1.

Introductory Concepts
A. Chinese religion and philosophy
B. The First Empires

2. Patterns in Chinese History

A. Zhou Dynasty
B. Qin Dynasty
C. Han Dynasty

3. The Golden Age of China

A. New Heights (Tang and Song dynasties)
B. All Under Heaven(Yuan, Ming and Song dynasties)
Shang Tang
1750 – 1100 BCE 618 – 907
Zhou (Chou) Song
1100 – 256 BCE 960 – 1279
Qin (Chin) Yuan (Mongol)
221 – 206 BCE 1279 – 1368
Han Ming
206 BCE – 220 CE 1368 – 1644
Sui Qing (Ching, Manchu)
589 – 618 1644 – 1912
 1.Zhongguo
This literally means “The Middle Kingdom”.

The name also suggests a paradigm of superiority and

self-reliance. We can understand this best by looking at
China’s geography.
 2. The Mandate of Heaven
The performance standard instituted during the Zhou
dynasty. An emperor or a dynasty is said to have the
Mandate when they do well, and lose the Mandate when
they don’t.
 PAN GU

3 SOVEREIGNS / 3 AUGUST ONES

Emperor of Emperor of Emperor of
Heaven Earth Mankind

5 EMPERORS
Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Shun, Yao, Ku

XIA DYNASTY

SHANG DYNASTY

ZHOU DYNASTY
 3. The Dynastic Cycle
a. A new ruler unites the land and founds a new dynasty.

b. The kingdom achieves prosperity and a new golden age.

c. The dynasty begins to decay and the empire declines. War

begins to rage across the land over discontent and
dissatisfaction in the emperor’s rule.

d. The dynasty loses the Mandate of Heaven, their legitimacy to

rule, and is overthrown by a rebellion.
5000 – 3000 BCE: Yangshao

• Slash-and-burn agriculture
• Domesticated pig, dog, chickens, cattle, sheep and goats
• Mastered the art of spinning silk
• Fertility cults

3500 – 2500 BCE: Longshan

• First permanent settlements

• Black pottery
• Walled cities

2200 – 1750 BCE: Xia Dynasty

• Contemporaneous with the Erlitou culture (1900 – 1600 BCE)

• Bronze casting
The Shang was marked by
impressive bronze technology
and the beginning of China's
distinctive writing system.
A replica of an oracle bone
with an ancient script that
corroborated the existence of
the Shang dynasty.

Although there are many

mutually unintelligible
dialects in China, there is only
one system of writing — a
major unifying factor in
Chinese history.
Spiritual and religious developments during the Shang

• The notion of a supreme heavenly power (referred to as Shangdi,

or "God above," and later as "Tian," or "Heaven")

• The belief in the power of the spirits of ancestors to affect events

on earth

• And the importance attached to rituals venerating ancestors and

the role assigned to the king in performing these ceremonial rituals.
The Duke of Zhou overthrew the Shang King and instituted the
“Mandate of Heaven” or tianming.

The Zhou is divided into the

• Western Zhou (1027-771 BCE), capital at Xian
• Eastern Zhou (770-221 BCE), capital at Luoyang
The Eastern Zhou is divided into

• Spring and Autumn Period

(770-476 BCE)
• Warring States Period (475-
221 BCE)

After the displacement of the

Western Zhou and the shift to the
east, small states competed for
power. Many philosophical schools
emerged during this period also
called “The Hundred Schools of
Thought”
The Hundred Schools of Thought

Confucianism
Confucius (c. 551-479 BCE) Analects
Mencius (371-289 BCE) Mencius
Xun Zi (Hsun Tzu) (298-238) Xunzi

Legalism
Han Fei Zi (Han Fei Tzu) (d. 233) Han Feizi
Li Si (Li Ssu) (d. 208) who became the Prime Minister of Qin

Daoism (Taoism)
Lao Zi (Lao Tzu) "Old Master" (c. 500) Daodejing, also known as Laozi
Zhuang Zi (Chuang Tzu) (c. 369-286) Zhuangzi
1.The cosmos is a sacred place.
2.All aspects of it are related.

Goal of Chinese religion:

To uphold this sacredness by maintaining harmony

among human beings, and between humanity and
nature.

