A Bend in the River/China
DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE
CIVILIZATION
Early Chinese Civilizations
A. Shang Era (spanned most of 2nd Millennium BCE)
B. Peking Man (hominid of about 400,000 BCE)
C. Neolithic Times (C. 8500-3500 BCE) cultivating
people gravitated to the lands that make up the
Ordos bulge, Located on Huanghe River; region of
fertile soil; site of Yangshao and Longshan cultures.
D. The region had build up rich loess, a fine grained
yellow-brown soil. It was an extremely fertile soil
built up over thousands of years over 300 feet in
depth
Early Chinese Civilizations
E. The Huanghe (Yellow River) got its name from the
color of the soil that washed into the river
F. Ordos bulge: area of rich soil, abundant water(
yellow river and tributaries), have important
implications
1.
Southern portions & portions eastward along Northern
China plain were suitable for intensive grain cultivation and
dense settlement.
G. 4000 BCE communities supported by agriculture
were spread across the loess zone. And developed
into 2 cultural complex societies, basis of the Shang
Dynasty and Chinese civilization (p.109)
Two Key Chinese Civilizations
A.
Yangshao culture (c. 25002000 BCE) and Longshan
culture (c. 2000-1500) were
based on different mixes of
hunting and agriculture.
1.
2.
3.
Yangshao period – hunting
and fishing predominated
Longshan period –
cultivation of grain - millet
in particular was the central
preoccupation, Farming
enabled them to make it
possible to support - ????
Established irrigation
systems to expand agrarian
base.
Two Key Chinese Civilizations
B. The melting snows of the Tibetan plateau and Kunhun
mountains turned the river into a raging torrent capable
of massive floods, flood control remained a great
problem since ancient times.
C. This concern of controlling floods may have given rise
to China's first rules and prompted a high level of
community and inter-village cooperation.
D. First semi-mythical figure was SHUN, who had proved
incapable of controlling a succession of great floods.
1.
2.
His son YU, devised an effective system of flood control, revered
for a millennia as one of the great monarchs of China’s mythical
golden age.
Confucius considered Up person ot be emulated
Warrior Kings of Xia & Shang Era
I.
YU first king China’s first kingdom Xia
A.
B.
Little evidence of the existence, archaeological ? Mythical?
Before 1500 BCE, small numerous kingdoms existed south
of the Ordos Bulge & east along the Northern China plane
II. Ordos Bulge areas, distinctive Culture formed
a.
Distinctive ethnic and linguistic groups
b.
Cooking vessels and cuisine
c.
Animal bones from divination
d.
Domestication of silkworm (fabric/clothing)
e.
Ancestor worship (patrilineal)
Warrior Kings of Xia & Shang Era
III. 1500, Shang Dynasty
Conquered mort of the other tribes and est. a kingdom to lay
foundation of Chinese civilization
Archaeological evidence of Anyang, Zhengzhou
A.
B.
1.
2.
3.
Warlike nomads. Fought on horseback/chariots
Non-Shang subject peoples were food soldiers
Shang battles were much like Greeks and Egyptians
Shang Monarch – intermediary between the supreme being,
Shangdi, and ordinary mortals
Shang rulers directed affairs of state and had ritual
responsibilities for the fertility of their kingdom and well being of
their subjects.
C.
D.
1.
2.
They had special springtime rituals, in times of drought/famine
obliged to perform ritual dances
The Dance (or surrogate) would be later burned alive to placate the
spirits.
Warrior Kings of Xia & Shang Era
IV. Shang Society
A.
Bureaucracy est. by Monarchs in Anyang/other areas.
B.
Peasants/ artisans were governed by vassal retainers;
subordinate leaders who served the king and great lords,
bound by personal ties.
C.
Officials were recruited from the former ruling families and
the aristocratic classes of the many subordinate states, who
depended on the produce and labor of commoners.
D.
In return for grants of control over peasants, warrior
aristocrats collected tribute (usually in the form of
Agricultural produce), that went to support the monarch
and his court.
