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

2. CLASSICAL CHINA: Key concept Intro.
Three differing philosophies emerge during Warring States Period: Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism.
Qin Shi Huangdi unites China through strong centralized government, harsh rule and standardization of policies
Long-lived Han dynasty conquers neighbors, promotes developments in agricultural, education, trade, technologies (silk/paper)
Ultimately destroyed from within through unequal social stratification

3. Expansion of China The Yangzi valley (south)
The longest river of China
Two crops of rice per year
Dependable and beneficial to farmers

4. Feudal states vie for power: Chu
Emerged in the central Yangzi region
Challenged the Zhou for supremacy
Adopted Chinese ways

5. Confucius’ search for order
Confucius ( B.C.E.)
A strong-willed man, from an aristocratic family
Traveled for ten years searching (unsuccessfully) for an official post
Educator with numerous disciples
Sayings compiled in the Analects by disciples

6. Confucian ideas
Goal: To create moral rulers to bring order and stability to China
Stress ritual
Restore political and social order through formation of junzi - "superior individuals"
Well-educated and conscientious officials
Acted on behalf of greater good
High ethical standards
Able to deliver wise and fair judgements
Edited Zhou classics for his disciples to study

7. key Confucian concepts
Ren - a sense of humanity
Kind, courteous, respectful, loyal
Li - a sense of propriety
Behavior expectations change with situation
Relationships: ruler to subject, father to son, husband to wife, elder to younger and friend to friend.
Xiao - filial piety
Preserves family and ancestral integrity
5 Relationships and Xiao as basis of society
Confucian ideas adaptable and interpretive due to general ideas – no specific rules!

8. Later Confucians Mencius (372-289 B.C.E.)
Principal spokesman for the Confucian school – spreads ideas!
Believed in the goodness of human nature
Rule thru ren - benevolence, peace, gentle
Utopian, but impractical
Xunzi ( B.C.E.)
Served as a governmental administrator
Doubted goodness of human nature: people selfish, resistant to voluntarily supporting government
Rule through li – strict rules of conduct, moral education and harsh social discipline to “straighten warped wood”

9. Critical reaction: Daoism
Confucian focus on social activism impossible to attain
Daoism promotes philosophical reflection and introspection
Understand natural principles, live in harmony with them
Retreat from political world
Live simply as possible.
Laozi (founder) wrote the Daodejing

10. Philosophical (original) 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 of dao
Ambition, activism brought the world to chaos
Return to natural existence to achieve balance

11. 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
Gods associated with natural cycles, agriculture
Many saints were patrons of certain occupations
Symbolized prosperity, happiness
Daoist priests were shamans, performed exorcisms
Popular Daoism

12. Doctrine of Wuwei 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

13. LEGALISM
The practical and ruthless solution to ruling.

14. LEGALISM The doctrine of statecraft (used by Qin)
Practical and ruthlessly efficient
No concern with ethics, morality, or the principles governing nature
Shang Yang (ca B.C.E.)
Chief minister of the Qin state
Ruthless policies summarized in The Book of Lord Shang
Executed by his political enemies after death of patron
Han Feizi (ca B.C.E.)
Student of Xunzi, he synthesized Legalist ideas/practices
Forced to suicide by his political enemies

15. LEGALISM IN PRACTICE
State strength through agriculture and military force
Discouraged commerce, education, and the arts
Sacrificed self-interest of people for needs of state
Called for harsh penalties even for minor infractions
Advocated collective responsibility before law
Called “carrot and stick” approach in west
Not popular with the people, but still doctrine common to China

16. UNIFICATION OF CHINA The Qin State and Dynasty
Located in west China and adopted Legalist policies
Encouraged agriculture, resulted in strong economy
Organized powerful army equipped with iron weapons
Conquered other states and unified China in 221 B.C.E.
UNIFICATION OF CHINA

17. Qin Shi Huangdi
King of Qin proclaimed himself First Emperor, 221 B.C.E.
Established centralized imperial rule
Held sons of nobles as hostages
Demolished nobles’ castles / forts
Connected and extended barriers to create Great Wall
700,000 people worked on project; 100,000 killed

18. QIN STATECRAFT Policies of centralization
Standardization of laws, currencies, weights, measures
Standardized scripts: creates a uniform writing system that supports various dialects
Roads and bridges connect states
Resistance to rule handled with brutality
Bitterly opposed, especially by Confucian scholars
Buried 460 scholars alive because of their criticism against the Qin
Burned all books except few with utilitarian value
QIN STATECRAFT

19. Qin Shihuangdi 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 (14-year) dynasty, left deep marks in Chinese history

20. THE HAN DYNASTY (206BCE - 220CE)
Liu Bang establishes Han dynasty 206BCE
A general, persistent man, a methodical planner
Han was long-lived dynasty
Early Han policies:
Sought middle way between Zhou and Qin
Royal relatives proved unreliable
Returned to centralized rule
Martial Emperor ( B.C.E.)
Han Wudi ruled for 54 years
Pursued centralization and expansion – control of Xiongnu and trade routes

21. Han statecraft Centralized government adopted Legalist policies
Built enormous bureaucracy to rule the empire
Continued to build roads and canals
Levied taxes on agriculture, trade, and craft industries (inc. liquor)
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

22. 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

24. Han Social Structure
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
Cultivators were the majority of the population
Merchants held in low social esteem
Women subordinated - Ban Zhao, Lessons for Women
Promoted women’s education, but supported obedience and subservience
Continued into 20th century to mold role of Chinese women

25. Commerce & Industry Iron metallurgy - tools, 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
Likely invented 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 (early Han), state revenue was large
Silk Road established: horses for silk

27. Han troubles – Social Tensions
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 or themselves/family into slavery
Lands accumulated in the hands of a few
No land reform, because Han needed cooperation of large landowners

28. Zhang Qian leaving on expedition
Han troubles - Money
Expeditions consumed the empire's surplus
Raised taxes and confiscated land of wealthy individuals
Taxes, land confiscations discouraged investment
Much of defense consumed on defending against nomads
Wang Mang usurps power from Han
A powerful Han minister dethroned the baby emperor
9 C.E. Land reforms = the "socialist emperor“ (flawed execution)
Overthrown by revolts 23 C.E
Zhang Qian leaving on expedition

29. Loss of the Mandate The Later Han Dynasty (25-220 C.E.)
Overthrow of Wang Mang restores Han
New Han much weakened – chaos after land redistribution
Rule often through large families, gentry
Rise of eunuchs in government as new source of power
The Yellow Turban Uprising (Daoist Revolt) CE
Rulers restored order but did not address problem of landholding
Yellow Turban uprising inflicted serious damage on the Han

30. Collapse of the Han Court factions paralyzed central government
Han empire dissolved
China was divided into regional kingdoms
Period of Three Kingdoms ( CE)
Local aristocrats divided empire
Later fragmented further
During period nomads invaded, Buddhism entered

31. Key concept Review
Three differing philosophies emerge during Warring States Period: Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism.
Qin Shi Huang di unites China through strong centralized government, harsh rule and standardization of policies
Long-lived Han dynasty conquers neighbors, promotes developments in agricultural, education, trade, technologies (silk/paper)
Ultimately destroyed from within through unequal social stratification

32. Wrap up On a sheet of paper, please list the following:
The singular purpose of Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.
How Confucianism affected the development of Legalism.
The fundamental differences between Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.