Classical Era China

•Four dynastic cycles:

•Shang

•Zhou (Joe)

•Qin (Chin)

•Han

Shang Dynasty: c.1766-1045 BCEShang Dynasty: c.1766-1045 BCEShang Dynasty: c.1766-1045 BCEShang Dynasty: c.1766-1045 BCE

•Little is known of beginnings

•Oracle bones- shoulder bone of cattle and bottom shells of turtles to get info from ancestors

•Ideographic symbols rep. 1 syllable word, object, or idea

Shang Ruler

• Religious Power:• Supreme God Di • Shang ruler interacts with Di

making him the direct link to early ancestors/ crucial link between Heaven and Earth

• Promoting agricultural productivity and protection

• Authoritarian Rule

Shang Elite

• Warrior class

• Utilized bronze weapons and horse-drawn chariots from W. Asia

• Tombs carried valuable bronze objects for the afterlife

• Bronze was a symbol of status

and authority

•Replaced the Shang; to the W. in the valley of the Wei R

•Longest line of kings in Chinese history

•Founders: Wen (vassal) and his son Wu (1st ruler)

•Highest Zhou deity Tian (Heaven)

•Heaven granted authority and legitimacy to a ruler as long as he looked out for the welfare of his subjects; monarch called Son of Heaven

•Mandate of Heaven- Chinese religious/ political ideology; prerogative of Heaven, to grant and take away power of a ruler if he fails the best interests of his subjects

Western Zhou• Book of Documents- collection

of decrees, letters and records• Book of Songs- 305 poems;

illuminating the lives of rulers• Feudal society• Cities- Feng Shui “wind and

water”• Divination

Eastern Zhou- Warring States

• Spring and Autumn Annals- describes events of eastern Lu

• Warfare shift to larger armies• Art of War- handbooks for

studying war• Complexity of the gov/ record

keepers• Qin Dynasty emerged

Qin Dynasty c. 221-206 BCEQin Dynasty c. 221-206 BCE

• After the chaos of the Warring States period the Qin arose in E. Asia

• The Chinese believed that the heavens would provide them with a ruler.

• This mandate of heaven was an integral part of Chinese culture for centuries.

• At the age of 13, Zheng, Emperor Qin Shihuangdi ruled China with diplomatic skill and military ruthlessness.

Qin Dynasty c. 221-206 BCEQin Dynasty c. 221-206 BCE

• The Qin Emperor used a Chinese political philosophy called legalism

• It established a clear chain of command and even clearer rules of bureaucratic etiquette.

• Severe punishment for those who purposefully or accidentally

broke those rules

Han Dynasty 206 BCE- 220 CEHan Dynasty 206 BCE- 220 CE

• Existed at about the same time as the Roman Empire and exchanged trade and diplomatic ties with them along the Silk Roads

• Capital center Chang’an, inaugurated by Liu Bang (Gaozu)

• Extended its power through a mix of diplomacy, trade, and military power

• Great Wall of China• Canal-digging projects to help trade and

movement of people

The Decline and Fall of the Classical Empires

• All the classical empires overextended themselves, declined in pol., soc., and eco., areas and eventually fell

• Internal disruptions- diseases, peasant revolts against landlords, resistance to high taxation, breakdown in imperial authority, and failing economies

• External Pressures- nomadic invaders (barbarians) looting and taking food and leaving destruction and death behind

• The Han Dynasty’s demise was due to internal causes; power struggles between family and top generals

•Confucius: ca. 551-478 BCE; China’s most influential philosopher; taught that harmony resulted when people accepted their place in society; became the core of China’s cultural and political thinking for centuries.

•Confucianism – Stressed the values of: loyalty to superiors and respect for inferiors; honesty, hard work, and concern for ethics; moderation in behavior; reverence for tradition and ancestor worship.

•Analects – book written by followers of Confucius; a collection of his teachings and sayings Confucius

Terra Cotta Warriors – During

Qin Dynasty (video)

•The Han dynasty: (202 BCE – 220 CE) – Followed the Qin dynasty (Chinese considered themselves - “People of the Han”)

•Era generally characterized by stability, prosperity, and peace. Contemporary - often compared to the Roman Empire.

•Han Rulers strengthened China’s government, expanded China’s borders and influenced and opened up the Silk Road, a major trade route that would link China to the west for centuries.

•Wu Ti – greatest Han emperor - Civil Service tests

•Chinese bureaucracy lasted from the Han period until the 20th century

•Encouraged the worship of Confucius as a god.

*(Confucius was not a religious leader, but rather a philosopher) Zhou, Qin and Han Chinese Classical

Period

“The Great Wall” – started during the Qin dynasty

•The Han period was one of the golden ages of Chinese civilization with tremendous advances in the sciences, astronomy, technology, medicine and the arts.

•Paper was invented

•Ox-drawn plows and new collar

•Pulleys and winding gear

Accomplishments:1. Silk Roads2. Public Schools3. Paper4. Pulley and Lever

Han Dynasty