In real terms: Chinese philosophy (just like other

philosophies of the Axial Age) responded to the
social chaos and disorder of their time.
"Wealth and honor are what every man desires. But if they have been obtained in
violation of moral principles, they must not be kept. Poverty and humble station are
what every man dislikes. But if they can be avoided only in violation of moral
principles, they must not be avoided. If a superior man departs from humanity, how
can he fulfill that name? A superior man never abandons humanity even for the lapse
of a single meal. In moments of haste, he acts according to it. In times of difficulty and
confusion, he acts according to it." (4:5)

Yu Tzu (a disciple named Yu Jo) said, "Few of those who are filial sons and respectful
brothers will show disrespect to superiors, and there has never been a man who is not
disrespectful to superiors and yet creates disorder. A superior man is devoted to the
fundamental (the root). When the root is firmly established, the moral law (Tao) will
grow. Filial piety and brotherly respect are the root of humanity (jen). (1:2)

Confucius said, "Lead the people with governmental measures and regulate them with
laws and punishment, and they will avoid wrongdoing but will have no sense of honor
and shame. Lead them with virtue and regulate them by the rules of propriety, and
they will have a sense of shame and, moreover, set themselves right.“ (2:3)
Do not glorify the achievers
So the people will not squabble
From the
Do not treasure goods that are hard to obtain Dao De Ching
So the people will not become thieves Chapter 3
Do not show the desired things
So their hearts will not be confused

Thus the governance of the sage:

Empties their hearts
Fills their bellies
Weakens their ambitions
Strengthens their bones

Let the people have no cunning and no greed

So those who scheme will not dare to meddle
Act without contrivance
And nothing will be beyond control
Govern a country with upright integrity
Deploy the military with surprise tactics
From the
Take the world with noninterference Dao De Ching
How do I know this so? Chapter 57
With the following:
When there are many restrictions in the world
The people become more impoverished
When people have many sharp weapons
The country becomes more chaotic
When people have many clever tricks
More strange things occur
The more laws are posted
The more robbers and thieves there are

Therefore the sage says:

I take unattached action, and the people transform themselves
I prefer quiet, and the people right themselves
I do not interfere, and the people enrich themselves
I have no desires, and the people simplify themselves
Yang (white) Yin (black)

Masculine Feminine

Warm Cool

Tough Soft

Day Night

Large Small

Assert Yield

Stone Water

Confucius Lao Zi

Represents harmony through the complementary forces of the universe.

 THE ROOT OF CHAOS
CONFUCIANISM DAOISM

Man has lost his Way. Man has lost his balance.
Man needs to be reminded of Wealth and knowledge create
the moral laws and rituals (li). tension within the self and
between others.
Moral laws are similar to the
physical laws of the universe, Unnatural assertiveness was
and knowledge of these is the root cause of violence and
required so that society is put aggression.
in order.
 VIEWS ON PERSONAL MORALITY
CONFUCIANISM
1. The highest goal of any person is to
achieve goodness or morality
without any self-interest or
additional motive.
2. Traits of the perfect gentleman
(junzi): ren (benevolence and
humanity), chih (wisdom and
intelligence), yung (courage), hsin
(integrity), ching (reverence), yi
(right)
3. We must not become a petty person
(xiaoren, “small person”) who is
egoistic, does not consider
consequences, and seeks only
immediate gains.
DAOISM
1. The happiness of one person lies in
allowing other people to be happy
according to their virtue (te).
2. We must adhere to our own inner
nature (puh) and follow our intuition.
But this requires discipline and a key
understanding of who we are and
what we can do.
3. One acts without attachment and
expectation (wu wei) and simply
accepts things for what they are
(“goes with the flow”).
 VIEWS ON GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY
CONFUCIANISM DAOISM

Society is ruled like the family. A leader must not provide for
If all human relationships follow things that will cause inequality
that ideal, society will be in order. and discrimination among people.

Provides for a state ruled by a
scholarly elite (aristocracy of
talent) and the welfare of the
state is determined by the welfare
of all the villages.
The ruler must work “behind the
scenes” to ensure his people’s
happiness. Daoism does not
believe in a self-important
aristocracy and the artificial
society of rapidly growing towns.
PATTERN 1
TERRITORIAL PRESSURE

Incursions from China's north by nomadic groups, are from those

attracted by the wealth of the settled, agricultural civilization of China.

The most illustrative examples are those of the Mongols, who conquer
China and establish the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368 CE), and of the
Manchus, who again conquer China and establish the last dynasty, the
Qing, that rules for 300 years (1644-1911 CE).

Each of these invaders rules through the Chinese bureaucracy, leading to

the expression that China "sinicizes its conquerors."
PATTERN 2
CULTURAL CONTINUITY

The following consist this pattern:

the evolution of the bureaucratic structure — the civil service

examination system, the scholar-gentry who sit for exams and staff the
civil administration;

the refinement of the Confucian classics as the basis of education and

elite selection;

the growth of commercial activity and the development of a unified

and sophisticated marketing system over the vast, economically diverse
area of China;

the tendency toward political unification and reunification.

PATTERN 3
STRENGTHENING OF THE IMPERIAL CENTER

Beginning with the legalistic approach of the First Emperor of the Qin,
the emperors of China continued a trend of concentrating power towards
the center. Instruments of government were strengthened as they moved
authority further towards the emperor.

The irony however is that it is during moments when power is too

concentrated at the center at the expense of the rest of Chinese society
that a dynasty becomes more vulnerable to rebellion.

