Ancient China 3000 B.C.E.-500 A.D.
I. Early Civilization in China
A. Geography of East Asia
1. China is isolated from the rest of the Asian continent
a. Himalaya Mountains to the southwest
b. Gobi Desert to the northwest
c. Pacific Ocean to the east
2. The climate varies from region to region based on elevation and latitude
3. Centers of population growth found in the Huang He and Chang Jiang River
Valleys
B. Huang He Valley Civilization pre-3000-500 B.C.E.
1. Xia Dynasty dates to 3000 B.C.E.
2. Shang Dynasty dates to 1750 B.C.E.
3. Early Chinese urban centers show evidence of high walls, palaces, royal
tombs, aristocracy in power
a. Urban artisans specialized in jewelry, fabrics, pottery, and tool making
4. Polytheistic religious beliefs (ANIMIST) were comparable to those of other
early cultures, but also emphasized ancestral worship and balance within nature
(Yin and Yang)
5. Chinese writing was a combination of pictographs and ideographs and
developed over 4000 years ago
C. Origins of Chinese Authority and Unification
1. Zhou Dynasty dates to 1050 B.C.E. and commanded large armies
a. The loyalty of conquered subjects was established under the belief that
they were divine rulers (Mandate of Heaven)
2. Mandate of Heaven – monarchs were representatives of Tian and served
both the people and the gods according to the principle of Dao
a. Tian= heaven, sky, gods, nature
b. Dao= duty, way, proper manner of pleasing the
gods of man
c. filial piety= respect for authority, or subordination to a person of higher
status
d. Chinese philosophy viewed nature as being cyclical and that human
interactions were in constant repetition
4. Family was the center of life in Chinese culture and the building block for
survival
5. Chinese farmers developed plows, wagons, tools, and irrigation independently
of the other civilizations thriving to their west
II. Chinese Philosophy
A. Confucianism
1. Teachings of Kongfuzi were recognized as major foundation of Chinese culture
and government
a. Analects= Confucian books which later influenced Western philosophy
2. Teachings were meant to bring order to the chaos of China during an era when
numerous Chinese states were at war
(700-200 B.C.E.)
3. Key to order is ethical behavior, filial piety, Dao, empathy, scholarship,
reciprocity
4. Five Relationships relied on respect and reciprocity
a. Parent-Child
b. Ruler-Subject
c. Elder-Youth
d. Friend-Friend
e. Husband-Wife
“What the superior man seeks is in himself;
What the small man seeks is in others”
- Confucius
B. Legalism
1. Philosophy of conservative law and order that would be rigid, impersonal, and
harsh in order to establish fear in society to create order
2. Believed people were naturally evil and superior men must govern strictly to
keep balance and lawful behavior
C. Daoism (Taoism)
1. Teachings of Laozi written in the Tao Te Ching are
interpretations as they are both simple and complex
open to many
2. Philosophy or Religion? Originates from classical folk religions of China that
emphasized ancestral worship
and balance in nature (Yin and Yang)
3. The best way to maintain natural flow/harmony of the universe is through duty
and “inaction” and leading a humble, moderate life
4. Naturally opposing forces are constantly working against each other and
humans can cause them to become imbalanced
“The universe is sacred. You cannot improve it. If you try to change it, you will ruin it. If you
try to hold it, you will lose it.”
III. Expansion of Chinese Empires
A. Qin Dynasty 221-206 B.C.E.
1. Qin Shi Huangdi- the Emperor Qin (Chin=China)
2. Qin came to the throne as a teenager and experienced plots against him from
within his own family in the small kingdom of Qin
(Era of Warring States)
3. Qin waged war on his rivals within and made war on his neighbors uniting most
of China under his rule
4. Qin the Legalist- His regime believed in oppressive government as a necessity
to maintain power and rejected Confucianism as weak
a. Censorate- Qin government attempted to eradicate ideas that were
viewed as dangerous
5. China experienced unification of territory, writing, weights, measures, taxation,
civil service exams, and national projects
a. Great Wall
b. Irrigation Canals
c. Qin's Tomb
B. Han Dynasty 202 B.C.E.-220 A.D.
1. Qin's death brought rebellion and Han Gaozu re-established order/unity and
continued to expand control of China over “barbarians” on China's fringes
2. Han rulers maintained most of Qin's policies that gave China its unity/strength
3. Han Government embraced Confucianism over Legalism as a means of
maintaining order
4. Established the constant use of trade routes known as the Silk Road which
extended to India, Persia, and Mesopotamia
5. Invention of navigational technology such as rudder allowed for Chinese
commerce on the Eastern
seas
IV. Chinese Culture
A. Family Life
1. Patriarchal society= male dominated, fathers and eldest sons maintained
authority within the household
a. Women were taught to be subservient to their husbands, fathers, and
brothers from a young age
b. Children were to be “seen, not heard” emphasizing
filial piety in the households
the concept of
c. Emphasis on obedience and subordination to the interests and survival of
the family (filial piety)
2. Village life involved a labor-intensive daily routine for over 90% of Chinese
peasant people
3. Peasant diets mainly consisted of rice and vegetables
4. Chinese aristocracy could live in luxury due to economy based on sharecropping concept an ownership of large tracts of farmland
B. Major Chinese Literature
1. Five Classics- collection of myths about history, heroes, villains, spiritual
beings, and ethical principles
2. Tao Te Jing- teachings/lessons of Taoist philosophy
3. Analects- lessons of Confucian philosophy
4. Historical Record- compilation of Chinese history by
and historian Sima Qian
5. Art of War- written by strategist Sun Tzu
C. Major Chinese Innovations/Inventions
1. Bronze casting- weapons, statues, armor, decorative
2. Silk processing
3. Crossbow
4. Wheelbarrow
5. Block printing
6. Magnetic compass
7. Paper
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