Bellwork
• In your notebooks, write at least three
things you know about China.
– Any fact or characteristic is fine, but there has
to be at least three concepts.
Be prepared to discuss these at the beginning of
class.
World History
Section 3, Unit 4
China
Ancient History, Growth, and
Dynasties
Objectives
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Identify the geographic features and location of China.
Describe early events in Chinese history.
Examine and describe early Chinese dynasties.
Evaluate and define the “Mandate of Heaven” and the Dynastic
Cycle
Identify the affect of Confucius’ philosophies on future
Dynasties
Compare and contrast Confucius to Laozi
Identify important changes to the Chinese empire under the
Qin Dynasty
Compare the Han Dynasty to previous dynasties discussed
Describe the government style under the Han Dynasty and the
influence of Confucianism on Han life
Analyze the creation of the Silk Roads
Define the term “assimilation”
Describe the legacy of the Han dynasty and China on later
civilizations
Ancient China
• The walls of China’s first cities were built
approximately 1,500 years after Ur
(Mesopotamia) was formed, 1,000 years after
the Pyramids, and 1,000 years after the cities of
the Indus Valley were formed.
• Despite it’s “late” start, China has become a
world powerhouse that has existed in various
forms for over 3,500 years (the civilization).
• The survival of China is partly due to its
geography.
Geography
• China has various
natural barriers that
protect it from foreign
threats:
– East: The Pacific Ocean
– West: a great desert
and icy plain.
– North: large desert
(Mongolia).
– South: The Himalayan
Mountains.
Effects of the geography
Desert in China
• In part due to the vast
deserts and mountains
that make up about twothirds (2/3) of China’s
land mass, early Chinese
people had to move
farther east, near the
Pacific Ocean. There,
they would farm land
between two rivers: the
Huange He (hwahnghuh) and Yangtze
(yangsee) rivers.
Huang He
Deserts
Yangtze
Mountains
Huang He & Yangtze Rivers
About 90 % of the remaining landmass in
China, that was fertile, was found between these
two rivers. This plain is China’s heartland.
Other environmental issues
• Much like Egypt, Mesopotamia, and India,
China too also experienced flooding to
some degree.
– What are some benefits of the flood?
Drawbacks?
• Despite the natural barriers, however, the
Chinese inhabitants did have to contend
with invaders from the West and North in
many cases throughout their history.
Formation of Civilization
• Despite the Chinese civilization forming
after other cultures previously mentioned,
people have existed in the area for 1 mil.200,000 years.
• At around 2000 B.C., Chinese settlers began
farming around the Huang He river. Some
settlements became early cities.
• One of the earliest cities became the first
Chinese Dynasty- the Xia (shyah) Dynasty.
Xia Dynasty
• The Xia Dynasty appeared around 2000 B.C. and,
during the time, the leaders of the Dynasty began to
irrigate the Huang He river.
– These irrigation fields would prove useful to later
dynasties to exist.
• This period of time in Chinese history is believed to
have existed for around 500 years. However, there is
no written record of this dynasty (during the time),
so much of what occurred is unknown.
– In fact, it’s very likely that the Xia may have not existed.
Shang Dynasty
• The Shang Dynasty
(1600-1046 B.C.) is
believed to have grown
immediately after the
“fall” of the Xia
dynasty and was
established by Tang.
Shang Dynasty
• Under Tang, the Shang Dynasty
experienced immense growth- which
included large scale building projects. In
fact, the largest city in Shang was built
entirely of wood.
– The city- Anyang- was built in the middle of a
forest and, to protect it, the Chinese citizens
created massive earthen walls to protect the
city.
Social Classes
• Much like Ancient India, the Chinese also
formed social classes, in which the nobles were
sharply divided from the peasants. The Shang
ruled with warrior-nobles who were headed by
the king.
• The nobles were given parcels of land in
exchange for their services and were to govern
the lands they controlled. In these lands, the
peasants saw to the farming and had few
rights.
