CHINA HAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE • • • • • • Patriarchal, patrilocal households averaged five inhabitants Large, multigenerational compound families also developed Women's subordination (Ban Zhao Admonitions for Women) Cultivators were the majority of the population Differences apparent between noble, lower class women Scholar bureaucrats: Confucian trained bureaucrats • • • Scholar Gentry • • • • Officials selected through competitive testing Used to run the government in Early Han Confucian bureaucrats intermarried with landed elite New class comes to dominate local, national offices Strongest in late Han Merchants held in low social esteem COMMERCE, INDUSTRY Iron metallurgy Silk textiles Invented probably before 100 C.E. Began to replace silk and bamboo as writing materials Population growth Sericulture spread all over China during the Han High quality Chinese silk became a prized commodity Traded as far as India, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Rome State monopolies on liquor, salt and iron Paper production Farming tools, utensils Weapons Increased from 20 to 60 million (220 BCE to 9 CE) Despite light taxation, state revenue was large Silk Road established: horses for silk HAN TROUBLES Expeditions consumed the empire's surplus Social tensions, stratification between the poor and rich Problems of land distribution Raised taxes and confiscated land of some wealthy individuals Taxes, land confiscations discouraged investment Much of defense consumed on defending against nomads Early Han supported land redistribution Economic difficulties forced some small landowners to sell property Some sold themselves or their families into slavery Lands accumulated in the hands of a few No land reform, because Han needed cooperation of large landowners The reign of Wang Mang A powerful Han minister dethroned the baby emperor Claimed imperial title himself, 9 C.E. Land reforms - the "socialist emperor“ Overthrown by revolts 23 C.E LOSS OF THE MANDATE The Later Han Dynasty (25-220 C.E.) Overthrown of Wang Mang restores Han New Han much weakened Rule often through large families, gentry Rise of Eunuchs in government as new source of power The Yellow Turban Uprising (Daoist Revolt) Collapse of the Han Rulers restored order but did not address problem of landholding Yellow Turban uprising inflicted serious damage on the Han Court factions paralyzed central government Han empire dissolved China was divided into regional kingdoms Period of 3 Kingdoms Local aristocrats divided empire Later fragmented further During period nomads invaded, Buddhism entered
