ancient chinese civilization chapter 4 pages 74 - 97
TRANSCRIPT
Geographic and Cultural Influences
The Physical Setting China is very large with lots of variety Mountains
West, Northwest, Southwest Desert
North Open Plain
Southeast Coastline
East / Southeast
Geographic and Cultural Influences
The Physical Setting Different Regions
Qinling Mountains – run across China from West to East
Separates two main rivers Divides China into North and South
Northern China Shorter growing season Wheat main crop More extreme temperatures
Southern China Rice Main crop Milder temperatures Longer growing season
Geographic and Cultural Influences
Physical Setting Heart of China is called China Proper Main River Systems
Huang – called Yellow River because of its loess Soil that has a yellow tint Also called China’s sorrow because of devastating floods
Chang Over 3,400 miles long
Xi Southern China
Throughout China’s history it has controlled entire region at one time or another
Geographic and Cultural Influences
China’s Isolation Had the least cultural diffusion of any ancient
civilization Mainly due to geographic location
Gave them strong sense of identity and superiority
Referred to themselves as Zhongguo or Middle Kingdom
Thought they were the only truly civilized people
The Shang DynastyTwo mythical theories of ancient belief Man named Pagu awoke from 18,000 years of
sleep to create the universe Yu drained floodwaters so people could live in
China Establish line of kings Line of kings called Xia
However is came to pass Ancient China started on the Yellow / Huang River and they were called the Xia
Invaded by Shang people, they started the first Chinese Dynasty(video)
The Shang Dynasty
Government and Culture Moved their capital several times Created a complete Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy – government with different levels and responsibilities
Had an advanced military Chariots Bronze weapons
The Shang Dynasty
Economy and handicrafts Economy based mainly on agriculture
Millet and rice Made silk from silkworms Bone crafts, ivory and jade Established foundations for later ceramic art Learned how to use white clay (kaolin) and
they would glaze it to make it stronger
The Shang Dynasty
Astronomy and calendars Used two calendars
Solar Used for planting Adjusted by priest off of the lunar calendar Important to king
• He got his popularity from the type of harvest
Lunar Personal events
The Shang Dynasty
Religion Believed in animism and ancestor worship
Spirits indwelled in everything Believed in an all powerful dragon that lived in the sea
Became the kings symbol
Also worshipped the sun, wind, clouds and moon Some had festivals to honor them
Believed on one main god called Shangdi who controlled everything
Priest used oracle bones to determine dream interpretations
The Shang Dynasty
Language and Writing Spoke many dialects Early forms of writing were pictographs Later developed into ideographs
Two parts Idea sign Phonetic sign Developed into modern calligraphy
The Shang Dynasty
Fall of the Shang People began to migrate towards China Proper Shang had to defend its borders against these
invaders Eventually the Zhou would align with others
neighboring peoples The Zhou justified their overthrow by saying
that the Shang were corrupt This would be a pattern for future overthrows in
China
Zhou Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty1050 B.C.No centralized government, gave control to members of royal familyBelieved God in heaven would determine who would rule China Mandate of Heaven
Leaders began losing controlThey were being attacked from outside invadersFalse alarms occurred about capital city being attackedLater a force actually did attack, no one came to helpCapital destroyed in 771 B.C. – became warring states
Qin DynastyOne of the Warring States began to win (video) State of Ch'in (Qin)
Cheng was the leader Titled himself Shih Huang Ti (1st emperor)
Lasted 15 Years, but many changes Name for China came from Qin Established Autocracy (all power with emperor) Built walls to protect themselves, once connected would
be Great Wall of China (video)
Liu Bang would eventually conquer the emperor and start the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
Chinese have called themselves Han ever sinceLongest ruling emperor was Liu Ch’e Commonly known as Wu Ti
Civil Service System Han established a centralized civil service system to govern
China (day to day business) Had a system of examinations to select the best for the job Theoretically it was open to anyone Really only people with money for training could get in the
program Video
Han Dynasty
Other Accomplishments Used process called leveling to help out in bad
agricultural times Use of price controls to help the economy
Expanded area through military outpost cities Developed Silk Road for trade (video) Population grew to about 50 million during Han Lasted until 220 A.D.
Philosophies of Ancient China
Philosophers in the Zhou dynasty were trying to harmonize the country Believed two force were at work
Developed into concept of dualism Yin – female, dark, passive Yang – male, bright, active Not in conflict, but interdependent Lead to a further belief that extremes do not last Extremely modern for the time in which they lived
Symbol of the Yin Yang
Yin Yang shows the balance between the Yin and Yang
Came of study of the stars
See next slide for astronomical deductions
Philosophies of Ancient ChinaConfucius and Laozi Confucius was the leading philosopher of the times
Teachings came from Analects His teaching would eventually become Confucianism
Taught importance of family, respect, respect for elders, and respect of ancestry
Sought to end political disorder of the time Not concerned with life, death and life after death Concerned with political and social ideas Taught that people should accept roles and perform duties Taught only virtuous and moral leaders should be in office Taught people had a right to rebel against harsh or unjust
rulers Mencius was the most influenced person of the time by
Confucius Video
Philosophies of Ancient China
Confucius and Laozi Daoism
Founded by Laozi Dao is defined as the way Described as a force that governed the universe and
nature Shunned politics Appealed to many peasants because it dealt with
natural forces
Philosophies of Ancient China
Legalism and Buddhism Qin dynasty was the most legalistic
Probably the reason for its failure Han Dynasty adopted many but not all of the
legalities Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism all were
prevalent in Ancient China (video)
Chinese Life and Culture
Family and Social Life Each family kept a detailed genealogy (family
tree) Respect, honor, and family name were very
important to Chinese Many generations would live in the same house Women had very few rights, but were very well
respected
Chinese Life and Culture
Economy Mostly agricultural Trade not a significant factor
Arts and Sciences Five Classics (books)
Used to train civil servants Book of History – government Book of Changes – predicting future Book of Rites – ceremonies and manners Spring and Autumn Annals – history of city-state of Lu Book of Poems – poems
Chinese Life and Culture
Science and Technology Discovered the year was slightly longer than 365 days
Came up with system to fix it (Leap Year)
Observed sun spots Developed a system to track planet movements Invented paper Learned how to dye cloth Learned how to glaze pots Developed herbal and mineral medicines