Culture
• The culture that arose
during the Shang
Dynasty focused very
much on unity.
– From the beginning,
there seemed to be less
emphasis on the
individual.
– Peoples lives were
governed by two entities:
their families and their
king/emperor.
Family
Question: How could the emphasis
on family benefit Ancient Chinese
civilizations?
• Family was central in
Chinese society. An
important virtue was
respecting ones
parents. Male elders of
the family controlled
the property and made
important decisions.
Family (cont.)
• Women, however, were treated as inferior.
They were expected to obey their fathers,
husbands (who they were arranged to
marry), and even their sons.
• A persons chief loyalty in their life was to
family.
Religious Beliefs
• The belief in family also affected the
Chinese religious beliefs. The Chinese
believed that the spirits of family members
could bring good/bad fortune.
• Every family paid respect to the fathers
ancestors and made sacrifices in their
honor.
– Question: Why only fathers ancestors?
Development of Writing
“Water”
• One of the greatest
achievements during
the Shang Dynasty was
the formation of a
Chinese writing system.
• Chinese writing
consisted of characterslogograms- which stood
for a idea, not a sound.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the
Ancient Chinese Language
• Advantages
– People in all parts of
China could learn the
same system of writing,
regardless of what spoken
Chinese language they
speak.
– (think 2+2=4; it doesn’t
matter what language I
say it in, people will
understand the written
portion).
• Disadvantages
– There was an enormous
number of characters to
memorize. For someone
to be considered fluent,
they had to learn 1,000
characters. For a scholar,
it was 10,000.
– For centuries, this
requirement limited the
number of scholars in
Chinese society.
Technology
• The Shang also became very skilled in their
technology and artistry.
• The people manufactures weapons, jewelry,
and many bronze objects.
Technology
• During these times,
the Chinese also
learned how to make
silk cloth, which was
created by drawing
fine threads of a silk
worms cocoon and
weaving them into a
Silk cloth
light fabric. Silk
became a symbol of
Chinese civilization.
Silk worm and cocoon
Rise of the Zhou Dynasty
• Around 1027 B.C., a people called the Zhou
(joh) overthrew the Shang and established
their own dynasty.
• The Zhou adopted much of the Shang
culture, so the change in dynasties did not
bring a new culture, but the Zhou did have
new ideas to bring.
Mandate of Heaven
• To justify their
conquest, the Zhou
leaders declared the
final Shang king had
been such a poor ruler
that the gods had
taken away the Shang
rules and given it to
the Zhou.
Mandate of Heaven
• This idea spread and became the template
for the Mandate of Heaven:
– A belief that a just ruler has divine approval to
rule, while a wicked or foolish king could lose
the right to rule.
Dynastic Cycle
• This belief in the Mandate
of Heaven would soon
lead to the concept of the
Dynastic Cycle: a belief
that dynasties will
experience a period of
growth, decline (which is
marked by floods or
rebellion), and
replacement by a new
dynasty.
Why does it seem like all the Dynasties are
concentrated in one area?
– To the left, this picture
shows how dynasties have
been changing for
thousands of years, up until
the early 20th century.
Feudalism
The Zhou Dynasty controlled areas much farther than the
previous dynasty. In response to the large area, the Zhou
Dynasty established the system of Feudalism- a political system
in which nobles are granted the use of lands that belong to the
king. The nobles provide loyalty and military service, and the
king provides protection when necessary.
Feudalism (cont.)
• This system was useful to have the people
submit to the kings powers, but in time
would prove to ineffective, nobles began to
become less dependent on the king. They
would eventually come to form their own
dynasties (see previous slide on the many
dynasties after Zhou).
Improvements
Trade
• As the large cities grew,
the Zhou built roads and
canals to supply the cities.
In turn, this stimulate
trade and agriculture.
• The Zhou also coined
money and the new
wealth amongst the
Dynasty created a new
social class- the
government
administrative workers
(civil servants).
Technology
• A major technological
improvement was the use of
iron. The Zhou created blast
furnaces which allowed them
to produce iron- they would
be one of the earliest users of
iron.
