Part 1: Ancient China (Shang and Zhou Dynasties) Part 2: Resurgent China (Tang and Song) Lsn 4

Part 1: Ancient China (Shang and Zhou Dynasties) Theme: The importance of rivers and the advantage of technology Lsn 4

Importance of Rivers

YELLOW RIVER YANGZI RIVER

Population Growth Settlements began to crop up along the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers Created a need for recognized authorities who could maintain order, resolve disputes, and organize public works projects Village-level organizations could only act locally Small dynasties followed that extended their control over progressively larger regions

Dynasties “A sequence of powerful leaders in the same family” Shang Dynasty 1766 to 1122 B.C. Zhou Dynasty 1122 to 256 B.C. Tang Dynasty 618 to 907 A.D. Song Dynasty 960 to 1279 A.D. Shang Dynasty

Characteristics of a Civilization Intensive agricultural techniques Specialization of labor Cities A social hierarchy (We’ll discuss mandate of heaven in more detail in Lsn 14) Organized religion and education (We’ll cover Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism in Lsn 14) Development of complex forms of economic exchange Development of new technologies Advanced development of the arts. (This can include writing.) Intensive agricultural techniques, such as the use of animal power, crop rotation, and irrigation. This enables farmers to produce a surplus of food that will not be needed for their own subsistence. A significant portion of the population that does not devote most of its time to producing food. They can go into other occupations and trade for the food they need. This is called "specialization of labor." It is possible because of the food surplus described above. The gathering of these non-food producers into permanent settlements, called cities. A social hierarchy. This can be a chiefdom, in which the chieftain of one noble family or clan rules the people; or a state society, in which the ruling class is supported by a government or bureaucracy. Political power is concentrated in the cities. The establishment of complex, formal social institutions such as organized religion and education, as opposed to the less formal traditions of other societies. Development of complex forms of economic exchange. This includes the expansion of trade and may lead to the creation of money and markets. The accumulation of more material possessions than in simpler societies. Development of new technologies by people who are not busy producing food. In many early civilizations, metallurgy was an important advancement. Advanced development of the arts by those who don't have to farm for a living. This can include writing.

Agriculture

Yellow River Takes its name from the vast quantities of loess soil it picks up along its route Loess is an extremely fine and powder-like soil that gradually builds up in the river bed, raising the river bed and forcing the water out of its established path Yellow River periodically unleashes terrible floods, earning it the nickname “China’s Sorrow”

Agriculture Loess soil is extremely fertile and easy to work Even before the introduction of metal tools, cultivators with wooden instruments could generate large harvests

Crops Initially, millet was the main crop (especially in the north) Sometime thereafter, the Chinese began cultivating rice (especially in the south where the Yangzi River is less prone than the Yellow River to devastating floods) Extensive rice production would require developing a complex irrigation system (made possible by the centralizing authority of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties)

Cities Ruins of Banpo Village near modern Xian

Cities: Shang Vast network of walled towns whose local rulers recognized authority of the Shang kings Shang rulers moved their capital six times Capital at Yin (near modern Anyang) contained a complex of royal palaces and eleven large and lavish royal tombs Royal tomb at Anyang

Social Hierarchy King Wen of Zhou China

Social Hierarchy: Shang and early Zhou Royal family and allied noble families Resided in large, palatial compounds and lived on the agricultural surplus and taxes delivered by their subjects Power tied to bronze Privileged class of hereditary aristocrats Rose from the military allies of the rulers Possessed extensive land holdings and performed military and administrative tasks Some access to education for those who lived in cities Detailed rules of etiquette during Zhou era

Social Hierarchy: Ancient Shang and early Zhou Small class of free artisans and craftsmen Lived in cities Those who worked almost extensively for the privileged classes lived reasonably comfortably Peasants Semi-servile class that lived in the countryside and did not own land Provided agricultural, military, and labor services for lords in exchange for plots to cultivate, security, and a portion of the harvest Slaves Most were captured enemy warriors Performed hard labor that required a large work force such as clearing fields or building city walls During the Shang Dynasty many were victims of human sacrifice during funerals and other religious and ritual observances

Specialization Bronze storage jar from Zhou Dynasty Silk making

Specialization Bronzesmiths Jewelers Jade workers Embroiderers Manufacturers of silk textiles Silkworms are fed mulberry leaves, they molt and spin cocoons, then workers boil the cocoons to produce the raw silk.

