Ancient Chinese Civilization

I.          Geography of China

          A.          Two Rivers form the Valley for the Chinese Civilization and both flow into the Pacific Ocean.

                    1.          Yellow River- spreads loess (les) to the fields to keep them fertile.

                    2.          Yangtze River

                    3.          These rivers flood and can be dangerous.  China's Sorrow

          B.          Danger and forbidding territory surrounds China on all sides.

                    1.          North- Mongolian nomads (warriors)

                    2.          Southwest- Himalayas

                    3.          West- Takla Makan Desert & icy Tibetan Plateau

                    4.          East- Pacific Ocean

          C.          Mountains encircle the Valley and 90% of China's farmland lies in this valley.

          D.          China was well organized.          

                    1.          Cities

                    2.          Writing

                    3.          Complex Institutions (Government & Religion)

                    4.          Specialized Crafts (artisans)

                    5.          Advanced Technology

          E.          The Chinese saw their civilization as the center of the World so they called themselves the Middle Kingdom.

          F.          Two major bonds held Chinese Society together.

                    1.          Family-

                              a.          Men were the head of the family and your role was fixed from birth to death. 

                              b.          The elderly were very respected in society as they are today.

                              c.          Marriages for children were arranged and the oldest woman had authority over all of the women in the family.

                              d.          Respect for one's parents is the most important virtue in Chinese society.

                              e.           Women were totally inferior to all men.  Women could improve their status only by bearing sons for their men.

                              f.          Religion and family were closely linked.  Ancestor worship of the father's side of the family was prominent.  They were not gods, just things that needed attention. 

                    2.          Government

                              a.          The Ruler of the Middle Kingdom was given the next highest right of respect after the family.

                              b.          Mandate of Heaven- authority to rule by divine right.  Wicked rulers could lose their right to rule and the ancestors would cause a natural disaster of some sort to warn the people. This explained to the Chinese warfare with dynasty changes. (civil war)

                              c.          The dynastic cycle explained the change of dynasty in China.  The first dynasties are as follows:

                                        i.          Shang- (1500-1027 BC)

                                        ii.          Chou- (1027-221 BC)

                                        iii.          Ch'in- (246-202 BC)

                                        iv.          Han- (202 BC- 220 AD)

          G.          Shang Bring Civilization

                    1.          Cities popped up in the Valley.

                              a.          Anyang- capital of the Shang dynasty.

                              b.          Nobles lived in wooden houses and average families lived in cone shaped huts or pit-houses

                    2.          Social Classes sharply divided China

                              a.          Warrior-nobles owned the land.  They served the army and the government.  They sent tribute to the kings so they could control the local areas.

                              b.          Peasants farmed with wooden sticks, hoes and stone sickles.  The soil was so rich they often got two crops every year.

                              c.          Artisans lived outside the city walls and their houses were in between the nobles and the peasants.

                                        i.          Bronze work that has never been equaled.

                                        ii.          Silk from the silkworm cocoon.

                    3.          Writing System

                              a.          Oracle bones were used to tell the future.

                              b.          Each Chinese character stands for an idea, not a sound.  The written language had nothing to do with spoken language so everyone all over China could communicate through reading even if they spoke different languages!

                              c.          There were over 10,000 characters to be learned which was one major disadvantage.

          H.          The Chou Dynasty Comes to Power

                    1.          The Shang Dynasty passed power to the Chou and there was much similarity between the two.

                    2.          A large empire was ruled by the King but through local lords.

                    3.          In 771 BC the Chou monarch was murdered by barbarian invaders and only a few of the royal family escaped.  They pretended to rule for the next 500 years but in actuality the warrior nobles were warring with each other and trying to be kings over individual territories.

          4.          China was in terrible chaos and three solutions were offered.

                    a.          Confucius offered social harmony and good government.

                              i.          5 Basic Relationships govern life.

                              ii.          Each of these relationships is based on a code of moral conduct.

