Dynastic Cycle - Cameron Tripp

It was believed by the Chinese that all dynasties go through different stages which make up the Dynastic Cycle.

 "Dynastic Cycle." Wikipedia. 2008. 12 Sep 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynastic_cycle>.

 A visual depiction of the Dynastic Cycle

The red indicates the Xia Dynasty

Shang Dynasty

Shang Dynasty- Russell Stewart

• Lasted from 1766 BCE-1122 BCE
• Ruled in the Yellow River valley
• Third historic Chinese empire
• Civilization based on agriculture, supported by hunting raising livestock
• In 1350 BCE the Shang Dynasty moved its capital to Yin, marking the golden age for the dynasty
• King held both secular and religious positions
• Early Shang Dynasty engaged in large-scale production of bronze weapons
• Shang Dynasty came after the Xia Dynasty and before the Zhou Dynasty

 Red Area shows extent of Shang Dynasy rule.  The area is focused around the Yellow River Valley.

Zhou Dynasty 

Zhou Dynasty - Andrew Steiner

-         The first of three dynastic cycles of Classical China, the Zhou dynasty lasted from 1029 to 258 BCE

-         Only flourished until 700 BCE, after which it began a lengthy decline due to a weakening political infrastructure and outside invasions

-         Ruled from a centralized capital through regional rulers, who were supposed to provide the central government with troops and tax revenues in exchange for land (a feudalistic system vulnerable to regional disloyalties, which is eventually how the Zhou were displaced)

-         Extended territory by taking over the Yangtze River valley, providing rich and diverse agricultural lands, which aided population growth

-         Created China’s concept of a Mandate of Heaven as justification for imperial rule

-         Promoted linguistic unity, toned down extreme but primitive religious practices

-         The cultural unity created slowed down the decline of the Zhou dynasty because it allowed scholars to posit philosophical ideas to lessen the impact of the political confusion

-         Confucius was the most famous of these; his ideas on political ethics provided the core of China’s distinctive philosophical heritage for most of its history

Map of Territory Controlled by Zhou

Dynasty through Regional Rulers

Qin Dynasty J. Hopkins

- The Qin Dynasty lasted from 221-206 BCE

- Although the Qin Dynasty was brief it greatly impacted China; construction of the Great Wall began during the Qin Dynasty

-Power was centralized in a central government guided by Legalist philosophy

-The only emperor of the Qin Dynasty who held official power was its founder Qin Shi Huangdi (literally “first emperor”)

-Shi Huangdi was aided by a capable minister named Li Si

-Qin led an aggressive expansionist campaign and subdued neighboring regions

-Shi Huangdi ordered the standardization of weights, a set code of laws for the entire Empire, and he banned all other schools of thought besides Legalism

-Shi Huangdi also instituted official court historians to officially write histories of China

-After Shi Huangdi’s death, he was succeeded by weak and ineffective leaders, and the Qin Dynasty collapsed

This is a portrait of Qin Shi Huangdi, the dynamic leader and founder of the Qin Dynasty.

Han Dynasty- Lise Ross

-206 BCE to 220
-ruled by the Liu clan
-lasted over 400 years
-considered to be one of the greatest periods of China
-majority of people still refer to themselves as the “Han people”
-became a Confucian state
-two periods: Former (Western) and Later (Easter) Han Dynasty
-strong military
-Used the trade route “Silk Road”
-tributary system

"Han Dynasty." MNSU E-museum. MNSU. 10 Sep 2008 <http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/early_imperial_china/han.html>

The dark brown shows the extent of the

Han Dynasty rule.

Mandarin-Abby Pardue

• The Zhou dynasty worked to unify the civilizations that made up China.
• By creating a single language, Mandarin Chinese, the many civilizations were brought together in unity and culture was changed. The Huangehe civilization and its practices declined and came together with other civilizations in unity.
• By creating Mandarin Chinese, China became the largest single group of people to speak the same language.
• Chinese culture changed and grew as literature was recorded in written form of Mandarin Chinese, shown below.

Confucius-Rebecca Overcash

• Born in 551 B.C.E. in Lu, China (now Shandong province).
• He was a thinker, educator, political figure, and founder of the Ru School of Chinese thought.
• His thoughts have been developed into a system of philosophy called Confucianism.

·         Confucius is the Latin rendering of his Chinese name, Kong Fu-Zi, which is sometimes also spelled as Kung Fu-Zi, K'ung-fu-tze, or in other variations. The name is not related in any way to the martial art known as kung fu.