• The new iron allowed the
Zhou to cast better weapons
and better tools for farming.
– The new farming tools would
ultimately help farmers
produce more food for their
cities.
Warring States Period
Recall: What happened when the Zhou Dynasty
formed all those feudal states? Did the nobles
still need the king?
Warring States Period
• The Zhou ruled from about 1027 B.C. to 256
B.C.
• For the first 300 years, the empire was
relatively peaceful and stable. However, rule
began to decline.
Warring States Period
• In 771 B.C., nomads from north and west
attacked the capital Zhou city and killed the
king. The royal family escaped, but where
unable to gain control over the nobles who
once claimed loyalty.
– Each noble, being a warrior, claimed to be kings
of their own territory.
Warring States Period (cont.)
• During this time, warfare had lead to the
creation of new technologies, such as a
crossbow and new concepts of battle never
before seen.
• However, the period was marked by immense
bloodshed and a loss of previous values- order,
harmony, respect for authority- which defined
Chinese society.
– The dynastic cycle was about to bring about a new
dynasty that would bring order back to China.
Break
• Take a short 2 minute
break before we
continue into the next
section.
Required Reading: Early
China: A Lesson Learned
Ancient China Part 2
• In the last section, we discussed the rise and
fall of three Ancient Chinese dynasties: the
Xia (shyah), Shang, and Zhou (joh).
• We left off discussing the fall of the
dynasties and how new ideas would help
lead into a new powerful Chinese Dynasty.
Philosophy and Social Order
• When the Zhou
Dynasty fell, values
such as social order,
harmony, and respect
for authority were put
aside as well.
• To restore order,
Chinese Scholars and
philosophers felt the
need to create new
solutions
Confucius
• China’s most
influential scholar was
Confucius (b. 551 B.C.).
Confucius lived when
the Zhou Dynasty was
being torn apart by
warring lords. He led a
scholarly life, meaning
he studied, taught
history, music, and
moral character
Confucius (cont.)
• He believed that social order could be
restored if Chinese society was centered
around five (5) basic relationships:
– Ruler and subject
– Father and son
– Husband and wife
– Older brother and younger brother
– Friend and friend
Confucius (cont.)
• He created a code of proper conduct which
regulated these relationships– for example ,
a ruler should treat his subjects with
kindness and subjects should be loyal.
Filial Piety
• Three of Confucius’ 5
relationships relied on
family. He firmly
believed in filial pietyrespect for parents and
elders.
Confucius (d. 479 B.C.)
• Confucius spent the remainder of his life
teaching and advising Chinese leaders on how
to lead.
• His ideas were written by his students, and
they were collected into a book called the
Analects.
• From his death came the belief in
Confucianism- an ethical system that became
the foundation for government and social
order.
Confucian ideas
• Confucius believed that education can
transform a person into a gentleman.
• He laid the groundwork for bureaucracytrained civil service (those who run the
government).
– Confucians believed in a proper government
system that ruled smoothly.
• Even the emperor was to rule by good virtue.
Civil Servants
• Confucius believed
that it was important
for Civil Servants who
would lead
government to possess
four main
characteristics:
–
–
–
–
Be Precise
Courteous
Providing
Just
Laozi (6th century)
• During Confucius’
time, another Chinese
thinker was
considering the role of
government.
• Laozi (la-ow-su),
unlike Confucius,
believed that only the
natural order was
important.
Laozi (cont.)
• He said that a universal force, the Dao
(“tow”– meaning “the way”) guides all
things.
– He argued that nature works in ways that does
not seek fame, fortune, or power.
– Humans, he believed, then must also work in
ways to not consider what is right or wrong, or
question pointless things such as “what are
good manners”.
Daoism
• The following of Laozi
lead to the belief in
Daoism.
• Unlike the Confucists,
Daoists (including
Laozi) believed that
the government
should interfere in
peoples lives as little as
possible.
Daoism (cont.)
