CHAPTER 26 SECTION 2 History and Culture of China

I. China’s early history  A. Early civ. was one of the most advanced in world  B. Many inventions  1. magnetic compass4. printing  2. gun powder5. silk  3. paper6. fireworks

C. 4,000 year old civilization D. China’s dynasties 1. dynasty: a series of rulers from the same family line 2. most of history ruled by dynasties 3. rulers called emperors 4. between dynasties kingdoms and warlords fought for power

 5. sometime ruled by invaders  6. Qin (Ch’in) dyn. one of most impt. a. 1 st to unite China under 1 empire b. Great Wall built c. Shi Huangdi had thousands of terra cotta soldiers made to guard his tomb

 7. Qing last dynasty E. Outside influences in China 1. often had limited contact w/outside world (superior culture and little use for foreigners) 2. outsiders wanted tea and silk

 3. Europeans in 1800s forced China to open up and controlled parts  4. Chinese angry and blamed emperor  5. some western ideas adopted

II. China’s Modern History  A. Revolution and civil war  last emperor forced out of power  2. China became a republic  3. two rival groups fought for power a. Nationalist led by Chiang Kai-Shek b. Communist led by Mao Zedong

 4. violent civil war ended in 1949 with communist as victors (nationalist fled to Taiwan) B. Communist China under Mao 1. communist system-gov’t owned most businesses and land and controls all areas of life.  2. Mao took control of economy a. seized all private farms and organized them into lg, state-run b. took over all businesses and factories

 3. Positive and negative changes  a. women more rights; able to work  b. freedoms limited and ppl imprisoned if criticized gov’t  c. unsuccessful economic programs (millions died from famine in 1960s)

 C. Communist China since Mao  1. Mao died 1976 – Deng Xiaoping next leader  2. Deng worked to modernize and improve China’s economy a. some private business b. encouraged foreign investment  3. leaders after Deng encouraged economic reforms

III. China’s People and Culture  A. 1.3 billion ppl – world’s lgest pop.  B. Population and settlement  1. 10% in west  2. 90% packed in east  3. pop continues to grow (7.5 million/yr) a. gov’t tries to slow growth b. ppl encouraged to wait to have children and to only have one

 C. Ethnic groups and language  1. 92% Han Chinese a. share same culture and traditions b. many speak Mandarin (China’s official language) c. others speak a dialect or regional version of a language

 other ethnic groups a. most live in western and southern China b. have own distinct culture  D. Religion, values and beliefs  1. religious practices discouraged by gov’t

 2. Daoism a. ppl live simply in harmony with nature b. Dao means “the way”

 3. Buddhism  a. came from India in AD 100  b. based on teaching s of Siddhartha Gautama  c. believe in moral behavior, kindness and meditation

 4. Daoism and Buddhism blended with Confucianism a. a philosophy based on ideas and teachings of Confucius b. stresses impt of family, moral values and respect for elders

 5. other religions a. Christianity b. Islam c. ancestor worship d. fortune telling

 E. Arts and popular culture  1. crafts made from a. bronze b. jade c. ivory d. silk e. wood f. porcelain (highly prized)

 2. traditional painting a. done on silk or fine paper b. focus on balance and harmony with nature c. landscapes most popular d. often includes calligraphy (decorative writing) e. some feature calligraphy only

 3. known for poetry a. highly valued b. appears on paintings c. also novels and plays

 4. opera is popular a. tells stories through spoken words, music and dance b. wear elaborate costumes and makeup that have special meanings

 5. traditional architecture a. wooden bldgs w/stone bases b. lg tiled roofs curve upward at edge c. pagodas: Buddhist temples that have multi-storied towers w/ an upward carving roof at each floor

 6. popular culture a. sports b. martial arts c. table tennis d. mah-jongg e. karaoke clubs