The Rise of Civilization
in China
Rivers: What does this remind you of?
The Shang: 1766 BCE—1122 BCE
• First dynasty in China.
• Built capital at present-day Anyang and controlled
the surrounding lands. Nobles helped rule the
rest of the empire.
– Mostly peasants
• Royal family→ Warriors→ Merchants→ Peasants
• Idea of the family was at the center of society.
• Valued bronze more than gold.
• Why might a civilization feel more strongly
about bronze than gold?
Religion
• Worshipped major gods who they believed
created the earth
– What kind of religion is this?
• Polytheism
• Main god is Shang Di; the king was seen as the
link to Shang Di.
• At first, it was thought that only the prayers of
the nobles would be listened to.
• Also worshipped on a more personal level, to the
spirits of their ancestors.
– Why might they worship the spirits of their
ancestors?
Achievements
• Learned the skill of making silk around 2640
BCE; made silk thread from the cocoons of
silkworms.
• Famous for their ability to cast bronze.
• Studied the planets, eclipses of the sun, and
developed a 365.25 day calendar.
• What do you think was so important about
their ability to make silk?
Fall of the Shang
• Toward the end of the dynasty, the Shang
kings neglected their duty.
• A new dynasty, the Zhou, rose to challenge
the Shang.
• The Zhou introduced the idea of the Mandate
of Heaven to justify their actions.
The Mandate of Heaven
• The right or wisdom to rule comes from the
gods. As long as the leader takes care of the
people and the government, he will maintain
the goodwill of the gods.
• However, if he neglects the people and the
government, he will lose this mandate.
• The gods will then send signs of their
displeasure: famine, drought, war, corruption,
floods. The loss of the Mandate will lead to
rebellion.
You’re the Leader
• Imagine that you are the President of the
United States in 2040. What would you have
to do to keep the “Mandate of Heaven”?
The Shang Dynasty: Boundaries
Zhou Dynasty: 1122 BCE—256 BCE
• 2nd dynasty of China
• Explained their rebellion against the Shang
through the Mandate of Heaven.
• What did the Zhou feel had happened to the
Shang?
The Zhou Dynasty: Boundaries
Feudalism
• The Zhou allowed land-owning nobles of the
Shang dynasty to keep their land in the new
empire.
– In return, the nobles owed the king military
service, taxes, and loyalty. This type of
government is called Feudalism.
• What problems would the Zhou have run into
if they had decided to kick out the Shang
nobles?
• Is Feudalism an effective way to manage an
empire? Why or why not?
Zhou Dynasty: Achievements
• New iron farm tools and better irrigation allowed
for more productive use of the land.
– What do you think happened as a result?
• Increased FOOD production!
• First written law code is developed.
• Bronze coins came into use and slowly replaced
the barter economy.
• Crossbow was invented and used in warfare.
• The accomplishments of the Zhou Dynasty
mirror achievements in what Mesopotamian
civilizations?
Zhou Dynasty: Fall
• Feudalism ruled effectively for 250 years, but
over time, leaders lost control to powerhungry nobles (competition).
• What do you think “uncontrolled” Feudalism
would mean for China in general?
• For the next 600 years China would be
plagued by civil war and chaos.
• Leads into the “Warring States Period”
Chinese Writing
• Started to take shape
4,000 years ago.
– Found on “oracle bones” –
questions to the gods,
often written on turtle
shells or other hard
materials.
• Each character represents
a whole word or idea.
• Calligraphy
• Under the Zhou, Chinese
created the world’s first
books.
Chinese Writing Today
• Please open your Ancient China Packet to
Page 12 (the final page). Read along with the
class; be prepared to read if called upon.
Major Chinese Belief Systems
Confucianism
• Founded by Confucius
– Scholar/teacher
– Never wrote; his sayings reported
in Analects
• A philosophy of worldly
concerns
• Life built on respect for elders
and duty/responsibilities
• Educated rulers
• Balance of Yin and Yang
Daoism
• Founded by Laozi
• Not concerned with daily
human affairs; wanted
people to focus on the way
of the universe
• Simplicity
• The virtue of yielding; no
resistance
Confucianism vs. Daoism
• Imagine that YOU are the leaders of a newly
founded country. You get to decide what the
laws are going to look like. Get into your
groups and create (based upon the Chinese
belief system that has been assigned to your
group) a set of ten rules/laws that the people
of your country would be required to follow.
