Classical China

Review: What was the first Chinese dynasty to leave written records? On what river did the first Chinese civilizations develop? What were the religious beliefs of the ancient Chinese? How did dynasties end and new ones begin? What type of decentralized political system developed during the Zhou dynasty? Shang Huang He (Yellow) Ancestor Worship, Shang Di Mandate of Heaven Feudalism

Dynasties of China Classical Period 1532 BCE Shang Dynasty 1027 BCE Zhou Dynasty Era of the Warring States - Feudal System 256 BCE Qin Dynasty Classical Period 202 BCE Han Dynasty 220 CE – End of Han Dynasty

Era of Warring States: During the last 500 years of Zhou rule, regional rulers were constantly at war with each other Qin= One of warring regional rulers; at the age of 13 began to unite the regions by eliminating adversaries and defeating outside invaders Established the Qin dynasty for which China is named Qin became Qin Shi Huangdi which means “First Emperor”

Qin Shi Huangdi’s government: Implemented a philosophy of legalism which was very harsh. Shi Huangdi was autocratic. Forced nobles to live within the royal compound to prevent a takeover. Seized nobles’ land and appointed administrators to govern creating a government bureaucracy. Rejected Confucianism; murdered Confucian scholars and burned their books

Qin Shi Huangdi ordered the building of The Great Wall of China to keep out northern invaders

The Great Wall of China The wall was built using forced labor Many peasants died of exhaustion and were buried inside the wall Construction of the wall continued until the 17th century It is 3,700 miles long

Other Qin Dynasty Achievements Built highways which expanded trade Standardized currency, weights and measures Built irrigation systems To pay for his building projects, Qin Shi Huangdi raised taxes.

After Qin Shi Huangdi died, his son ruled for three years; was then overthrown by Han rulers Qin Shi Huangdi was buried in a compound along with nearly 8,000 life-sized terra cotta soldiers and horses

The Han Dynasty 202 BCE to 220 CE

The Han Dynasty lasted over 400 years, from 202 BCE to 220 CE The Han Dynasty lasted over 400 years, from 202 BCE to 220 CE. Its legacy: Politically- Centralized power Ended legalism, softened punishments lowered taxes Brought peace and stability back to China which means that the Han rulers had….. THE MANDATE OF HEAVEN Liu Bang, first Han emperor who was a peasant

What is a civil service? Political legacy under Wudi Conquered and colonized Manchuria, Korea, expanded into Southeast Asia Strengthened and structured bureaucracy Adopted Confucianism, replacing legalism Assimilated newly conquered peoples Implemented a civil service Emperor Wudi’s Tomb What is a civil service?

Civil service= a system of hiring government workers During the Han Dynasty, government officials were hired based on their knowledge of Confucian principles. Students were required to study and pass a rigorous exam What was the effect of the civil service exam? Government jobs were based on merit rather than wealth or loyalty to the emperor, the establishment of the first university based on Confucian principles.

Han Achievements: invention of paper agricultural tools wheelbarrow collar harness watermills Han China’s economy was primarily agricultural – the population exploded to 60 million people! Trade and industry were important too but were secondary Han government had monopolies on salt mining, forging Of iron, minting of coins.

Economy In the Classical period, China became important manufacturer in growing Silk Roads and Indian Ocean routes. Silk, porcelain and paper were traded along the silk roads. Porcelain

Silk

Socially, Women devoted themselves to their families. Confucian principles established that women’s role was to obey husbands and the husband’s families. Women were to be pure, obedient and faithful. Some upper class women were educated and lived independently.

Three primary social classes comprised Classical china Landowning aristocracy including educated bureaucrats --they paid no taxes on their land. Peasants, laborers and artisans who manufactured goods. The “Mean” people – those without meaningful skills including performing artists. *Slaves were not widespread and did not produce goods. *Merchants were looked down upon because they didn’t work hard and were thought to be greedy.

Although Buddhism had arrived in China along the silk roads through traders and monks, it was not widely spread during this time. Buddhism’s principles were not well-accepted because they conflicted with Confucian ideals of filial piety. The Han period was a time of prosperity while Buddhism’s monastic lifestyle and rejection of materialism stifled its spread until the end of the Han dynasty. Buddhism

The Decline of the Han Dynasty The widening gap between rich and poor caused political instability in the later Han period. The Yellow Turban Rebellion was a revolt by desperate peasants to redistribute land from the wealthy to the peasant class. As small landowners died, their land was divided equally among their sons. The lots became too small to produce. Also, large landowners paid no taxes on their lands. The Decline of the Han Dynasty Social unrest led to the assassination of the last Han Ruler and the dynasty disintegrated into 3 rival kingdoms.