CLASSICAL CHINA
THE ZHOU DYNASTY: 1122-256 B.C.E. • The rise of the Zhou • The Zhou forces toppled the Shang • Political organization • Adopted decentralized administration • Used princes and relatives to rule regions • Consequences • Weak central government with ceremonial functions • Rise of regional powers; often called feudalism • Constant rivalry between warring families, nobles
THE FALL OF THE ZHOU • Iron metallurgy • Iron weapons helped regional authorities to resist the central power • Nomadic invasion sacked capital • Other Troubles • Territorial princes became more independent • Warring States (403-221 B.C.E.)
EXPANSION OF CHINESE SOCIETY • The Yangzi valley • The longest river of China • Two crops of rice per year • Dependable and beneficial to farmers • Indigenous peoples of S. China • Many assimilated into Chinese society • Some pushed into hills, mountains • Migrated to Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand
CONFUCIUS’ SEARCH FOR ORDER • Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.) • Sayings compiled in the Analects by disciples • Confucian ideas • Fundamentally moral and ethical in character • Restore political and social order; stress ritual • Formation of junzi - "superior individuals" • The key Confucian concepts • Ren - a sense of humanity • Li - a sense of propriety • Xiao - filial piety • Cultivating of junzi for bringing order to China • 5 Relationships and filial piety as basis of society
DAOISM • Prominent critics of Confucianism • Understand natural principles, live in harmony with them • Laozi • Laozi, founder of Daoism; wrote the Daodejing • Philosophical Daoism • Dao - The way of nature, the way of the cosmos • Passive, yielding, does nothing , accomplishes everything • Tailor behavior to passive, yielding nature • Popular Daoism • Many deities including immortals
DAOIST WUWEI • The doctrine of wuwei • Disengagement from worldly affairs • Called for simple, unpretentious life, living in harmony with nature • Advocated small state, self-sufficient community • Political implications • Served as a counterbalance to Confucian activism • Individuals could live as Confucians by day, Daoists by night
LEGALISM • Legalism • Promoted a practical and ruthlessly efficient approach • No concern with ethics and morality • No concern with the principles governing nature • Doctrine used by Qin dynasty
LEGALISM IN PRACTICE • The state's strength • Agriculture • Military force • Discouraged commerce, education, and the arts • Called for harsh penalties even for minor infractions • Chinese used legalism if state threatened
UNIFICATION OF CHINA • The Qin State and Dynasty • Located in west China and adopted Legalist policies • Encouraged agriculture, resulted in strong economy • Organized a powerful army equipped with iron weapons • Conquered other states and unified China in 221 B.C.E. • Qin Shi Huang di • King of the Qin proclaimed himself First Emperor, 221 B.C.E. • Established centralized imperial rule
QIN STATECRAFT • Suppressing the resistance • Bitterly opposed by Confucian scholars • Policies of centralization • Standardization of laws, currencies, weights, measures • Creates a uniform writing system but not language • The collapse of the Qin dynasty • Massive public works generated ill will among people • Waves of rebels overwhelmed the Qin court in 207 B.C.E. • A short-lived dynasty, left deep marks in Chinese history
THE EARLY HAN DYNASTY • Liu Bang • Restored order, established dynasty, 206 B.C.E. • Han was long-lived dynasty • Early Han policies • Sought middle way between Zhou and Qin • Royal relatives were not reliable, returned to centralized rule • Martial Emperor (141-87 B.C.E.) • Han Wudi ruled for 54 years • Pursued centralization and expansion
HAN STATECRAFT • Han centralization • Adopted Legalist policies • Built an enormous bureaucracy to rule the empire • Continued to build roads and canals • Levied taxes on agriculture, trade, and craft industries • Imperial monopolies on production of iron and salt • Established Confucian educational system for training bureaucrats • Confucianism as the basis of the curriculum in imperial university • Exam system for administrative careers • Han imperial expansion • Invaded and colonized northern Vietnam and Korea • Extended China into central Asia
HAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE • Patriarchal • Large, multigenerational compound families • Women's subordination • Cultivators were the majority of the population • Differences apparent between noble, lower class women • Scholar bureaucrats: Confucian trained bureaucrats • Officials selected through competitive testing • Used to run the government in Early Han • Scholar Gentry • Confucian bureaucrats intermarried with landed elite • New class comes to dominate local, national offices • Strongest in late Han • Merchants held in low social esteem
TRADE AND COMMERCE • Iron metallurgy: Farming tools, utensils, and weapons • State monopolies on liquor, salt and iron • Silk textiles • High quality Chinese silk became a prized commodity • Traded as far a field as India, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Rome • Paper production • Population growth • Despite light taxation, state revenue was large • Silk Road established
HAN TROUBLES • Expeditions consumed the empire's surplus • Social tensions, stratification between the poor and rich • Problems of land distribution • The reign of Wang Mang • Land reforms - the "socialist emperor" • Overthrown by revolts, 23 C.E.
LOSS OF THE MANDATE • The Later Han Dynasty (25-220 C.E.) • Overthrown of Wang Mang restores Han • New Han much weakened • Rule often through large families, gentry • Collapse of the Han • Factions at court paralyzed the central government • Han empire dissolved • China was divided into regional kingdoms
