Transcript Ancient China

2000 BC –
220 AD
ANCIENT CHINA
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Great Wall
Began 2000 B.C.
Dynasties
Silk
Astronomy
Emperors
Rivers
Satellite View of China
As in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and along the Indus River,
Chinese civilization began within a major river valley.
Around 4000 BC, this huge area contained a large
number of ethnic groups and languages.
This history, in which a huge area populated by many
different ethnic groups became a single culture, began
in the Yellow River Valley.
Yellow River Civilization
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Ancient China was
formed around the Yellow
River.
The color yellow
symbolized “centrality”,
as in China is the center
of the world.
Along with the Yellow
River, the Yangtze is the
most important river in the
history, culture and
economy of China.
The Yangtze River
Ancient China
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Developed independently of others because it was
separated by deserts and distance.
After 10,000 BC people in China lived by hunting and
gathering plants.
About 5,000 BC, the Chinese began farming. Rice
was grown in southern China and millet was grown in
the north.
By 5,000 BC dogs and pigs were domesticated. By
3,000 BC sheep and cattle were domesticated.
Horses were introduced into China between 3,000
and 2,300 BC.
Ancient China
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By 5,000 BC Chinese farmers had learned to
make pottery.
The early Chinese farmers also made
baskets and wove cloth.
Also made ritual objects from jade such as
knives, axes and rings.
The wheel was invented in China about
2,500 BC.
Early Chinese Civilizations
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5000-1700 BC
These people
probably learned
how to make cloth
and paper using silk
from silkworms.
Lived in small
villages
Practiced
agriculture
Silk worm
Silk was exotic and expensive, so it
was good for trading with the rest of
the world in the later dynasties.
Neolithic village at
Ban Po
Bronze Age Empires
Chinese civilization only really
began with the Shang Dynasty.
Bronze Age
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By 2,000 BC a more advanced society
emerged in China. By then they had
learned to make bronze- copper and tin.
At first bronze was only used for
weapons. (probably too expensive for
other things).
Warfare was common. Walls of earth,
which was rammed till it was hard,
surrounded some settlements.
Agriculture
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Before 2000 BC, the Chinese practiced
subsistence agriculture. They only grew
enough for themselves and their
families.
After about 2,000 BC they began to
produce a surplus (which their rulers
could take off them!).
This leads to divisions of social classes.
Religion
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Polytheistic
Practice of ancestor worship began.
– Belief that the dead can intervene in the
affairs of the living. Offerings were made
to them to keep them happy. Ancestor
worship became part of Chinese culture for
thousands of years.
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Divination- fortune telling
Oracles
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Bones were touched with a red-hot
piece of bronze so they cracked. The
cracks were then interpreted and the
predictions were written on them. The
form of writing invented during the
Shang era remained unchanged for
thousands of years.
Oracle bone with early
ideographic script
Government
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The Shang dynasty created a highly
organized state. Though they ruled only a
part of China their cultural influence spread
through most of it.
Political organization: network of fortified
cities, loyal to center
Peasants support nobles, officials,
bureaucracy by giving part of their crop
The Shang Dynasty
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The Shang probably invented the Chinese
calendar.
Built the first real cities in China. Also built
palaces and temples.
During the Shang era bronze was more
widely used. Tools such as sickles, plows
and spades were usually made of wood and
stone.
After 1200 BC chariots pulled by horses
were used in Chinese warfare.
Axe Scepter – 1100 BCE - Jade
Ceremonial Dagger – 1028 BCE
Shang Bronzes
Ritual Wine
Vessel –
Bronze, 13c
BCE
Shang
Urn
A bronze temple bell
More bronze ware, with early
ideograms
The Evolution of Chinese
Writing During
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Writing was invented in China about
1,500 BC. The earliest evidence of it
comes from bones used for fortune telling.
Pictographs
Semantic-Phonetics
End of the Shang Dynasty
•Slavery was common. Prisoners of war were made
into slaves so warfare was common.
•Human sacrifice was still practiced. When an
emperor died his servants and slaves either
committed suicide or were killed to accompany him
into afterlife.
•Their neighbors the Zhou overthrew the Shang
about 1022 BC. So began the Zhou dynasty.
•Replaced one ruling class with another.
•Video
Western Zhou:1027-771 BC
Feudalism
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Because transport and
communications were very slow, it
was difficult for a ruler to control a
wide area.