• Confucius was a descendant of a branch of the royal house of Shang. 
• His father died when he was only three years old.
• Taught first by his mother, Confucius distinguished himself as a passionate learner in his teens.
• He served in minor government posts managing stables and keeping books for granaries before he married .
• He married a woman of similar background when he was 19.
• His mastery of the six arts—ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and arithmetic enabled him to start a brilliant teaching career in his 30s.
• At age 56, when he realized that his superiors were uninterested in his policies, Confucius left the country.  He attempted to find another feudal state to which he could render his service. Despite his political frustration he was accompanied by an expanding circle of students during this self-imposed exile of almost 12 years. His reputation as a man of vision and mission spread.
• At age 67, Confucius returned home to teach and to preserve his cherished classical traditions by writing and editing.
• He died in 479 B.C.E.

"Confucius." Answers.com. 11 Sep 2008 <http://www.answers.com/topic/confucius>.

Confucius statue at the Confucius Temple (Beijing, China)

"Image:Confucius Statue at the Confucius Temple.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. 11 Sep 2008 <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Confucius_Statue_at_the_Confucius_Temple.jpg>.

Imperial Confucianism-  Elayne Monjar

·         An Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucius

·         Focus on human morality and good deeds

·         Complex system of moral, social, political, philosophical, and religion

·         Includes rituals that range from religious to etiquette

·         One central theme is the relationships of humans and the different duties for that relationship

·         Sovereign to subject

·         Parent to child

·         Husband to wife

·         Elder to younger siblings

·         Friend to friend

·         Concerned with people’s individual development which took place within context of human relationships

·         Wants everyone to strive to be the perfect gentlemen

 Symbol of Confucianism

Legalism-Taylor McAlister

-one of the main philosophical schools in China from 770 BCE to 221 BCE.

-created by Prime Minister Li Si

-it did not adress higher questions like nature and the purpose of life

-caused the first Qin Emperor, Quin Shi Huang, to weaken the power of feudal lords, divide the empire into thirty-six different provinces, and to standardize the writing system

-had a trinty that stated how people should rule under Legalism:

1. Fa- The law code must be clearly written and made public.

2. Shu- Special tactics and "secrets" must be employed to keep the power from being overthrown

3. Shi- The position of the ruler holds the power, not the person in the position

- believed in state over individual autonomy

- declined when in later dynasties, everyone thought it was not a credited school of thought

-A book on the Legalism school of thought

Daoism-

Kim Martinez

Daoism (also spelled Taoism)

·                     Dates back to 3^rd or 4^th century BCE in China

·                     A philosophy/ religion that has influenced East Asia for more than 2000 years

·                     Polytheistic religion – “Laozi” and the “Three Pure Ones” are the most important

·                     “Three Jewels of the Tao” (Principles of Taoism)

o       Compassion

o       Moderation

o       Humility

·                     Taoist thought focuses on:

o       Health

o       Longevity

o       Immortality

o       Wu wei (spontaneity)

·                     Taoist traditions have influenced Chinese martial arts, tradition medicine, fengshui, and even breathe training techniques

·                     One of the 5 religions recognized by the PRC (People’s Republic of China)

·                     Estimated 20-50 million Taoists today worldwide

"Daoism." Wikipedia.com. 2008. Wikipedia. 11 Sep 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daoism>.

Laozi depicted as the Taoist god.

Era of Warring States- Jordan Hubbard

·       

  While historians agree that the era of Warring States ended in 221 BC with the Qin dynasty unifying China, the time of its beginning has many opposing viewpoints.

-          481 BC when the” Spring and Autumn” period draws to a close

-          475 BC the first year of Viscount Xiang of Zhao’s reign

-          453 BC when the state of Jin was divided into three territories

-          403 BC when the new states were recognized by the Zhou king

·         The seven warring states were Qin, Qi, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, and Yan.

·         It was the first time Chinese armies were commanded by professional generals, iron replaced bronze weapons, combination of infantry and cavalry, dagger- axes became the popular weapon of choice, and the first version of the Great Wall was built when armies were not busy campaigning.

·         The size of armies ranged from tens of thousands to the several hundred thousand.

·         Youshui or wandering philosophers were in demand because the competing kings wanted any resource that would help them beat their opponents.

-Popular philosophies were Confucians, Mohists, Taoism, and Legalism.

·         The Warring States originated from the period called Autumn and Spring, which was a time of warlords annexing smaller states and consolidating their rule; the warlords would eventually call themselves king of their state and be considered equals of the Zhou king who was too weak to do anything about it.

·         The Art of War, by military strategists Sun Tzu, was influential to the state’s battle strategies against one another.

·         The state of Jin, which had been the most powerful state in the Autumn and Spring period, was divided in 403 BC by Han, Zhao, and Wei.