Religion and Education Bronze wine vessel used for rituals to honor ancestors during Shang Dynasty

Religion Ancient China did not have an organized religion or official priesthood Did not recognize a personal supreme deity who intervened in human affairs or took a special interest in human behavior Did speak of an impersonal heavenly power– tian (“heaven”)– that was responsible for bestowing and removing the mandate of heaven on rulers

Religion Instead, the patriarchal head of the family presided over rites and ceremonies venerating ancestor’s spirits Believed that the spirits of ancestors passed into another realm of existence from which they had the power to support and protect their surviving families if the families demonstrated the proper respect and ministered to the spirit’s needs

Cowrie shells used as money Economic Exchange Cowrie shells used as money

Economic Exchange Somewhat limited by the mountain ranges and deserts that stood between China and India and southwest Asia Shipbuilding emerged during Zhou era and facilitated trade Evidence of Cowrie shells from Burma and the Maldives Military technology from Mesopotamia Jade from central Asia Tin from Malay

New Technologies Silk making

New Technologies: Silk During the Zhou era, the Chinese discovered how to make silk from the cocoons of silkworms. Silk would become China’s most valuable export, eventually linking them with most of the world through trade. We’ll talk more about this in Lesson 23 on the Silk Roads

New Technologies: Bookbinding Chinese artisans learned how to bind together long, thin strips of wood or bamboo to make books

New Technologies: Shang and Military Success Shang ruling elites were able to monopolize production of bronze in the Yellow River Valley by controlling access to copper and tin ores Allowed Shang forces to defeat Xia forces who were equipped with only stone, wood, and bone weapons Shang nobles used bronze to make fittings for horse-drawn chariots

New Technologies: Shang and Military Success Shang were also able to exert military might over the Xia through bows Shang pictograph of composite bow

New Technologies: Zhou and Military Failure Zhou kings were not able to monopolize bronze production as the Shang had Moreover, iron technology was spreading rapidly throughout China Iron ores were cheaper and more abundant than copper and tin so Zhou could not monopolize iron either Subordinates were able to outfit their forces with iron which enabled them to resist the central government When nomads invaded the Zhou capital at Hao in 771 B.C., the subordinates refused to support the king

New Technologies The Great Wall of China originated as a defensive barrier against tribal intrusions Construction started in the seventh century B. C. and spanned over 20 states and dynasties Two sections were built during the Zhou era As China unified, the various sections were connected

Art and Writing Writing on bamboo strips Bronze from Sang Dynasty

Writing Oracle bones show that the earliest form of Chinese writing was the pictograph Pictographs were combined into ideograph to represent complex or abstract notions The combination of “mother” and “child” renders “good” Unlike most other languages, written Chinese did not include an alphabetic or phonetic component

Book of Songs Collection of 331 poems from the Zhou era Represent a variety of subjects Political themes Ritualistic hymns Life Love and friendship Family Work and play

Burning of Books Many works were lost when Qin came to power in 221 B.C. and ordered all books on poetry, history, and philosophy burned for fear they would inspire doubts about his government or encourage an independence of mind

Writing: Oracle Bones Principle instrument used by fortune tellers in Ancient China Diviners inscribed a question on a broad bone such as a tortoise shell and placed it in a fire The fortune teller used the cracks that developed to divine the question’s answer

Part 2: Resurgent China (Tang and Song) Theme: Centralization Lsn 4

Dynasties “A sequence of powerful leaders in the same family” Shang Dynasty 1766 to 1122 B.C. Zhou Dynasty 1122 to 256 B.C. Tang Dynasty 618 to 907 A.D. Song Dynasty 960 to 1279 A.D. Tang Dynasty

