Qin and Han
China
WHAP
General Info
Qin
Dynasty
Han
Dynasty
221 B.C. - 206 B.C.
206 B.C. – 220 A.D.
First Emperor
The Most Famous
Ruler
Qin Shih Huangdi
Wu Ti
Dynasty
It was short-lived.
Dynasty
It lasted over 400 years.
Geography
Qin Dynasty
• Extended Chinese
territory to the
south
• Reached up to
present-day Hong
Kong on the
South China Sea
and Northern
Vietnam.
Geography
Han Dynasty
• Extended to
Korea, Indochina,
and Central Asia.
Trade
Maritime Silk Road- origins in the Han dynasty.
The 7000 mile route spanned China, Central Asia, Northern India,
and the Parthian and Roman Empires.
Raw and processes silk transported along the overland silk road.
The maritime routes opened by Emperor Han Wudi provided access to
the Roman Empire via India.
Increased the number of
foreign merchants present in
China
War
The Yellow Turban Rebellion 184 A.D.
Through Taoism, Zhang Jue began to convince masses of people
that the Han rulers had lost the Mandate of Heaven.
Subsequently, he called for a full blown rebellion which turned
out to be extremely violent and destructive, and eventually lead
to the downfall of the Han dynasty.
Chu-Han War 206 B.C.
Liu Bang conquered the troops of the Qin Dynasty. After four
years of war Liu Bang defeated his rival and established the Han
Dynasty.
Agriculture
•The Emperors encouraged the
development of agriculture.
•Grew rice, and wheat, and
provided salt.
•Under Wu Di’s reign the Lou
Che was invented, which was
used for ploughing and sowing.
This saved manual labor.
•Silk was invented and was used
as currency.
Population Growth &
Decline
With the advanced technology, farming
flourished more. As farming became more
productive, population thus naturally
increased.
As the rulers expanded the Chinese
territory toward such countries as Korea
and Vietnam, population increased as
more land was gained.
Disease
Bubonic Plague
not only decreased population, but also disrupted trade,
industry, finance, and society.
European Plagues
spread over the silk roads brought down the Han Empire .
Small Pox, Measles, Chickenpox, and Rubella spread
throughout countries through trade.
The East-West trade linking Rome with china through the
Silk Road introduced Small pox and measles to China.
Writings were found suggesting that an ancient disease called
Leprosy existed. Can be referred to as Leprosy or Syphilis.
May have been introduced into China from India.
Migrations
v
Inter-migration within China
As the empire expanded southward into
present day Hong Kong, and later further
towards Korea, Indochina, and Central
Asia, people moved to these new areas as
they provided new opportunities for
farming, and overall wealth and prosperity.
Social Structure
Aristocracy & Bureaucracy
Skilled laborers, Iron workers,
farmers, etc.
Unskilled laborers
In Han China, there was a three tier social system. At the
top of this was the Aristocrats and Bureaucrats, followed
by the skilled laborers (iron workers, farmers, etc) and then
the unskilled laborers which included people like servants.
Gender Structure
Women were subordinate and had their own
clearly defined roles.
Women sometimes gained power as mothers in law of younger
women brought into the household.
Same gender hierarchy existed among children. Boys > Girls
Considered the head of family, the oldest son
who had the most authority other than his father,
inherited everything.
The Arts
Qin Dynasty
•The arts did not exist in the Qin Dynasty because Emperor Qin Shihuang
ordered musical instruments and art forms to be burned. He considered
them an unnecessary item in China because it taught people to have their
own thoughts.
Han Dynasty
•Emperors and musicians during the Han Dynasty wished to bring
back the arts.
•They wanted to adapt to Confucian thought, which considered
music as an intellectual pursuit.
•Office of Music (Yuefu) was created to collect the folk music of
China
•During the Han Dynasty 829 people were employed in three
orchestras.
Literature/Sacred
Writings/Writing
System
Confucian writing
Several writers elaborated Confucian
philosophy during the Han dynasty.
Learning and reciting poetry became
significant part of Chinese education
Five Classics: Were used in civil service examinations.
Included historical treatises, speeches, and a discussion of
etiquette and ceremonies
most commonly used script: Lishu script. They used it because
it was faster and more accessible, which they needed for
governmental issues.
During the Qin Dynasty, the language was unified as one dialect.
Government Structure
Shih Huangdi
He provided a single law code for
the whole empire
Established a uniform tax system
Appointed governors to each district. These
rulers had legal and military powers. They also
had their own lower rulers for smaller regions.
Epitome of effective centralized government
Government Structure
Han Dynasty
Established 130,000 bureaucrats. Had to take examinations.
Judicial matters were done by local governments.
Military was not extremely strong.
Emphasized Confucian philosophy as an official
Chinese values..
Sponsored public works (irrigation/canal systems)
Standardized currency to facilitate trade
Regulated agricultural supplies
Family Organization
Patriarchal families
Extended family networks through brothers, uncles,
grandparents, and others.
The practice of ancestor worship was
important to family authority among the
affluent landowners.
Village authority was supreme over family
rule among the ordinary farmers.
Religious Beliefs
Buddhism
Buddhism originated in northern India during the 6th
century.
Han Buddhism was popular during the Han Dynasty.
Emperor Tai Wu persecuted Buddhism.
Taoism/Daoism
Taoism was popular during the reign of the Han
Dynasty.
Under the Qin Dynasty schools of Taoist philosophy
began to emerge.
Confucianism
Confucianism was popular during both dynasties.
Changes
Continuities
Civil service examination
Confucianism-Legalism-Taoism
Silk Road
Paper, gunpowder, seismograph, roads,
canals, great wall
Centralization of authority
Standardization of script, language,
currency, weights measurement
Zhou-Chin-Han
Tribute- payment to trade with
Meritocracy
Bureaucracy
Population growth
Standard taxation
Growth of empire
Agriculture
Patriarchy
Role of family
Ancestor worship
Mandate of Heaven
Dynasties
Impact of geography
Role of nomads
Independent innovation
Role of citizen to provide public works,
military service ( corvee labor)
Ethnocentrism ( mIddle Kingdom)
In China during the classical age (600
B.C.E-600 C.E, the Mandate of Heaven
would continue to be a guiding
principle of dynastic rule,
agricultural productivity would be
essential to maintain the populace
but the opening up of the silk route
during the Han Dynasty would bring
great external developments as they
extended their territorial
boundaries
From 600 B.C.E-600 C.E in Classical China
the consolidation of political authority
Would be cemented under Chin Shi Huang
Ti, massive building projects would ensue
Like the great wall to protect against
Nomadic invaders, however, the role of
Importance of family and ancestor veneration
Would be a core belief to hold society
Together.