China Flashcards
China thought they were the —– kingdom
Why?
They thought they were the Middle Kingdom because they thought the gods were above them and everyone else was below them
China were by far the most isolated of any ancient civilization
True or False
True
Geographic Barriers -
China was basically full boxed in by these features
West - Tian (Tien) Shan Mountains
South West - Himalaya Mountains
South East - Jungles
North - Gobi Desert
East - Pacific Ocean
What was the most vulnerable natural border? Why? How did China try to combat this?
Being flat, the Gobi Desert was the most vulnerable part of China’s borders, and invaders would come through here - this is where the Great Wall of China was built
Effects of Geography
China developed an ethnocentric view of the world
China became xenophobic as well
These views developed because they rarely saw outsiders
Even when China was invaded by nomadic tribes, the invaders were usually absorbed - cultural assimilation
Major Rivers
Yangtze (Yangzi)
Huang He - “River of Sorrows” or “Yellow River” .
Why is the Yellow River called that?
Loess - Fine windblown yellow soil that settled on the bottom of the river, causing it to flood → “River of Sorrows”
The Shang -
a tribe who controlled an area around the Huang He
The King controlled a small area and princes ruled the other lands for him.
Feudalistic
DECENTRALIZED GOVERNMENT
Social Hierarchy in the Shang dynasty-
priests are not here because religion was less important to the Chinese compared to other civilizations, e.g. India’s culture was all about religion
Royal Family
Noble Warriors
Artisans and Merchants - traded through the silk road
Peasant Farmers - very important; bulk of the population
Why were the merchants less respected than the peasent farmers?
They dealt with outsiders and they were perceived as being too money-oriented without working hard for it—just bartering and blabbing—unlike the peasants.
This did not change the fact that they were still paid more than peasants
Confucianism’s emphasis on learning and politics led to some scorn for those whose lives were dedicated to money making even though the merchants were very important
Religious Beliefs in the Shang Dynasty
China was secular - prioritizing worldly possessions over religion
They were polytheistic animists
Shang Di was the greatest god of the Shang dynasty
Veneration of ancestors
Yin and Yang
Yin and Yang
Worldview developed by Shang and Zhou dynasties
The force of darkness, earth and “female forces” was Yin.
The force of light, heaven, and male forces, was Yang.
These forces were not at war. They needed to be balanced.
Stressed basic harmony for nature, hot/cold, male/female, etc
Philosophy said people should try to relate to this harmony
Provided Unity through some schools in China
Veneration of ancestors
Gods would not listen to the living
Gods would only listen to the spirits of the greatest mortals’ ancestors
As a result, people began to pray to their ancestors for help
At first only the nobility did this. Later it spread to all social classes
Why did only the nobility practice the veneration of ancestors at first?
This was only practiced by higher classes (at first) because a peasant farmer’s ancestors were insignificant themselves, so only important and influential ancestors of people in higher classes could carry out one’s prayers.
They used ——— and ——– (expressed thoughts or ideas)
pictographs
ideographs
To predict the future, priests would use-
Oracle Bones - the bones of small animals or shells
They would ask their ancestors a question
They heated the bones/shells until they cracked and would base the answer on the patterns
Writing
Difficult to learn
Used pictographs and ideographs
10,000 characters
Only the wealthy could read at first
They developed calligraphy
What did writing do for China?
The written word unified China, because they could always understand each other
China takes up a huge area, which leads to many different dialects forming. Spoken dialects were often unintelligible to speakers of different ones
“Mandate of Heaven” -
The god-given right to rule
Used by the Zhou as an excuse to overthrow the Shang
Dynastic Cycle - rise and fall of dynasties
As long as rulers were good, they were supported by heaven
If they became corrupt or weak, heaven would withdraw its support
This could be seen in floods, famines, etc.
Eventually a new ruler would take over
Feudalism
Wherein fiefdoms employ hierarchies and stratification to maintain order.
Local lords owned their own lands but owed support to the king.
Feudalism is a decentralized system
Silk making
By 1000 B.C. they had learned how to make silk from the cocoons of silkworms.
Women were responsible for the long process.
Only nobility could afford these
The silk became China’s most valuable export
The trade route between China and the Middle East was called “The Silk Road”
They tried to keep the process of silk making a secret
Ideas also traveled through the silk road
Books
China had the first paper allowing them to create books
The Chinese made the 1st books under the Zhou
I Ching and the Book of Songs are very famous works
Confucius and his teachings
Born Kong Fuzi
a wandering scholar who wanted to restore peace and order to China after the fall of the Zhou kingdom, he took a lifelong quest to do so
He believed he was a spokesman for Chinese tradition and emphasized personal virtue which he thought would lead to a solid life
Confucius is known as the first teacher in China who wanted to make education broadly available and who was instrumental in establishing the art of teaching as a vocation. He also established ethical, moral, and social standards that formed the basis of a way of life known as Confucianism
Believed in a divine order, but was very vague about it
Confucianism prioritized manners and politeness as well
Art, calligraphy, music were important
The Analects
A collection of Confucius’s thoughts/ideas written after his death by his students
His main concern was not religion (secular). He cared more about social order and good government.
