Chapter 4: Empires of India & China
Section 1: Hinduism & Buddhism
Section 2: Powerful Empires of India
Section 3: Pillars of Indian Life
Section 4: Philosophy & Religion in China
Section 5: Strong Rulers Unite China
Section 1: Hinduism & Buddhism

Summary:

India was the birthplace of two major religions:
1.) Hinduism
 2.) Buddhism


Hinduism and Buddhism are two
very important religions that
developed in ancient India

They both influenced Indian civilization
Section 1: Hinduism & Buddhism

Hinduism is one of
the most complex
religions in the world

Unlike most major
religions, Hinduism
has no single founder
Section 1: Hinduism & Buddhism

Hinduism also has many sacred texts,
instead of just one

Hinduism has developed and changed for
over 3,500 years

Many different groups have added their own
beliefs and gods
Section 1: Hinduism & Buddhism

To a Hindu, different gods are forms of an
all-powerful spiritual force

The goal of life is to become one with this
force

Hindus believe that it is hard to achieve this goal
in one lifetime, therefore, people are reincarnated
many times
Section 1: Hinduism & Buddhism

Reincarnation is the rebirth of the soul in
another bodily form

Hinduism is the most widely practiced
religion in India today
Section 1: Hinduism & Buddhism

The founder of Buddhism,
Siddhartha Gautama, or
Buddha, was born about
566 B.C.

After studying and reflecting,
he believed he had found the
cure for human suffering

Buddha taught that people
must free themselves from
desires
Section 1: Hinduism & Buddhism

Buddha urged people to live a moral life
and avoid evil words and actions

Through meditation, a person might achieve
enlightenment, or understanding
Four Noble Truths
1. All of life is suffering.
2. Suffering is caused by desire
3. Suffering can be eliminated.
4. Suffering is eliminated by following the
Noble Eightfold Path.
Noble Eightfold Path
1. Right beliefs
2. Right aspirations
3. Right speech
4. Right conduct
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right meditation
Section 1: Hinduism & Buddhism

Buddha attracted many followers

After his death, missionaries spread his
teachings across many parts of Asia

Although Buddhism took root in other parts of Asia,
it slowly declined in India
Section 1: Hinduism & Buddhism
Hinduism
-No 1 founder
-Supported Caste
System
-Developed over
3,500 years
-Important in
India today
Buddhism
-Told people to
live moral lives
-Founded by
Buddha
-Accepted
reincarnation
-Rejected Caste
System
-Goal was union
with an allpowerful
spiritual force
-Important in Asia,
but few followers
in India today
Section 2: Powerful Empires of India

Summary:

Two great empires,
the Maurya and the
Gupta, flourished in
Ancient India
Section 2: Powerful Empires of India

In 321 B.C., the Mauryas conquered most
of northern and southern India

They built the first Indian empire

The Maurya Dynasty set up a strong government


Officials collected taxes and managed road building
People sought justice in royal courts
Section 2: Powerful Empires of India

Maurya rule was often harsh, and brutal
secret police reported problems to the
emperor

After almost 150 years, the empire declined
Section 2: Powerful Empires of India

Fierce rivalries, geography, and distance
made it difficult to keep India united

In spite of conflicts, by 100 B.C. India had
become a center of world trade

Merchants traded in fine cloth, jewels, and spices
with faraway civilizations such as China and Egypt
Section 2: Powerful Empires of India

About 500
years after
the Mauryas,
the Gupta
Dynasty
again united
much of India

This empire
also had a
strong
government

The Gupta period was a Golden Age, a time of
peace and prosperity, or wealth

Under the Guptas, advances were made in the arts
and sciences

Building, painting, and literature flourished
Section 2: Powerful Empires of India

Mathematicians invented the number
system we use today as well as the
decimal system
Section 2: Powerful Empires of India

Gupta doctors used herbs to cure sick
people


They performed plastic surgery and
vaccinated people against small pox
The Gupta empire lasted for over 200
years, then it too declined
Section 2: Powerful Empires of India
Empire
Maurya
Gupta
Dates
321 B.C.-185 B.C.
A.D. 320-550
Location
Northern & Southern India
Northern India
Government
-Harsh rule
-Organized Gov.
-Officials collected Taxes
-Mild rule
-Organized Gov.
Learning
-Schools & Libraries in
capital
-Missionaries spread
Buddhism
-Golden Age of learning
-Number system we use today
-Decimal system
-Plastic surgery
-Vaccines
Section 3: Pillars of Indian Life

Summary:

The three important parts of Indian life were
the Caste system, villages, and the family

The Caste
System began in
early Aryan times

By Gupta times,
there were many
castes
 Caste
was linked
to Hindu beliefs
 People in
different castes
were
considered
different types
of beings

Caste rules
developed to
prevent mixing
among groups

These rules
determined where
people lived, what
they ate, and what
jobs they did

High castes had
more status than low
castes
Section 3: Pillars of Indian Life

People believed that Karma determined
their caste

Karma refers to all of the actions of a
person’s life that affect his or her next life
Section 3: Pillars of Indian Life