Restoration of Centralized Imperial Rule After the Han Dynasty, several regional kingdoms made bids to assert their authority over all of China, but none possessed the resources necessary to dominate their rivals for the long term In the late sixth century, Yang Jian was able to reestablish centralized rule He was succeeded by the Tang and then Song Dynasties which organized Chinese so effectively that China became a center of exceptional agricultural and industrial production that influenced much of the eastern hemisphere

Characteristics of a Civilization Intensive agricultural techniques Specialization of labor Cities A social hierarchy Organized religion and education Development of complex forms of economic exchange Development of new technologies Advanced development of the arts. (This can include writing.) Intensive agricultural techniques, such as the use of animal power, crop rotation, and irrigation. This enables farmers to produce a surplus of food that will not be needed for their own subsistence. A significant portion of the population that does not devote most of its time to producing food. They can go into other occupations and trade for the food they need. This is called "specialization of labor." It is possible because of the food surplus described above. The gathering of these non-food producers into permanent settlements, called cities. A social hierarchy. This can be a chiefdom, in which the chieftain of one noble family or clan rules the people; or a state society, in which the ruling class is supported by a government or bureaucracy. Political power is concentrated in the cities. The establishment of complex, formal social institutions such as organized religion and education, as opposed to the less formal traditions of other societies. Development of complex forms of economic exchange. This includes the expansion of trade and may lead to the creation of money and markets. The accumulation of more material possessions than in simpler societies. Development of new technologies by people who are not busy producing food. In many early civilizations, metallurgy was an important advancement. Advanced development of the arts by those who don't have to farm for a living. This can include writing.

Agriculture

Agriculture: Fast-ripening rice As Tang and Song armies ventured into Vietnam, they encountered fast-ripening rice Allowed two crops per year When introduced into the fertile fields of southern China, fast-ripening rice quickly expanded the food supply Chinese characters for “rice field”

New Agricultural Techniques Heavy iron plows Harnessed oxen and water buffaloes Enriched soil with manure and composted organic matter Extensive irrigation systems Reservoirs, dikes, dams, pumps, water wheels Artificial irrigation greatly increased agricultural production which led to a rapid population expansion

Cities Southern Gate of Chang’an

Cities Increased food supplies encouraged the growth of cities During the Tang Dynasty, the imperial capital of Chang’an was the world’s most populous city Perhaps two million residents During the Song Dynasty, the capital of Hangzhou had over a million residents Southern terminus of the Grand Canal

Coins from the Tang Dynasty Economic Exchange Coins from the Tang Dynasty

Economic Exchange: Grand Canal Grand Canal built during the Sui Dynasty (precursor to Tang) One of the world’s largest waterworks projects before modern times Built to facilitate trade between northern and southern China, particularly to make the abundant supplies of rice and other agricultural products from the Yangzi River valley available to residents of the northern regions China’s rivers generally flow east to west so an artificial waterway had to be built to facilitate trade between north and south

Economic Exchange: The Grand Canal Linked Hangzhou in the south with Chang’an in the west and Zhou (near modern Beijing) in the north Almost 1,240 miles, reportedly forty paces wide, with roads running parallel to the waterway on either side Integrated the economies of northern and southern China which established an economic foundation for political and cultural unity

Economic Exchange: Letters of Credit Trade grew so rapidly during the Tang and Song era that copper coin shortages developed Traders began issuing letters of credit (“flying cash”) as an alternative Enabled merchants to deposit goods or cash at one location and draw the equivalent cash or merchandise somewhere else Coin from Tang Dynasty

Economic Exchange: Paper Money The search for alternatives to cash also led to the invention of paper money During the late ninth century, wealthy merchants began accepting cash from their clients and issuing them printed notes that the clients could redeem for merchandise Greatly facilitated commercial transactions

Economic Exchange: Tea Tea trading flourishes during Tang and Song era Tea was compressed into bricks and used as money

