The Unification of China Chapter 8 The Unification of China

Unification of China Period of Warring States 403 – 221 B.C.E. Legalist doctrines implemented in Qin state and they end up dominating neighbors.

Unification of China Qin dynasty develops, fourth to third centuries B.C.E. Generous land grants under Shang Yang Private farmers decrease power of large landholders Increasing centralization of power Improved military technology

The First Emperor Qin Shihuangdi (r. 221-210 B.C.E.) founds new dynasty as “First Emperor” Dynasty ends in 207, but sets dramatic precedent Basis of rule: centralized bureaucracy Divided China into administrative districts Massive public works begun Built roads, bridges, & communication networks Precursor to Great Wall

China Under the Qin Dynasty, 221-207 B.C.E.

Resistance to Qin Policies Emperor orders execution of all critics Orders burning of all ideological works Some 460 scholars buried alive Others exiled Massive cultural losses

Qin Centralization Standardized: Laws Currencies Weights and measures Script Previously: single language written in distinct scripts Ensured uniform implementation of policies

Massive Tomb Projects Built by 700,000 workers Slaves, concubines, and craftsmen sacrificed and buried Excavated in 1974, 15,000 terra-cotta sculptures of soldiers, horses, and weapons unearthed China’s Terracotta Soldiers

Tomb of the First Emperor

Tomb of the First Emperor

Tomb of the First Emperor

The Han Dynasty Civil disorder brings down Qin dynasty in 207 B.C.E. Liu Bang forms new dynasty: the Han (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E. one of longest) Existed about the same time as the Roman Empire

Early Han Policies Relaxed Qin tyranny without returning to Zhou anarchy Created large landholdings But maintained control over administrative regions After failed rebellion, took more central control with legalist principles.

Han Centralization The “Martial Emperor”: Han Wudi – greatest and most energetic ruler (141-87 B.C.E.) Used legalist principles Two keys: administrative centralization and imperial expansion. Increased taxes to fund more public works Huge demand for government officials, decline since Qin persecution

Confucian Educational System Not a lover of scholarship, but demanded educated class for bureaucracy, so … Han Wudi adopted Confucianism as official course of study Established an imperial university in 124 B.C.E. 3000 students by end of Former Han, 30,000 by end of Later Han

Han Imperial Expansion Invasions of Vietnam, Korea Constant attacks from Xiongnu Nomads from central Asia Horsemen Brutal Han Wudi briefly dominates Xiongnu

East Asia and Central Asia at the Time of Han Wudi, ca. 87 B.C.E.

Patriarchal Social Order Classic of Filial Piety Subordination to elder males Lessons for Women Ban Zhao (45-120 C.E.) Education should be available to all children

Iron Metallurgy Expansion of iron manufacture Iron tips on tools abandoned as tools entirely made from iron Increased food production Superior weaponry

Other Technological Developments Cultivation of silkworms: sericulture Breeding Diet control Other silk-producing lands relied on wild worms Development of paper Bamboo, fabric abandoned in favor of wood and textile-based paper Crossbow trigger, horse collar, ship rudder

Economic and Social Difficulties Expenses of military expeditions, especially against Xiongnu Taxes increasing Arbitrary property confiscations rise Increasing gap between rich and poor Slavery, tenant farming increase Banditry, rebellion

Reign of Wang Mang (9-23 C.E.) Wang Mang regent for two-year old emperor, 6 C.E. 9 C.E. he announced Mandate of Heaven passed to him Introduces massive reforms The “socialist emperor” Land redistribution, but poorly handled Social chaos ends in his assassination, 23 C.E.

Later Han Dynasty Han dynasty emperors manage, with difficulty, to reassert control Yellow Turban uprising, land distribution problems Internal court intrigue Weakened Han dynasty collapses by 220 C.E.