Ancient China



degree of isolation
distance from Middle East
youngest Primary Phase culture in the
Old World
Unique features



intensive garden-style agriculture
do not adopt the plow until very late
unique soil: loess
Early History




legendary outline
three principal Neolithic Cultures
later tradition: the Hsia dynasty
– no traces
first historical civilization: the Shang
dynasty
The Shang Dynasty




Yellow River
– near the frontier
traditional date: 1500 B.C.
invaders
eventually absorbed
Distinct Characteristics




silk
no animal milk or milk products
ancestor worship
central place of the family
Operative unit of Society




the family
not the individual
not the state
not the religion
Other features



ornate architecture
chopsticks
ideographic script
– still readable by modern Chinese

divination
Organization




peasants support nobles, officials,
bureaucracy, etc.
government centered in towns
warrior elite
poor live in primitive conditions
Distinctions

between rich and poor
– price of civilization ?

between male and female
– infanticide
– footbinding
– arranged marriages
– multiple wives
Early ideology




Yin and Yang
Yin: female, dark, weak, wet, passive
Yang: male, bright, strong, dry, active
balance of opposites
End of the Primary Phase



not as serious in China
nomadic invaders
the Zhou dynasty
– 1027 B.C.

replaced one ruling class with another
– “meet the new boss...same as the old
boss.”
Characteristics of the Zhou




decentralized government
local nobility
long running problem
771 B.C. Chou driven east
The Eastern Zhou




ruled until 256 B.C.
power held by local aristocrats
first Chinese literature
evolution of bronze technology
Political theory


the mandate of Heaven
universal monarch
– favors consolidation
– xenophobic


Emperor is the Son of Heaven
feudal monarchy
The Period of Warring States




771 B.C.
dozen-plus states
balance of power until 500’s
period of consolidation by warfare
– warfare chronic
Intellectual development


response to crisis and uncertainty
Confucianism
– a sort of philosophy

Taoism
– a sort of religion
The Good Old Days


breakdown of “traditional family values”
no trust or confidence in government
– filled with thieves, liars, and murderers


no respect for the ancestors
“Why do the wicked flourish?”
Confucius (ca. 551-479 B.C.)




poor family
well-educated in the “classics”
ambitious (wanted to be a bureaucrat...)
couldn’t get honest work...so he
became a teacher
Confucius, con’t



wrote nothing--his followers wrote about
him
difficult to separate myth from fact
the Analects
– his “sayings”
The Analects




looked back to the “good old days”
but favored some new ideas along with
the old
rejection of the idea of in-born nobility
proper training, education, and aptitude
make a “gentleman”
– not simply birth into a certain family
Marks of gentility




goodness, wisdom, courage
moderation of outer and inner emotions
knowledge of traditional rites
dissociation from all men who did not
practice these things
– simple satisfaction in the practice of virtue
for its own sake
Circumstances favoring his
ideas




lack of mythopoetic urge
lack of a strong religious tradition and
experience
lack of prophets
lack of anthropomorphic gods
Important Confucian concepts




jen
li
the TAO
no speculation on metaphysics
Confucius, con’t



a failure?
ideas spread by students
adopted by the Han dynasty
Taoism


Mo Tzu: ca. 470-391 B.C.
Lao Tzu: 4th or 3rd century
– taught about the Tao
Taoism



supplied the metaphysical
multiple lines of thought
very fluid
Basic concepts



pursuit of justice and righteousness
withdrawal and contemplation
withdrawal from society
The Zhou (Chou) and Qin





rise of the Qin
new technology
gave land to peasants
new military draft
new bureaucracy
The Qin and the Legalist
tradition




ideology of rule
absolute power of the ruler
people existed to serve the state
destroy Confucian philosophy?
Shi Huangdi



united China in 221 B.C.
ruled by the Legalist theory
massive conscription for labor
Rise of the Han



rebellion of peasants
Lui Bang
a successful failure
Han dynasty



ruled for 400 years
new bureaucracy
emphasis on centralization
– weakening of the aristocracy


imperial expansion
destruction of the Legalists
Han society





the Confucian educated elite
free peasants
non-free peasants
improvement in women's’ status
beginnings of “secret societies”