Bell work page 277 write questions and answers for numbers 1, 2, and 3

Shi Huangdi Unites China The warring states period ended when the kingdom of Qin unified China. King Zheng became the first emperor.

Unity under the Qin -Qin was a mountainous kingdom in northwestern China -By the late Zhou dynasty, Qin was the strongest kingdom in western China. -King Zheng still wanted more

Uniting the Warring States King Zheng was a skilled and ruthless leader In 221 B.C. he defeated his last enemy and had united China Though China was united, they still faced challenges – Different languages – Different customs – Rebellion and invasion were always a risk

The First Emperor Zheng decided that the name “King” was not powerful enough, and he decladred himself Shi Huangdi, or “First Emperor” The word Huangdi was tied to the gods and legendary rulers of China’s past.

Defending the Empire Before unification, many rulers had walls built around their kingdoms to prevent invasion Shi Huangdi had these walls torn down so that rebellion would be more difficult He is also the reason the Great Wall of China was started

The Great Wall The Great Wall of China runs east to west along Shi Huangdi’s empire. It was built to prevent nomads from invading from the grasslands in the north. Building the Great Wall was dangerous, and many men died while working on it

Continued… It did not always keep nomads out, and determined invaders found ways to get around it. The main wall stretches 3,889 miles It is roughly 26 feet tall, though its height changes in areas

Uniform Standards Shi Huangdi created standards that unified China’s economy and culture He also standardized transportation by making rules on the axel lengths of all vehicles As a result the ruts made by carts were the same width which made travel easier

Rule of the First Emperor Shi Huangdi is remembered as a cruel leader He believed that harsh/ strict rules were needed to end chaos in Chinese society He believed in Legalism, which means that a strong leader and strong legal system are needed to create social order

Shi Hunagdi followed Han Feizi, and he did not follow Confucian ideas. – Confucious believed people could be led by good example – Han Feizi believed that people must be forced to do good

Shi Hunagdi made uniform legal code across his empire Penalties for breaking the law were severe For example : a covicted thief could have his/her feet or nose cut off A less serious crime could result in hard labor

Other punishment included execution by beheading Or cutting a criminal in half!!!! One account states that the emperor had 460 scholars executed for disobeying an order

Thought control The first Emperor also started to censor or ban ideas that he found dangerous of offensive Debate about government was banned He burned all books that did not support his policies

The fall of the dynasty His policies were not popular, but they did help to create a single nation Shi Huangdi believed this empire would last forever but it collapsed three years after he died The Qin dynasty was undone by its unbending of harsh laws

A man named Chen Shen led a group of men north to guard the border, when heavy rains delayed them He knew the punishment for being late would be severe, so they started a rebellion As news of this spread, thousands of people supported him

Some generals even joined the rebellion Rebels won, but soon started to fight each other China once again slid into Chaos

Chapter 9 Section 2 Expansion under the Han Dynasty

After the Qin Dynasty collapsed, the next ruling family was the Han. The Han Emperors built on the success of the Qin, and created on of the most influential dynasties in Chinese history

Government of the Han The fighting that ended the Qin Dynasty lasted a few years Finally, a rebel named Liu Bang gained control of China In 206 B.C., he founded the Han Dynasty

The Han ruled China for about 400 years Today, the largest ethnic group in China still call themselves the “Han”

Reuniting and expanding China The first Han emperor came from a poor family He was successful because he surrounded himself with good advisors

He worked with a Confucian Scholar who stated that the Qin lost power because they were too cruel The Emperor encouraged learning, lowered taxes, and ended the Qin’s harsh rules

Most of China’s expansion took place under the fifth Han emperor, and his name was Wudi He is remembered as one of the greatest emperors.

Wudi ruled for more than 50 years He expanded his empire north to the Korean peninsula and south into what is now Vietnam

Structure of Government Han emperors followed the Qin in that they created a strong central government By doing this, they avoided the disunity that the Zhou had faced

As the Zhou expanded, local nobleman became more powerful than the king Han leaders made sure that local leaders remained too weak to challenge their authority

When the Han conquered new lands, they administered is directly rather than giving it to nobles

The Han government was like a pyramid The base was China’s towns and villages Government officials made up the middle The emperor and his chief offical were at the top

Civil Service The strength of Han government was civil service Civil service is when government employees are selected for their knowledge and skill

In the first 200 years of Han rule, civil service grew to more than 13,000 officials Positions in civil service were not hereditary, or passed down. Officials were appointed

Test were created to find talented people, and were based on Confucian ideas

Han emperors placed limits on officials Officials could not work in their home district, and could not work with family or friends This kept the officials from organizing against the emperor

The Silk Road The Silk Road is a network of trade routes that cross Asia They connect China to central and southwest Asia

There were already trade routes, but Wudi’s expansion led to improved trade Merchants made fortunes along the Silk Road, but it was also a way to spread ideas

Journey of Zhang Qian Emperor Wudi heard of a group of people called the Yuezhi The Han dynasty had an enemy called the Xiongnu, who were nomadic people to the north

Wudi hoped the Yuezhi would help the Han to defeat the Xiongnu Zhang Qian set out west to meet with the Yuezhi, but was captured by the Xiongnu and held captive for ten years

He escaped but could not convince the Yuezhi to help the Han Still, Wudi was interested in Zhang Qian’s travels

Important trade route The name “Silk Road” comes from China’s most important export: Silk Silk is made from the cocoon of the silk worm and can by dyed many colors

Exportation of the actual silk worm is illegal Chinese people guarded the secret of silk making for thousands of years

New Ideas Chinese invention such as paper spread along the silk road Foreign ideas such as Buddhism also entered China during the Han dynasty

Buddhism started in India and spread into central Asia Overtime, Buddhism became very popular in China

Along with Confucianism and Daoism, Buddhism is one of the most influential belief systems in China.

Chapter 9 Section 3

Han Society Han society was bound together by Confucian Values Confucius valued mental work rather than physical labor

Farmers were highly respected because they produced basic goods for society 90% of Han society was made up of farmers

People had little respect for merchants Merchants did not produce any goods, so they were not allowed to wear fine clothing of own land.

Scholars were the most highly respected group of people in Han society

Monopolies Salt and iron were monopolies that were controlled by the Han empire

Lacquerware quickly became popular during the Han Lacquerware had a “glowing” appearance

Inventions The Han invented the seismometer, which was used to measure tremors The Han invented a paper that was made of rags and bark The last big invention was the the wheelbarrow, also known as the wooden ox