Living by caste rules meant that a person
would be born into a higher caste in his or
her next life

Although the Caste System might seem
unfair to us, it created a stable society

In India, the village was the center of
everyday life

A village was made up of a group of homes
surrounded by fields
 Most people farmed and depended on summer
monsoons for water
 Together, farmers built irrigation systems to
control monsoon rains
Section 3: Pillars of Indian Life

A village was left alone as long as it paid
taxes to the rulers of the region

A local headman and council made decisions
and led the village
Section 3: Pillars of Indian Life

In the village people lived in joint families

Parents, children, and grandparents lived
together

Joint families created unity and security
Section 3: Pillars of Indian Life

The oldest male was head of the household,
but property belonged to the whole family

Every family member had certain duties
according to caste values
Section 3: Pillars of Indian Life
The Caste System:
Karma determines Caste
In this life
In next life
If good & obeys Caste rules
A person is
born into a
Caste
Higher
Caste
Lower
If bad & breaks Caste rules Caste
Section 4: Philosophy & Religion in China

Summary:

Three schools of thought:
1.) Confucianism
 2.) Legalism
 3.) Daoism


Influenced the Chinese people
Section 4: Philosophy & Religion in China

The late Zhou Dynasty was a troubled
time in China

There were many wars, and economic and
social changes disrupted everyday life

Thinkers looked for way to make society better
Section 4: Philosophy & Religion in China

China’s most important
thinker was Confucius

Confucius taught people to
accept their place in society
He said that older people
were superior to younger
people
 Husbands were superior to
wives
 Respect for parents was the
most important duty

Section 4: Philosophy & Religion in China

Confucius taught that people were good

Honesty, hard work, and caring promoted
harmony

He believed a ruler should set a good example for
the people

Rulers should take advice from educated men
 Thus, education became a way to advance in
Chinese society
Section 4: Philosophy & Religion in China

Another thinker, Hanfeizi,
believed that people were
bad

He taught that a good ruler
should use strict laws and
harsh punishments

The teachings of Hanfeizi are
called Legalism

Many rulers used the ideas of
Legalism to help them rule
Section 4: Philosophy & Religion in China

A third Chinese ruler was
Laozi

His teachings were called
Daoism

Daoists wanted to live in
harmony with nature

To Daoists the best
government was the one that
governed least
Section 4: Philosophy & Religion in China

The ideas of these three thinkers
influenced Chinese life



Confucianism taught people how to behave
Legalism punished those who would not do
their duty
Daoism affected people’s view of nature

Chinese ideas and beliefs were spread to
Japan, Korea, and Vietnam
Section 4: Philosophy
& Religion in China
Superior
Ruler, father, husband, elder
brother
Owes
loyalty &
obedience
to
Takes care of
and sets
example for
Inferior
Subject, wife, son, younger brother
Section 5: Strong Rulers Unite China
 Summary:
 Powerful
emperors made China the
most advanced civilization of its
time

By 221 B.C., the ruler
of the Qin [Chin]
people had conquered
the Zhou

He called himself Shi
Huangdi, or first
emperor
Section 5: Strong Rulers Unite China

Shi Huangdi used cruel methods to
control China


He tortured, jailed, and killed those who did
not support him
However, he made measurements standard,
created national coins, and repaired canals
and roads

The greatest
achievement of the
Qin was creating the
Great Wall to keep
out invaders

Thousands of workers
labored for years to
build the wall

When Shi Huangdi
died, the people
revolted, or rebelled

They replaced the Qin
with the Han dynasty

The Han changed the
harsh rules of the Qin
and reduced taxes
Section 5: Strong Rulers Unite China

The Han developed a civil service
system

Exams based on the teachings of Confucius,
not family influence, decided who would get
government jobs

This system was used for nearly 2,000 years
Section 5: Strong Rulers Unite China

Han China was the most advanced
civilization of its time


The Han learned to make paper out of wood
pulp
They invented the wheelbarrow, the fishing
wheel, and the rudder, a device used to steer
ships
Section 5: Strong Rulers Unite China

In medicine, the Han used acupuncture,
or treatment with needles, to reduce pain
Section 5: Strong Rulers Unite China

The Han built beautiful temples and
palaces
Section 5: Strong Rulers Unite China

Artists carved jade and ivory
Section 5: Strong Rulers Unite China

The Han opened a trade route called the
Silk Road

The Silk Road connected China with lands as
far west as Mesopotamia
Section 5: Strong Rulers Unite China
221 B.C.
206 B.C.
Qin ruler Shi Huangdi
unifies China; begins
building the Great Wall
Liu Bang becomes
first Han
Emperor
B.C.
220
165
110
55
210 B.C.
141 B.C.
87 B.C.
Shi Huangdi
dies
Wudi, most famous Han emperor,
begins his rule; he opens the Silk
Road
Wudi dies