Name: __________________________ Period: ______ Date: __________

Ch. 6 – Ancient China - Summary Notes

Dynasties of Ancient China

Dynasty Xia 夏

Shang 商

Zhou 周

Qin 秦

Han 漢

Dates ca. 2200-1800 BC 1700-1050 BC 1050-221 BC 221-206 BC 206 BC - AD 220

Big Idea Summary

farming society along

Huang He

real dynasty???

first true dynasty

developed social classes

and had harsh rulers

brought order and

expanded China

new philosophies

ended in Warring States

Period

unified China for the first

time

strong government

standardization

fell into civil war

Confucian gov’t

strengthened family life

long-lasting, stable

government

Government Yu the Great

ruled by shamans

(communicated with

spirits)

king was center of

religious and political life

no strong central gov’t

Mandate of Heaven

gave land to gain loyalty

and military support

Shi Huangdi

first emperor

great builder

ruthless, paranoid

divided China into

districts, counties

Liu Bang

commoner

lowered taxes

Wudi took land from

nobles, raised taxes,

controlled grain

Religion / Philosophy

folk religion

ancestor worship

Shang Ti

sacrifice (beheadings by

happy ax)

oracle bones / tortoise

shells

Daoism

Confucianism

Legalism

Legalism with strong

central government and

strict laws

burned books and buried

scholars

Confucianism based

government

focus on the family and

education

exams to get gov’t jobs

Society stories about them told

about kings who helped

people solve problems by

working together

1) royal family and nobles

/ landowners

2) artisans

3) farmers

4) slaves

Social Classes

1) king

2)

3)

land taken from nobles

commoners forced to

build

irrigation system

Social Classes

1) king

2)

3)

4)

Achievements no evidence of them was

found until 1959

dug channels to keep

Huang He from flooding

China’s first writing

system

used bronze like we use

plastic … for everything

calendar based on moon

cycles

jade ornaments

war chariots

oracle bones to predict

future

longest lasting dynasty

strong military,

conquered a large area

iron tools (plows, etc.)

and weapons

crossbow

China’s first empire

elaborate tomb

terra cotta warriors

5000 miles

Great Wall

of roads

standardization of coins,

weights and measures,

and writing system

Confucian schools

government exams

expanded China to

modern boundaries

sundial

seismograph

acupuncture

paper

Silk Road became major

part of economy

Name: __________________________ Period: ______ Date: __________

Ch. 6 – Ancient China - Summary Notes

Religion & Philosophy in Ancient China

Folk Religion

Religion / Philosophy

Confucianism 儒學

Daoism 道教

Legalism 法家

Buddhism 佛學

Ch’i (Qi) “life force”

Spirits good and evil

Mythology Dragon, gods, etc.

Ancestor Worship honor deeds and

memories of

ancestors

Five Elements

Earth Wood

Metal Fire

Water

I Ching symbols to identify

order in chance events

Divination fortune telling

Astrology using the heavens to

predict the future

Shang Ti “Heaven” as a

supernatural force;

controls weather

oracle bones

sacrifice (happy ax)

Founded (who / when)

Confucius (Kongfuzi)

551 BC

Laozi (Lao Tzu)

570 BC

Han Fei

250 BC during Warring

States Period

Siddhartha Gautama

(The Buddha)

540 BC in India

Text The Analects Dao De Jing ———————— Vedas, Upanishads, Gita

Big Idea Summary

human (family) centered

polite, respectful behavior,

good morals, and family

values

nature centered

order and harmony with

nature

balance of opposites

strong government and

strict laws

humans are bad and

must be controlled

follow the Buddha to

Nirvana

meditate to be Zen

Other Info. (beliefs, details, etc.)

ethics – moral values

Family

o fathers should display

high moral values to

inspire their families

o children should respect

and obey their parents

o family members should

be loyal to each other

Confucian Government

o moral leadership, not

laws, would bring order

o a king (the father)

should lead by example,

inspiring good behavior

in all his subjects (his

children)

o lower classes would

learn by following the

example of the upper

classes

follow the Dao (the Way)

order and harmony from

nature

balance of opposite

forces; Yin and Yang

don’t seek useless things

or create argument

followed the “rule of law”

government must be

powerful to provide for

the people

humans are selfish

preserve social order

through discipline and law

enforcement

key part of Qin and Han

government

Shi Huangdi burned books

and buried scholars for

Legalism

The Art of War

o Sun Tzu

o military strategy and

tactics

gunpowder

o fire medicine

Kung Fu = Chinese

martial arts

introduced to China from

India via the Silk Road

initially rejected because

it contradicted some

Daoist and Confucian

teachings

adapted to fit into

Chinese philosophy --

some beliefs emphasized,

others de-emphasized

Zen “Meditation”

Buddhism

diffusion – spread of

ideas from one culture to

another