Asian Empires Korea

Ancient China 1500 B.C.E. centered on the Huang He River geographically isolated.

Also called the Yellow River and the River of Sorrows (yellow silt caused flooding) Huang He River

Geographical Barriers Gobi Desert in the northwest. Himalaya Mountains in the southwest. Yellow Sea to the east, and South China Sea to the southeast.

Origin of Chinese Government succession of ruling families called dynasties –Early dynasties: Shang and Zhou Chinese rulers considered divine (god-like).

Mandate of Heaven They served under a mandate of heaven (approval of the gods) only as long as their rule was just 1.The leader must lead by ability and virtue. 2.The dynasty's leadership must be justified by succeeding generations. 3.The mandate could be revoked by negligence and abuse; the will of the people was important.

Explains the rise, decline, and replacement of Dynasties

Origin of Chinese Religion Ancestor Worship believed that the spirits of family ancestors could bring good fortune or disaster Paid respect to family ancestors and made sacrifices in their honor Bronze vessel used for sacrificial food

Ancient Chinese Writing Writing - Characters stood for ideas, not sounds. –The earliest evidence of Chinese writing is found on oracle bones. Evolution of Chinese characters from pictograms during Shang

Huange He River Classical China Gobi Desert

Barbarian invaders raided Chinese settlement in the North. Mongols, skillful horseman Destroyed cities and countryside Great Wall of China China builds a man-made barrier to keep the Mongols out. Stone and earthen fortifications built, rebuilt, and maintained between 5th c. BC and 16th c. AD to protect the n. borders. Most famous piece built by Qin Shi Huangdi between BC

Qin Shi Huangdi First Chinese Emperor. Ruled from B.C. Terracotta army buried with Shi Huangdi. Over 2,000 of them.

governed by a succession of ruling families called dynasties. rulers were considered divine The gods gave them the right to rule as long as their rule was just. Remember….

The Silk Road extends from China to the Mediterranean Sea. helped with Cultural Diffusion spreading ideas and culture from China to Rome. Buddhism spread to China on these major trade routes.

Classical China’s Contributions Porcelain a white ceramic made of a special clay and mineral only found in China

Silk kept secret for thousands of years Chinese raised worms which feed off of mulberry leaves. The worms are killed in their cocoons and then unwrapped as a continuous thread of over 2,000 feet. Silk production was eventually spread to other Asian countries like Japan. It takes approximately 2,000 cocoons to make a pound of silk.

Paper Invented around 200 A.D under Han Dynasty Paper making technology would spread from China to the Muslim world and from there to Byzantium and Western Europe Block Printing A printer would carve a word or letter in a block of wood, ink the block, and then print. Chinese writing is made up of thousands of characters, not very efficient.

Paper money invented to replace the heavy metal coins used by merchants, especially those crossing the silk road.

Magnetic Compass Before, navigators depended on the positions of the sun, the moon, and the north star Used by the Chinese for centuries before the compass reached Europe. Helped to make the Chinese powerful seamen.

Civil Service - developed during the Han Dynasty examinations to see what government jobs civilians qualified for. valued by Confucian scholars. part of the Chinese bureaucracy.

never a religion, it was a philosophy became the foundation for Chinese government and social order. social order of family and government were the most important. influenced civilizations throughout East Asia Confucianism

The Analects a compiling of Confucius beliefs Written by disciples after his death Beliefs include: humans are good, not bad Respect for elders Emphasis on education Ancestor worship Helped to form the social order in China Code of politeness still used in Chinese society today

* Knowing what he knows and knowing what he doesn’t know, is characteristics of the person who knows. * Making a mistake and not correcting it, is making another mistake. * The superior man blames himself; the inferior man blames others. * To go too far is as wrong as to fall short.

Taoism (Daoism) His values for people included: Humility - people can do little to influence the outcome of events Simple life and inner peace - by seeking harmony with nature. government should do as little as possible and leave the people alone. Viewed by Chinese as a philosophy and a religion. Founded by Chinese thinker, Laozi,

Yin/Yang represent opposite for both Confucianism and Taoism. It is the balance of opposites (i.e. good/bad, dark/light, man/woman)

* Masculine * Active * Light * Warmth * Strong * Heaven; Sun * Feminine * Passive * Darkness * Cold * Weak * Earth; Moon

How is a man to live in a world dominated by chaos, suffering, and absurdity?? Confucianism --> Moral order in society. Legalism --> Rule by harsh law & order. Daoism --> Freedom for individuals and less govt. to avoid uniformity and conformity.

Japan Geography Archipelago (chain of islands) Four main islands 4000 in all Located close to Korea and China = influence!!

Separated from Asian mainland by the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea Mountainous terrain –Only 15 percent of Japan is farmable.

Japan’s Major Religions Shinto Buddhism –Shinto and Buddhism coexist as religious traditions in the Japanese culture. earliest religion Ethnic religion unique to Japan Becomes state religion Shinto

Venerates natural features, forces of nature and ancestors. Shinto worshipers believed in kami, –divine spirits. –Nature’s elements; such as, rocks, the waters, and mountains were home to a kami. worship the emperor as their god. Shinto Beliefs

China’s Influence on Japan Buddhism Writing Architecture

Buddhism Buddhism spread from India to China Chinese forms of Buddhism spread to Korea and the to Japan

Japanese Writing Based on Chinese characters, which first reached Japan through Korea.

Japanese Architecture Pagoda style architecture from China: sloping roofs

Japanese Art Reflected the values of Japanese society. Japan maintained the Chinese landscape art style.