Foundations to 600 C.E. (Classical Era)

1.What are people doing in this painting? 2.Why did the artist choose this subject to paint? Irrigating and cultivating rice Rice is/was Asia’s most important food—the scene was familiar to the artist

Planted in flooded fields called “paddies” Need heavy rainfall Rice is a primary food crop in East/South Asia Asia produces 90%

XIA DYNASTY c – 1700 B.C.E. Supposedly founded by Yu the Great Based on legend – may not have existed

Bronze Age 1 st recorded Chinese dynasty Founded on the bend of the Huang He 1 st Chinese cities Already using the wheel for chariots Consulted oracle bones

Founded by Wu Located near Wei He Leaders ruled through the Mandate of Heaven Feudal States ( B.C.E.) Written language develops Porcelain, Silk Industry

Time passes, the New Dynasty becomes… Government infrastructure becomes corrupt & inefficient Old Dynasty Overtaxes populace Stops providing defense Farming declines Government mistreats people Problems Natural disaster occurs (drought, earthquake… etc.) War, foreign invasions weaken the military Government incapable of handling emergencies Crime/bandits roam freely Peasants revolt Establish new dynasty New Dynasty Creates peace Reforms/enhances government efficiency Improves peoples’ lives; gives land to peasants; reduces taxes Defends people Encourages farming Heaven granted the emperor the right to rule Emperor holds supreme power Power is unlimited and not restricted to one generation or dynasty Emperors retain right to rule by being virtuous rulers Mandate of Heaven

( B.C.E.) Family was poor nobility Exceptional student Teacher Government civil servant Confucius

Confucian ideas involved social order, harmony and a good government. Five relationships: Ruler and subject Father and son Husband and wife Older and younger brothers Friends Confucianism also includes filial piety = children respect their elders, parents, and ancestors. A bureaucracy, a trained civil service, was his idea of a government = scholar-gentry To be in the government, you had to have a good education.

CONFUCIUS’ SEARCH FOR ORDER Confucius ( 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

 Never kiss a fool, or be fooled by a kiss.  The gentleman agrees with others without being an echo. The small man echoes without being in agreement. Analects  If one is guided by profits in one’s actions, one will incur much ill will. Analects  Do not worry because you have no position. Worry about your qualifications. Do not worry because no one appreciates your abilities. Seek to be worthy of appreciation. Analects 4.14 Continued  What the gentleman demands is something of himself. What the petty man demands is something of others.  Anyone learning without thought is lost, anyone thinking but not learning is in peril.

LATER CONFUCIANS Mencius ( B.C.E.) –Principal spokesman for the Confucian school –Believed in the goodness of human nature –Government by benevolence, humanity Xunzi ( 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

DAOISM Prominent critics of Confucianism 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 –People venerated the immortals or saints –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 Disengagement from worldly affairs Called for simple, unpretentious life, living in harmony with nature Advocated small state, self-sufficient community –Political implications Served as a counterbalance to Confucian activism Individuals could live as Confucians by day, Daoists by night Generally Daoism flourishes when society at peace, prosperous

LEGALISM – Legalism 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 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 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 Agriculture Military force –Discouraged commerce, education, and the arts –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

UNIFICATION OF CHINA The Qin State and Dynasty –Partially sinified pastoralists, perhaps even Turkish –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 the 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

Great Wall Terra Cotta Army United China 1 st emperor Brutal leader = Legalist Centralized Government Writing (Mandarin) Weights and Measures standardized Iron Age Ch’in = country’s name Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi ( B.C.E.)

QIN STATECRAFT Suppressing the resistance –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

Liu Bang started the Han dynasty 1.A general, persistent man, a methodical planner 2.Restored order, established dynasty, 206 B.C.E. Han = main ethnic group today Confucianism = State philosophy Civil Service examination & school required 206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E.

