Test 3 Flashcards
What is the chinese history cycle
1) Kings of a new dynasty earned right to rule by wisdom and virtue
2) Passed rule down to sons who overtime became lazy, decadent and corrupt
3) Decadence-> dissolution-> a new man, wise and powerful becomes kings
Who were the people that came to china
???
What were the 2 river valleys?
What are some qualities of these rivers?
the Yangtze and the Yellow
Yangtze- fast, rough, deep
Yellow- slow, shallow, mellow
What were china’s natural barriers
Mountains and deserts
When was the Zhou dynasty?
1045- 256 BCE
What dynasty did the Zhou overthrow?
Shang dynasty (oppressive tyrany)
How was Zhou dynasty governed?
Divided into territories and ruled members of hereditary aristocracy
What was the mandate of heaven?
granted right to rule through virtue that could be lost (new dif kings take old ones place)
Belief that heaven maintained order through the kings (kings: representatives of heaven but not heavenly themselves)
What was the structure of Zhou dynasty?
Feudalism, ???
What was the well-field system and what did the symbol look like
field allotment and taxation method in ancient China.
井- well (of water)
k - the peasants worked on the land for their owners but also got some to cultivate for their own use
What is feudalism in status of zhou dynasty
_. king
|
/ | \
lord lord lord
/ \ / \ / \
peasants peasants peasants
peasants gave food and money to lords in exchange for protection
What was the big rat poem about?
lords imposing taxes on the poor
What did the 3rd-6th centuries BCE symbolize
era of growth and innovation
what was the leading agriculture?
wet rice (primary source of food) and grains
What were a couple innovations that led to the boom of wealth and growth in china
> the irrigation system- still used today
canals
dams
iron plows
field rotation/ fallow
use of manure as fertilizer
harness
What is a dynasty
Political authority held by family groups (family is a loose term in society, could mean direct descendent or close friend) over long periods of time
Who started the cycle of chinese history and what date
The Xia
2205-1766
When did the Shang dynasty rule and what did they discover/ use
Why were these so important?
1766- 1122 BCE
bronze-
>required authoritarian king to force miners
> sophisticated art
oracle bones-
> composite ideograms
- turtles, oxen
>used to advice kings
>mixture between symbols and pictures
What does the word Tian mean?
Heaven
However is not connected to god, not anthropomorphic (other-wordly force)
What is a bureaucracy?
What does it include
a gov. run by official power divided into ministries
Ministries:
- rites
- education
- law
- public works
what is terrace farming
mountain farming, wet rice cultivation
rice:
multiple harvests per year, wet, grown in warm environments
What type of currency did the zhou dynasty use?
GRAIN, cowries, shells, iron shaped into diff ways. (differs on which colony you look at)
What was the importance of having a money economy?
Money economy= stable gov (strong social order) and cohesive culture
WHo created Confucianism and when?
Kong Fuci (scholar) AKA Confucius
551 BCE
What was the view of heaven in confucianism and what is the key to proper behavior
View of Heaven -> detached and skeptical
Proper way-> through the Dao (the way)
What is confucianism in simple terms and what is expected of a person following it
All individuals were responsible for their own interests and aspirations
people are inherently good
What is human heartedness
sense of compassion and empathy for others
Do unto others as you want done to you
What is Confucius’ view on government and who should run it
Gov should be open to all men, superior men
What is legalism?
all human actions should be directed to the effort to create a strong and prosperous state and subject to the law
(school of law)
What is the legalist view of humanity and what did they reject
All people are inherently bad
rejected the idea that supier men could solve the nation’s problems instead a system of impersonal laws
WHat was the confucian belief on filial piety?
What is the order of filial piety?
What does filial piety do?
1) Not be disobedient
2) bury correctly
3) sacrifices should be made
4) respect parents
(rules 2 and 3 about serving departed spirits)
Parent> child
Husband> wife
Older sibling> younger sibling
older friend> younger friend
Ruler> subject
teacher> student
Creates order in society
What was the capital city of the Zhou dynasty?
Louyang (be able to locate on map
Qin Dynasty was the first truly __________ government in chinese history.
When was it established and when did end
unified (it had a centralized state)
221- 206 BCE
What were the 3 ministries of the Qin dynasty
1) civil authority
2) military authority
3) censorate (efficiency by officials)
How were positions appointed?
By court
What were some qualities of the Qin’s centralized government
> eliminated rivals
secured tax revenues
government monopolies
cavalry
forced labor
censorship
What was the new technology that came from the Qin dynasty?
