World History
The Far East
I.
II.
Geography- China covers a vast territory, much of it covered
by deserts and huge mountain ranges( the mighty Himalayas).
These forbidding land features kept the people separated, and
led them to believe that they were the center of the universe,
The Middle Kingdom.
A. Chinese civilization began in the Huang River Valley, on the
east coast of China. As we have learned, rivers provide
fertile soil, but people must organize to control flooding and
irrigation. The Huang River was nicknamed “the River of
Sorrows” for its devastating floods, caused by fine yellow silt
(loess) which settles in the river and makes it overflow.
The Shang Dynasty (1766 BC- 1122 BC) -During The Shang
Dynasty the Chinese discovered the secret of silk-making. They
kept the secret to themselves, and the beautiful cloth became
their richest export. The Chinese writing system (made up of
tens of thousands of characters) helped unify people who spoke
differently, but wrote the same. Astronomers studied the planets
and created an accurate calendar.
III. The Zhou Dynasty- the Zhou ousted the Shang Dynasty in
1122 BC, and ruled China until 256 BC. They spread the idea
that the “Mandate of Heaven” gave them divine right to rule.
The idea became the explanation for the rise and fall of
dynasties. As long as a family ruled well, Heaven kept them in
power. Bad rulers would lose the mandate, and heaven would
send natural disasters and enemies to take over.
A. Feudal China- the Zhou granted land and authority to local
lords. Eventually the lords became too powerful to control
and brought the end of the dynasty.
B. The Economy- The introduction of iron tools improved
farming, and the creation of coins encouraged trade. Feudal
lords built roads and irrigation systems. The population
increased. During the Zhou Dynasty, the Chinese created the
first books.
IV. The Qin Dynasty- Someone needed to get the feudal lords
under control, and Zheng was the man for the job! In 221 BC,
he declared himself Shi Huangdi (first Emperor), and spent 20
years whipping the warring states into line.
A. Legalism- Shi Huangdi ruled by the teachings of Hanfeizi,
who believed that man was naturally evil, and needed strict
laws and harsh punishment. Legalists believed that strength
was a ruler’s greatest virtue. Shi Huangdi was a brutal ruler
and his harsh laws were despised by many, but he did
manage to make a united China. He replaced feudal lords
with military leaders (and sent spies to report on them) and
required nobles to move to his city. He gave their land to the
peasants.
B. The Great Wall- Shi Huandi mobilized China’s resources to
build the great wall. Sections of the wall had been built by
warlords, but it took thousands of laborers years to join them
together.
V. The Han Dynasty- Shi Huangdi died in210 BC, and the Han
Dynasty rose to power. The Hans eased legalism and turned to
Confucian scholars for advice.
A. Wudi- The greatest emperor of the Han Dynasty ruled from
141 BC to 87 BC. He increased the size of China by
conquering new territories, and made Confucianism the
official belief system of the government.
B. The Golden Age- China prospered during the Han Dynasty.
Trade routes opened by Emperor Wudi merged into The Silk
Road and ran all the way to the Fertile Crescent. Advances
were made in science and medicine, including the
development of acupuncture. Paper was invented.
C. Decline- Powerful military leaders (warlords) became too
strong to control, and brought an end to the Han Dynasty.
VI. The Evolution of Chinese Beliefs
A. Early Religions- The Chinese believed that Shang Di, the
supreme god, was too lofty to hear the prayers of mere
mortals, so they prayed to the ancestors of the royal family.
Over time, devotion to ancestors was adopted by all families.
Extended families with a common ancestor formed clans.
B. Confucius- Confucianism is a philosophy, not a religion, as
it concerns social order and government, not spiritual
matters. Confucius was a teacher during the Zhou Dynasty.
He taught that harmony comes from understanding and
accepting one’s place. He stressed five key relationships:
1. Ruler to Subject
2. Parent to Child
3. Husband to Wife
4. Older Brother to Younger Brother
5. Friend to Friend
According to Confucius, the first person in each relationship
is superior to the second, except friend to friend. Superiors
had to set an example and care for inferiors. Inferiors owed
loyalty and obedience to superiors. He taught that everyone
had responsibilities and that filial piety (respect for parents)
was the most important duty.
C. Daoism- Laozi wrote the Dao De Jing (Book of Virtue),
urging people to find harmony with nature. He believed that
society distracted us from the “big picture”. Daoists believed
that government was unnatural. Daoist and Confucian beliefs
merged and blended in Chinese Society.
VII. Korea- the country occupies a peninsula between China to the
north and Japan to the south. Mountains dominate seventy per
cent of Korea, forcing the population to live along its long
coastline. Influenced by their powerful northern neighbor, the
Koreans adapted Chinese ideas and traditions, and passed the
adapted versions on to the Japanese. Buddhism, imported from
China, became the Korean religion.
A. Hangul- Koreans used Chinese characters until 1443, when
King Sejong commissioned experts to develop a writing
system and alphabet that reflected their own language.
Hangul was much easier for Koreans to use and the literacy
rate soared.
VIII. Japan- Japan is a chain of islands (archipelago) southeast of
Korea. Like Korea, the islands are dominated by mountains, so
most Japanese live on the coastlines.
The surrounding seas protected Japan from invasion, but the
islands are subject to earthquakes, which create deadly tidal
waves called tsunamis.
A. The Yamoto Clan- Starting in the year 500, the Yamoto clan
ruled Japan for a thousand years. The Yamoto emperors were
regarded as living gods.
B. Shinto- The Japanese religion was based on worship of the
forces of nature. Buddhism and Confucianism came to Japan
from China, and were modified to suit the Japanese.
C. Feudalism- The divine status of the emperors isolated them
from the people, and the emperors became figureheads,
instead of true leaders. The real power belonged to the
warlords (shoguns). Each shogun ran his territory like his
own little country. Knights, artisans, merchants and peasants
were divided by class, and more loyal to their own shogun,
than to the remote emperor.