Timeline Major Developments in China 1500 BCE- 220 CE
1500 – 1027 BCE - Shang Bronze
Writing system invented, wheeled chariots
1027 - 256 BCE - Zhou
Feudal system of government and social structure
1000 BCE , iron used, (came from central Asia)
The Warring States Period
431 BCE -221 BCE
551- 479 Laozi and Confucius lived, towns grew, farming improved
Art and literature flourish
221-206 BCE - Qin Dynasty
Great Wall built, Legalism used
China unified, weights and measures standardized
Confucian literature burned
202 BCE - 220 AD Han
Borders expanded trade with India and Rome
Buddhism introduced, paper invented
Classical China Notes (600 BCE-600CE)
The Warring States Period
When was it 431 BCE -221 BCE?
What led to it?
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A time of political and social chaos
Feudal lords fighting for power
Led to all civil watt
I.
Major belief systems in China
What did it bring?
Three major belief systems
Why did they come about: to restore order in China
Confucianism (551-479)
Who was the founder?
Founder Kong Fuzzy (551-470) AKA Confucius
Major Texts
Major belief: written in a text: the Analects
What were the major Confucian beliefs?
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Confucian thought centered around: morals, ethics and politics
Did not focus on philosophical questions; or on religion (beyond human understanding)
Did not focus on political structure
What was the basis of this system?
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Political and social order came from 5 human relationships
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The five Relationships
Ruler to subject
Father to son
Husband to wife
Friend to friend
How did it work in practice?
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Family was the foundation
Best way to promote good government; was to create an intellectual bureaucracy
Focused on the development of the Junzi (superior individuals)
activism was key
Ren: Attitude of kindness and benevolence
People who posed Ren were courteous, loyal obedient and respectful
Harmony is created when people know their place in society
Government should take care of the people in return the people should be loyal (filial piety)
His basis for study
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reading the book of history, book of Rights, book of s Songs
Daoism (goal was to restore political and social order)
Who was the founder?
Laozi (founder)
What were its major beliefs?
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Being passive was important
Reflection and introspection were key to solving problems
One with nature
Perfect balance Ying and Yang
How did it differ from Confucius?
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Rejected activism, rituals
Legalism (a 3rd belief system)
What was the goal?
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Bring political and social order back to China
Why was it used?
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Warring States period continued, Daoism and Confucius did not work
Why did it reject Confucius and Daoism?
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Rejected scholars, merchants, philosophers (due to they did not advance state )
Rejected morality, ethics, and propriety (Confucius)
Rejected principles of governing the world, or people’s place, in nature (Daoism)
Did not bring stability back to China
What were the basic principals?
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Instead used ruthless approach to gain control
Devoted attention to the state; sought to expand the state at all costs
Agriculture and armed forces were the foundation of the state
Strict laws and harsh punishments were key to restoring order
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Social order returns with legalism- efficient system to solving state problems
What led to the Rise of the Qin (221-207BCE?)
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During the end of the Warring State period; many warlords adopted Legalist
Power struggle between feudal kings
Starting in Qin, 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, underwent political, economic and military development;
Military development aided by new wealth used iron weapons
3rd century conquered many states
Qin Shihuangdi (reign 221-206)
What were his policies?
Political foundation
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He used legalists principals to regain social and political stability
Agriculture and military foundation of society
Strict law code, due to fear factor served as a deterrent loitering = amputation of hands or feet
He subdued/unified Chinese states “single set of harsh laws throughout empire
Like the Achaemenid Empire in Persia, set china on empirical path; provided
Duty to state before individual; brought unification of China
Political policies
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Ordered census; taxes, public works, labor force etc.
