1. THE first Chinese empires
Chapter 6

2. Schools of Thought in Ancient China
Confucianism
Daoism
Legalism

3. Confucianism Under Zhou Dynasty
Confucius was known to the Chinese as the First Teacher
Confucius was born in 551 BC
Upset by the violence and moral decay of his era
Traveled around China to persuade political leaders to follow his ideas
Book of teachings: Analects

4. Confucianism
Confucius provided a set of ideas that eventually became widely accepted
Confucius’ ideas were not spiritual but they were philosophical and dealt with politics and ethics
Believed it was useless to speculate on spiritual questions

5. Confucius 2 elements: Dao (Way): Duty and humanity
Five Constant Relationships:
Parent and child
Husband and wife
Older sibling and younger sibling
Older friend and younger friend
Ruler and subject
*Each people had a duty to the other
Humanity- people are supposed to have compassion and empathy for others

6. Confucius Taught that humans are basically good
His message was widely spread throughout China
Stressed a return to the Golden Age of China
Believed government service should be open to all men of superior talent and not limited to those of noble birth

7. Daoism
Daoism was a system of ideas based on the teachings of Laozi or Old Master
Book of teachings: The Way of the Dao
Concerned with proper forms of human behavior
Daoists believe that the way to follow the will of Heaven is not through action but inaction.
The best way to act in harmony with the universal order is not to interfere with the natural order.

8. Legalism Legalism proposed that human beings are evil by nature
Referred to as the “School of Law”
Rejected Confucian view that government by “superior men” could solve society’s problems.
Believed a strong ruler was required to create an orderly society
Believed only harsh laws and stiff punishments would cause the common people to serve the interest of the ruler.

9. Section 2: The Qin Unify China

10. The Qin Dynasty From 400-221 BC China experienced a bloody civil war
Chinese states fought each other
Qin Dynasty gradually defeated the rivals
Qin declared themselves a new dynasty

11. Qin Shihuangdi Ruler of Qin Dynasty Considered the “First Qin Emperor”
Came to the throne at 13
Defeated rivals and founded a new dynasty

12. Qualities of Qin Shihuangdi
He united all of China
Created a single monetary system
Ordered building of roads throughout the entire empire
Reduced the powers of the landed aristocrats
Divided aristocrats estates and gave the land to peasants
Eliminated possible rivals
Gained tax revenues for the central government

13. Shihuangdi’S army Left behind a pit (burial mound)
In the burial ground there were thousands of terra-cotta soldiers- recreation of his imperial guard
Figures were slightly larger than life-size

16. The Great wALL
Shihuangdi believed that there was a foreign concern in the north
Nomadic people lived in the north
Nomadic people= Xiongnu people; seen as a threat
To keep these people out, put up a wall
Originally called The Wall of Ten Thousand Li
We know it as the Great Wall of China today

20. The Great Wall of China
Most of it is built of loose stone, sand, or piled rubble
Many died in the course of building
According to legend, those who lost their lives are buried within the wall

21. Politics of the Qin Dynasty
Legalism was adopted as the official ideology of the regime
Those who opposed the policies of the new regime were punished or executed
Qin Dynasty was highly centralized
Central bureaucracy was divided into three divisions:
Civil division
Military division
Censorate

22. Section 3: The Han Dynasty

23. The Han Dynasty Founder: Liu Pang- was a peasant
Gained title Han Gaozu- Exalted Emperor of Han
Was a very strong ruler

24. Political Structures Abandoned use of cruel and unusual punishment
Adopted Confucian ideals
Division of central government into three ministries:
Military
Civil service
Censorate
Han rulers kept the system of local government that divided the empire into provinces and counties

25. Political Structures
Han rulers continued the Qin system of choosing government officials on the basis of merit rather than birth
Introduced civil service examination
Students were expected to learn the teachings of Confucius, as well as Chinese history and law
Population increased rapidly- went from 20 million to more than 60 million
Growing population meant a need for an efficient bureaucracy
Expanded the empire- now parts of Vietnam, along the South China Sea became part of the Chinese Empire

26. Society in the Han Empire
Free peasants began to suffer
Land taxes on land-owning farmers were light but demands like military service impacted all of society
Poor peasants were forced to sell their land and become tenant farmers, paying up to half of the annual harvest in rent
Emphasis on the family structure
Family was the basic economic unit and the basic social unit for education and training in morals
Major expansion in trade and manufacturing
Trade occurred through the Silk Road

28. Technology and culture
Trade= economic prosperity
Iron casting led to invention of steel
Ships could sail with the wind

29. Fall of Han Dynasty Weak rulers
Rulers were too concerned with pleasures of life
Wealthy were corrupt
Population decline
Peasant uprising
Civil war