China Test Flashcards
Cycle of Chinese History
First kings of a dynasty earned right to rule by wisdom and virtue, then they passed rule to sons, who over time became lazy and decadent, last a new man wise and powerful rises
1045-221 BCE
Zhou Dynasty in China
479 BCE
Death of Confucius
476-221 BCE
Warring States Period
400 BCE
Earliest versions of Tao Te Ching
221-206 BCE
Qin dynasty in China
202 BCE - 221 CE
Han Dynasty in China
Oracle Bones
tell the future and only kings and rulers could use
2205 - 1766 BCE
Xia
1766 - 1122
Shang
What happened during the Xia Dynasty
considered first dynasty and started the cycle of dynasties.
What happened during the Shang
the invention of writing; the development of a stratified government; the advancement of bronze technology; and the use of the chariot and bronze weapons in warfare.
dynasties
political authority, held by family groups, over a long period of time (2000 BCE - 1911)
feudalism
economic and political system
chinas two great river valleys
yellow and yangzi rivers
environmental limits on agriculture
agriculture and other elements may have developed spontaneously in several areas of china rather than radiating outward from one central region
geographic reasons for isolation
the forbidden landscape severed to isolate the Chinese from advanced agrarian societies in other parts of asia
frontier regions inhabited by peoples of Mongolian, into-european, or turkic extraction
Gobi Desert, Central Asia, and Tibetan plateau
mandate of heaven
granted right to rule because of virtue, could be lost
(permission)
How would they justify overthrowing one
if they lost the mandate
tian
heaven but not connected to god and not a person/anthropomorphic
well-field system
the peasants worked on lands owned by their lord but also had land of their own to cultivate for their own use
improvements in technology for farming
irrigation, field rotation, terrace farming/wet rice cultivation, natural fertilizers and iron plows
rice =
wheat =
- multiple harvest
- one harvest a year
bureaucracy
government run by officials and divided power into ministries
what bureaucracy/ministries was the Zhou dynasty served by
rites (traditions), education, law, and public works (infrastructures)
what does dao mean
the way, proper way of living
filial piety
extreme respect to father/parents. parents should be served in a respectful manner
6 examples of filial piety
- parent and child
- husband and wife
- older and younger sibling
- older and younger friend
- ruler and subject
- teacher and student
2 elements in Confucianism interpretation
duty and humanity
duty
if each individual sought to do their assigned destiny, the affairs of society would prosper
humanity
involves a sense of compassion and empathy towards others “do not unto others what you would not wish done to yourself”
Confucius most striking political idea
the government should be open. to all men of superior quality and not limited to those of noble birth, he had himself in mind of “superior men”
What does Confucius believe people are
essentially good
what do legalist believe people are
they argued human beings were by nature evil, school of law
legalist belief on government
they rejected the confucian view that government by superior men could solve society’s problems. they argued for a system of impersonal laws
3 time periods with their eras
Golden Age,
Spring and Autumn Era, Warring States Period
how could the rulers lose the mandate
if they didn’t appease gods in order to protect the people from natural calamities or bad harvests
analects
book of Confucius teachings
silver rule
more simple, protective, gives freedom
Confucius 5 constant values
benevolence, ritual propriety righteousnes, wisdom, and integrity
who are the xiongnu and where are they
nomadic people, north of china and are in the gobi desert
capital of Zhou
luoyang
capital of Han
chang an
capital of qin
xianyang
who took power during the warring states period
qin
Confucius ideas on education
study without thought is a waste of time, thought without study is dangerous
warring states period
new forms of warfare emerged. iron weapons and the intro to foot soldiers and cavalry armed with crossbows
what did the centralization of power do
unified system of weight and measurement, standardized the monetary system and written form of Chinese characters, ordered the construction of a system of roads extending throughout the empire
5 ways the Qin rose to power
adopting reforms in agriculture, newgovernment administration, better military organization, the fiscal policy, and the character of the first Qin ruler (Qin Chi Huang-di)
how the Qin dynasty transformed Chinese politics
legalism - centralized government
burning books that presented ideas contrary to the official orthodoxy
feudal system of Qin dynasty
kings gave nobles land in exchange for money and the peasants work the land and give the nobles crops and food along with protection
population rise during Qin dynsasty
20 million
trade focused on what luxury goods -qin dynasty
silk, salt, and jade
effects of food production - Qin dynasty
population rise, growth of commerce, economic wealth replaced aristocracy in power, trade focused on luxury goods
explain political structures
to have a money economy you need a strong social order
how did the Qin weaken the aristocrats
divided their estates among the peasants, now taxed directly by the states
nomadic lifestyle before climate change
hunting, fishing, forms of agriculture, herding animals
nomadic lifestyle after drier climate
animal husbandry, horseback, nomadic life
challenges to Qin from the xiongnu
threat to chinas northern frontier, principalities built walls of tamped earth/stone, overrun by warriors on horseback
qins reaction to raids
archers mounted on steady horses, strengthened walls and added fortifications, the Great Wall of china
explain fall of the qin
- legalist system wasn’t efficient
- dangers of factions of imperial family
- eunuchs were a position of influence and rivalry between inter and outer tour, led to tensions
- landed aristocrats, confucian intellectuals, and common people against censorship of : thought and speech, harsh taxes, and forced labor taxes
- when the emperor died in 210 BCE the dynasty fell apart
where was Qin shi huang buried
in his tomb at the foot of the mount li
terrocata army
used to guard the “spirit road” leading to the tomb entry, army of life size terrocata soldiers to protect emperor in afterlife
founder of the Han dynasty
liu bang or Han Gaozu or exalted emperor of Han
founder of Zhou dynasty
Wu or wen
founder of Qin dynasty
Shihuangdi
what did the Han dynasty keep and reject from the qin
kept - maintained the centralized political institutions of the Qin
reject - abandoned its harsh legalist approach to law enforcements
what led to fall of Han dynasty
Peasant uprisings, population growth, wars and corruption that took place in the courts
civil service examination
administrated to candidates for positions in bureaucracy
how did population growth transform life in Han dynasty china
reduced average size of a family farm to about one acre per person, barely enough for survival
why did Han not like merchants
Their great fortunes and landholdings became a threat to some people, particularly those in the class held by government officials.
what did Han do the merchants
levied stiff taxes on trade in an effort to limit commercial activities. they were subject to severe social constraints, disqualified from seeking office, and restricted in their place of residence. viewed as parasites
gproblems wang man recognized
depraved rulers amused themselves with the pleasures of court life, power and influence of the central government began to wane. amassing vast land estates and transforming free farmers to tenants
how did wang man dress the problems
declared foundation of Xin, confiscated great estates, restored ancient well-field system, and abolish slavery
