China Flashcards
What is the yellow silt which give the Yellow River its name?
Loess
What is an art form involving the writing of Chinese symbols?
Calligraphy
What is “the way” or force which provides harmony and order in nature?
Tao
What was a trade route that brought Chinese goods as far west as Rome?
Silk Road
What were animal bones that were heated and cracked to predict the future?
Oracle bones
What are the three philosophies that influenced the development of Chinese civilization?
Confucianism
Taoism
Legalism
What are the complementary forces that exist in harmony according to Taoism?
Yin
Yang
What crop was cultivated by farmers in the Shang Dynasty?
Soybeans
What river allowed the Shang Dynasty to grow rice in a warm climate?
Yangtze River
What belief was included in the religion of the Shang Dynasty?
Animism
Ancestor Worship
Oracle Bones
What craft was perfected by Shang artisans?
Bronze casting
What dynasty became the longest dynasty in Chinese history?
Zhou
Who held power and influence in the Zhou Dynasty?
Nobles
What idea did Confucius teach to his students?
Children should respect their elders
What ideas did Lao Tzu emphasize in Taoism?
Tao is a force that provided harmony
Material gain is useless
Nature must be understood
Who became the first Chinese emperor by conquering all of the warring states?
Shi Huangdi
Who held power and influence in the Qin Dynasty?
Emperor
Who served as the longest reigning emperor in Han Dynasty?
Wudi
What philosophy was taught at the imperial university establish by Wudi?
Confucianism
What barbarian tribe attacked along the Great Wall of China and the Silk Road?
Xiongnu
What was the only significant foreign influence in ancient China?
Buddhism
Did every ancient Chinese dynasty end in warfare?
YES
Do Mahayana Buddhists worship the Buddha as a deity?
YES
Do many Chinese citizens call themselves “Sons of Han”?
YES
Did Wudi become known as the “martial emperor”
YES
Did thousands of worker die while building the Great Wall of China?
YES
Did Wudi force peasants to complete the Great Wall of China?
NO
Did Shi Huangdi unite China with uniform laws and currency?
YES
Did the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire exist at the same time?
YES
Was the Han Dynasty founded by Shi Huangdi?
NO
Did Lao Tzu create a religious philosophy?
YES
Did legalism state that rulers should be kind and generous to their people?
NO
Did Confucius personally wrote his philosophy in the Analects?
NO
Did the Zhou rulers leave their capital when the city was captured by barbarians?
YES
Does the Yellow River flow from west to the east?
YES
Why did the Shang Dynasty begin to call itself the “Middle Kingdom”?
Chinese civilization developed in isolation (mountains, desert, long sea routes)
Independent development brought pride
How did Chinese writing develop? How many symbols were created?
Chinese writing developed so that prophecies could be written on oracle bones
Thousands of symbols were created because each word or phrase had a different symbol
What is the Mandate of Heaven? Why did the Zhou Dynasty emphasize this idea?
Mandate of Heaven requires rulers to please the gods and defend their people
Zhou Dynasty claimed that the overthrown Shang Dynasty had failed in their duties
What is legalism? Why is it significant in Chinese history?
Legalism is a political philosophy that developed in response to Confucianism
Government must use absolute power and cruel punishment to preserve order
Legalism shaped Chinese politics under Shi Huangdi and other emperors
Describe the Warring States Period? Why is it significant in Chinese history?
Seven large states fought for control as the Zhou Dynasty fell apart
Constant warfare made militaries more important
Shi Huangdi emerged victorious to establish the Qin Dynasty
What is the Art of War? how has if affected military strategy around the world?
Art of War is a military treatise written by Sun Tzu
Strategies and principles are still studied by militaries all around the world.
Discuss the decline of the Zhou Dynasty. How did the Zhou Dynasty begin to lose powe? Describe the philosophies that developed during this period. How did these philosophies affect Chinese culture and politics?
Zhou kings depended on local ruler for money and troops.
Zhou king fled from the capital when it was captured by barbarians.
Confucianism called for virtuous rulers, loyal subjects, and respectful children
Taoism emphasized nature and harmony over material gain
Legalism called for brutal rulers willing to use cruel punishment to control individuals
Shi Huangdi practiced legalism, but Wudi brought Confucianism back to Chinese politics
Discuss the reign of Wud. What were his greatest accomplishments? How did Wudi address the dramatic population growth within his empire? How has the reign of Wudi affected people living around the world today?
Longest reigning Han emperor (54 years)
“Martial Emperor” expanded the Han Dynasty into Manchuria, Korea, and Vietnam
Effective civil service with competitive exams ended feudalism
Northern frontier and Silk Road were protected from the Xiongnu
Leveling system provide public granaries and protected growing populations from famine
Competitive civil service and imperial university influenced government and education
