Part II: The Classical Period, 1000BCE – 500CE (page 30-33)
1. What were some general characteristics of classical civilizations? (This answer will require you
to find information spanning from pages 30 through 33 AND the response should include AT
LEAST five characteristics that all classical civilizations shared.)
 Relied on the achievements of the River Valley Civilizations: technologies, artistic styles,
writing systems, mathematical concepts
 Use of iron weapons
 Large political structures to control large areas of territory
 Growing internal trade
 Unified culture
 Growing populations
 Migration of populations within the civilizations territory
 Military expansion
 Increase spread of disease
 Increasing integration of the population (political institutions, culture, etc.)
Classical Civilization: China
2. Describe the pattern of dynastic rise and decline in classical China.
 Internal rebellions would allow a new dynasty to emerge
 The new dynasty would rule China “with great vigor”
 Development of strong political institutions
 Encouragement of an active economy
 Tax revenues declined
 Social divisions increased
 Internal rebellions occurred
 Outside invasions further weakened the dynasty
 New dynasty would emerge
3. Compare the strengths and weaknesses of the Zhou Dynasty.
 Strengths:
o Rule through powerful alliances with regional princes and noble families
o Extension of territory created the core of Chinese territory (Middle Kingdom)
o Rich agricultural area
o Focus on a central government (Mandate of Heaven)
o Encouraged greater cultural unity (religion, language- Mandarin-, literature)
 Weaknesses:
o Relied on alliances with regional princes and noble families (threat to centralized
rule)
o Rulers lacked the means to control their territories directly
o Feudal system
4. How did cultural creations, such as Mandarin Chinese and Confucianism (hint: also look under
Religion and Culture), help to unify the people of classical China?
 Mandarin Chinese
o Largest single group of people all speaking the same language in the world at this
time
o Allowed for an “official” language of Chinese government officials/educated
elite
o Oral stories written down in Mandarin – allowed for a common cultural
“currency”

Confucianism
o Shared political ethical system allowed for more unity
o During Han dynasty, Confucius was regarded as a “god” – religious unity
 Upper-class values emphasized good life on earth and obedience to the state
 Chinese tolerated and often combined many beliefs
5. Why was Qin Shi Huangdi so important to Chinese history, especially considering he ruled for
only 35 years? What were some of his major contributions?
 Greatly increased the power/influence of the central government at the expense of the
regional princes and noble families
 Created a provincial/bureaucratic structure headed by officials loyal to the Emperor
 Extended Chinese territory to the south and north, extending Chinese influence to those
areas
 Built the Great Wall of China, with forced peasant labor, as a defense against invaders
from the north
 Created a national census – provided data for tax revenues and labor service
 Standardized coinage, weights, and measure making internal trade easier
 Made Chinese written script uniform throughout the Empire = cultural unity
 Furthered agriculture, irrigation projects, and promoted manufacturing (silk cloth)
6. Compare the rise and fall of the Zhou, Qin, and Han Dynasties giving specific similarities and
differences.
 Zhou
o Came to power after the decline of the Shang Dynasty
o Relied on alliances
o Expanded Chinese territory
o Alliance system broke down as internal rivals for power emerged
 Qin
o Came to power after the Warring States period
o Created a strong central government that did not depend on alliances
o Created a strong bureaucracy loyal to the emperor
o Strong central army crushed regional resitance
o Expanded Chinese territory
o Autocratic rule created internal dissent
o Internal peasant uprising led to the end of the Qin dynasty
 Han
o Came to power as part of a widespread peasant rebellion
o Continued the strong central government institutions created by the Qin
o Expanded Chinese territory
o Increased trans-regional/international trade
o Bureaucrats were formally trained, still loyal to the emperor
o Used Confucianism to strengthen control over Chinese society
o Weakened central control and threats from outside invaders led to the decline of
the Han
7. Describe the political framework (structure of the government authority) that emerged during
China’s classical period. What made this framework successful?
 Political framework
o Central authority based on an imperial bureaucracy
 Emperor
 Provincial governors appointed by the Emperor– military and legal
powers in the name of the emperor
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o
8.
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Government ministries and ministers – finance, justice, military
affairs,etc.
 Trained and skilled bureaucracy based on examination system (scholarbureaucrat)
 Mostly from upper classes but some bureaucrats came from
lower classes
 Provided a check on complete upper class rule
Strong local units
 Dependent on tightly knit patriarchal families
 Ancestor worship/extended families
 Village authority/leaders
 Landlords/landed nobles
Single law code
Uniform tax system
Attacks on local warrior-landlords
o
o
o
 Success
o Emperors orders could be carried out efficiently
o Respect for authority in Chinese culture
What was the role of the bureaucracy in classical China? Who made up the bureaucrats who
helped run the government? How were these people selected?