Be sure that the rules all match up to the
philosophy of your group.
The Man Who Forgot
• Please open your Ancient China Packet to
Page 9. Read the primary source from Liezi—a
philosopher who is believed to have traveled
throughout ancient China in the 3rd or 4th
century BCE, providing advice to the rulers of
small states.
• Answer the questions that follow on a
separate sheet of paper, and be prepared to
discuss your findings.
3.4: Closure
• What characteristics defined the civilization
that developed in China under its early
rulers?
3.5: Strong Rulers Unite China
• 221 BCE: Zheng of the state of Qin overthrew
feudal lords and called himself Shi Huangdi, or
“First Emperor.”
– He centralized power, imposed punishments for
failure.
• The thinker Hanfeizi: “The only way to achieve
order is to pass strict laws and impose harsh
punishments for crimes.” (Legalism)
Unity and Compliance
• Shi Huangdi removed feudalism; replaced feudal
states with 36 military districts.
– What was the point of changing Chinese government
in this manner? Why did Shi Huangdi benefit from
this?
• Forced nobles to live in the capital at Xianyang
where he could monitor them.
• Standardized weights & measurements.
• Made a national coin (replaced local currency).
– Why was it important for Shi Huangdi to make a
national coin? What did it allow him to do?
The Great Wall
• Shi Huangdi ordered pre-existing walls to be
joined.
• Was pounded earth; did not have the brick
sides that you see today until the Ming
Dynasty.
• What did the building of the Great Wall say
about China, at the time?
– Ability to mobilize
– Isolation
Qin Dynasty Collapses
• After Shi Huangdi’s death: chaos/anger over:
– Taxes
– Forced labor
– Cruel policies
• Gao Zu, a peasant leader, defeated rival armies
and founded the Han dynasty.
• How might Chinese scholars have explained Shi
Huangdi’s downfall, at the time?
The Faults of the Qin Dynasty
• Please open your Ancient China Packet to
Page 10. Read the two viewpoints on the
problems of the Qin Dynasty (from the Han
perspective), and respond to the questions
below on a separate sheet of paper.
Han Dynasty: 202 BCE—220 CE
• Gao Zu restored order and justice
– Lowered taxes, eased Legalist policies
• Wudi (141 BCE to 87 BCE)
– Strengthened government
– Concern for Confucian thought
– Founded an imperial university
– Improved canals and roads
– Controlled sale of iron and salt
– Expansionism
The Silk Road
• A network of trade routes to the West
• New foods came into China as a result; China sent silk in return
• Eventually reached 4,000 miles, linking to the Fertile Crescent
Zhang Qian & the Origin of the Silk Road
• Please open your Ancient China Packet to
Page 11. Read the primary source that
discusses the journey of a Chinese diplomat.
Answer the questions that follow in your
notebook, and be prepared to discuss your
findings.
• Don’t worry about #4. You don’t have to do it.
China’s Civil Service System
• Civil servants—government officials—should
win positions by merit (quality), not by family
ties.
– You would start on the bottom and move up as
you showed your talents.
• What kinds of jobs work this way today?
How?
Han Dynasty: Achievements
• Wang Chong argued
scientific theories supported
by proof
• Acupuncture: needles to
release pain.
• Han Technology = best in the
world
– Paper-making from wood
pulp: still used today
– Invention of the boat rudder
– Bronze & iron stirrups for
horses
– Suspension bridges
What does the discovery
of acupuncture suggest
about the Han Dynasty’s
approach to life?
Chinese Accept Buddhism
• By 100 CE, Mahayana Buddhism (easier for
ordinary people vs. Theravada) had spread from
India to China.
– At first, opposed China’s ideas of the family unit
(Buddhist monks lived a solitary life)
• Why do you think Buddhism was successful in
China, despite other competing beliefs?
– Success due to its promise of an end to suffering.
– Chinese Buddhists still honored filial piety (respect for
elders) and Confucius.
Closure: Ancient China
• What characteristics define Ancient China?
• In what ways was Ancient China different
from other places we’ve studied in this
course? In what ways was it similar?