• Daoists believed that people could do little
to influence the outcome of events, which is
why they supported little government
interference.
• However, Daoists have had major
contributions to the sciences, in part due to
their wanting to understand nature.
Questions
• What was a major difference between
Confucius and Laozi?
• How does Confucius’s focus on the family
relate back to “traditional” Chinese beliefs?
• Do you think that Confucius was right
about the emphasis on education?
Qin Dynasty
• A short-lived dynasty
would come to replace the
Zhou Dynasty in the third
century B.C.
• It emerged from the
western state of Qin
(chihn). It’s leader, a 13
year old boy, utilized his
skills and belief in strict
government to subdue the
warring states and unify
the country– a process
that would take 20 years.
Shi Huangdi
• After 20 years, Shi
Huangdi (shir hwangdee), which means
“first emperor”,
became the first
emperor of the Qin
Dynasty. He chose to
abandon the title
“king” in favor of this
new name.
Shi Huangdi
• The king began his reign by halting internal
battles that were weakening China. He then
defeated invaders and crushed internal
resistance to his rule.
• He expanded China and doubled it’s size.
Expansion of Control
• The new emperor also ordered that all
noble peoples live in the capital city, so that
he could closely monitor them.
• He feared that they might be attempting to
betray him.
• In doing so, he relocated almost 120,000
noble families, seized their land, and carved
China into 36 administrative districts that
would be monitored by Qin officials.
Autocracy
• To silence criticism, he also
ordered that hundreds of
Confucian scholars be
executed and that their
books be burned.
• These books contained
information that were
Confucian ideas or works
that disagreed with him.
Practical books, such as
medical books, were spared.
• In doing this, he expanded
his power into an autocracyruler ship of one.
– In this system, the ruler has
unlimited power.
Centralization
• Shi Huangdi also created sweeping
programs for centralization, including:
– Building a highway network that was over 4,000
miles.
– Set uniform standards for Chinese writing, law,
currency, and measurements
– Irrigation projects (which increased farm
production)
– Increased trade
Projects
• However, to do these projects, Shi Huangdi
also:
– Forced peasants to work against their will
– Created harsh taxes
– Created a repressive government
• Although he unified China, he did it at a
cost of human freedom
Two Questions:
What is this a picture of?
Why is this structure so impressive?
Great Wall of China
• Shi Huangdi, and the
dynasty as a whole,
was very unpopular
amongst the masses.
• Despite this, the
emperor required the
poor to work to unify
a great wall across
China’s northern
border.
Great Wall of China (cont.)
• Prior to the Qin, there were always smaller
walls built to discourage attacks from
northern invaders.
• The project was designed to fill in the gaps
between these walls and force invaders to go
almost to Tibet to attack China.
Great Wall of China (cont)
• The Great Wall of China was built on the
backs of thousands of unpaid laborers.
• The laborers had no option but to build. If
they didn’t, they would die.
• Many workers died building the wall, in
part due to either harsh winters or terrible
working conditions.
However, despite his work,
the wall would still not be
complete.
Other building projects
• Aside from fixing and
improving the Great
Wall, Shi Huangdi also
had another great
project built for him:
– The Terracotta Army
Terracotta Army
• The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta
sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi
Huangdi, who existed to protect the emperor in his
afterlife.
Fall of the Qin Dynasty
• Despite such great building projects, the
Qin Dynasty was ultimately short-lived.
– The projects actually made the Qin Dynasty
unpopular among the people who were forced
to build.
– As well, the Qin Dynasty was not as stable after
Shi Huangdi’s death.
Fall of the Qin Dynasty
• Shi Huangdi’s son was
just as cruel as his
father, but was less
able.
• Peasants rebelled just
three years after he
took over.
Qin Er Shi, son of Shi Huangdi
Rise of a New Dynasty
• Despite the loss of the Qin Dynasty, the
Dynastic Cycle would again bring about a
new dynasty to take the place of the Qin:
the Han Dynasty
Break
• Please take a 2 minute
break before we start
the new section.