THE EARLY HAN DYNASTY –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 ( B.C.E.) Han Wudi ruled for 54 years Wudi enlarged empire Centralized government Created Civil Service

HAN STATECRAFT Han centralization –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

HAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE Patriarchal, patrilocal 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

HAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE Patriarchal, patrilocal 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

TRADE AND COMMERCE – Iron metallurgy: Farming tools, utensils, and weapons – State monopolies on liquor, salt and iron – Silk textiles Sericulture spread all over China during the Han High quality Chinese silk became a prized commodity Traded as far a field as India, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Rome – Paper production Invented probably before 100 C.E. Began to replace silk and bamboo as writing materials – Population growth Increased from twenty to sixty million from 220 B.C.E. to 9 C.E. Despite light taxation, state revenue was large – Silk Road established: horses for silk

LOSS OF THE MANDATE –The Later Han Dynasty ( C.E.) Overthrown 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 Factions at court paralyzed the central government Han empire dissolved China was divided into regional kingdoms

continued  Controlled the eastern end of the Silk Road Population tripled Mandarin = common written language Buddhism brought by missionaries Economy flourished Linked cities with inland canals & roads Built roads and defensive walls Repelled Xiongnu (Mongolian nomads from the North)

Earthquake detector Rudder Paper continued Collar harness Watermill Compass

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.

The Han Empire crumbled due to: economic downfall too much territorial expansion nomadic invasions conflict over dynastic succession ** Next 300 years, China was racked by Civil Wars continued Wang Zhaojun

Han and Roman Empire Similarities Educated civil service. Confucian trained scholar bureaucrats, civic responsibility. Highly centralized state dynastic, empires with appearance of limits through Senate.

Han and Roman (continued) Multicultural empires—most conquered assimilated, citizenship offered to best, extension of Roman law and building Extensive road systems and urban communities Subordinated women Armies maintain the empire internally and externally.

Buddhism traveled the Silk Road to China Buddhism arose in India in the 6 th Century BCE. Gradually Buddhism made its way with the merchants along the silk roads to Iran, central Asia, China, and southeast Asia. As Buddhism spread north from India into central Asia and China, both it and Hinduism began to attract a following. Firmly established by 1 st Century BCE.

The Spread of Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity

Buddha Transformed as He Traveled West Indian Buddha

ESSAY: What were 5 causes for the collapse of the Classical Empires of Rome, China, and India? How were their collapses similar and different? Which region had the hardest fall and why?

The Death of Rome Political Problems Economic Problems Military Problems

The Death of Han China Political Problems Economic Problems Military Problems

Decline Empires too big—costly to defend the frontiers Burden of taxes on the poor, some flee to evade taxes, as maintaining the grows more costly—taxes go up, few new sources of revenue, religious groups and nobility exempt Slavery in Roman so oppressive less productive, fewer new sources, less technological development

Decline (continued) Administrative problems –Succession problems – didn’t leave a viable heir –Failing bureaucracies –Corrupt exam system –Lack of civic responsibility Eroding economies –Decline in trade when roads not repaired or safe –Religion—Christianity a factor, but not Buddhism

Decline (continued) Plagues—hit both hard, especially in cities of Roman empire Pressure from nomads—Huns, Xiongnu, Germanic

Why did the west fall harder? More multiethnic Han Chinese—a true nation that can endure beyond the dynasty, In Roman empire most live outside Italy State and society not bond together with the same glue—China, Confucianism offers both order for family, society and state—not true of Romans Better assimilation of “barbarians” by China, Germanic dismembered Roman empire, while nomads absorbed by Chinese Common language—Latin never really replaced Greek in much of the empire

Why western Roman empire and not eastern? Deep, engrained civilization in the east—Greeks and before East less impacted by nomadic invasion—maybe because many enduring cities, large populations Tribes on eastern borders were disorganized and unmotivated After separation of empire, east no longer has to send any help to West Even with changing political structure, little threat to social, economic or cultural continuity No cities in the west German soldiers fill the ranks of Roman legions When west cut from wealth of East, the tax base dwindled