·         Towards the end of the Warring States Period, Qin was the most powerful by far of the seven states and the other states could not agree on a method to deal with Qin.

-          The Hezong method- make an alliance against Qin to keep it from expanding.

-          The Lianheng method- make an alliance with Qin and allow it to become the dominate state which it did 221 BC after it conquered Qi.

"Warring States Period." Answers.com. 12 Sep 2008 <http://www.answers.com/topic/warring-states-period>.

A map of the seven major Warring States and a few of the lesser ones.

Great Wall of China (Duncan Holter)

(from Wikipedia by Samxli)

    The Great Wall is a collection of walls erected over multiple dynasties by many different rulers. Originally, various states erected earthen walls to defend their own borders in the north. When the Qin dynasty unified China in 221 BC, the sections of wall that divided the internal territories of China were torn down. A new wall was begun along the north border to protect from nomads, which fell into ruin but was maintained by later dynasties to defend from invasion.

    The Ming dynasty again rebuilt the wall using stone and brick, erecting the famous wall supposedly visible from space. The Qing dynasty eventually conquered Mongolia, and repairs on the wall were discontinued due to lack of enemies to the north. The North, West, and East Passes are the main tourist destinations today.

Political Bureaucracy - Evan Hoke

• By the end of the Han period, China had about 130,000 bureaucrats, which represented about 0.2% of the population.
• The emperor Wu Ti established examinations for his bureaucrats. These were the first example of civil service tests that many governments have instituted in modern times.
• These examinations covered law and classics of Chinese literature.
• Wu Ti also established a school to train men of exceptional talent and ability for the national examinations.
• While most bureaucrats were drawn from the upper classes, people from lower ranks were occasionally recruited. China’s bureaucracy thus provided a slight check on complete upper-class rule.
• The bureaucracy tended to limit the arbitrary power by the emperor himself.
• Trained and experienced bureaucrats, confident in their own traditions, could often control the whims of a single ruler.
• The Chinese bureaucracy lasted from the Han period until the 20^th century, outliving the empire itself. 

A map of the Han empire. Han introduced bureaucracy to China.

Text citation: Stearns; Adas; Schwartz; Gilbert, Peter; Michael; Stuart; Marc. World Civilizations. 4th. Pearson Longman, 2006.

Picture citation: 02 JUN 1999 12 Sep 2008 <http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/index.html>.

Chinese invention of gunpowder- 

 Silk Road-- Meghan Edwards

The Silk Road was composed of various trading routes that connected east Asia to parts of the Mediterranean.  

*over 4,000 miles long

*Merchants and travelers were given the opportunity to trade goods, as well as to be exposed to unfamiliar civilizations and their practices (religion...mathematics...science...arts...etc.) 

*Traded items include: silk, jade, spices, grapes, cotton, wool...etc. 

*Key in the spreading and acceptance of Buddhism (caves, monasteries, and shrines still exist along the Silk Road today) 

*Heavy snowfall in the mountains, as well as sandstorms in the desert presented challenges 

*Horses and Camels were common systems of travel, and were even eaten and traded

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Silk_Route_extant.JPG 

Ancestor Worship 

Patriarchal Families-Maggie Dillon

• Patriarchal families structure was left up to men
• Men controlled all or most of the familiest assets, like land.
• Marriges were arranged based on property gains and economic status, they were organinzed by parents.
• Husbands acted as ownders to women and children, much he would like his slaves.
• Women found committing adultery were usually put to death while men were lightly punished, if at all.
• Children were also treated like propert and expected to obey and respect adults. Boys were usually treated with higher regard as they were who would carry on the family in the future.

 This shows the general Chinese family. The father sits on an elevated chair, and holding the staff is a symbol of power. The oldest son is shown standing, also to show his importance, mothers and daughters are pictured sitting.

Chinese Art (Classical)-Lewis Darlymple

• Early forms of Chinese art found on pottery and jade
• Much of their music and dance was based on Confucius' Book of Song
• Even writing is it's own art form (calligraphy)
• Color painting and printing was perfected during the Ming Dynasty
• Lyrical poem called Ci was developed during the Song Dynasty. This particular poem expressed feelings of desire that were often expressed in an adopted persona
• Chinese art best known for porcelain
• Porcelain is so good that we now call most porcelain objects "china"
• Dargons symbols and likenesses can be found throughout Chinese art

Green Hills and White Clouds by

Gao Kogong, 1270-1310 AD

Chinese Dragon Sculpture

Chinese science (classical) - 

“Mean people” – unskilled labor – John Caudle

• Group with a social status beneath the peasantry

• Needs no training or experience

• Usually production workers

• Performed rough transportation

• Performing Artists

• Household Slaves

• “Mean people” were easy suspects of crime and were punished more harshly than that of other social groups for crime

• They were required to wear green scarves, so that people would recognize that they were “mean” and unskilled laborers

Picture that depicts the type of job an unskilled worker would do. Many carried items for others in rough transportation as work.