Established imperial rule and political organization in China
He ruled by having a strong centralized bureaucracy and ignored nobles
He split empire into provinces and districts; governed by officers of central government
Disarmed local military personal; destroyed fortresses
Built roads & canals, destroyed and disarmed regional armies, drafted thousand of labors to build walls and
link them to the walls already built (keep out nomadic invaders) they served as precursor to the Great Wall in
China
Outlawing of weapons (private citizens)
Destroyed education tools, executed rebellious opponents (literature, history, ethics philosophy)
Saved medicine and fortune telling and agricultural books
460 scholars buried alive for their criticism of regime
Forced others into the army (dangerous posts)
Economic Policies
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Peasant cultivators granted plots of land and keeping profits why???
Increased agricultural production; Land plots weakened economic power of aristocratic class
Standardized currency and laws along with roads unified China into a tightly knit group, Common script (to
better under his polices)
Just like Europeans all wrote in Latin
Before this interregional trade and commutation very difficult
Emperor very important: established centralized rule, remained norm until 20th century
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Cultural aspects
Pointed China in direction of cultural unity
Tomb built for 1st emperor sacrificed slaves, concubines, goods
The fall of the Qin
207 rebels overwhelmed Qin court
Protected (from nomadic invasions) northern and western borders by joining together
many regions
Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE)
What led to the rise of the Han?
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Commander Liu Bang kept China centralized, loyal troops and brilliant advisors
What were the periods of Han rule?
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Former Han 206 BCE-9CE and later Han 23-220 CE
Major policies
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Bang began to use a mixed ruling policy (half Zhou; half Qin)
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How did it work?
Large plots of land given to family members; and Han rule broken into provinces
These provinces split into districts; ruled by administrators(who reported to the emperor
Why this policy
He thought Qin rule did not encourage incentives; whereas Zhou rule promoted chaos
Policy does not work
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Family members betrayed him; Bang captured in 200 BCE by the Xiongnu
policy of Zhou failed
Major change in leadership style
return to Qin policies: example confiscated land (from family members),
Ruled from capital city of Chang’an; city was a thriving metropolis: busy markets and parks
New policies
created administrative bureaucracy; ensured strong centralized rule in China
A new emperor is born
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Han Wundi emperor (141-87 BCE)
Foundation of his rule
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key to success centralization and expansion
Followed Qin principals (Legalism)
Sent officers to carry out polices (like Qin Shihuangdi)
Created public work programs
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Followed Qin policy of building roads canals (to facilitate regional trade)
Key economic policies
Taxes on trade, agriculture and craft industries
Monopolized salt and iron industry (liquor industry under state supervision)
Key political policies
Why was education so important?
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Recruitment and ad intelligence needed to run government
Education done on individual basis (Confucius tutored in the past)
Education was key (124 BCE. university built) Confucius education
Emperor himself had little time for education (like early emperors; Bang)
By the end of former Han
College enrolled 3000 students; end of later Han 30,000
Foreign policies
imperial expansion northern Vietnam, and Korea
Subjected them to Han rule (brought them into China’s orbit)
Ruled these lands with Confucian values and Chinese style of government
Their biggest threat
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The Xiongnu pose biggest challenge (nomadic tribe from Central Asia) advantage horsemen
Technology not as sophisticated as china; but mobility gained them an advantage
210-174 BCE Under leadership of Maodun Xiongnu trines (nomadic tribes) stretched from Aral Sea to
Yellow Sea
What was the early policy of Han rule (in dealing with Xiongnu?
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They tried to appease tribe; tributary system established by offering goods/and other tribute and arranged
marriages
Policy failed (which brought change
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Wundi attacked in central Asia; brought much of Xiongnu under China’s control
Once Xiongnu under Chinese control; Wandi pursued a trade corridor from Bactria to Yellow Sea
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Setup trade network on Eurasian landmass; India cravens traveled to Rome
Silk and porcelain left
Gold, horses, glass, beads and cups returned walnuts, pomegranates sesame etc.
Social structure (during Qin and Han times)
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Structure of Qin and Han times (similar to Zhou times)
Basic household structure: 5 members patriarchal structure
During Han times the patriarchal structure was enhanced
By whom:
Han moralists sought to enhance authority
How was this done?