> cavalry
written forms of chinese characters
How were aristocrats treated?
Badly and unsympathetically
How did climate change impact the nomadic people
drier climate -> animal husbandry
competition for best pastures
tribal violence against gov-> great wall being built
What were Eunuchs and what were their purpose
a man whose testicles were removed
served as a personal attendants of the kings and the female members of the royal family
How were eunuchs in a position of power?
confidential advisors
What did censorship have to do with the fall of the Qin
Severe censorship led to the burning of the books, severe laws on people who talked of/ read the books (murder)
led to revolts and mutiny
When was the Han dynasty and who was the ruler
202 BCE -221 BC
Han Gaozu
What was the foundation of the new state philosophy of the Han dynasty
Confucian principles but legalist institution
(state confucionism)
What forced the change in policy in the Han dynasty?
chronic unrest
Where was power concentrated?
How was power devised?
Imperial Court
By Merit
What effect did tax have on population
tax-> larger families
from 20 million -> 60 million
What role did aristocrats play in society
dominate role in political and economics ordeals/ had power
What effect did Fiscal policies have on land
Land concentration in hands of wealthy
limited 1 acre of land per person ( poor person)
How did the han dynasty effect manufacturing and trade
> unparalleled productivity and prosperity
expansion of trade
merchants subject to severe constraints
- rejected from seeking office
- restricted in residence
- viewed as parasites of society
weaponry, shipyards, mines, bridges, rest houses, postal stations created
silk road
What was the imperial expansion and what does it have to do with the silk road?
Zhang Qian seeking allies led to new information on military (led to first chinese military)
trade expansion —>|
——>Contacts with rome |
——> silk road |
brought buddhism
/
new leading religion in china
Who seized power after courts power crumbled? What was the next dynasty?
Wang Mang
Xin Dynasty
What did the Xin dynasty do?
> Alienated powerful interest
reduced taxes and carried out land resettlement programs
then corruption came and land went back into the hands of the wealthy
What were the reasons for decay of Xin dynasty?
> skirmishes w/tribes
professional armies recruited
raids
Who seized power after Xin?
Cao Cao (tsow tsow)
Who founded daoism?
laozi
What was the primary document of daoism? What are the features of it?
Dao de Jing
> very short
> does not focus on meaning of cosmos but on proper forms of behavior
> present a way to view life and its ultimate meaning
> individualistic approach
WHat was popular religion?
> viewed daoism as less of a philosophy and more of religion
training of mind and body
What was heaven to the chinese
terrain with people, gods, spirits(both good and bad)
What was the veneration of ancestors?
> spirits lived in the atmosphere before ascending to heaven or hell
rituals
- without them spirits become evil and haunt
- burned physical objects
What is the daoist answer to Confucianism
When you know what is good then you know the boundaries of evil
What is the capital of the Qin dynasty?
Xian Yang
What is the capital of the Han dynasty?
Chang’an
When was the Zhou dynasty?
1046- 256 BCE
When was the Qin dynasty?
221- 206 BCE
When was the han dynasty?
206 BCE-220 CE
When was the shang dynasty?
1766-1122 BCE
When wa the death of Confucius?
479 BCE
When was the warring of States period?
476-221 BCE
When were the earliest version of the Tao te Ching
400 BCE
What were the three eras of the Zhou
golden, spring, warring states
How and when did the Qin come to power
????
Which mountains meant heavenly mountains
Tien shan
The silk road stretched from which river in the east to which in the east
Yellow -> euphrates -> indus
What were 3 ways the qin centralized gov
triparticiple gov, power was taken away from aristocrats, money system, land was given to peasant
How did the Han dynasty advance society
textile manufacturing, water mills, iron casting, paper, rigging, rudder
How was state confucianism a blend of philosophies
kept centralized government but got rid of harsh punishment
How did the Han treat merchants
Did Not allow them to seek political office, stiff taxes on trade, below peasant class, called parasites
What were the capitals of the Han
Chang’an, Louyang
What was the school of law
the creators of legalism, 60,000 students
Who created daoism
Lao zi
Who was the first emperor of the Zhou dynasty
Wen or wu
Who was the most powerful Qin emperor
Qin Shi Huang di
What was the civil service examinations
system in Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy
WHo was the emperor of the Han dynasty
Han Gaozu
Who were the Xiongnu
violent nomads, they were the reason the Great Wall of China was built
Who are the terracotta warriors and what did they represent
> statues
7,000
wealth
immense power over working class, to make statues
the harsh environment in the Qin dynasty
What philosophy follows the analects?
The Confucians
