China
during the Classical Period
Chapter 2
China
Hallmarks of
Chinese Society
What do you notice about China’s geography?
What role does this play?
– a world view, the Middle Kingdom =
 Belief
that China is center of world
(geographically & culturally)
Other core values:
 Family = central social unit

Cyclical view of nature
Results of Core
Chinese Values?
Government organization
– Dynasties (Ruling families)
 History
seen as cycles traced by dynasty
 Classical Era: Zhou -> Qin -> Han
Foundational religion
– Ancestor veneration & natural spirits
 Oracle
bones
 Rituals performed to honor ancestors
 Male descendants perform ancestral offerings
 Land key to rituals
Timeline Preview
1029-771 BCE: Zhou
Peak of Zhou dynasty
 Decentralized rule

– King as ritual authority & military
organizer
– Appointed family members to rule
provinces
 Most
lords
governing done by regional provincial
770-403 BCE: Zhou

Zhou in decline as regional provinces
exercise more independence
– Zhou kings remain as ceremonial
authority, but…
– Provinces no longer forward tax revenue
or muster soldiers
402-221 BCE: Zhou
Warring States
 Cultural flowering (philosophies)

– Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism
221-202 BCE: Qin

Shi Huangdi = 1st emperor

Centralized, harsh rule:
– an empire is born
 Legalist,
burned books of rival ideas
 Built roads, standardization
202 BCE – 9 CE: Han
Centralized, but less harsh
 Military strength expanded territory to
West

– Silk Road & economic expansion

Created ministries to execute
emperor’s wishes
– How to choose ministers?
– Civil Service Exams
25 CE – 220: Han

Han dynasty in decline
– Crushing expenses of military expansion
– Growing social divide between rich &
poor
220 – 589:
no central authority

Regional kingdoms, but era dominated
by warfare, chaos, disorder
– Buddhism spreads from India
589 – 618: Sui
Geography
Continents vs. Regions
Overarching Idea

Economic conditions and religion are
key components in legitimizing or
undermining government.

Zhou dynasty
– First dynasty to unite large area
– Forced to justify rule:
 Wickness
of Shang
…but why Zhou?
 Mandate of Heaven – emperors claimed
to rule with the favor of heaven
Historical Background
of Philosophies
What happens to Mandate when things go
wrong? –famine, flood, etc


Decline of Zhou led Chinese to question how to
resume greatness
So, new philosophies developed
– Confucianism
– Daoism
– Legalism
 Used to legitimize government, so after
Zhou dynasties = “empires”
Philosophies

Confucianism
– Goal = wanted to create an orderly, peaceful
China
– Stressed = Filial Piety (respect for family &
authority)
– Summarized by = Five Relationships
 Ruler > ruled
 Father > son
 Husband > wife
 Older brother > younger brother
 Friend = friend
Consider the importance of family in the
following conversation:
 Governor of Shi province says to Confucius,
“In our village there is a man nicknamed
Straight Body. When his father stole a
sheep, he gave evidence against him.”

Confucius replies, “In our village those who
are straight are quite different. Fathers
cover up for their sons, and sons cover up
for their fathers.”
Philosophies

Daoism (“Dao” = the way)
– Stressed = Harmony, balance w/ nature, &
passiveness
– Summarized by =
– “Those who know the Dao do not speak of it;
those who speak of it do not know it.”

Legalism
– Stressed = Belief in the rule of law
– Summarized by = Rewards & punishments must
be used to get people to behave
3 of 3
Qin & Legalism
terra cotta army of
Shi Huangdi’s tomb
Han &
Confucianism…sort of


Who would you give government jobs to if
you were President?
Han Dynasty=
– Layers of legitimacy (blending earlier ideas )
 Mandate
of Heaven
 Legalism
 Confucianism
 Civil
Service Exams
– Impact = meritocracy, fosters new loyalty for
opportunity, professional & effective gov’t
Overarching Idea

Economic conditions and religion are
key components in legitimizing or
undermining government.
Philosophies
Review
Confucianism, Daoism,
Legalism
“The relationship between superiors &
inferiors is like that between the wind and the
grass. The grass must bend when the wind
blows across it.”
 Confucian

“Keep your mouth closed.
Guard your senses.
Temper your sharpness.
Simplify your problems.
Mask your brightness.
Be at one with the dust of the earth.
This is primal union.”
Daoist
“When people are educated, the distinction
between classes disappears.”
 Confucian

“A youth, when at home should be filial, and,
when abroad, respectful to his elders.”
Confucian
“Kindness and benevolence are the fostermother of transgressions;
employment and promotion are opportunities
for the rapacity of the wicked.”
 Legalist
“The world is a sacred vessel. It should not be
meddled with. It should not be owned. If you try to
meddle with it, you will ruin it. If you try to own it,
you will lose it.”
 Daoist

“Let the emperor be emperor and
the subject be the subject.”
Confucian
“The superior man…does not set his mind
either for anything, or against anything; what
is right he will follow.”
 Confucian
“The enlightened ruler, in ruling his country,
increases the guards and makes the penalties
heavier.”
 Legalist
“When it is left to follow its natural feelings,
human nature will do good. That’s why I say it
is good. If it becomes evil, it is not the fault of
man’s original capability.”
 Confucian
Thesis Practice
Analyze the similarities and differences
in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt.
 Analyze the similarities and differences
in the Qin and Han dynasties.
 Analyzes the impacts of Confucianism
on Chinese society.

Explain the history of classical China
using examples to support patterns
seen in the dynastic cycle