Warrior Kings of Xia & Shang Era
IV. Shang Society
E.
Rulers lived with families, servants and noble retainers within walled
towns in large compounds that included extended families.
Patriarchal
F.
Women: lived with husband’s family, unswerving obedience within
household and family.
G.
Patriarchs of family were Husbands, hierarchy would devolve from
elder to younger brother
H.
Extended family is considered only among elites. Peasant families
appeared similar to NUCLEAR family, but male dominated
I.
Peasants were virtually the servants of nobles, who cultivated land in
village as cooperative venture using wooden tools
J.
Slaves were present, most likely they were artisans, some were free
and quite prosperous, engaged in skilled crafts such as weaving, silk,
textile, and casting bronze. Dwellings located outside the walls of
towns and could be large and elaborate.
Warrior Kings of Xia & Shang Era
V. Shang Culture
A.
Elites similar to other cultures. Nobility and elites were
preoccupied with rituals, oracles, and sacrifices
1.
B.
C.
D.
Records do indicate water festivals
War captives & servants were buried with deceased Shang
rulers and major officials, (pharaohs of Egypt)
Shang elite put great stock into the predictions of Shamans,
or priests, who served as Oracles.
Shang artistic expression went into producing ritual objects
used by oracles, warriors, families negotiating marriage
alliances.
Warrior Kings of Xia & Shang Era
V. Shang Culture
E.
Rituals of Shaman led to the rise of Writing
1.
2.
3.
4.
F.
Writing begins as a interpretive act regarding shells or bones
that were seared with a red hot poker.
Shell of bone would crack and cracks were interpreted by priest
Practice evolved into pained designs, later standardized
Number of Characters would increase, by end of Shang period
3000 characters, modern era would master some 8000
characters.
Writing became the key to Chinese identity & Growth of
civilization in China.
The Decline of Shang & the Era of Zhou
By 12century BCE Shang on its way out, Turkic
speaking nomadic people est. a new Dynasty, the
Zhou
II. Primary Power in North China by end of 12th
century,
I.
a.
Zhou had a distinct class of scholars and bureaucrats,
extending as far south as the Yangtze River Valley
III. More powerful than Shang, Wu
IV. Duck of Zhou – brother of Wu, Xian, Loyang
The Decline of Shang & the Era of Zhou
V. Zhou Society
A.
More feudalistic than the Shang
B.
Rule through a hierarchy of Vassals, mostly relatives, or long
standing allies of Zhou household
C.
Feudalism stressed through allegiance oath, regular fief
granting, transformed Shang order into feudalism
D.
Fiefs granted to loyal warriors
E.
Limited control of Fiefdoms by Zhou
F.
Vassals must be conscious of duties or pay prices
G.
Decline/ loss of control.
Changes in Social order
A. Mandate of Heaven: elaborate ideology
1.
Rational for Zhou monarchs
2.
Wu uses for justification of rule
3.
Established idea that supreme political authority was
granted by heaven
4.
Seeds of absolutist/authoritarian monarchs.
5.
Rulers could lose the mandate
B. Second Development
1.
Alternative to military retainers who governed most of the
empire
2.
Professional Bureaucrats, best educated corps of individuals
during Zhou (770-400 BCE)
Changes in Social order
B. Second Development
3.
Bureaucrats had literacy and willingness to serve as scribes,
clerks, advisors, and overseers
4.
Paid wages either by the village/royal court
5.
Still managed small plots for food, due to small pay
6.
Specialized in keeping records, running particular
departments, organizing palace rituals and ceremonies.
Evidence suggests that by 8th century they would amass
powerful influence as advisors to rulers/nobles
Zhou: New Patterns of Life
I.
Division of Zhou conquers and subjugated
A.
B.
C.
Division between Turkic and Loess soil region
Division evident in the twin capitals of Xain and Loyang,
Servants lived in one side of the walled city, others lived
elsewhere
Zhou Vassals lived in walled towns.
A.
B.
