China

1. China Seminar by Ms. Gluskin The Great Wall

2. Map of Modern China China today

3. Chinese Civilization and Geography • Oldest continuous civilization • Geography: northern plain fed by the Yellow River • Later settlement grew along the Yangtze River • Isolation: mountains, desert, steppes of Central Asia, Pacific Ocean • Internal boundaries: mountains and rivers • Overall: isolated and regional (rivalries between areas) Shang dynasty Ming dynasty 2 2 Evan Hadingham. PBS. Nova: Ancient Chinese Explorers. 2001. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/ancient-chinese-explorers.html (Nov. 9, 2011).

4. Topography Mountains and deserts Columbia University, East Asia in Geographic Perspective, N.d., http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/geography/element_a/ea1.html (Nov. 15, 2011)

5. Topography, con’t 3-steps of elevation from east to west

6. Yellow River Yellow River really is yellow in some parts due to loesse soil it picks up Facts and Details, Land and Geography of China, 2010, http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=400&catid=10&subcatid=64#01 (Nov. 15, 2011).

7. Steppes Inner Mongolia University of Washington, Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization, Outer China, N.d., http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/geo/outer.htm (Nov. 15, 2011).

8. Difficult Terrain Terracing is a way of getting more farm land where there is little arable land

9. Farming is the basis: wheat in the north, rice in the south (mostly self-sufficient) Traded in East Asia (Japan, Korea) and along the Silk Road Imported luxuries Exported silk, copper, porcelain (Song dynasty) Economy Porcelain

10. China As Sea Power • Maritime expeditions in the Ming dynasty went to Southeast Asia, and through the Indian Ocean to the African coast and Arabia • Led by Zheng He • Stopped suddenly when China closed itself off from foreign contact in the 14th century AD Foreign Expedition Evan Hadingham. PBS. Nova: Ancient Chinese Explorers. 2001. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/ancient-chinese-explorers.html (Nov. 9, 2011).

11. Silk Road • Traders from Rome and the Middle East came to China for jade, gold, spices, horses, precious gems and silk • Beginning in Han dynasty The Silk Roads

12. Beliefs • Crossover between religion and philosophy • From the earliest time Chinese people practised ancestor veneration (respect for the spirits of dead ancestors) • Tian = heaven, is an old concept:not a god, but a force guarding China and the imperial family

13. Dynastic Cycle • Emperors came to be known as Sons of Heaven • Emperors ruled with the blessing of Heaven, called the Mandate of Heaven • Natural omens would warn an emperor he was doing something wrong; if he ignored it, Heaven would see that the people rose up and got rid of that emperor

14. Confucianism • During a time of internal disorder (5th century BCE), a bureaucrat and teacher named Kong Fuzi created a philosophy based on ORDER HistoryWhiz, Confucius, 2008, http://www.historywiz.com/historymakers/confucius.htm (Nov. 15, 2011). Kong Fuzi

15. Yin-Yang • The Chinese had a concept of the forces of nature called Yin-Yang • This symbol is the Taiji or great pivot • Yin=female, dark, cold, passive • Yang=male, light, hot, active • Together they are complimentary The Pivot

16. Taoism “Humans model themselves on earth, Earth on heaven, Heaven on the Way, And the way on that which is naturally so.” • Taoism incorporated the idea of Yin-Yang into the philosophy of being one with nature • The Tao = the way • Taoists thought Confucianists were too focused on morality rather than nature Art

17. Taoism con’t • “Do nothing and nothing will not be done.” • Wu-wei: action through minimal action • “It is the practice of going against the stream not by struggling against it and thrashing about, but by standing still and letting the stream do all the work.” • “We place our trust and our lives in the Tao, that we may live in peace and balance with the Universe, both in this mortal life and beyond.” Lao Tse

18. Buddhism • Came to China later from India (first century CE) • Also coexisted with Confucianism and Taoism • Brought the idea of salvation and an end to suffering (during a difficult time) Buddha

19. Social Structures Classes GENTRY: Imperial Family Scholar Officials Nobles Landowners COMMONERS: Peasants, Farmers, Artisans Merchants Servants and Entertainers

20. Gender • Patriarchy • Only males can perform ancestor veneration • Some female empresses • Foot binding for women and children (made the shape of the foot resemble a lotus flower) Lotus shoes

21. Record Keeping • Writing evolved over time, much like Cuneiform (picto to ideograph) • Used characters rather than an alphabet (similar characters in Japan and Korea) • Calligraphy styles highlighted the beauty of the characters • High value placed on education and written over spoken language • Paper and printing enabled the spread of learning

22. Chinese Characters Chinese characters began as pictograms

23. Monuments • Great Wall of China started by the First Emperor (Shi Huangdi) as as a defense against invasion (tamped earth) • Built up in sections over time • Renovated and strengthened by Ming dynasty (bricks) Stages of the Great Wall

24. The First Emperor • Shi Huangdi was the first to unite the Chinese states into one empire • He was a tyrannical figure and the first Qin emperor • He used conscript labour to build the Great Wall • He was very strict, trying to centralize and standardize everything in China including thought (burnt books) • His tomb included 7000 terra cotta warriors and horses- took 36 years to build and 700 000 labourers First Emp-eror

25. Terra Cotta Warriors The First Emperor wanted to be well protected in his tomb.

26. The Wall Didn’t Stop the Mongols • The Mongol invasion was traumatic because foreign rulers took over • They overran the Chinese with their skilled horsemanship and brutal methods of warfare (catapulted diseased human and animal corpses; armour made of horsehide hardened in animal urine) • Their rule was called the Yuan dynasty • The Ming dynasty overthrew them and gave the Chinese confidence in their own abilities and fear of foreigners Mongol Archer

27. Culture • Architecture: homes of the wealthy had courtyards and gardens • Religious architecture included pagodas, temples decorated with symbols such as the dragon, lion, the number nine • Imperial architecture included palaces such as the Forbidden City in Beijing • Literature: classics, history of dynasties, poetry, Analects of Confucius, Tao te Jing • Art: landscape painting, calligraphy

28. tea gun powder porcelain paper wheelbarrow paper money block printing compass seismograph (simple) chopsticks wok lacquerware efficient iron production silk acupuncture, Chi inoculation Technology: What China gave the West

29. Before the West Making silk Paper money The first book, 868 CE

30. China... the oldest continuous civilization