China Part 3
• In the last lesson, we discussed Shi Huangdi
(shir hwang-dee) and the Qin Dynasty.
What was the Dynasty like?
• We also discussed Confucius and Laotze.
What did these two men believe in and
what were the religions/beliefs they
instilled?
Restoration of China
• Discontent appeared after the death of Shi
Huangdi.
– The peasants, who were still very bitter,
rebelled.
• Rival kings- who attempted to fill the gap
the Qin left- raised armies and fought.
Liu Bang
• In the years that
followed, two powerful
leaders appeared- Xiang
Yu (shee-ang yoo) and
his general, Liu Bang.
• Overtime, Liu Bang
turned against Xiang Yu
and the two fought their
final battle in 202 B.C.
• Liu Bang won and
declared himself the
first emperor of the Han
Dynasty.
Han Dynasty
• The Han Dynastywhich would rule
China for over 400
years, is divided into
two periods:
– The former Han ruled
for about two centuries
until A.D. 9
– The later Han ruled for
almost another two
centuries.
Centralization
• Liu Bang’s first goal was to destroy the other
rival kings’ power.
• He followed the Qin policy of a centralized
government, in which a central authority runs
the state.
• To avoid the issues during the Qin Dynasty,
Liu Bang lowered taxes and softened harsh
punishments.
– The people were very appreciative of his new
reforms.
Empress Lu
• When Liu Bang died in
195 B.C., his son
became the emperor–
only in name.
• The real ruler was his
mother, Empress Lu.
– She outlived her son
and retained control of
the throne by naming
two different infants (at
two different times)
emperor.
Question: How would this
help her retain power?
Empress Lu
• Empress Lu died in 180 B.C.
• When she died, the people who were loyal
to Liu Bang’s family were able to come back
into power.
– To ensure they would come back into power,
Liu Bangs ancestors executed Empress Lu’s
relatives in the palace.
Wudi
• Wudi was Liu Bangs
great-grandson. He
continued many of Liu
Bangs centralized
policies.
• He became known as a
“martial emperor”
because, under him,
China expanded its’
boundaries.
Han Wudi
• Wudi also removed various nomads from the
area that were threatening Chinese provinces.
He forced many of them to move into central
Asia.
• He also expanded the Han Dynasty into
Manchuria and Korea and set up colonies into
Vietnam.
Structured Government
Emperor
Three
Excellencies
Commanderin-Chief
Generals
Grandee
Secretary
Commandery
Local
Government
Armies
Prefecture
Chancellor
District
Chancellors
Office
10 Ministers
Commune
Village
Structured Government (cont.)
• The emperor relied on a very complex
system to run the Dynasty.
• To pay for the system, the emperor levied
taxes- farmers would pay in-kind using
crops, while other groups paid with
currency.
Structured Government (cont.)
• As well, the Han also required peasants to
provide the government one month of
service a year– such as building roads,
canals, and irrigation ditches.
• The emperor filled his armies and expanded
the Great Wall.
Civil Service
• The empire employed
130,000 people, which
include 18 different
ranks of civil service
jobs– government jobs
that civilians obtained
by passing exams.
– These exams tested
people on their
knowledge of
Confucianism.
Schools
• To train these new civil servants, the empire
actually set up schools.
• These schools were designed to teach
students about Confucianism.
– The Han emperors- especially Wudi- valued the
four characteristics of those who lead
government.
• Question: What are those four characteristics?
Precise, Providing, Courteous, and Just
Han Technology
• Advances in technology influenced all of
Han life. The technology includes:
– Paper- invented in A.D. 105
• Prior to this, they wrote on silk or pieces of wood
• Helped spread education and was more convenient
– Collar Harness for horses
– Plow
– Wheelbarrow
– Watermills to grind grain
Han Agriculture
• As the kingdom grew to almost 60 million,
Confucian scholars and ordinary Chinese
people began to regard agriculture as the
most important and honored occupation.
– To some, agriculture was seen as the foundation
of the “world” (empire).
