CLASSICAL CHINA
What are the positive and negative
effects of political systems?
After it falls, what impact does a
civilization have on history?
The Main Idea
• Classical Civilizations: Han Dynasty (206
BC-220 AD)
• During the classical period, civilization
spreads beyond river valleys
– Powerful empires emerge in some areas
– The major philosophies of today emerge
– New types of government and systems of
thought are developed
– Geography still had a great impact on the
development of civilizations
Geography
• China is
surrounded by
natural barriers
– Himalayas
Mountains
– Gobi Desert
– Jungles
– Pacific Ocean
Geography
• Most isolated of all
civilizations
– Culture develops
separate from other
civilizations
– Ethnocentrism:
belief that one’s
culture is superior
to all others
– “Middle Kingdom”
Zhou Dynasty
(1027 BCE-221 BCE)
Zhou Dynasty: Government
(1027 BCE-221 BCE)
• Mandate of Heaven=divine right to rule
– Zhou told the people that the gods had become
angry at the Shang Dynasty’s cruelty and now had
chosen the Zhou to rule
– From this time on, each new dynasty claims the
Mandate of Heaven
• Chinese use the Mandate of Heaven to explain
the dynastic cycle
– Dynastic cycle=rise and fall of dynasties
Generations go
by. New dynasty
becomes...
Old Dynasty
New Dynasty
-taxes people too much
-brings peace
-stops protecting people
-builds roads, canals
-lets roads and walls fall apart
-gives land to peasants
-treats people unfairly
-protects people
Dynastic Cycle
New dynasty claims
Mandate of Heaven
Problems
-floods, earthquakes
-peasants revolt
-invaders attack empire
-bandits raid provinces
Old Dynasty loses
Mandate of
Heaven
Zhou Dynasty: Contributions
• Accurate calendar (365
¼ days)
• Process of making silk
discovered
• First Books made
• Money used for first
time
Zhou Dynasty: Collapse
• The Zhou Dynasty
collapses and China
enters a time of war
(“Warring States
Period”)
• Three new
philosophies develop
in response to this
time of disorder
– Confucianism
– Daoism
– Legalism
QIN DYNASTY
(221 BCE-206 BCE)
Qin Dynasty
• Leader of the Qin
state conquers the
other states and
proclaims himself Shi
Huangdi (“First
Emperor”)
• Autocrat=a single
ruler with complete
authority
Qin Dynasty: Centralized
Government
• Shi Huangdi unifies China under a
centralized government
–Standardizes measurements
–Creates national coins
–Promotes uniformity in Chinese writing
–Repairs roads and canals
Qin Dynasty: Centralized
Government
• Shi Huangdi creates loyalty to
the central government by
–Spying on government
officials
–Forcing noble families to
live at capitol city so they
could be monitored
Qin Dynasty: Legalism
• Philosophy based on teachings of
Hanfeizi and used by Shi Huangdi
• Legalism says:
–“nature of man is evil”
–The motive for most actions is greed
–Strength is the ruler’s greatest asset
Qin Dynasty: Legalism
• Legalism teaches that the only way to
achieve order is through strict laws and
harsh punishments
–Shi Huangdi puts people in jail that went
against him and burned books
Qin Dynasty: Contributions
• Unifies China
• The Great Wall
– Huangdi builds the Great Wall to keep out
invaders and to unify China
– It took thousands of workers years to build
the wall and many died in the process
– Shows emperor's power and vast resources
of China--Symbol
Qin Dynasty: Contributions
Qin Dynasty: Contributions
Terra Cotta Army—Buried with Shi Huangdi
HAN DYNASTY
(206 BC-220 CE)
Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
• After Shi Huangdi dies, the people revolt
–A new dynasty emerges and
• Eases harsh policies of the Qin
• Replaces the philosophy of Legalism with
Confucianism
• Policies help Han dynasty to last for 400
years
Han Dynasty: Government
• Most famous Han emperor is Wudi
–Establishes civil service system
• Exams based on the teachings of
Confucius (an important
philosopher) determined who would
get government jobs
–Improves roads and canals
Han Dynasty: Society
• Civil service exam
establishes Confucian
values in the
government and daily
life
– Filial piety-respect for
parents and ancestors
• Confucius spelled out
proper behavior for all
parts of society
Han Dynasty: Society
• Confucius taught that men were superior
to women
–Because of this belief, women were
excluded from civil service exams and
could not hold positions in
government.
Han Dynasty: Global Trade
Routes
• Emperor Wudi also opens a trade route
called the Silk Road
–Links China to lands as far west as
Mesopotamia
–Silk Road eventually stretches 4,000
miles
–Chinese send silk west
–Other civilizations send muslin (type of
cloth), glass, and new foods
Han Dynasty: Global Trade
Routes
• So what?
– Silk road brings China out of isolation!
Han Dynasty: Contributions
• The Han period is the golden age in
China
• Han Dynasty was the most
technologically advanced civilization
in the world at this time
Han Dynasty: Contributions in
Technology
• First to learn how to
make paper out of
wood pulp
• Invented wheel
barrow, fishing reel,
rudder (used to steer
ships)
Han Dynasty: Contributions in
Science
• Acupuncture—used to relieve pain and treat
illnesses
• Experimented with herbal remedies and
anesthesia
• Scholars wrote texts about chemistry, zoology,
and botany
Questions to Study
• What was the status and role of
women in classical China?
• How did the geography China
influence its success?
• Why did the Chinese define their
history in terms of dynastic cycles?
Practice!
Before the use of the Silk Road, how did
geography affect early China?
A) The mountains and deserts in western and
southwestern China slowed the exchange of
ideas.
B) The northwestern region provided many fertile
areas suitable for farming.
C) The three major river systems provided
barriers against invasion.
D) The lack of deep-water ports on the eastern
coast prevented China from developing trade
with other nations.
Practice!
Which civilization first developed a civil service
system, invented gunpowder, and manufactured
porcelain?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Aztec
Chinese
Japanese
Roman
Practice!
The use of the Silk Road in Asia and caravan
routes in northern Africa and southwestern
Asia encouraged
A)
B)
C)
D)
self-sufficiency
Cultural isolation
Ethnocentrism
Cultural diffusion