THE SEARCH FOR UNDERSTANDING AND ORDER: FROM ZHOU TO HAN CLASSICAL CHINA THE SEARCH FOR UNDERSTANDING AND ORDER: FROM ZHOU TO HAN

EXPANSION OF china The Yangzi valley Indigenous peoples of South China The longest river of China Two crops of rice per year Dependable and beneficial to farmers Indigenous peoples of South China Ancestors of the Malayo-Polynesians Many assimilated into Chinese society Some pushed into hills, mountains Many migrated to Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand State of Chu (Conquered by Qin) Emerged in the central Yangzi region Challenged the Zhou for supremacy Adopted Chinese ways

CONFUCIUS’ SEARCH FOR ORDER Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.) A strong-willed man, from an aristocratic family Traveled ten years searching for an official post Educator with numerous disciples Sayings compiled in the Analects by disciples Confucian ideas Fundamentally moral and ethical in character Restore political and social order; stress ritual Formation of junzi - "superior individuals" Edited Zhou classics for his disciples to study The key Confucian concepts Ren - a sense of humanity Li - a sense of propriety Xiao - filial piety Cultivating of junzi for bringing order to China 5 Relationships and filial piety as basis of society

LATER CONFUCIANS Mencius (372-289 B.C.E.) Xunzi (298-238 B.C.E.) Principal spokesman for the Confucian school Believed in the goodness of human nature Government by benevolence, humanity Xunzi (298-238 B.C.E.) Served as a governmental administrator Cast doubt on the goodness of human nature Harsh social discipline to order to society Stress moral education, good public behavior

CONFUCIAN SOCIAL HIERARCHY Confucian Scholar Official

LEGALISM Legalism Shang Yang (ca. 390-338 B.C.E.) The doctrine of statecraft Promoted a practical and ruthlessly efficient approach No concern with ethics and morality No concern with the principles governing nature Doctrine used by Qin dynasty Shang Yang (ca. 390-338 B.C.E.) A chief minister of the Qin state His policies summarized in The Book of Lord Shang Was executed by his political enemies Han Feizi (ca. 280-233 B.C.E.) Student of Xunzi, became the most articulate Legalist A synthesizer of Legalist ideas Forced to suicide by his political enemies

LEGALISM IN PRACTICE The state's strength How to treat people Agriculture Military force Discouraged commerce, education, and the arts How to treat people Harnessing self-interest of people for needs of state Called “carrot and stick” approach in west Called for harsh penalties even for minor infractions Advocated collective responsibility before law Not popular among the Chinese, Chinese used legalism if state threatened Legalism still doctrine common to China

DAOISM Prominent critics of Confucianism Philosophical Daoism Preferred philosophical reflection and introspection Understand natural principles, live in harmony with them Laozi and Zhuangzi Laozi, founder of Daoism; wrote the Daodejing Zhuangzi, Daoist philosopher, wrote Zhuangzi Philosophical Daoism Dao - The way of nature, the way of the cosmos Opposites in balance, complementary An eternal principle governing all workings of the world Passive, yielding, does nothing , accomplishes everything Tailor behavior to passive, yielding nature Ambition, activism brought the world to chaos Popular Daoism A folk or religious form of Daoism; not philosophical Emerged at end of Han Dynasty Seek to master forces of natural, spiritual world Many deities including immortals, which people venerated Symbolized prosperity, happiness Many saints were patrons of certain occupations Gods associated with natural cycles, agriculture Daoist priests were shamans, performed exorcisms

DAOIST WUWEI The doctrine of wuwei Political implications Disengagement from worldly affairs Called for simple, unpretentious life Live in harmony with nature Advocated small state, self-sufficient community Political implications Served as a counterbalance to Confucian activism Individuals often both Confucians and Daoists Flourishes when society at peace, prosperous

UNIFICATION OF CHINA The Qin State and Dynasty Qin Shi Huang di Located in west China and adopted Legalist policies Encouraged agriculture, resulted in strong economy Organized a powerful army equipped with iron weapons Conquered other states and unified China in 221 B.C.E. Qin Shi Huang di King of Qin proclaimed himself First Emperor, 221 B.C.E. Established centralized imperial rule Held sons of nobles as hostages Demolished nobles castles Project of connecting and extending the Great Wall 700,000 people worked on project; 100,000 killed