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With the adoption of Confucius; the idea of filial piety was a adopted
Filial piety: was the idea that one should respect ones elders
Ban Zhao (educated women) wrote Admonitions for Women
Emphasize on humility, subservience, devotion to husbands
Han moralists saw patriarchal families as the foundation to a stable society
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Economics during Han times
Agriculture was the foundation of society
Majority of society worked in countryside cultivating grains and vegetables
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Han times Agricultural growth increased; why
Iron production is increased from Zhou time; therefore Iron tools (plows, shovels and picks)
Qin and Han dynasties also encouraged more cultivation
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As a result:
Agricultural surplus was created; what was the impact
Population growth: (220 BCE 20 million -9 CE 60 million)
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Growth of other industries
Iron: besides agriculture; iron weapons and new production of home items (pts, knives, stoves, hammers etc.)
Military implications: iron armor, stronger/deadly swords spears, iron heads etc)
Paper
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100 CE paper was invented; replaced bamboo strips
Sericulture
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Sericulture: production of silk began before Xia; but during Han production spread to most of China (Yellow
River to southern China
Silk became China’s main international commodity
India to Rome; Silk Road developed 2nd century BCE
The Silk Roads
Empire building created stable societies throughout Eurasia and north Africa
As a result, long distance trade became more common
The Roman Empire maintained Mediterranean basin, China much of central and east Asia
The overland route went from China to Rome; Going from China, to Malaya, (in southeast Asia) to India;
north to the Persian Gulf, south to Egypt and Mediterranean
Goods traded along the route
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India: spices, pearls, ivory, cotton, pepper
Southeast Asia cloves, mace, nutmeg
Rome: glass, manufactured goods, wool, jewelry, bronze olive oil, iron, gold silver
China silk, porcelain
Ideas & Diseases also travelled along the Silk Rod
Saw agriculture & artisans as ethical professions; merchants as criminals
Late Zhou farming technology improved (iron tips; not all metal tools
Surplus = trade and manufactured goods
The fall of the Han
Economic problems arise during former Han
Policies in central Asia fighting the Xiongnu and the formation of colonies in central Asia
Raised taxes and confiscated land and personal property from wealthy, gave titles in government;
People investment in manufacturing and industry went down
Social tension
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By 1st century, tensions between rich and poor caused tension
What was the cause of the tension?
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Rich ate and dressed well; jewelry gold and jade
Poor hemp and sandals
Rich had pork, fowl, fish and fine wines
Poor grain rice; occasionally meat
Another major source of tension
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high taxes, debt and poor harvests forced small land owners to sell land
Sometimes people sold families into slavery to pay for debts
Wealthy expanded territory at the expense (of slaves or tenant farmers)
Tensions come to head 1st century CE
Wang Mang (9CE-23) came to power
Used Mandate of Heaven, socialist emperor
Known as socialist emperor
Mang’s Plan
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Wang Mang (minister); 9CE claimed throne
Broke up large estates
Limited land people could own,
redistributed land, policy ultimately failed due to poor communication and famine
Later Han rule returns (fall of dynasty)
Han Policies restored
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centralized power again
kept nomadic tribe at bay (Xiongnu) and kept presence in central Asia
Maintained strict control over Silk Roads
Downfall of later Han
Source of tension
Class differences continued
Example:
The Yellow Turban uprising (led by peasants)
Factions within ruling elites develop
Perennial land issues
Military leaders gain power (190CE)
220 CE - divide empire into three kingdoms nomadic people from northern China came into China disunited
in China 350 years (AKA: Age of Division)
Han dynasty fell 220
How:
This led to internal problems
Intermarriage between rivals; led to competing factions
Lad distribution by the late Han tax burden shifted to peasants (due to aristocrats gaining governmental
power)
Han military Generals gained control of government by 190 CE (emperor a puppet figure)
By 220 CE; emperor gone; China split into 3 kingdoms
External problems
Nomadic tribes on the northern frontier (Xiongnu)
Led to chaos from 4-6th century