Early Civilization in China

1. Early Civilization in China 2500 B.C.E.- 500 B.C.E.

2. East Civilizations of China

3. The Earliest villages • 8,000 B.C.E., Neolithic pottery decorations marked a transition from hunting and gathering into the culture of farming and village life. • A more complex society would emerge in 2000 B.C.E. • As in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley, the rise of cities, specialization of labor, bureaucratic government, writing, and other advanced technologies depended on the exploitation of a great river system--the Huang He (Yellow River) and later the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River • Although there is archeological evidence of some movement of goods and services between western and eastern Asia, development in China was largely independent of the complex societies in the Middle East and the Indus Valley.

4. Geography and Resources • China is isolated from the rest of the Eastern hemisphere by formidable natural barriers: The Himalayas, Pamirs, Tian Shan, Gobi Desert, and the Mongolian Steppe. • Most of East Asia is covered with mountains, making overland travel, transport, and communications difficult. • The climate zones of East Asia range from the dry, subarctic reaches of Manchuria in the north to subtropical forests in the south. • A rich variety of plants and animal life adapted to these climate and vegetation zones.

5. Domestication of Plants and Animals • The staple crops in the northern region were millet, a grain indigenous to China, and wheat, which spread from East Asia from the Middle East. • Rice required a warmer climate and prospered in the south. It is also requires a great outlay of labor. • Rice can feed more people per cultivated acre than any other grain which led to increased populations in the south rather than the north. • Domesticated pigs, dogs, goats, and perhaps horses were also common

6. Foundations • The legends of Yao, Shun, and Yu were stories of sage-kings. • These legends about early historic figures reflected the interest of a people in the practice and customs that defined their society. • By exalting Yao, Shun, and Yu as exemplars of virtue, Chinese moralists promoted the values of social harmony and selfless, dedicated work that the sage-kings they believed represented.

7. Beginnings of State Formation • From the Yanshao Culture to the three earliest dynasties--the Xia, the Shang, and the Zhou--all ruled large regions in northern China. • All were based primarily around the Huang He (Yellow River) Valley in north China. • Little historical record of the Xia and most point to the archeological record of the Shang as being the first to urbanize.

8. Early Chinese Dynasties • Xia Dynasty - 2205-1766 B.C.E. • Shang Dynasty- 1776- 1122 B.C.E. • Zhou Dynasty- 1100 B.C.E.- 256 B.C.E.

9. Early Chinese Dynasties • Chinese legends speak of three ancient dynasties- the Xia, Shang, and the Zhou- that arose before the Qin and the Han Dynasties brought China under unified rule. • Initially many historians believed the Xia and Shang were merely mythical fantasies. But Archeological evidence has helped to shape our understanding of them. • By formal control of the region,the Xia established a precedent of hereditary rule.

10. Xia Dynasty2205-1766 B.C.E. • Ancient legend credits the dynasties founder, the sage-king Yu, with the organization of effective flood control and large scale public works. • No information survives of the political institutions • The dynasty encouraged the founding of cities and the development of Metallurgy, primarily Bronze. • New digs are still under way but much is believed to have been lost to time, robbers, and the waters of the Huang He.

11. Shang Dynasty1766 - 1122 B.C.E. • Because the Shang Dynasty left written records as well as material remains, the basic features of early Chinese society come into focus during this period. • Technology and diffusion helps to explain the rise and success of the Shang. Bronze, horses, and wheeled vehicles are believed to have come from SW Asia aiding in conquest of others. • Control of Copper and tin ore reserves as well helped the Shang to control the area.

12. Shang Dynasty • Like state builders in other regions, the kings claimed a generous portion of the surplus agriculture to support military forces. [3k-13k] and a vast network of walled towns • The Shang capital of Ao had a city wall of 10 meters (33 ft) high with a base of 20 meters (66 ft) thick • Like the Egyptians, the Shang Kings built large graves that housed thousands of objects and humans to serve the kings in death • Very little information survives to illustrate the principles of law, justice, and administration by which the Shang maintained order

13. Artwork from Shang

14. Shang Discoveries • A new source of information came to light in the 1890’s and early 1900’s • Oracle bones made from birds and animals, and the shells of turtles were inscribed with symbolic notations were then placed in fire and read to predict the future

16. Zhou Dynasty1100 - 256 B.C.E. • Supplanted the Shang by adhering to a code of ethical conduct • The Zhou theory of politics rested on the assumption that earthly events were closely related to heavenly affairs • More specifically, heavenly powers granted the right to govern--the Mandate of Heaven • Ruler served as a link between heaven and earth • He had the duty to govern conscientiously, observe high standards of honor and justice, and maintain order and harmony within his realm.

17. Zhou Dynasty • As long as the ruler abided by these principles, the heavenly powers would approve and the ruling dynasty would retain its Mandate of Heaven • Until the 20th Century,Chinese ruling houses emulated the Zhou Dynasty by claiming the Mandate of Heaven for their rule and the emperors took the title “son of Heaven.” • Unlike the Shang, Zhou rulers realized they could not control large areas and thereby decentralized administration giving power, authority, and responsibilities to subordinates who in return owed allegiance, tribute, and military support.

18. Zhou Dynasty • However, this decentralized system led to other rulers to become independent of the Zhou Dynasty. • Eventually territorial princes ignored the central government and used their resources to build, strengthen, and expand their own states. • So violent was this period that it became known as the Period of Warring States (403-221 B.C.E.)

19. Warring States Period • In 221 B.C.E., after a hundred years of warfare, the Qin (Ch’in) Dynasty defeated the others, unifying north China and creating the first unified Chinese Empire. • The Qin ruler who united China was Qin Shi Huangdi who he and his successors would go onto to forge China into a massive economic, military, and Administrative power until the rise of the Han Dynasty.

20. Early Innovations • During the Zhou and Shang periods, the Chinese made remarkable achievements in astronomy and bronzework, learned to make silk and create books, and developed a complex system of writing. • Mandate of Heaven • Diffusion and innovation in Trade led to trade on land and the sea

21. Conclusions • As in other parts of the world, the introduction of agriculture enabled individuals to accumulate wealth and preserve it within their families. • Social distinctions began to appear during Neolithic times and became even clearer after the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties with the specialization of labor and ruling elites. • Tomb artifacts suggest trade from Mesopotamia, the Malay Peninsula, and the Indian Ocean…Silk Road beginnings? • Legend credits King Yu of the Xia with the invention of sails which eventually led to a massive trade network.

22. Conclusions • Gender roles appear to be rather fixed by this time. Only males could inherit land… • Iron technology around 600 B.C.E. dramatically changed China and everyday life • Veneration of Ancestors and the believe these ancestors passed into another realm of existence from which they had the power to support and protect their families if they displayed proper respect • At the end of the Zhou period, a man named Kongzi, Confucius, (551-479 B.C.E.) started to gain favor by looking back to the past. This period also marks the beginnings of Daoism and Ying and Yang which are all hallmarks of Chinese thought.