Towns were laid out on rectangular grid with two main roads
and a central square. Servants, artisans, slaves lived in or near
the town
Most of the population were serfs, who made up most of the
empires population
Zhou: New Patterns of Life
Division of Zhou conquers and subjugated
I.
C.
D.
Introduction of better farming, and extension of irrigation system
contributed to higher levels of productivity
Peasants burdened by the demands of the lords
II. Migrations and Expansion of Chinese Core
A.
B.
C.
D.
Areas controlled by vassals & peoples who occupied them
identified as Chinese
Population growth due to innovations in agriculture
Periodic nomadic raids from north and some conquests pushed
Chinese peasants south.
During this period, hundreds of thousands of Chinese people
moved down the HuangHe into Shandong peninsula. And later to
the Great Yangtze river.
End of Zhou
End of Zhou era, the basin of the Huanghe was
securely Chinese, despite nomadic threats
II. By 8th century BCE Zhou power was in decline,
control over vassals diminished, and domains grew
enough to take advantage of internal division
III. By 771 BCE Allied group of Northern Nobles
attached Xian. The Zhou leader killed.
I.
A.
In the battles that followed most of the Western portions of
the Zhou kingdom were lost to leaders of the Vassal alliance
or nomadic invaders
End of Zhou
IV. Retainers managed to rescue a young prince of the
Zhou and escort him to Loyang. This is a shift to
the Eastern capital and the end of the Western
Zhou era
V. A less powerful Zhou Dynast would last for 5
centuries in the East, with ever shrinking
territories.
VI. Rival kingdoms emerged in the fiefdoms,
accompanied by growing chaos
A. Bureaucratic reaction, that would produce some of China’s
greatest thinkers and alter the course of Chinese civilization
The Philosophical Schools
Philosophical Emergence
I.
A.
The next three centuries, began thinking deeply about the
nature of humanity and problems of society
II. Confucianism
A.
Kong Fuzi “Master King” , the sage 551-478 BCE, known as
Confucius after the 17th century latinization
B.
One of Many teachers in a series who tried to explain the
universe, as well as China’s place and appropriate behavior
for human beings.
C.
The Book of Songs, the Book of Poetry, the Book of
Documents, and the Analetics.
D.
Confucius was a lower aristocrat of the state of LU, and
under Duke of Zhou made into a model for students
The Philosophical Schools
II. Confucianism
E.
Confucius’ goal was to improve society, but not to look for
the assistance of Gods.
F.
Insisted in the Analects that it was important to know “know
the essential duties of man living in a society of men.”
G.
He became a teacher after a disappointed search for a ruler
to use his ideas
H.
Nobility he contended, was not transmitted by birth but by
acquiring wisdom and virtue
I.
Ideal man Junzi: Gentleman, without hereditary
connections.
1.
Should be virtuous, righteous, humane, wise, and brave
The Philosophical Schools
Junzi: (Continued)
J.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Social interactions needed to be governed by Li, propriety.
Li performed with a sincere heart rendered an individual human
Li governed all relationships (between parents, siblings, wife,
friend)
Final Piety, the respect of a child for his or her parents above all.
Improvement of Society was responsibility of the ruler, and quality
of government depended upon the ruler’s moral character
K. The Dao of learning
1. The Way: learning to be great consists shining with the illustrious
power of moral personality, in make a new people, in abiding in
the highest goodness.
The Philosophical Schools
K. The Dao of learning
2.
3.
4.
5.
Confucius’ definition of the Dao as “moral personality” and the
highest goodness was in contrast to the old premoral Dao, in which
Gods and Spirits, through offering ritual, regulated human life for
good or ill.
View of society was Hierarchical. All relationships are hierarchical
except friend (equal)
All relationships founded on REN (benevolence, humanity, or
human-relatedness, (virtue applied to all without any Hierarchical
dimensions
Redefinition of Dao produced an ethical program for this world, by
this world.
Qin & Han Empires
Mencius
I.
Scholar responsible for the emergence of Confucianism as
accepted in China.
