Imperial China 600 BCE- 600 CE

Period of Warring States 403-221 B.C.E. Period where there was not a centralized gov’t in China Qin was the smallest, poorest, and most remote state Being far away protected it from expense of warring period Was a militaristic state

Qin prior to Empire Series of good rulers Not materialistic Agriculture only economic base Merchants and intellectuals seen as bad No literature, music, or theater Thought to be weak and barbaric by other Chinese states Part of their strategy Defeated all Chinese states by 221 BCE

Qin Dynasty (221-207 BCE) Qin Shi Huang Di First Emperor First to unite north and south China Centralized Power Gave land to peasants Ended slavery (except domestic servants) Weakened aristocracy Ended primogeniture Powerful Army Bureaucracy Created centralized tradition Organized provinces and districts (xian)

Qin Dynasty Roads Defensive Walls Combined northern walls into Great Wall 1 million laborers on corvee service Not really effective, but was symbolic Standardized laws, currencies, weights, and measures Standardized Chinese script Led to political and cultural unity

Opposition to Qin Rule Emperor executed anyone who spoke out against him Emperor buried 460 scholars alive Burned all books on philosophy, ethics, history, and literature After death of Qin Shi Huang Di, rebels killed government officials and burned state buildings

Terra-cotta Army Lishan Necropolis Took 700,000 to build tomb Executed anyone who worked on it to avoid tomb raiders

Authoritative control Li Si was prime minister Legalism Police system Spies Travel was forbidden without permission Qin can be compared to Communist “A thousand die so a million may live”

End of Qin Qin Shi Huang Di died People were tired of the authoritative rule Upper class upset about loss of power Treasury was strained b/c of building projects Li Si was arrested and killed for not having a traveling pass 206 BCE, rebels burned the palace

Early Han Dynasty Commander Liu Bang Used military force to gain power Was from a peasant family Used military force to gain power Han Dynasty lasts 206 BCE to 220 CE Longest Dynasty in Chinese history

Han Politics Liu Bang continued centralization of Qin Confucian ideology Ended control on travel and education Lowered taxes kept xian and standardization Han Wu di 141 to 87 BCE The “Martial Emperor” Administrative centralization and expansion

Han Centralization under Han Wu Di Legalist principles of government with Confucian bureaucrats Imperial officers administered xian Continued to build roads and canals to make administration easier Levied taxes on agriculture, trade, and industries Grain storage Gov’t controlled iron, salt, and other essential industries

Han Confucian Education System Han Wu Di created an imperial university Based curriculum on Confucian philosophies Established Imperial ideology Thousands were admitted by the end of the Han Dynasty Penitential Edict Apologized for some legalistic moves

Han Expansion Gained control of Vietnam and Korea Challenge of Xiongnu Nomadic group in the North Han Emperors paid tribute to this group China tried to make peace by political marriges Han Wu Di eventually defeated them & gained a huge amount of land

Han Society & Economics Patriarchal households Filial piety Most worked in the countryside Created an agricultural surplus Allowed for trade and manufacturing Iron Silk Paper Porcelain Water powered mills Horse collar

Han Culture Sima Qian wrote Records of the Grand Historian Ban Gu wrote History of the Han Dynasty Worked with his sister Ban Zhao She wrote Admonitions for Women and The Seven Feminine Virtues Confucian ideals about women prevailed

Demographics Agricultural supplies allowed for a huge population growth 220 BCE: 20 million 9 CE: 60 million

Economic and Social Difficulties Over extended treasury Military expeditions against Xiongnu Establishment of agricultural colonies Attempt to raise taxes & take land from the wealthy slowed commerce Gap between rich and poor grew Peasants began to organize

Han Land Distribution Families sold themselves into slavery Tenant farmers developed Increased slavery Put land control under small group of people

Reign of Wang Mang 9-23 CE –Xian (new) dynasty Gained control as a regent Attempted reforms “Socialist Emperor” Limited amount of land a family could hold Ownership of land meant power Broke up land and gave it to peasants Created confusion Poor Harvest and famine He was assassinated in 23 CE.

Collapse of Han Han emperors attempted to create more control Factions at court Landed families Luxurious living Warlords in the countryside Loss of trade China split into regional kingdom for four centuries

Environmental problems Deforestation Slash and burn Population increases caused this Erosion and flooding Caused by deforestation Terracing Extermination of animals due to hunts