Transcript River Dynasties in China - Wheeler World Psych Your One

River Dynasties in China
The Geography of China
• Natural barriers isolated ancient China
from all other civilizations. To the east
were the Yellow Sea, East China Sea,
and the Pacific Ocean. Mountain
ranges and deserts comprise 2/3rds of
the land mass. In west China lay the
Taklimakan Desert and the Plateau of
Tibet. In the south are the Himalayas
and to the north is the Gobi Desert and
the Mongolian Plateau.
River Systems
• Two major rivers flow from the west to the Pacific
Ocean: the Huang He (Yellow River) and Chang
Jiang (Yangtze). The Yellow River deposits large
amounts of yellow silt called loess when it overflows
its banks.
• Environmental Challenges?
– The Huang He’s floods could be horrible. They could take
out whole villages, earning the river the nickname “China’s
Sorrow.”
– Thanks to geographic isolation, trade was next to
impossible.
– The natural boundaries did not protect China totally.
Invasions from the west and north occurred from time to
time.
China’s Heartland
• Only about 10% of China’s land is
suitable for farming, and this land lies
between a small plain between the
Huang He and the Chang Jiang in
eastern China. This is known as the
North China Plain, and has long been
regarded as the center of China’s
civilization.
Civilization Emerges
• Around 2000 BC, China’s first
cities arose even before the
Sumarians’. These cities were
along the Huang He river.
• The first dynasty, the Xia
emerged around this time. Its
leader was a mathematician
named Yu. His flood control
ideas kept the river in check
and helped civilization to
flourish.
• Around the time that the other
civilizations were falling, the
Shang rose to power in north
China. They lasted from 17001027 BC and left written
records.
Early Cities
• One of the earliest and
most important cities
was Anyang, which
was built mainly of
wood in a forest
clearing.
• The Shang era cities
had extremely high
earthen walls because
they were constantly
waging war.
Development of Chinese
Culture
• FAMILY: central to Chinese society. Respect
for one’s parents and ancestors was vital.
The men controlled the family, and the
women were seen as inferior. Between the
ages of 13 and 16 her marriage was
arranged and she moved in with her
husband.
• SOCIAL CLASSES: Sharply divided between
nobility and peasants. Warrior nobility ruled
the Shang and owned the land.
Development of Chinese
Culture
• RELIGION: The spirits of dead
ancestors were believed to
bring good fortune or even
disaster to the family
depending on that family’s
actions and worship of the
ancestors. These sprits were
looked at like helpful or
troublesome neighbors, not
as gods.
• Through these spirits, and
the rolling of oracle bones,
the people communicated
with their gods, such as
Shang Di.
Development of Chinese
Culture
• DEVELOPMENT OF WRITING: One character
= one syllable. However, one can read the
language without being able to speak it.
(Think of 2+2=4 again).
• People across China could learn one system
of writing despite the fact that their
languages differed. This helped unify
people across a very diverse country.
• People needed to know at least 1500
characters to be considered barely literate;
10,000 to be a true scholar.
Zhou and the Dynastic Cycle
• Around 1027 BC, a
people called the Zhou
overthrew the Shang
and established their
own empire. A large
cultural change didn’t
happen because the
Zhou adopted many
aspects of Shang
culture. They did bring
new ideas.
The Mandate of Heaven
• The Zhou used this to justify their conquests. They
declared that the last Shang king had been such a
poor ruler that the gods took his power away from
him and gave it to the Zhou. This justification
developed that the power of royalty came from
heaven. A just ruler had a Mandate from Heaven,
but that mandate could be revoked.
• This mandate became central to Chinese
civilization. When disasters happened, it was seen
that the ruler violated the mandate and it was time
for him to go.
• Historians call this the dynastic cycle (p. 54)
Mandate of Heaven v. Manifest
Destiny
•
•
Mandate of Heaven: traditional
Chinese sovereignty concept of
legitimacy used to support the rule
of the kings of the Zhou Dynasty
and later the Emperors of China.
Heaven would bless the authority
of a just ruler, but Heaven would be
displeased with an unwise ruler and
give the Mandate to someone
else. "Mandate of Heaven" was
also the very first era name of the
Qin Dynasty.
Manifest Destiny: United States was
destined to expand from the
Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific
Ocean; it has also been used to
advocate for or justify other
territorial acquisitions. Advocates of
Manifest Destiny believed that
expansion was not only good, but
that it was obvious ("manifest") and
certain ("destiny").
Control Through Feudalism
• To govern its large territory, the Zhou gave
control of large areas of land to members of
the royal family and other trusted nobles.
They were responsible for the land and
those who lived on it came under their
control. The nobles owed loyalty to the king.
• Towns grew into cities, and those hostile to
Zhou lords eventually became accepting of
their rule and ways.
Zhou Bonuses:
• Improvements in Technology & Trade
– Roads & canals for agriculture & trade
– Coined money introduced
– Blast furnaces for cast iron – created
weapons and agricultural tools.
Zhou Problems
• The Zhou were generally peaceful, but over
time rule weakened. In 771 BC nomads
from the north and west sacked the Zhou
capital and killed their monarch. The
surviving members of the royal family picked
fights with each other and the rule
weakened further.
• Amongst the fighting, the traditional values
of order, harmony, and respect for authority
were replaced by arrogance, chaos, and
defiance.