Five relationships in Confucianism
Confucianism was based on Status, “do unto others as your status and theirs dictate”
Husband to wife
Father to son
Ruler to subject
Older brother to younger brother
Older friend to younger friend
Finish the Confucius quote, “Harmony comes when”-
people accept their place in society”
Everyone has duties based upon their ——– according to Confucianism
position
Filial piety in Confucianism -
respect for parents and elders (specifically elders in your family). This was his main idea.
Confucianism was based on Status, “do unto others as your status and theirs dictate”
Confucius Government
He believed that people were good by nature
The best ruler would be a “good” (virtuous) man who led by example (Idealized strong rulers)
Education was the most important factor that would make China strong
Advocated by a highly educated, patriarchal society that was responsible for the well-being of the people in the state
Rulers should emulate these positive characteristics: humble, kind, etc.
System also emphasized restraint and carefulness when it comes to children socialization
Urged a political system NOT based on birth
Legalism
Founded by Han feizi (233 BC)
People are bad by nature
The ruler must be harsh & strict to keep order
Han feizi grew up during the period of warring states
Made to solve social problems
Confucian façade + legalist strong arm tactics
Disdained Confucianism, in favor of authoritarian ruling
Very practical, did not favor things like education and courtesy and dismissed them as frivolous
Not as popular as Confucianism
Daoism/Taoism
WAS a religion as opposed to Legalism and Confucianism
Founded by Laozi (540 BC)
“Govt. was the cause of many problems” (NOT anarchists)
The best Govt. governed least
Symbol was the yin and yang
Daoist harmony with nature is achieved best through frugal living (frugal=you don’t have a lot of stuff, similar to Ascetics beliefs)
Very non secular, more focus on magic and mystery, Confucian priests disagreed with this
Later on, Daoism adapted to include loyalty in its beliefs, increasing its compatibility with Confucianism
first to upper class who wanted spirituality ***were disliked by Shi Huang Di
Could not leave China because too smart. Had to write a book. Then buffaloed into the sunset-
Laozi
The Way of Life book-
Tao Te Ching
an important book written by Laozi
Dao =
“The Way” of the universe
If you know it, you never speak of it
It stressed yielding or giving in - avoid conflict
To avoid conflict, Daoists would often-
become hermits, surrounded by nature and isolated from the rest of the human world. As a result of this, Daoism became an animistic religion.
“They were not cowards, but they were strong like water”
Daoist priests -
experimented with alchemy, trying to transform ordinary metals to gold💀
They were respected / scientists / priests
Ordinary life became a blend of
Confucianism and Daoism
Buddhism in China
It was rejected at first (xenophobia)
People liked the idea of salvation and an end to suffering
Eventually it was accepted and spread throughout China in a modified form - Mahayana (the easy form).
First Emperor -
Shi Huangdi (Qin Dynasty)
China is named after the
Qin (pronounced chin) dynasty
Changes under Qin Dynasty-
(221-210 BC)- remember this or ur cooked
this is a turning point in China’s history being the first time it became centralized.
Abolished Feudal states & divided China into military districts
Forced nobles to live in the capital
Peasants continued to pay high taxes
Shi Huangdi had vanquished all his rivals and promised to restore China, but was a tyrant (Undid power of regional leaders)
Worked to undo the alliance-based political system of China as he realized it was the fatal flaw keeping dynasties from continuing
Rejected some formal culture
Extended territory south towards Vietnam and Hong Kong
Why were nobles forced to live in the capital?
This was done to keep a constant watch on nobles, who he distrusted.
Why did peasants continue to pay high taxes?
Nobles were more powerful and could pose a risk to a king’s power if displeased, so peasants, who had no power, paid high taxes
How did Shi Huangdi help the economy -
roads, canals, coinage, weights & measures
Made sure everyone’s wagon wheels were the same distance apart
had a national census to determine the empire’s resources and made many other advancements
Uniform written language
Irrigation projects
Promoted manufacturing – silk
How did Shi Huangdi crackdown on dissent-
people who oppose to orders
He imprisoned or killed anyone who was a critic of his plans
Most critics were nobles/thinkers
Books were burned and banned with the exception of books on:
Agriculture
Medicine
brutal but effective
Terracotta warriors, made to protect Shi Huang di in after life
Qin extends very far down. Furthest of most dynasties.