                              iii.          Three of the five regard filial piety, or respect for parents and elders.

                              iv.          He worked with a King for a while to govern his teachings but then later in life went to teaching full time.

                    b.          Taoists sought harmony with nature.

                              i.          Nothing in nature struggles for power or dominance except humans.  The natural order should be followed. 

                              ii.          Many Chinese accepted Taoism and as a result removed themselves from society to be closer to nature.

                    c.          Legalists urged harsh government.

                              i.          They believed that the only way to restore order was a powerful and efficient government. 

                              ii.          People who thought critically about the government were NOT encouraged.

                              iii.          The Prince or King was to rule and the people were only to follow.

II.          The Ch'in Dynasty Comes to Power

          A.           "First Emperor"- Ch'in Shin Huang-ti.  He took this title in 221 BC.  It had originally been used for gods!

          1.          He stopped the civil wars.

          2.          He gave China a government that lasted for over 2000 years.

          3.          EVERYONE HATED HIM even though he was effective!!!!!!!!!

          4.          He concentrated on two main objectives:

                    a.          Crushing outside rival enemies- He attacked the northern barbarians, drove south to Vietnam, and doubled the size of Chou China.

                    b.          Destroying resistance from within- He moved all nobles to the city so he could watch them.  He drew new boundaries and carved 36 administrative districts ruled by officials of his.

          5.          He burned all books that challenged his type of government.  Poetry and political writings.

          6.          He built a huge network of highways to unite China. 

          7.          He set standards for money, weights, and law. 

          8.          He built the Great Wall by using peasant labor to unite the gaps in previous walls.  He made it so long that one trying to invade would have to ride to Tibet to get around it!

                    a.          Each section rose 20-25 feet.

                    b.          It is about 1400 miles long. 

                    c.          The peasants were not paid and if they broke the law by not working they were put to death.  Many died.

          9.          Huang-ti's son was as cruel as he was but not nearly as effective.  The Ch'in dynasty was overthrown in 202 BC, just 3 years after Huang-ti's death.

B.          The Han Dynasty

          1.          Unity, Glory, Peace.

          2.          Han rulers threw out the Legalists.

          3.          Confucius' teaching won great influence.

          4.          Wu-ti was the most powerful Han Emperor. (140-87 BC)

                    a.          Martial Emperor because of his battle successes.

                    b.          He conquered from Korea to Vietnam and into central Asia for a 2000-mile empire when calculated from the palace.

                    c.          Renewal of learning.  Five Classics were the greatest writings of the Chou dynasty that had been burned by Huang-ti.  Recollected with a sixth book called Analects, which contained Confucius's works.

                    d.          Confucianism was the official set of beliefs for the government.  A university was established for studying the Five Classics and the Analects.  Once one passed the civil exams they were given high government jobs! 

                    e.          The Chinese make contact with the Persians and began a trade route that was so important to World History.  The Great Silk Road was a 4000-mile route to Asia Minor where silk was traded and sold again.  This was a great luxury to many in the world.

C.           After Wu-ti died China lost much of its wealth.  Taxes and debts were too much for everyone. 

          1.           Children were sold into slavery.

          2.           Famine and plague ravished the villages. 

          3.          Many fled to the mountains and became bandits of secret societies like the Red Eyebrows, the Green Woodsmen, and the Yellow Turbans.  They led the peasants to revolt!

          4.          The Han Dynasty was overthrown twice thus dividing the Han Rule into two periods.

                    a.          Early Han Rule (202 BC- 8 AD)

                    b.          Later Han Rule (25220 AD)

          5.          At the end of the rule corrupt government officials reeked havoc on the peasants and disorder spread again.

D.          Between 50 AD & 100 AD Buddhism spread in China

          1.          Traders from the Great Silk Road brought it with them.

          2.          Buddha became a god to the people and they worshipped him with statues in India and China.

          3.          Buddhism offered millions of Chinese religious comfort from their desperate lives.