 Trained and skilled bureaucracy based on examination system (scholar-bureaucrat)
o Mostly from upper classes but some bureaucrats came from lower classes
o Provided a check on complete upper class rule
Describe the government role in Chinese culture and economy.
 Han rulers promoted Confucian philosophy as official statement of Chinese values and
acted as keeper of Chinese beliefs
 Active in economy
o Organized production of iron and salt
o Standardized currency, weights, and measures
o Facilitated trade
o Sponsored government works (irrigation and canals)
o Regulated agricultural supplies (rice and grain) to control prices
What role did Confucianism play in the order and structure of Chinese society? What was the
effect of Confucianism on the relationships between social classes?
 It provided a belief system which emphasized political virtue and social order
o Rulers had to treat the people well
o Subjects had to remain obedient and respectful – even under bad rulers
o Stressed making education available to all – talented people could come from any
class
 Many peasants and even some educated elites did not find a strong connection to
Confucianism as it neglected the spiritual
 The ideas of Confucianism led to a more controlled population
Why did Legalists have such dislike for Confucianism? Explain.
 See Sample
How was Daoism different from Confucianism? What were some of the reasons why people
found Daoism to be an alternative to Confucianism? Why could both Daoism and Confucianism
coexist in China?
 Daoism appealed to the upper classes because it was much more spiritual than
Confucianism
o Embraced traditional Chinese beliefs in nature’s harmony
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Daoism promoted its own set of ethics
o Promoted humility and frugal living
o Political activity and learning were irrelevant to the good life
 Confucianism and Daoism could coexist because both Daoism’s focus on otherworldly
beliefs meant that it had little practical effect on politics
o Further, later rulers convinced Daoist priests to include loyalty to the emperor in
their temple services
Provide MANY examples of how Daoism and Confucianism influenced Chinese culture.
 Confucianism
o Literature and art in the upper classes
o Five Classics become the basis for the Civil Service Exam
o Classic of Songs (poems of love and joy)
o Art – calligraphy
o Not much Monumental Building
o Encouraged medical and scientific work
 Daoism
o Encouraged exploration of the orderly processes of nature
o Mathematics
o Acoustics
Explain the class structure that developed in classical China. What were the characteristics of
each class?
 Three Main Groups:
o Landowning aristocracy and educated bureaucrats
1. upper class was about 2% of population
2. Upper owned large estates
o Laboring masses, peasants, and urban artisans
1. Peasants produced barely enough to survive
2. Lives of hard manual labor
o “Mean” people
1. performed transport or unskilled jobs
2. small number of slaves fell in this class
 Large gaps between upper and lower classes
 By the time of the Zhou slavery mostly disappeared
 Despite merchants becoming more important, their lives were viewed as lowly
o Wealthy merchants had low prestige
What advances allowed China to reach higher levels of technical expertise than other parts of the
world?
 Agricultural implements
o Ox-drawn plows
o New collar was invented for draft animals
 Iron mining
o Pulleys and winding gear
o Iron tools/lamps
 Water-powered mills
 Invention of paper improved central government control
How did the isolation that the Chinese people felt affect their view of the world around them?
 Viewed rest of the world as “barbarians” with nothing to offer (beside the threat of
invasion)
 Had no desire/need to learn from other societies because China’s advanced
culture/technology
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Had no desire to teach the rest of the world either – no missionary spirit evident in
Chinese culture and politics
17. Why did the Chinese classical civilizations NOT distinguish between private (society) and public
(government) sectors?
 Chinese civilizations was noteworthy for its harmony
 Government was closely allied with Confucian philosophical belief as was the societal
structure
 Government beliefs were closely linked to the economy
o Political stability allowed for a growing economy
o A strong economy allowed for tighter and more stable government control
Global Connections: Classical China and the World
18. What factors allowed China to participate (perhaps even dominate) trade with other classical
civilizations?
 Strength of its agrarian base increased Chinese population
o Largest population in the world living under one government
 Productivity of its peasants and artisans allowed for both self-sufficiency and surpluses
with which to trade
 Large and creative elite class
 Largest and best-run bureaucracy
 Development of technology
 Silk production = establishment of the “Silk Roads” – center of global trade network at
the time
 Improved and extensive road network
In Depth
19. Agriculture had major impacts on women and led to the creation of patriarchal societies. How
would you see this in the treatment of women in these patriarchal societies? What were some
ways that women tried to overcome these limits?
 Women in patriarchal societies treated more poorly than hunter/gatherers
o Assumed men should direct political, economic, and cultural life
o Women were under the control of fathers, then husbands
o Marriage was based on property
 Mesopotomia
o Women used sexuality to hold some power
 Egypt
o Some powerful queens
 China
o Confucianism stressed good treatment of women (although they were still
subservient)
 Women’s inferiority was less stressed in the peasant classes where their work was
valuable
 Some women gained power through religious functions
 Women could yield power through influencing husbands and sons