1. Ancient China (Shang and Zhou Dynasties) and Resurgent China (Tang and Song Dynasties) Theme: When Centralization is Lost
Lsn 11

2. Ancient China (Shang and Zhou Dynasties)

3. ID & SIG:
Book of Songs, dynasty, bronze production monopolization in Shang and Zhou China, mandate of heaven, Shang Dynasty, tian, veneration of ancestors, Yellow River, Zhou Dynasty

4. Centralizing Aspects of Chinese Civilization
Agriculture
Dynasties
Bronze Monopoly
Great Wall
Economic Exchange
Equal Field System
Bureaucracy of merit
Grand Canal

5. Importance of Rivers

6. rivers
agriculture
populations
cities
specialization
hierarchy

7. YELLOW RIVER
YANGZI RIVER

8. Population Growth
Settlements began to crop up along the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers
Created a need for recognized authorities who could maintain order, resolve disputes, and organize public works projects
Village-level organizations could only act locally
Small dynasties followed that extended their control over progressively larger regions

9. Dynasties “A sequence of powerful leaders in the same family”
Shang Dynasty 1766 to 1122 B.C.
Zhou Dynasty 1122 to 256 B.C.
Tang Dynasty 618 to 907 A.D.
Song Dynasty 960 to 1279 A.D.
Shang Dynasty

10. Yellow River
Takes its name from the vast quantities of loess soil it picks up along its route
Loess is an extremely fine and powder-like soil that gradually builds up in the river bed, raising the river bed and forcing the water out of its established path
Yellow River periodically unleashes terrible floods, earning it the nickname “China’s Sorrow”

11. Agriculture Loess soil is extremely fertile and easy to work
Even before the introduction of metal tools, cultivators with wooden instruments could generate large harvests

12. Crops Initially, millet was the main crop (especially in the north)
Sometime thereafter, the Chinese began cultivating rice (especially in the south where the Yangzi River is less prone than the Yellow River to devastating floods)
Extensive rice production would require developing a complex irrigation system (made possible by the centralizing authority of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties)

13. Cities
Ruins of Banpo Village near modern Xian

14. Cities: Shang
Vast network of walled towns whose local rulers recognized authority of the Shang kings
Shang rulers moved their capital six times
Capital at Yin (near modern Anyang) contained a complex of royal palaces and eleven large and lavish royal tombs
Royal tomb at Anyang

15. Great Wall
The Great Wall of China originated as a defensive barrier against tribal intrusions
Construction started in the seventh century B. C. and spanned over 20 states and dynasties
Two sections were built during the Zhou era
As China unified, the various sections were connected

16. Social Hierarchy
King Wen of Zhou China

17. Social Hierarchy: Shang and early Zhou
Royal family and allied noble families
Resided in large, palatial compounds and lived on the agricultural surplus and taxes delivered by their subjects
Power tied to bronze
Privileged class of hereditary aristocrats
Rose from the military allies of the rulers
Possessed extensive land holdings and performed military and administrative tasks
Some access to education for those who lived in cities
Detailed rules of etiquette during Zhou era

18. Social Hierarchy: Ancient Shang and early Zhou
Small class of free artisans and craftsmen
Lived in cities
Those who worked almost extensively for the privileged classes lived reasonably comfortably
Peasants
Semi-servile class that lived in the countryside and did not own land
Provided agricultural, military, and labor services for lords in exchange for plots to cultivate, security, and a portion of the harvest
Slaves
Most were captured enemy warriors
Performed hard labor that required a large work force such as clearing fields or building city walls
During the Shang Dynasty many were victims of human sacrifice during funerals and other religious and ritual observances

19. New Technologies: Shang and Military Success
Shang ruling elites were able to monopolize production of bronze in the Yellow River Valley by controlling access to copper and tin ores
Allowed Shang forces to defeat Xia forces who were equipped with only stone, wood, and bone weapons
Shang nobles used bronze to make fittings for horse-drawn chariots

20. New Technologies: Shang and Military Success
Shang were also able to exert military might over the Xia through bows
Shang pictograph of composite bow