Added new dimensions to Confucian though in terms of
conceptions of human nature & the right to govern
Believed good kings had ruled in the past and urged rulers of
his day to practice benevolence as well, by reducing taxes
and making punishments less severe.
A.
B.
C.
1.
D.
Kings could obtain people’s support
Called for a system called “well field” system: called for 8
families to farm fields shaped like the Chinese character for
well (tic tac toe design) 1 field in middle farmed by all 8
Qin & Han Empires
Mencius
I.
E.
F.
G.
H.
If government was not wise and benevolent, government
would be corrupt, people hungry, natural disasters etc.
Confucian principle of “rectification of names” a person who
was not a ruler, should be removed, lost mandate of heaven
Concept used by Zhou to justify revolt against Shang
Secularized the mandate when he declared “heaven hears as
the people hear; Heaven sees as the people see. Thus the
welfare for the people was the ultimate standard of judging
the virtue of government
Qin & Han Empires
II.
Emergence of Legalism
Xunzi – took ideas of their teachers, Wise leadership proper
rituals, and strict laws would make humans capable of living good
lives.
Lord Shang minister of the State of Qin, described his work as
legalism
A.
B.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Eliminated aristocracy
Determined subordinates’ military ranks by the # of heads cut off
in battle
Organized territory to counties
Attached farmers to those counties offering them houses, land, and
freedom from serfdom,
Made people responsible for crimes committed by members of
their mutual responsibility groups
Codified laws, applying them harshly without consideration for
rank
Qin & Han Empires
C. Another Student Han Feizi followed Lord Shang’s
traditions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Advocated harsh application of laws, unmodified by family
concerns
Suggests that rulers did not have to be moral leaders who
treated their subjects with kindness
Parents treat their children differently, ruler cannot be
expected to rule subjects with whom he had little familial
bond
Equal application of the law was the only answer.
LI Si, student of Xunzi, contemporary of Han Feizi, Put legal
political theory into practice in Qin Empire as its leading
minister
Qin & Han Empires
IV. LiSi
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
LI Si, student of Xunzi, contemporary of Han Feizi, Put legal
political theory into practice in Qin Empire as its leading minister
Legalist argued for elaborate system of laws fixed penalties for
each offense,
The ruler, however was above the law
Judges to use their own consciences in estimating the gravity of a
crime.
Define the crime correctly; punishment was provided
automatically by the code of law.
These legal doctrines clashed with Confucian prioritization, in the
name of human kindness of the family, with the notion that REN
was a motivation for the people to support their ruler
Qin & Han Empires
Daoism
V.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
The 3rd school of thought to emerge from Zhou Era
3rd century BCE, Zhuangzi (369-289 BCE) embraced
relativism and spiritual freedom and adamantly apolitical
Did not welcome rulers’ intervention to improve people’s
livelihoods.
For Confucians the Dao (the way) was ethical path for rulers’
humanity in a human centered world.
Daoists, the Dao (the way) was of nature wit which humans
should seek harmony rather than dominance.
2 Daoist texts survive. The Daodejing, or Laozi, attributed
to Lao Dai, 6th century contemporary of Confucius. (most
likely completed 3 centuries later)
Qin and Han Empires
Other Text the Zhuangzi, goes much farther in rejecting
politics and engagement with society
G. Daoism was a revolt against society against the
intellect’s limitations. Intuition, not reason, was the
source of true knowledge,
H. Zhuangzi questioned the reality of the world of senses
VI. Han Dynasty
F.
1.
2.
Daoism would take on a religious coloration, then they used their
beliefs in political movements in the quest for immorality through
alchemy and sexual practices.
Daoism would frequently complement Confucian rationalism in
the search for the true way, in centuries to come, Chinese often
attempted to follow Confucian precepts in their social relations,
while at the same time maintaining Daoist beliefs.
Summary
What similar characteristics did the Xia and Shang
Dynasties have to those of Egypt and Mesopotamia?
What roles did Confucianism, Daoism, and the Legal
schools play in the development of Chinese Empires?
Were the Social structures of the Shang and Zhou
Dynasties organized differently, what was society
like?