c
 
 

 
c
 Ê


ƥ Most isolated civilization
ƥ East- bordered Pacific ocean
ƥ North- Immense Gobi desert
ƥ South east-Himalayas mountains and
Tibetan plateau
ƥ South-jungles impenetratable to invaders
ƥ Thus- the isolation and cultural supremacy
bred a belief in Chinaƞs uniqueness
   
ƥ Settlement - 6000BC in Huang he valley
ƥ Initially- hunters & gathers, & fishing
ƥ Crops grown: millet and vegetables
ƥ Domesticated: dogs, pigs (meat)
ƥ Oxen & horses (labour)

ƥ Social life:
ƥ Priestly class assumed political role
ƥ Ancestor worship
ƥ Closely net family network
 = 


ƥ Ancient China is associated with 3 dynasties:
ƥ Xia (Hsia)- Yu- great ruler
ƥ Shang-Founded by Yu
ƥ Zhou (Chou)
ƥ Qin dynasty (Chin)
 ?

ƥ 1st dynasty or ruling class
ƥ Power centered Anyang
ƥ Not a nation despite one uniting language
ƥ Government:
ƥ Confederation of state
ƥ Rulers acted as priests
ƥ Military leaders - defend the Northern China from
border raids
ƥ In peace-time
ƥ Monarch performed religious rituals and sacrifice
son behalf of the people
ƥ Armies composed of aristocrat who fought on
horse-chariots & foot soldiers
 ?
 


ƥ Bronze weapons
ƥ Writing preserved on bones
ƥ Socio-religious life:
ƥ Believed in many gods and spirits that resided in
nature, floods, drought
ƥ Polytheists but not worship directly through
ancestors (ancestral worship common)
ƥ Sacrificial worship, & good will sacrifices- Kingsƞ
burials
ƥ Classified into three ƛ
ƥ Priests/Kings, officials and warriors
ƥ Nobles (fortified houses), artisans, agricultural workers
ƥ Slaves
ƥ Writing ƛ preserved in bones
 „  


ƥ From North invaded the Shang dynasty
ƥ History- Western & Eastern
ƥ Invented - ƠMandate from heavenơ (approval of gods
to govern)
ƥ Shang dynasty corrupt, cruel & wicked mandate
taken away
ƥ Indicators- famine, drought, (natural disasters)
ƥ Mandate of heaven remained as long as rulers ruled
with wisdom, justice and honor
ƥ Legitimized their authority
  „  


ƥ Government:
ƥ Feudalism
ƥ Bureaucratic system of government
ƥ System of government:
ƥ Chief advisor (formulated royal policies)
ƥ Ministers-
ƥ 6 administrative departments- in charge of
agriculture, war, public works and religious
observances etc
ƥ Collected taxes
  „  


ƥ Government:
ƥ Feudalism
ƥ Divided the land into 100 of feudal states which
competed for land and power
ƥ Large standing army to oppress rebellion and
expand authority
ƥ Established a rulerƞs responsibility to provide
good government
ƥ Trusted military and royal leaders with land in
exchange for the military services to the rulers &
protection
 s   


ƥ Located in modern Shaanx
ƥ Qin brought an end to the warring period in 221 BC (Zhou)
ƥ Assumed absolute power
ƥ Divided his empire into 6 districts all under the
control of the central government (each with a
military & civil governor)
ƥ Centralized government and destroyed
feudalism
ƥ Forced the nobles to live in palace hence losing
touch with the subjects and therefore power
ƥ The new structure: King- scholar-officials-
peasant farmers- merchants and artisans in that
order (considered unproductive)
Kings, Nobles & Warriors

Scholar-Officials

Peasant Farmers

Merchants, Traders, Artisans

(unproductive
 s   


ƥ Social life::
ƥ Family was the basis of the society
ƥ Emphasis on filial piety- loyalty of children towards
parents as the cornerstone of the society
ƥ Women in Chinese society were considered less
members of the society
ƥ When a woman married she was dominated by
her husband, grandfather, father and mother-in
law
ƥ Women faced many authorities- which limited
the achievements of women
 s    