21. New Technologies: Zhou and Military Failure
Zhou kings were not able to monopolize bronze production as the Shang had
Moreover, iron technology was spreading rapidly throughout China
Iron ores were cheaper and more abundant than copper and tin so Zhou could not monopolize iron either
Subordinates were able to outfit their forces with iron which enabled them to resist the central government
When nomads invaded the Zhou capital at Hao in 771 B.C., the subordinates refused to support the king

22. Resurgent China (Tang and Song)

23. ID & SIG:
bureaucracy of merit, equal-field system, fast-ripening rice, Grand Canal, gunpowder, letters of credit, movable type, paper money, Song Dynasty, Tang Dynasty

24. Dynasties “A sequence of powerful leaders in the same family”
Shang Dynasty 1766 to 1122 B.C.
Zhou Dynasty 1122 to 256 B.C.
Tang Dynasty 618 to 907 A.D.
Song Dynasty 960 to 1279 A.D.
Tang Dynasty

25. Restoration of Centralized Imperial Rule
After the Han Dynasty, several regional kingdoms made bids to assert their authority over all of China, but none possessed the resources necessary to dominate their rivals for the long term
In the late sixth century, Yang Jian was able to reestablish centralized rule
He was succeeded by the Tang and then Song Dynasties which organized Chinese so effectively that China became a center of exceptional agricultural and industrial production that influenced much of the eastern hemisphere

26. Characteristics of a Civilization
Intensive agricultural techniques
Specialization of labor
Cities
A social hierarchy
Organized religion and education
Development of complex forms of economic exchange
Development of new technologies
Advanced development of the arts. (This can include writing.)
Intensive agricultural techniques, such as the use of animal power, crop rotation, and irrigation. This enables farmers to produce a surplus of food that will not be needed for their own subsistence.
A significant portion of the population that does not devote most of its time to producing food. They can go into other occupations and trade for the food they need. This is called "specialization of labor." It is possible because of the food surplus described above.
The gathering of these non-food producers into permanent settlements, called cities.
A social hierarchy. This can be a chiefdom, in which the chieftain of one noble family or clan rules the people; or a state society, in which the ruling class is supported by a government or bureaucracy. Political power is concentrated in the cities.
The establishment of complex, formal social institutions such as organized religion and education, as opposed to the less formal traditions of other societies.
Development of complex forms of economic exchange. This includes the expansion of trade and may lead to the creation of money and markets.
The accumulation of more material possessions than in simpler societies.
Development of new technologies by people who are not busy producing food. In many early civilizations, metallurgy was an important advancement.
Advanced development of the arts by those who don't have to farm for a living. This can include writing.

27. Agriculture

28. Agriculture: Fast-ripening rice
As Tang and Song armies ventured into Vietnam, they encountered fast-ripening rice
Allowed two crops per year
When introduced into the fertile fields of southern China, fast-ripening rice quickly expanded the food supply
Chinese characters for “rice field”

29. New Agricultural Techniques
Heavy iron plows
Harnessed oxen and water buffaloes
Enriched soil with manure and composted organic matter
Extensive irrigation systems
Reservoirs, dikes, dams, pumps, water wheels
Artificial irrigation greatly increased agricultural production which led to a rapid population expansion

30. Cities
Southern Gate of Chang’an

31. Cities Increased food supplies encouraged the growth of cities
During the Tang Dynasty, the imperial capital of Chang’an was the world’s most populous city
Perhaps two million residents
During the Song Dynasty, the capital of Hangzhou had over a million residents
Southern terminus of the Grand Canal

32. Economic Exchange
Coins from the Tang Dynasty
Yellow and Yangzi Rivers

33. Economic Exchange: Grand Canal
Grand Canal built during the Sui Dynasty (precursor to Tang)
One of the world’s largest waterworks projects before modern times
Built to facilitate trade between northern and southern China, particularly to make the abundant supplies of rice and other agricultural products from the Yangzi River valley available to residents of the northern regions
China’s rivers generally flow east to west so an artificial waterway had to be built to facilitate trade between north and south