Silk Roads
• However, commerce was regarded as the least
important occupation– despite the fact that it was
extremely important to the growth of the overall
dynasty.
• Commerce was so important, however, that it lead
to the creation of the one of the most important
trading routes in the old world: the Silk Roads
Silk Roads
• The growth of commerce lead to the
formation of the Silk Road:
– Foreign demand was extremely high for
Chinese silk- primarily because outside
cultures did not know how to make silk.
– The Silk Roads would ultimately prove
to be extremely important to commerce
in the old world and opened trade
between the east and west.
Silk Roads
Unified Chinese Culture
• As the Han (and their trading) expanded,
the Chinese began to learn about more
foods, animals, and fashions of foreign
cultures.
• Many people began to become a part of the
empire.
– The Han had to decide how to manage all of
these people.
Assimilation
• To unify the empire, the government
encouraged assimilation- the process of
making another group a part of the culture.
– To accomplish this, the government sent
farmers to settle in new areas and intermarry
with local peoples.
– As well, Chinese history was also dutifully
recorded so that there would be one unified
history amongst the people.
Rebellion and Restoration
• In spite of some
advances, Han
emperors faced some
problems, such as the
rich gaining more
wealth at the expense
of the poor.
Problems
• According to custom, only the father’s male
heirs would get any land. Unless a farmer could
afford more land, land would continue to be
divided amongst his family.
• Farmers had a hard time making enough food,
so they often went into debt by borrowing.
• The government started to heavily enforce
these debts leading to a larger gap between
rich and poor.
Political Instability
• During this time, political instability grew.
– At any given time, political figures were often
plotting to influence the emperors choice of
who would succeed him.
– Between 32 B.C. – 9 A.D., several inexperienced
rulers followed one another.
Wang Mang
• Finally, in 9 A.D., a Confucian scholar
named Wang Mang seized control after
acting as a regent for a infant who was
emperor. He took the title for himself and
overthrew the Han, effectively ending the
first Han Dynasty.
Wang Mang
• He attempted to bring the
country under control,
such as by printing money,
creating granaries to feed
the poor, and
redistributing land.
Death
• However, in AD 11, a large flood left
thousands dead and millions homeless.
• Wang Mang and his empire was unable to
quell the fears of the people and, in 23 AD,
Wang Mang was assassinated.
Later Han
• After Wang Mang’s death, another member
of the imperial Han family took control–
creating the Later Han Dynasty.
• Peace was restored to China and the first
decades of the Later Han were prosperous.
– The government set up control over the Silk
Road and expanded the power of the Empire.
Weaknesses Return
• However, within a century, China began to
suffer from similar weaknesses it had
experienced in the latter part of the Former
Han Dynasty.
– By 220 AD, the Later Han Dynasty disintegrated
into three rival kingdoms.
Chinese Legacy
• China would continue to
be a powerful presence in
the world throughout the
following (almost) two
millennia that would
follow.
• However, many Chinese
influences affected various
other cultures around the
world, including those in
Europe, as we will see in
future lessons.
Review the Objectives
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Identify the geographic features and location of China.
Describe early events in Chinese history.
Examine and describe early Chinese dynasties.
Evaluate and define the “Mandate of Heaven” and the Dynastic Cycle
Identify the affect of Confucius’ philosophies on future Dynasties
Compare and contrast Confucius to Laozi
Identify important changes to the Chinese empire under the Qin
Dynasty
Compare the Han Dynasty to previous dynasties discussed
Describe the government style under the Han Dynasty and the
influence of Confucianism on Han life
Analyze the creation of the Silk Roads
Define the term “assimilation”
Describe the legacy of the Han dynasty and China on later civilizations
Questions?
• If you have any questions, please ask now.
Next Lesson
• In the next lesson, we are going to move
away from China and we will not be
discussing it again for several more units.
• We will, however, backtrack and discuss
Greek society.
Review
Please take a China Review Worksheet from
the teacher or download it from the website.