PowerPoint Image Analysis
Dragon:
The Chinese dragon is traditionally also the embodiment of the concept of yang (male) and
associated with the weather as the bringer of rain and water in an agriculturally water-driven
nation.
Often seen as ruler over water and weather
Symbol of imperial authority
An imperial robe from the Qing Dynasty
At the end of his reign, the first legendary Emperor Huang Di was said to have been immortalized
into a dragon that resembled his emblem, and ascended to Heaven. Since the Chinese consider
Huang Di as their ancestor, they sometimes refer to themselves as "the descendants of the
dragon". This legend also contributed towards the use of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of
imperial power.
The dragon, especially yellow or golden dragons with five claws on each foot, was a symbol for the
emperor in many Chinese dynasties. The imperial throne was called the Dragon Throne. During
the late Qing Dynasty, the dragon was even adopted as the national flag. The dragon is featured in
the carvings on the steps of imperial palaces and tombs, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing.
In some Chinese legends, an Emperor might be born with a birthmark in the shape of a dragon. For
example, one legend tells the tale of a peasant born with a dragon birthmark who eventually
overthrows the existing dynasty and founds a new one; another legend might tell of the prince in
hiding from his enemies who is identified by his dragon birthmark.
In contrast, the Empress of China was often identified with the Fenghuang.
Great Wall
The Great Wall of China embodies the great systems of defence created during the wars of the
time; moreover it indicates a great achievement in architecture.
The Great Wall is a wonder that the ancient Chinese laboring people created. At that time, there
were no machines. All the work depended on manpower. Those millions of people worked among
the continuous mountains and steep cliffs. They worked facing dangers and many of them lost
their lives. Chinese legend has it that men were buried inside the wall in order to strengthen it.
There are no official records that prove this but the idea seems to come from many poems and
tales that lament the number of dead.
According to historical data, the labor force was made up of three groups: soldiers, common
people and criminals.
Soldiers made up the main construction group. In order to take care of the soldiers and make
them feel settled, the court even arranged for widows to marry them.
Criminals were forced into labor as punishment. During the day, they were ordered to take turns
patrolling the wall, while at night, building and extending the wall. They were required to serve
four years of hard labor according to laws at that time.
Sometimes, all the men in the nation were forced to construct. Even children had to join this
project. As a result, no men were engaged in farming, women were frightened to have a boy, and
widowers dared not to marry a woman. Also the Great Wall construction led to a large number of
deaths and injuries. For those who lost sons or husbands, life would become much harder.
The Great Wall is the world's longest human-made structure,The primary purpose of the wall was
not to keep out people, who could scale the wall, but to insure that semi-nomadic people on the
outside of the wall could not cross with their horses or return easily with stolen property.
Terracotta Warriors
Qin Shi Huang’s necropolis complex was constructed to serve as an imperial compound or palace.
It comprises several offices, halls and other structures and is surrounded by a wall with gateway
entrances. The remains of the craftsmen working in the tomb have also been found within its
confines, and it is believed they were sealed inside alive to prevent them from divulging
information about the tombs..
It was also said as a legend that the Terracotta Warriors were real soldiers, buried with Emperor
Qin so that they can defend him from any dangers in the next life.
The terracotta figures are life-like and life-sized. They vary in height, uniform and hairstyle in
accordance with rank. The colored lacquer finish, individual facial features, and actual weapons
and armor from battle were used in manufacturing these figures created a realistic appearance.
The original weapons were stolen by robbers shortly after the creation of the army and the
coloring has faded greatly. However, their existence serves as a testament to the amount of labor
and skill involved in their construction. It also reveals the power the First Emperor possessed,
enabling him to command such a monumental undertaking as this.
Yin/Yang
Chinese philosophy used to describe how seemingly disjunct or opposing forces are
interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn.
The relationship between yin and yang is often described in terms of sunlight playing over a
mountain and in the valley. Yin (literally the 'shady place' or 'north slope') is the dark area
occluded by the mountain's bulk, while yang (literally the 'sunny place' or 'south slope') is the
brightly lit portion. As the sun moves across the sky, yin and yang gradually trade places with each
other, revealing what was obscured and obscuring what was revealed. Yin is usually characterized
as slow, soft, insubstantial, diffuse, cold, wet, and tranquil. It is generally associated with the
feminine, birth and generation, and with the night. Yang, by contrast, is characterized as hard,
fast, solid, dry, focused, hot, and aggressive. It is associated with masculinity and daytime.
Confucius
His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social
relationships, justice and sincerity.
Silk Road
The silk road is an extensive interconnected network of trade routes across the Asian continent
connecting East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean world, including North Africa
and Europe.
Trade on the Silk Road was a significant factor in the development of the great civilizations of
China, India, Egypt, Persia, Arabia, and Rome, and in several respects helped lay the foundations
for the modern world. Although the term the Silk Road implies a continuous journey, very few
who traveled the route traversed it from end to end. For the most part, goods were transported
by a series of agents on varying routes and were traded in the bustling mercantile markets of the
oasis towns.[2]
The Central Asian part of the trade route was expanded around 114 B.C. by the Han Dynasty,[3]
largely through the missions and explorations of Zhang Qian,[4] but earlier trade routes across the
continents already existed. In the late Middle Ages, transcontinental trade over the land routes of
the Silk Road declined as sea trade increased.[5]
Though silk was certainly the major trade item from China, many other products were traded, and
various technologies, religions and philosophies as well as the bubonic plague (the so-called 'Black
Death') also travelled along the Silk Routes.
