Chapter 15, section 3 Han Society and Achievements p. 460

Han Expansion Wudi sent a messenger to Central Asia to seek an ally to fight the Xiongnu, a common enemy. The messenger (Zhang) described a land in which “people ride elephants when they go into battle” The emperor later sent an army to protect trade (silk road) in the region Q: What does it mean to protect trade? (read last sentence, p. 458)

Han Map

About Silk Made from the cocoon of a caterpillar It is strong, but soft It can be dyed many colors Only the Chinese knew how to make silk and they guarded the secret closely Illegal to export silk worms Q: why?

Chinese Imports Horses from Central Asia Grapes, sesame, onion enriched Chinese cuisine (cuisine = style of cooking) Elephants, lions, ostrichs Buddhism from C. Asia Q: where did C. Asia get Buddhism from? 3 Chinese philosophies: Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism

The Social Order Han dynasty followed Confucius philosophy Valued mental work more than physical labor Farmers were highly respected Merchants were wealthy but looked down upon because they did not produce anything Q: What restrictions were placed on merchants? (read p. 460, last 3 sentences on page)

Social Hierarchy

Confucian Teaching about Family Life Family Loyalty (filial piety) Respect for elders Ancestor worship Older children who were not respectful of parents, were punished harshly by gov “a wife serves her husband” (--Ban Zhao) Women stayed at home, weaving and raising children

Economic Life Lower taxes than Qin Shi Huangdi Farmers were 90% of the population Crops: millet, barley, beans rice Silk: Women wove silkworm cocoon into cloth City workshops made expensive silk cloth

Silk Production

Silk Weaving Machine

Classwork (p. 463): 1. Why were salt and iron important industries? (what were they used for?) 2. How did Wudi spend the profit he made from the salt and iron industries? Industry – Salt and Iron – Turned into state monopoly – Monopoly = a single person who controls the entire production of a good or service

Iron Axe

Controlling Production and Prices Control Production of Salt and Iron – Emperor didn’t want too many farmers to leave the field for industry. He was afraid of a famine. Control food prices – Buy up surplus when crops were good. This kept prices from falling. – Sell surplus when harvest was bad. This kept prices from rising.

Complaints about Gov monopoly Corrupt officials tried selling stored goods at high prices Iron tools and weapons had a reputation for low quality. Q: What industries did Wudi control? Why?

Han Achievements Traditional arts: painting, sculpture, poetry Confucius: music is good for the spirit. “Bureau of Music” created. – Drums – Bells – Flutes – Harps – Music and dancing were common at public festivals and ceremonies. Garden design Calligraphy = the art of beautiful writing Q: What materials did sculptors use?

Musicians

Calligraphy

Lacquer, p. 464 The greatest craft of the Han period was lacquerware. – What is lacquer made of? – Where is it used? – Why did people use lacquer?

Han Medicine Herbal medicines Acupuncture = using needles to cure sickness

Han Inventions Seismometer = detects earthquakes. How? Wheelbarrow helps move heavy loads Paper was originally made of rags and bark – Paper was cheaper than writing on wood or silk – As cheap books spread, so did new ideas

Wheelbarrow

Paper Making

Classwork/Homework Answer Key Terms and Key Ideas, p. 465