Specialization Agricultural Regional Areas of Specialization

Specialization Increased urbanization brought a host of specialized activities to the cities Merchants, artisans, metallurgists, printers, chemists, craftsmen, textile workers, performers, restaurateurs, etc China’s various regions specialized in the cultivation of particular food crops and traded their own products for imports from other regions The government developed a specialized class of bureaucrats

Song examination candidate dreaming of the rewards of academic success Social Hierarchy Emperor Xuanzong of Tang China Song examination candidate dreaming of the rewards of academic success

Social Hierarchy: Centralization Tang society revolved around centralized imperial rule Early successes based on Well-articulated transportation and communication network (Grand Canal) Equal-field system Bureaucracy of merit

Social Hierarchy: Equal-field System Governed allocation of agricultural land Ensured equal distribution of land to avoid the concentration of landed property that had caused social problems during the Han Dynasty Land was allotted to individuals and their families according to the land’s fertility and the recipient’s needs About one-fifth of the land became the hereditary possession of the recipients, while the rest was available for redistribution

Social Hierarchy: Bureaucracy of Merit Rulers recruited government officials from the ranks of candidates who had progressed through the Confucian educational system Merit was based on performance on the imperial civil service examinations Some powerful families were able to use their influence, but most officeholders won their posts on the basis of intellectual ability Talented class of bureaucrats were generally loyal to the dynasty and worked to strengthen and preserve the state

Social Hierarchy: Song Bureaucracy Song rulers mistrusted the military so they placed more emphasis on civil administration Scholar bureaucrats proved to have limited military expertise and Song was vulnerable to military aggression Song increased centralization and built an enormous bureaucracy Devoured China’s surplus production and strained the treasury Efforts to raise taxes led to two peasant rebellions

Religion and Education Buddha from Tang Dynasty

Religion and Education Buddhist merchants visited China as early as the second century B.C. Found a popular following in Tang and Song China Emphasized high standards of morality, intellectual sophistication, and a promise of salvation We’ll talk more about Buddhism during Lesson 9 (Buddhism and Hinduism) and Lesson 23 (the Silk Roads)

New Technologies Song porcelain Canon ca. 1368

New Technologies: Porcelain Tang craftsmen discovered how to produce porcelain which was lighter, thinner, and adaptable to more uses than earlier pottery Strong enough and attractive enough to serve utilitarian or aesthetic purposes Tang and Song products gained such a reputation that porcelain is commonly called “chinaware” Tang Marble Glazed Porcelain Figure

New Technologies: Printing Book printing ca. 868

New Technologies: Printing Became common in Tang era Earliest printers used block-printing techniques Carved a reverse image of an entire page into a wooden block, inked the block, then pressed a sheet of paper on top of it By the mid-eleventh century, printers began to experiment with movable type Fashioned dies in the shape of ideographs, arranged them in a frame, inked them, and pressed the frame over paper sheets Speeded up the process and allowed printers to make revisions and corrections Facilitated production and distribution of texts quickly, cheaply, and in large quantities

New Technologies: Gunpowder During the Tang era, Daoist alchemists learned it was dangerous to mix charcoal, saltpeter, sulphur, and arsenic Military officials saw possibilities By the tenth-century, the Tang military was using gunpowder in bamboo “fire lances,” a kind of flame thrower and by the eleventh century they had made primitive bombs

Art and Writing Poet Li Bo Poet Du Fu

Art and Writing The ruling and elite classes of the Tang and Song Dynasties were major supporters of Chinese painting. Sought elaborate and ornate art with political and educational significance Stressed realism

Passing the Night at Headquarters Art and Writing Eighth Century was a golden age in Chinese poetry Du Fu (712-770 A.D.) is often considered China’s greatest poet Other great poets of the Tang era were Wang Wei (699 – 761) and (Li Bo 701 – 762) Passing the Night at Headquarters Clear autumn at headquarters, wu-tung trees cold beside the well; I spend the night alone in the river city, using up all of the candles. Sad bugle notes sound through the long night as I talk to myself; glorious moon hanging in mid-sky but who looks?

Impact of Movable Type Allowed large production and distribution of Buddhist texts Confucian works Calendars Agricultural treatises Popular works

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