ƥ Achievements:
ƥ Standardized measurements and money (use of coins)
ƥ Improved communication and transport with a network
of roads
ƥ Introduced legalism philosophy-
ƥ Built the great wall of China which stretches 1500
miles (one of the wonders of the world)
ƥ Utilized forced labour for enormous projects
ƥ Imposed heavy taxes on peasants
ƥ Banned private ownership of books

ƥ

  
  


ƥ Started during warring states (403-221BC) ƛ Zhou
dynasty
ƥ Means of transforming the violence and conflict into
stability
ƥ Founded by Kƞung Fu Tzu/Master Kƞung/Confucius
ƥ Teacher not a religious leader
ƥ Educated in political life and was a scholar and
adviser of feudal lords
ƥ Concerned civil morality- how people should live,
behave towards each other & good government
ƥ As a state person hope to put his ideas for
reforming the state into practice
ƥ Left the job after his effort failed and founded the
1st private school in China
ƥ
  


ƥ Five basic relationships:
ƥ Ruler and subjects,
ƥ Father and son,
ƥ Husband and wife,
ƥ Older and younger brothers,
ƥ Members of a community
ƥ Believed that each person must adopted the real ideas
of jen (humanity)
ƥ People are fundamentally good
ƥ Reform state:
ƥ Virtues - courtesy, generosity, good faith, hard work
& kindness
  


ƥ People should respect oneƞs social superiors-elders and
ancestors
ƥ Purpose of government & rulers - Care for people
ƥ State be governed by aristocracy of the talent and not
birth
ƥ Knowledge was the key to happiness and successful
conduct
ƥ Utopia- re-division of the land was not possible
ƥ As a pacifists- declared that a true gentleman is a man
of wisdom & virtue whatever his social origin
 m 


ƥ Founded by Han Faizi (233BC)
ƥ People are fundamentally bad- (Machiavellian idea),
evil, selfish & untrustworthy by nature
ƥ People are motivate by greed & fear
ƥ Government:
ƥ Wealthy & powerful state with absolute ruler who will
control unruly people with harsh laws & cruel
punishments
ƥ Concern- power & wealth not welfare
ƥ Peoples lives shaped by interest of the state
ƥ Rulers reward those who conform and punish those
who do not
 m 


ƥ Rulers could not rule by moral example
ƥ People could not be trusted to be good, instead
rulers must derive power from strict laws & force
ƥ Occupation:
ƥ Agriculture and wars
ƥ No Formal education:
ƥ Study of history, classical or philosophy- make
people think become discontent & rebellious
ƥ Appointments:
ƥ Legalist administrators & promotions merit
ƥ Policies that would keep the whole nation
productive at work for the good of the state
 |




ƥ Lao, Keeper of archives in the state of Zhou
ƥ Dao-means way (way of virtue and nature)
ƥ Individual is important-
ƥ Individual seeks harmony with the universe
renouncing all artificial connections
ƥ Government
ƥ Out of harmony with nature and the ultimate
ƥ Believed that government interference & source of
iniquity and that if people were left to live by
intuition they would live in harmony
ƥ Purpose of the government was to promote human
happiness
 |




ƥ Emphasized virtues:
ƥ Do nothing (humble, meditate) but get in line with
nature, universe and the ultimate (Dao)
ƥ Avoid pursuit of wealth, political power & learning
ƥ Best society is the simple preliterate society life
synchronized with rhythms and nature
ƥ Fishing than work
ƥ Confucius and Legalist worked to change things
never worked
ƥ Nature made of Yin and Yan
ƥ Yin- female
ƥ Yan- Male
ƥ Complement each other
 

 
ƥ sounds but for an entire word Philosophy-
Confucianism, taoism, and Legalism
ƥ Government- feudalism
ƥ Social institution-
ƥ Filial piety that is where the loyalty and respect of
children towards the parent is the cornerstone of
the family
ƥ Economy-
ƥ Large-scale framing and labor-intensive farming
ƥ Writing-means of communicating with spirits
ƥ Each character stands not for alphabetical