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Early Chinese history
Early Dynasties and history
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| Yellow River, Huang He | Refers to color of soil river picks up and deposits on the riverbank. Unpredictable flooding led to its nickname, China's Sorrow. Regular rains and fertile soil eliminated the need for extensive irrigation. Instead water control projects were used. China's first dynasty (Xia) was centered here. |
| Xia Dynasty | 1st attempt to organize China's public life on large scale (2070 BCE)- it established the precedent for hereditary rule. Legendary founder, Yu, initiated flood-control projects and set up formal gov't. |
| Shang Dynasty | 1750-1027 BCE, the earliest recorded dynasty. rise and success based on technology, especially bronze. Shang monopolized mines and employed craftsmen. Using well-armed military it extended control into NE China. Kings controlled surplus agriculture and a network of over 1,00 towns. Built extensive and lavish tombs for emperors. Practiced ancestor worship; used oracle bones to divine future (contains early Chinese writing). |
| Zhou Dynasty | Ruled by proclamation; military forces and allies disseminated laws and justice. Allied with Shang, adopted customs and culture, then overthrew Shang king. Zhou theory of politics: Events of Heaven and Earth are closely related. Cultural achievements included: poetry, history, rituals, political essays, morals, religion and philosophy. Most writing lost, but "Book of Songs" preserved early Zhou literature. |
| Mandate of Heaven | Power to rule come from heavenly powers - the Mandate is granted to an individual who is deserving, known as the "son of Heaven." * Ruler, a link between Heaven and Earth, has a duty to maintain order and dispense justice; as long as things go smoothly, he will remain in power; if he fails, the Mandate will be bestowed on a more deserving person. Idea used to justify rebellions. *Relates to European concept of divine right. *First used by Zhou to justify their takeover of the Shang. |
| Silk Production | First made during Shang dynasty (1750-1027 BCE) Produced by raising silkworms on mulberry trees. By time of Han dynasty(206BCE -220CE), silk was a luxury product in high demand and therefore its production was a highly guarded imperial secret. *In late 500s, Byzantine monks visiting China smuggled silkworms back to their empire and Byzantine craftsmen also began producing silks. |
| Warring States | Disunity in China (403-221BCE); many independent states adopted Legalist philosophies as the basis for their rule. *Legalism helped the state of the Qin to gain control and unify China. *Turmoil forced Chinese to become introspective in an attempt to bring peace and unity to China. *Development of three significant schools of thought - Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism (Taoism). *Period is also known as the Hundred Schools of Thought. |
| Qin Dynasty | *Used Legalism to end the period of the warring states and restore stability. *Gave peasants land rights to farm remote territories, weakening the traditional social heirarchy. *Centralized bureaucracy ruled the state. *Qin empire expanded by attacking n province at a time to unify China. *Great achievements: standardized weights and measures, scriptwriting. *Short-lived b/c of strict laws and harsh punishments. |
| Shi Huangdi | *Self-proclaimed "first emperor" of China -ending the period of warring states in 221 BCE and then ruling for another 11 years (he had been king of the state of Qin earlier on); established centralized rule through large-scale political organization. Central bureaucracy - run from capital at Xianyang - was divided into administrative provinces and districts, each headed by an officer appointed by the emperor. To centralize power, disarmed local military forces; built roads to enhance and expedite communication and movement of armies; standardized laws, currencies, weights and measures, and Chinese script; linked sections of the Great Wall. *Executed those critical of his rule (ex. burned 460 Confucian scholars alive). *Forced millions to work on public works projects, including palaces, roads, bridges, irrigation, defensive walls, and the famous "Qin Shi Huang's Tomb" for himself. |
| Early Han Dynasty | *Claiming the "mandate of heaven," Liu Bang centralized rule using persistence and planning; starting China's longest dynasty (206BCE to 220CE). *Emperors ruled from Chang'an. *Han Wudi, the "martial emperor," ruled from 141 to 87 BCE with 2 goals: centralize gov't power and expand the empire. USed Legalist principles as his guidelines for gov't. *Wudi appt. officers in provinces to enforce laws and levy taxes on agriculture, trade, and craft industries. *Demand for China's silk in India, Persia, Mesopotamia and Rome led to development of trade routs(the silk roads). *Wudi exercised tremendous gov't control over the bldg. of roads and canals to increase trade and communication. *Gov't also controlled the production of essential goods; iron, salt and liquor. |
| Emperor Wudi | *Han Emperor who began public education to enable him to recruit qualified people to gov't. *Established imperial university in 124BCE, which used Confucianism out of necessity b/c it was the only Chinese belief system developed enough to establish a curriculum. *Policy of imperial expansion led to invasions of northern Vietnam and Korea(which then had to pay tribute to Han China) and battles with Xiongnu, nomads from Asia. *The Han conquered everyone they challenged. |
| Later Han Dynasty | *Separated from the former han, as a result of a temporary loss of power from 9 to 23 CE, it lasted from 25 to 220 CE. *Ignoring the problem of inequitable land distribution led to increased banditry and rebellions by disgruntled peasants. *In the Yellow Turban uprising (rebels wore yellow headgear), gov't used military to suppress rebellions, but collective efforts of the peasant weakened the Han dynasty - factions developed in courts that affected the central gov't. *This internal weakness led to the downfall of the empire, which was divided into several large kingdoms. |
| Fall of Han Dynasty | *Divsions within the ruling elite limited the effectiveness of the gov't, leading to its collapse. *Issues; land distribution, private armies, unrest, economic decline. *Rise in epidemics in the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries led to the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Dynasty formally ended in 220CE. |
| Silk Road | *Trade route that connected the Han and Roman Empires in classical times. *Facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and disease. * Southeastern Asia, China, and India traded silk and spices west to consumers in central Asia, Iran, Arabia, and Roman Empire. *Spices wee important b/c they had numerous purposes (pharmaceutical, flavoring and food preservation). *Central Asia traded horses, jade, and magic potions west. *Following the fall of the Han and Roman Empires, the route was revived in post-classical times, first by the Tang and Song and later by the Mongols. |
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