Zhou kings solved this problem by
creating a feudal state. They gave
their followers land. In return the
followers provided chariots and
soldiers in time of war.
Land was worked by peasants who
provided the food supply.
Peasants
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Had to spend some of their time working on the
Lord's land. Usually land was divided into 9
sections. Individual families worked eight
sections.
Everybody had to work on the ninth section but
the crops from it went to the Lord.
After 600 BC coins were used in China and some
peasants paid their Lord taxes rather than work
on his land.
Few slaves
Zhou Coins - Bronze
Zhou Contributions
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Most important invention was iron to make tools,
weapons, and plows.
Horse collar allowed horses to pull much heavier
loads.
Kites
Compass
Tea
Umbrella-Covered in oiled paper it sheltered the
user from both sun and rain.
Bound books
Astronomers Study Planets & Eclipses
Chinese astronomy
•2137 BC - Chinese book records the earliest known solar
eclipse on October 22.
•Chinese determine that Jupiter needs 12 years to complete one
revolution of its orbit.
•Chinese record the regularity of solar and lunar eclipses and
the earliest known solar variation.
•Chinese divide the sky into twenty eight regions for
recognitions of the stars.
•776 BC - Chinese make the earliest reliably record of solar
eclipse.
Economy
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Agriculture was greatly improved by iron
tools and by irrigation, which became
more common.
As a result of more efficient agriculture
the population of China grew rapidly in
the Zhou period
Traded and commerce grew
Zhou (Chou) Dynasty
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During the Zhou era parts of the Great
Wall of China were built. There was not
a single wall, at first, but different states
built their own walls to keep out
'barbarians'.
Later they were joined together.
Decline of the Zhou Dynasty
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Decentralized leadership style allows for
building of regional powers
– Increasing local independence, refusal to
pay taxes
Iron metallurgy allows for widespread creation
of weaponry
Northern invaders weaken Zhou dynasty
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Zhou driven east
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– Internal dissention: the Period of the Warring States
(403-221 BCE)
Intellectual Development
As a response to the
crisis and uncertainty of
warring states
Confucianism and
Taoism are developed
* 551 – 479 B.C.
Confucius was in a
class of officials who
advised kings on the
right way to behave
and how to carry out
rituals. Appalled by the
state of affairs he tried
to restore ancient
principles.
•Everybody should accept their role in life and
duties towards others.
•Rulers had a duty to be benevolent while
subjects should be respectful and obedient.
•Children should honor their parents
•Everybody should honor their ancestors
•Rulers should set a good example for their
people.
•Said 'do not do to others what you do not want
done to yourself'. (golden rule)
1. Ruler
Subject
2. Father
Son
3. Husband
Wife
4. Older
Brother
Younger
Brother
5. Older
Friend
Younger
Friend
Confucius (ca. 551-479 B.C.)
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He never wrote any books but after his
death his followers collected his sayings
and wrote them all down.
In the centuries after his death his
philosophy became dominant in China
and profoundly influenced its culture for
more than 2,000 years.
* The single most important Confucian work.
* In Chinese, it means “conversation.”
* Focus on practicalities of interpersonal
relationships and the relationship of
the role of rulers and ministers to the
conduct of government.
*Rejection of the idea of in-born nobility
proper training, education, and aptitude make a
“gentleman”not simply birth into a certain family
Kung Fu-Tse
Tomb of Master Kung
To escape the “social, political, & cultural
traps” of life, one must escape by:
1. Rejecting formal knowledge and
learning.
2. Relying on the senses and instincts.
3. Discovering the nature and
“rhythm” of the universe.
4. Ignoring political and social laws.
Taoism (Daoism)
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Taoism began during the Zhou era. Confucianism
was a system of ethics. Taoism is a religion.
Believe in the Tao, which means the way. The Tao is
an indescribable force behind nature and all living
things. Taoists believe in Wuwei or non-action,
which means going with the natural flow or way of
things like a stick being carried along on a stream.
Taoism also teaches humility and compassion.
Taoists worship many of gods.
Ancient Chinese Beliefs
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The idea of Yin and Yang appeared
during the Zhou dynasty. The ancient
Chinese believed that all matter is made of
2 opposite and complimentary principles.
The ancient Chinese also believed there
were 5 elements, wood, fire, earth, metal
and water.