34. Economic Exchange: The Grand Canal
Linked Hangzhou in the south with Chang’an in the west and Zhou (near modern Beijing) in the north
Almost 1,240 miles, reportedly forty paces wide, with roads running parallel to the waterway on either side
Integrated the economies of northern and southern China which established an economic foundation for political and cultural unity

35. Economic Exchange: Letters of Credit
Trade grew so rapidly during the Tang and Song era that copper coin shortages developed
Traders began issuing letters of credit (“flying cash”) as an alternative
Enabled merchants to deposit goods or cash at one location and draw the equivalent cash or merchandise somewhere else
Coin from Tang Dynasty

36. Economic Exchange: Paper Money
The search for alternatives to cash also led to the invention of paper money
During the late ninth century, wealthy merchants began accepting cash from their clients and issuing them printed notes that the clients could redeem for merchandise
Greatly facilitated commercial transactions

37. Economic Exchange: Tea
Tea trading flourished during Tang and Song era
Tea was compressed into bricks and used as money

38. Social Hierarchy: Centralization
Tang society revolved around centralized imperial rule
Early successes based on
Well-articulated transportation and communication network (Grand Canal)
Equal-field system
Bureaucracy of merit

39. Social Hierarchy: Equal-field System
Governed allocation of agricultural land
Ensured equal distribution of land to avoid the concentration of landed property that had caused social problems during the Han Dynasty
Land was allotted to individuals and their families according to the land’s fertility and the recipient’s needs
About one-fifth of the land became the hereditary possession of the recipients, while the rest was available for redistribution

40. Social Hierarchy: Bureaucracy of Merit
Rulers recruited government officials from the ranks of candidates who had progressed through the Confucian educational system
Merit was based on performance on the imperial civil service examinations
Some powerful families were able to use their influence, but most officeholders won their posts on the basis of intellectual ability
Talented class of bureaucrats were generally loyal to the dynasty and worked to strengthen and preserve the state

41. Social Hierarchy: Song Bureaucracy
Song rulers mistrusted the military so they placed more emphasis on civil administration
Scholar bureaucrats proved to have limited military expertise and Song was vulnerable to military aggression
Song increased centralization and built an enormous bureaucracy
Devoured China’s surplus production and strained the treasury
Efforts to raise taxes led to two peasant rebellions

42. New Technologies: Printing
Book printing ca. 868

43. New Technologies: Printing
Became common in Tang era
Earliest printers used block-printing techniques
Carved a reverse image of an entire page into a wooden block, inked the block, then pressed a sheet of paper on top of it
By the mid-eleventh century, printers began to experiment with movable type
Fashioned dies in the shape of ideographs, arranged them in a frame, inked them, and pressed the frame over paper sheets
Speeded up the process and allowed printers to make revisions and corrections
Facilitated production and distribution of texts quickly, cheaply, and in large quantities

44. Impact of Movable Type Allowed large production and distribution of
Buddhist texts
Confucian works
Calendars
Agricultural treatises
Popular works

45. New Technologies: Gunpowder
During the Tang era, Daoist alchemists learned it was dangerous to mix charcoal, saltpeter, sulphur, and arsenic
Military officials saw possibilities
By the tenth-century, the Tang military was using gunpowder in bamboo “fire lances,” a kind of flame thrower and by the eleventh century they had made primitive bombs

46. Art and Writing
The ruling and elite classes of the Tang and Song Dynasties were major supporters of Chinese painting.
Sought elaborate and ornate art with political and educational significance
Stressed realism

47. Passing the Night at Headquarters
Art and Writing
Eighth Century was a golden age in Chinese poetry
Du Fu ( A.D.) is often considered China’s greatest poet
Other great poets of the Tang era were Wang Wei (699 – 761) and Li Bo (701 – 762)
Passing the Night at Headquarters
Clear autumn at headquarters, wu-tung trees cold beside the well;
I spend the night alone in the river city, using up all of the candles.
Sad bugle notes sound through the long night as I talk to myself;
glorious moon hanging in mid-sky but who looks?

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Greece and Alexander the Great