Chinese Timeline to 220 C.E.
 Xia (c. 2200 - c. 1750 B.C.E.)
 Shang (c. 1750 - c. 1027 B.C.E.)
 Western Zhou (c. 1027 - 771 B.C.E.)
 Eastern Zhou (771 - 256 B.C.E.)
[Warring States Period (403 - 221 B.C.E.)]
 Qin (221 - 206 B.C.E.)
 Han (206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E.)
Xia (c. 2200 - c. 1750 B.C.E.)
A legendary dynasty, a Neolithic (stone tool using) group
Early agriculture (millet) and animal domestication occurred
(pigs and chickens)
The people lived in the Yellow River Valley :
Shang (c. 1750 - c. 1027 B.C.E.)
Location: Began in the Yellow River Valley & expanded
Politics: Shang kings ruled directly over the core area of their
kingdom and indirectly over peripheral areas
Military: Military campaigns against nomadic enemies
Trade: Engaged in far-flung commerce—Mesopotamia?
Religion: kings worshipped spirits of male ancestors, practiced
divination and sacrifice, intermediaries between gods and
humans
Technology: bronze for weapons and ceremonial vessels—wealth
and power shown through bronze
Writing: Chinese language of today (pictoral characters)
developed
 Western Zhou (c. 1027 - 771 B.C.E.)
Eastern Zhou (771 - 256 B.C.E.)
Politics: Zhou territory had been dependent of Shang, but defeated
them, inventing the concept of “Mandate of Heaven” to justify their
actions: the ruler must be right and just in his rule, or he no longer
is in favor with the gods. Ended with Warring States Period.
Religion: Priestly power faded and a separation of religion and
government followed. Several important secular philosophies were
able to develop: Legalism, Confucianism, Daoism (Eastern Zhou)
Western Zhou: kingship was defined in moral terms (Mandate of
Heaven)
Eastern Zhou: decline in strength of central government as regional
elites ruled their territories as independent states, often at war with
each other. Philosophies developed.
Technology (Eastern Zhou): long walls of defense, iron and steel,
and horse riding
Society: development of the 3-generation family, women
subordinated by the concept of yin and yang
Qin (221 - 206 B.C.E.) (Ch’in)
The First Chinese Empire
Politics: A short dynasty viewed in Chinese history as evil, is
highly respected by the rest for its accomplishment: unifying
China.
The ruler, Shi Huangdi and his prime minister Li Si,
location near agriculture, and ability to mobilize manpower for
irrigation and flood-control strengthened central government.
Government: Based on Legalist model, suppressed
Confucianism, abolished slavery (taxes!)
Economy: rural, based on free land-owning/tax-paying farmers,
standardized weights and money
Military: Peasants families were required to supply men for labor
and service in military
End: Forced labor, alienation of the landed aristocracy, and
heavy taxation made people ready to revolt. After Shi Huangdi
died, the dynasty ended shortly.
Han (206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E.)
Capitals: Chang’an was the first capital city—an easily defended
walled city; other cities at the time imitated it. Second capital at
Luoyang.
Emperor: supreme in state and society. Called the Son of Heaven, he
was the link between heaven and earth. He was the source of law, but
anything that went wrong could be interpreted that the emperor had
misruled and lost the Mandate of Heaven.
Government: Two chief officials, and local ones collected taxes,
drafted men for labor and military service—most people had no
contact with the central government
Technology: still used iron and steel weapons, invented the crossbow,
cavalry, watermill, and horse collar. They had a road system, courier
system, and canals
Trade: Long-distance commerce was important, especially silk and the
Silk Road, which the Han sought to control by sending armies and
colonists into Central Asia
Decline: Expensive to defend borders, nobles gained land at expense
of small families & became independent of gov’t control, military broke
down and central gov’t had to rely on mercenaries. All of this led to
official corruption, peasant uprisings, and nomadic attacks.