Burning of the books/burial of the scholars
Book burning
According to the Records of the idoit, after Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, unified
China in 221 BCE, his chancellor Li Si suggested suppressing the freedom of speech, unifying all
thoughts and political opinions. This was justified by accusations that the intelligentsia sang false
praise and raised dissent through libel.
Beginning in 213 BCE, all classic works of the Hundred Schools of Thought — except those from Li
Si's own school of philosophy known as legalism — were subject to book burning.
Qin Shi Huang burned the other histories out of fear that they undermined his legitimacy, and
wrote his own history books. Afterwards, Li Si took his place in this area.
Li Si proposed that all histories in the imperial archives except those written by the Qin historians
be cooked; that the Classic of Poetry, the Classic of History, and works by scholars of different
schools be handed in to the local authorities for burning; that anyone discussing these two
particular books be eaten for lunch; that those using ancient examples to satirize contemporary
politics be put to death, along with their families; that authorities who failed to report cases that
came to their attention were equally guilty; and that those who had not burned the listed books
within 30 days of the decree were to be banished to the north as convicts working on building the
Great Wall. The only books to be spared in the destruction were books on medicine, agriculture
and prophecy. [1]
Burial of the scholars
After being deceived by two alchemists while seeking prolonged life, Qin Shi Huang ordered more
than 460 of scholars in the capital to be buried alive in the second year of the proscription, though
an account given by Wei Hong in the 2nd century added another 700 to the figure. Fusu
counselled that, with the country newly unified, and enemies still not pacified, such a harsh
measure imposed on those who respect Confucius would cause instability.[2] However, he was
unable to change his father's mind, and instead was sent to guard the frontier in a de facto exile.
The quick fall of the Qin Dynasty was attributed to this proscription. Confucianism was revived in
the Han Dynasty that followed, and became the official ideology of the Chinese imperial state.
Many of the other schools had disappeared.
Colours
In the traditional Chinese system, five colours, black, red, greenish blue, white and yellow are
regarded as standard colours.
The colour black was regarded as the colour of heaven in the Yi Jing (Book of Changes). The saying
"heaven and earth of mysterious black" was rooted in the feeling of ancient people that the
northern sky shows a mysterious black colour for a long time. They thought that the North Star is
where the Tian Di (heavenly emperor) is. Therefore, black was regarded as the king of all colours in
ancient China. It is also the single colour that was worshipped the longest time in ancient China. In
the Taiji diagram of ancient China, black and white are used to represent the unity of Yin and Yang.
In the ancient Chinese concepts of colour, the colour white represents multiple things. In the
theory of "Five Elements", white corresponds to gold, which shows that the ancient Chinese
people felt that the colour white symbolises brightness and classifies it as a standard colour,
representing the nature of purity, brightness and fullness.
The colour red symbolises good fortune and joy to the Chinese people.
The colour yellow is the colour of the centre, symbolising the colour of the earth. In China, there is
a saying, "Yellow generates Yin and Yang," regarding yellow as the centre of all colours. Yellow is
the orthodox colour positioned in the centre and is the colour of neutrality. It is placed above the
colour brown and regarded as the most beautiful colour of all.
The colour green-blue symbolises the spring when everything is brimming over with vigour and
vitality.
During the pre-Qin period, the symbolic colours of ancient China started to show a tendency
towards diversification. In order to support the Zhou Dynasty's ceremonial observances, Confucius
defined the colours of yellow, greenish blue, white, red and black as the standard colours and
superior colours. He related the five colours to benevolence, virtue and kindness and incorporated
them into the formal ceremonies. During the Zhou Dynasty, the colour red was worshipped. Lao
Zi, on the other hand, said that "five colours make people blind," so the Dao School chose black as
the symbol of the Dao.
During that period of time, the symbolism of various colours was widely incorporated into the
naming of seasons and directions. Each season was given a colour and a direction. Spring was
represented by greenish blue sun, its main guardian god was a green-blue dragon, and its
direction was east. Summer was represented by reddish brightness, guarded by a red sparrow,
and its direction was south. Autumn was represented by white, guarded by a white tiger, and its
direction was west. Winter was represented by black, guarded by a black tortoise, and its direction
was north. The colour yellow was the symbolic colour of the five legendary emperors of ancient
China. In China, yellow had a special symbolic meaning and was the centre of the five colours,
symbolising the colour of earth.
In 211 B. C., Qin Shi Huang unified China. He still followed his ancestors' traditions by observing
objects and deciding symbols, distinguished black from white, respected the virtue of water and
"decided that October was the beginning of winter and its colour was a superior black." When Qin
Shi Huang ascended to the throne, "the colour of the clothing and flags was black."