Key Terms - China

1. Confucianism Five Key Relationships Qin Dynasty Shi Huangdi Legalism The Great Wall of China Key Terms - China • The Huang He River • The Yangtze River • Dynastic Cycle • Mandate of Heaven • Emperor • Zhou Dynasty • Civil Service Exam • Calligraphy

2. Geography of China • China is a massive country located in Central Asia. • The cultural hearth or heartland of China lied in the Huang He River Valley • The Huang He River is also known as the Yellow River because of the loess that sits on the river bed.

3. Geography of China (cont.) • The industrial area of China was the Yangtze River. • The Yangtze River runs through the center of China from West to East. • It is today one of the main sources of electricity for China and also a boundary between Northern and Southern China

4. The Dynastic Cycle • Rulers of China were chosen via the Dynastic Cycle. • Dynastic Cycle → system by which dynasties in China would begin their rule and also find their end. • Rulers were allowed to rule via the Mandate of Heaven → god given right to rule China.

5. Government • Dynastic cycle would help decide who would become emperor → ruler of a large empire or group of territories. • Emperors would centralized (strengthen) their power in many ways, whether by harsh laws and punishments or by establishing effective bureaucracies.

6. Zhou Dynasty (1027-256 B.C.) • Zhou would come into power by overthrowing the first dynasty of China which was the Shang Dynasty. • Claimed that the former emperor was unfit to rule therefore the gods did not favor him and favored someone else.

7. Zhou Dynasty (cont.) • Zhou Dynasty expanded their rule into other parts of China adding the Huang He River Valley and parts of the Yangtze River. • Zhou would set up an effective bureaucracy through civil service. • Civil Service Exam → exam broken into three parts that allowed citizens to apply for government jobs.

8. Chinese Writing and the Arts • Under the Zhou, the Chinese were able to establish a refined writing system. • Calligraphy would be used to write the Chinese characters initially. • Calligraphy → fine handwriting.

9. Chinese Writing and the Arts (cont.) • Chinese would also engage in landscape painting and literature. • The I Ching or the Book of Changes was one of the first major pieces of literature written during the Classical Chinese period.

10. Chinese Belief System - Confucianism • An imperial advisor named Confucius would create a belief system based on responsibility and efficiency. • Confucianism → belief system that stated if everyone knew their responsibilities and roles, good government would follow.

11. The Five Key Relationships • Confucius believed that there were Five Key Relationships that shaped the life of every citizen. • They were: • Husband to wife • Father to son • Elder brother to younger brother • Ruler to subject • Friend to friend

12. Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.) • Different provinces would engage in war with each other ushering in the Era of Warring States. • The Qin ruler would rise above the other warring states and establish the Qin Dynasty which only had one ruler, Shi Huangdi • Shi Huangdi → Qin ruler who ushered in legalism and built the Great Wall

13. Legalism • The Qin ruler would maintain a strict code of law out of fear of another rebellion. • He would employ the Legalist belief system constructed by Hanfeizi. • Legalism posited that the best way to govern is to have extremely harsh punishments for crimes and infractions

14. The Great Wall of China • Using the smaller walls that were built during the Zhou dynasty, Shi Huandi would have many Chinese workers merge the walls and fortify them across Northern China. • The wall would extend over 1500 miles and is visible from satellite images

16. Decline of the Qin Dynasty • Shi Huangdi sought to suppress any dissentious (rebellious) thinking; he did this by burning and destroying Confucian writings and jailing Confucian philosophers. • Shi Huangdi was also criticized for overworking Chinese citizens during the construction of the Great Wall. • These two issues led to a rebellion fomenting and culminating in a coup d'etat by Liu Bang, a Qin general. He would construct the Han Dynasty and end the Qin Dynasty.