During the Zhou period the Chinese art of
acupuncture was invented.
* Feminine
* Masculine
* Passive
* Active
* Darkness
* Light
* Cold
* Warmth
* Weak
* Strong
* Earth;
Moon
* Heaven;
Sun
The End of the Zhou Dynasty
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In 771 a group from the west invaded the Zhou.
Afterwards the power of the Zhou kings declined.
The Zhou state broke up into separate states.
Nobles under the Zhou king effectively became
independent rulers. The different states went to
war and the stronger ones swallowed the weaker
till there were only a few left.
Finally one state, the Qin, conquered its rivals
and its ruler became emperor of China. So began
the Qin dynasty.
China under the Qin dynasty,
221-207 B.C.E.
Emperor Shi Huangdi
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Means “First Emperor”
Believed that rulers should be autocratic. The
ruler’s word should be law.
Believed that rulers should be fair but firm
and unwavering.
Standardization of Coins, Measurements,
Writing
Massive need for labor
– His Necropolis
– Great Wall of China Begun
Chinese pyramids!!!!
Chinese pyramids
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Ancient mausoleums and burial mounds built to
house the remains of several early emperors of
China and their relatives.
About 38
Most famous is Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor,
near where Terracotta Warriors were found.
Also built during the Han and other dynasties.
Have flat tops and are more similar in shape to the
pyramids in Mexico than to the pyramids in Giza,
Egypt.
The Great Wall of China was built to
keep the Mongols out.
Many died building it, and their
bodies were used as filler for it. Click
on the picture to watch a video.
Major Building projects
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The Qin emperors also built roads and irrigation canals.
Parts of the Great Wall of China already existed but the
first Qin emperor had them joined together. The ordinary
people were forced to work on his projects. Qin rule was
harsh and cruel punishments were common.
When Qin Shuangdi died he was buried in a tomb with
over 7,000 terracotta warriors. This 'army' was
discovered in 1974.
The army included warriors, chariots, horses, officials,
acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.
Current estimates are that there were over 8,000
soldiers, 130 chariots, with 520 horses and 150 cavalry
horses, majority of which are still buried.
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The figures include warriors, chariots,
horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen,
and musicians.
Current estimates are that in the three
pits containing the Terracotta Army
there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130
chariots with 520 horses and 150
cavalry horses, the majority of which are
still buried in the pits.
Tomb of Shi Huangdi
The Great Canal
Rise of the Han Dynasty206 BC-220 AD
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During this era China was one of the
most brilliant civilizations in the world
First Han emperor was called Gaozi. He
was more humane that the Qin
emperors and he abolished many of
their savage punishments.
He kept some of the policies of his
predecessors but he also adopted some
Confucian policies.
Han Dynasty
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Ruled for 400 years
Ruled large area of land-Empire
Agriculture continued to improve due to
an increasing number of irrigation
schemes, increasing use of buffaloes to
pull plows and crop rotation which was
introduced into China about 100 BC.
The Han Dynasty
Population Growth in Han
Dynasty
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General prosperity
Increased
agricultural
productivity
Taxes small part of
overall income
Produce
occasionally
spoiling in state
granaries
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40
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220 BCE
9 CE
Population (millions)
Han Achievements
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Civil Service Exam founded by Emperor Wudi
Paper- not made from silk
The Rudder
Seismometer to measure strength of
earthquakes
Astronomers observe sunspots
Silk Road
Buddhism first reached China in the 1st
century AD but it took a long time to be
accepted.
Paper
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Europe imported paper from China. The first
paper appeared in China about 200 BC. Its
name is derived from papyrus.
Silk was transformed into paper by a process
of pasting, but because silk was expensive,
wool and cotton came to be used instead.
In the picture below, the manufacturing
process used by the Chinese.
They steeped mulberry or bamboo bark in
water, then kneaded it to produce a paste
from which they obtained smooth thin sheets
of paper.
The Silk Road in the 1st Century
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During the Han era large amounts of silk
were exported to the west. It passed
through many hands to the Roman
Empire. In return merchants brought
gems, glass and vines to China. Video
Reasons for the Han
Dynasty’s Fall
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After 168 AD the Han dynasty declined.
Internal fighting weakened it.
Undermined by natural disasters and
discontent.
The last Han emperor was removed in 220
AD. Afterwards China split into 3 parts each
ruled by a general.