QIN STATECRAFT Suppressing the resistance Policies of centralization Bitterly opposed, was opposed by Confucian scholars Buried 460 scholars alive because of their criticism against the Qin Burned all books except some with utilitarian value Policies of centralization Standardization of laws, currencies, weights, measures Standardized scripts: tried to create uniform language Creates a uniform writing system but not language Tomb of the First Emperor The tomb was an underground palace Excavation of the tomb since 1974 Terracotta soldiers and army to protect tomb The collapse of the Qin dynasty Massive public works generated ill will among people Waves of rebels overwhelmed the Qin court in 207 B.C.E. A short-lived dynasty, left deep marks in Chinese history

THE EARLY HAN DYNASTY Liu Bang Han was long-lived dynasty A general, persistent man, a methodical planner Restored order, established dynasty, 206 B.C.E. Han was long-lived dynasty Early Han policies Sought middle way between Zhou and Qin Royal relatives were not reliable Returned to centralized rule Martial Emperor (141-87 B.C.E.) Han Wudi ruled for 54 years Pursued centralization and expansion

HAN STATECRAFT Han centralization Han imperial expansion Adopted Legalist policies Built an enormous bureaucracy to rule the empire Continued to build roads and canals Levied taxes on agriculture, trade, and craft industries Imperial monopolies on production of iron and salt Established Confucian educational system for training bureaucrats Confucianism as the basis of the curriculum in imperial university Thirty thousand students enrolled in the university in Later Han Han imperial expansion Invaded and colonized northern Vietnam and Korea Extended China into central Asia Han organized vast armies to invade Xiongnu territory Han enjoyed uncontested hegemony in east and central Asia

MAPPING HAN CHINA

HAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE Patriarchal households averaged five inhabitants Large, multigenerational compound families also developed Women's subordination (Ban Zhao Admonitions for Women) Cultivators were the majority of the population Differences apparent between noble, lower class women Scholar bureaucrats: Confucian trained bureaucrats Officials selected through competitive testing Used to run the government in Early Han Scholar Gentry Confucian bureaucrats intermarried with landed elite New class comes to dominate local, national offices Strongest in late Han Merchants held in low social esteem

COMMERCE, INDUSTRY Iron metallurgy Silk textiles Farming tools, utensils Weapons Silk textiles Making of silk spread all over China during the Han High quality Chinese silk became a prized commodity Traded as far as India, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Rome State monopolies on liquor, salt and iron Paper production Invented probably before 100 C.E. Began to replace silk and bamboo as writing materials Population growth Increased from 20 to 60 million (220 BCE to 9 CE) Despite light taxation, state revenue was large Silk Road established: horses for silk

HAN TROUBLES Expeditions consumed the empire's surplus Raised taxes and confiscated land of some wealthy individuals Taxes, land confiscations discouraged investment Much of defense consumed on defending against nomads Social tensions, stratification between the poor and rich Problems of land distribution Early Han supported land redistribution Economic difficulties forced some small landowners to sell property Some sold themselves or their families into slavery Lands accumulated in the hands of a few No land reform, because Han needed cooperation of large landowners The reign of Wang Mang A powerful Han minister dethroned the baby emperor Claimed imperial title himself, 9 C.E. Land reforms - the "socialist emperor“ Overthrown by revolts 23 C.E

LOSS OF THE MANDATE The Later Han Dynasty (25-220 C.E.) Overthrow of Wang Mang restores Han New Han much weakened Rule often through large families, gentry Rise of Eunuchs in government as new source of power The Yellow Turban Uprising (Daoist Revolt) Rulers restored order but did not address problem of landholding Yellow Turban uprising inflicted serious damage on the Han Collapse of the Han Court factions paralyzed central government Han empire dissolved China was divided into regional kingdoms Period of 3 Kingdoms Local aristocrats divided empire Later fragmented further During period nomads invaded, Buddhism entered