Caste System-Colt Burgin

• The Caste system was started in 1600 B.C.E. when the Aryans migrated from the North into India. A man named Manu founded the 4 social orders based on what was said to be the main goals of humans and society.
• There are 4 main Castes

1. Brahmans- This was the top branch of the caste system. It consisted of priests and arbiters
2. Kshatriyas- This was the 2nd branch of the caste system made up of kings and warriors
3. Vaishyas- This is the 3rd branch of the caste system, made up of businessmen and traders.
4. Sudras- This branch is the last branch of the caste system. They were born to be the servants of the other castes. They were mainly farmers and peasents.
5. Below these 4 main castes are 2 other groups. They are the Harijans and the Untouchables. The Untouchables are considered unclean and polluting, and are not considered to be part of human society. They do menial and degrading jobs that are basically all of the dirty work.

• The caste system divides the Indian people into separate close communities.
• There are thousands of sub-divisions in the caste system.
• Marriage in between castes is not accepted and is punishable by death.
• You cannot be promoted from the caste you were born in, but you can be demoted to a lower caste.

This is the Caste system of India in the form of a pyramid. The Brahmans are at the top and the Untouchables are at the bottom. This is how India divided their people into what would seem like categories

Citations

Web and book

 Indian Caste System Citation.doc

 Indian Caste System Citation Book.doc

Hinduism (basics)Cody Bunch 

Hinduism evolved from the Vedic religion. It has several major branches each of which include many different sects. Although they all rely on their own scriptures, they all revere the ancient Vedas which where brought to India after 1200 B.C.E. Fundamental to Hinduism is the belief in a cosmic principle of ultimate reality called Brahman and its identity with the individual soul. Hinduism is mainly a religion based in India but there are around 850 million Hindus worldwide. Hinduism was also the religion of the Indus valley civilization before the invasion of Aryan peoples from the north. The distinct sense in Hinduism that a single supreme Absolute expresses itself in many forms or gods.

The blue areas represent hinduism in India

Buddhism (basics)  - broach

Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince who led an amazing life of understanding and seeking out truth (similar to the life of christ).  "Buddha" or enlightened one as he was later titled was born with all the fortunes of royalty. He decided one day in his twenties to go out into the world to explore. He found suffering and death in the world. He came to the conclusion that there was suffering at the underbelly of life and that was when he decided to renounce his title as prince and became a monk. He went into deep thought and understanding of the world. Buddhism was born with the Four Noble Truths among where he said that desire and ignorance lead to suffering while the end of suffering comes from reaching Nirvana through understanding and doing what is right.

The symbol of Buddhism represents the noble eightfold path of which includes wisdom, meditation, and morals.

Maurya Dynasty- Will Boggs

• The Maurya Dynasty lasted from 322 to 185 BCE.
• The capital of the powerful dynasty was at Patilputra.
• The foudner of Maurya Dynasty was Chandagrupta Maurya.
• When the dynasty was at its highest point it controlled from the Himalyas Mountains to current day Assam. Furthermore it also had what is present day Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• The dynasty began to decline five years after Ashoka's rule ended. At one point the Maurya Dynasty controlled the most land of the Indian subcontinent.
• The dynasty fell to the Sunga Dynasty in Magadha.

 
This is the area controlled by the Maurya Dynasty at its greatest point under Ashoka the Great.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurya_Empire

Gupta Dynasty-Dalyn Bellingham

• Covered Northern India, Eastern Pakistan, and parts of Western India and Bangladesh.
• The Gupta Empire was ruled by members of the Gupta Dynasty from ~320-550 AD.
• Golden Age of India in science, mathematics, astronomy, religion and Indian philosophy.
• The Gupta Kings circulated a large number of gold coins, called dinars, with their inscriptions.
• Gupta Dynasty period was very rich in Sanskrit Literature.
• Most of the Empire was overrun by the Huna in 500 AD with the reign of the last Gupta ruler ending in 550 AD.

The Gupta Empire

Sanskrit- Adam Barr

• Sanskrit was the first literary language of classical Indian culture.
• Sanskrit is a member of the Indo-Iranian sub-family of the Indo-European family of languages.
• It dates back to about 1500 B.C.E.
• The language was brought down to South Asia by the early Indo-European speakers and was adopted by the local populations.
• Sanskrit was a sacred and sophisticated language, used for religious purposes and intellectual pursuits.

Sanskrit writing on palm leaves.

Bhagavad Gita