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Chapter 3

China in Antiquity

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I. Origins and Mythsa) Three Sovereignsb) Xia

II. Early Chinese CivilizationIII. Shang Dynasty

a) Originsb) Politicalc) Economicd) Religiouse) Social Structure

IV. Zhou Dynastya) Political and Social Structureb) Rites of Zhouc) Culture and Societyd) Economice) Religious

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V. Spring and Autumn, Warring Statesa) Sub periodsb) Warring Statesc) Emperor Zhoud) The Wall

VI. Hundred Schools of Ancient Philosophya) Confucianismb) Legalismc) Daoism

VII. Rise of the Qin and Han Dynastya) Qinb) Han

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VIII. Daily Life and Culture in Ancient China - Confucianism

a) Society and Economy in the Han Empirei. Peasantsii. Trade and manufacturingiii. Technology

I. Sculpture, Metals, Music, Literature

b) Familyc) Humble Estate: Womend) Decline and Fall of the Han

i. Wang Mangii. Cao Cao

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I. Myths and Originsa) Three Sovereigns

i. Fu Xi (Fu Hsi) ii. Shen Nong (Shen Nung)iii. Huang Di (Huang Ti)

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b) Xia (Hsia)

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• Origins of Chinese civilization predates the Xia • 4000 years ago.• Irrigation

• Chariots – around mid 2000 BC• Myth, oral history, no archaeological evidence• 1959 - Excavations at the city of Yanshi, Lungshan• agrarian people• bronze weapons and pottery• rulers often acted as shamans, communicating with

spirits for help and guidance.

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II. Early Chinese Civilization

• several hundred thousand years.• Yellow River

– Yangshao– Longshan

• The Yellow and the Yangtze rivers is where Chinese civilization is thought to have begun.

• 12 percent of the total land is arable

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• pastoralists

• Geographical barriers

– Isolation

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III. Dawn of Chinese Civilization: Shang Dynasty(1580 -1050 B.C.)

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• Origins:– Perhaps Indo-European

• Political:– Centralized monarchy– Bureaucracy– Ruled by aristocratic class– Territories governed by aristocratic bureaucracy– War – important component, using chariots.

• Economic:

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• Religious– Sacrifice – Supernatural beliefs

– Universe divided into two primary forces– Belief in a hear after

– Ancestor worship

• Social Structures– Farm unit – basic social unit

– Clans = village– Village = many farm units

– Communal structure and the importance of

– DURING SHANG dynasty, the structure was well established – villages organized around clans

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IV.The Zhou Dynasty (1045-221 B.C.E.)

a) Political and Social Structures

• Rites of Zhou– idea of the Mandate of Heaven. – Mandate of Heaven had been removed - if they were

overthrown.– Dao, The Way– Right of Revolution

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c) Culture and Society– Zhou adopted much of the Shang lifestyle– bronze vessels– adopted much of the Shang writing system– rituals and administration techniques.

• Zhou began a different form of governing, which was basically feudal.

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d) Economy• “Well field system”

– Communal land organization

• Trade and manufacturing– Silk

• Agricultural advances– Land fallow– wet rice– Population growth

• Money economy

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e) Religion:– banned human sacrifice.– practiced the cult of Heaven.

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V.Spring and Autumn / Warring States

• Zhou Dynasty is divided into subperiods.• Zhou emperor steadily lost power • Last stage of the Northern Song (1100-1127) was the darkest and most corrupt

period of the entire dynasty.

• Warring States is considered the classical age– great philosophers– One Hundred Schools Period– Confucianism– Taoism– Legalism– poetry and prose– writing down of the laws– development of iron, and tools made of iron, greatly increased agriculture and

thus population exploded. • Last emperor of the zhou apparently forgot this.• If a king ruled well, natural disasters would befall the people and the people could

theoretically overthrow the emperor to serve heavens purpose.

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d) GREAT WALL:

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VI. Hundred Schools of Ancient Philosophy– Shang Di – Shang god presiding over forces of

nature– Tian (T’ien) or Heaven– Yang (sun) and Yin (moon)– Yi Jing (I Ching), Book of Changes

a) Confucianism – Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.)

– Dao (The Way)

– Analects– Mencius (370-29 B.C.E.)

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b) Legalism

c) Daoism• Lao Tzu (Lao Zi)• Dao De Jing (The Way of the Tao)

– Popular Daoism

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VII. Rise of the Chinese Empire: Qin and Han– Period of Warring States, 403-221 B.C.E.

a) Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.E.)– Qin Shi Huangdi (221-206 B.C.E.)

– Legalism– Centralized state

– Military expansion–

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b)The Glorious Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E.-221 C.E.) Fall of the Qin

– Liu Bang (Liu Pang) - AKA Emperor Gao or Han Gaozu (Han Kao Tsu)

• The Han period produced China's most famous historian, Sima Qian (145-87 B.C.?), whose Shiji (Historical Records) provides a detailed chronicle from the time of a legendary Xia emperor to that of the Han emperor Wu Di (141-87 B.C.).

• Technological advances also marked this period.

• ethnic majority in China - "people of Han"• Silk Road• Chinese armies invaded and annexed parts of northern Vietnam and northern

Korea• "tributary system" - Non-Chinese states were allowed to remain autonomous in

exchange for symbolic acceptance of Han overlordship.

• Several great Chinese inventions, paper and porcelain, the rudder and fore-aft rigging all date from Han times.

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• Confucianism and the State

• CONFUCIUS and who gets to be in govt / and on what basis?

a) Society and Economy in the Han Empirei. Peasants

» Taxes» Farm plots» Sold» Housing» Diets» Urban or rural» Chang’an

ii. Trade and manufacturing» Silk Road» Guangzhou (Canton)

iii. Technology» textile manufacturing, water mills, and iron casting

VIII. Daily Life in Ancient China

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– Metalwork and sculpture• Bronze

– Lacquerware and ceramics

– Language and Literature• Writing• Literary Chinese

– Music• Flutes, stringed instruments, bells and chimes, drums

and gourds

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b) Family– Filial piety– Five relationships

– Qin attempt to reduce importance of family

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c) The Humble Estate: Women in Ancient China• Subservience• Confucian thought accepted dual roles of men and

women

• Some women were a force at court

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d) Decline and Fall of the Han– Wang Mang, 9-23 C.E.

– Cao Cao (Ts’ao Ts’ao)