The height of imperial concentration can be seen in the Ming dynasty.

Impact of Confucianism

Confucianism builds on the Chinese worldview: the

Middle Kingdom, the emperor as the Son of Heaven,
and the conservatism of the established order.

The family, education and the state are all part of one
moral universe.

Confucianism was adopted as the state ideology

starting in the Han dynasty.
Characteristics of a Confucian government:

1. Civil service exams

2. An aristocracy of talent
3. Deference to imperial authority
4. Class system (especially in the case of Korea)
The First Unified Empire in China • Centralized all power to the
emperor

• Utilized Legalism

• Relied on a powerful army

• Established a network or
roads and canals

• Began building frontier walls

for protection
Qin Shih Huang Di
“The First August God of the Qin” • Unified currency, system of
writing, thought
Location of the Great Wall (NASA)
The Han dynasty retains the centralized form of
government introduced by the Qin but grafts a
Confucian style government on top of it.
The Han dynasty is
the contemporary
of the Roman
Empire which ran
from 27BCE to
476BCE.
Silk Routes, over-land and over-sea
 China silk, clothing, lacquerware, spices
Indo-China spices, ivory, timber, pearls
North India precious stones, ivory, tortoise shell, incense, spices, cloth,
timber
South India ivory, tortoiseshell, spices, precious stones, cloth, timber
Arabia spices, slaves, precious stones
East Africa gold, ivory, exotic animals, slaves, incense
Trans-Sahara ivory, gold, slaves
North Africa grain
South Europe olive oil, wine, glassware, coinage
West Europe silver, tin
North Europe slaves, amber
Asia Minor silver, precious stones, timber, wine
After the Han dynasty
disintegrates in the 3rd
century, China experiences a
300-year period of political
fragmentation.

Nomadic tribes dominate

northern China.

A series of Chinese dynasties

succeed one another in the
south.

Buddhism enters China via the

trade routes.
The Tang (618-907), along with the Song dynasty (960-
1279 CE) that follows, is often referred to as China's
"Golden Age“.

Poetry, calligraphy, landscape painting, philosophy,

political thought, historical writing, scientific advances in
astronomy, chemistry, and medicine, and the production
of fine silks, porcelain, and teas all flourish, particularly in
the period from the 7th to the 12th centuries.

The Tang capital at Changan (modern day Xian) was the

most cosmopolitan at that time. The first cities in Japan
emulated this.
 Buddhism’s impact is felt throughout China
Slowly entering China during the Han dynasty, Buddhism plays an
expanded role in the Tang and beyond.

1. Provided a philosophical ‘bridge’ between Confucianism and

Daoism. The three coexist as the primary religions in China.

2. Buddhist (along with Daoist) philosophy inspired and

cultivated art, literature, and various creative forms.

3. It also played a very important economic role. Buddhism

entered via the Silk Road and henceforth became a vehicle
for cultural exchange.
Chinese culture spreads throughout East Asia
Korea, Japan and Vietnam shared in Chinese culture particularly through:

a. Confucian thought and social and political values;

b. Buddhism (in forms developed and refined in China after

its origination in India);

c. Literary Chinese and its writing system which becomes the

language of government and that used by the elites of these
societies to communicate among themselves.

d. Architectural styles and many other art forms

Map showing the use of Chinese characters
Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul Himeji Castle, Japan

Palace of the Heavenly Purity, Forbidden City, Beijing

 Trade, business, and innovation boom…
The Song is distinguished by enormous commercial growth.

The use of paper money, the introduction of tea drinking, and

the inventions of gunpowder, the compass, and printing all
occur under the Song.

Urbanization accompanies commercial growth and Chinese

cities are the largest and most sophisticated in the world at this
time.
 …so does their population
During the Song there is enormous growth in Chinese population
and a shift in the locus of this population to southern China.

Traditionally, Chinese cities rested in the north and its people

subsisted on wheat. After 1127, there is a shift in the
concentration of the Chinese population to southern China. There
people subsisted on rice.

By the end of the Song, 2/3 to 3/4 of the Chinese population is

concentrated below the Yangtze.
The Emperors of China once believed
that it was their task to unite All
Under Heaven (Tian Xia).

How large did China really become?

 The Mongols invade China from the north
They defeat the Song, and establish the Yuan dynasty in 1279 to 1368.

Under Khubilai (Kublai) Khan (1215-1294), the supreme leader

of the Mongols and a grandson of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan (d.
1227), the Mongols move the Chinese capital to Beijing and
establish the capital of their empire there.

The Mongol empire spans Eurasia in the 13th and 14th

centuries and facilitates trade and exchange across the Eurasian
land mass.
The Ming dynasty is a new focus in modern-day Chinese
historiography. Modern historians use the imagery of the time to
promote the image of a global and friendly China.

However, there was a contradiction during the Ming: As China

became more integrated with the world, the further the Imperial
government closed themselves off.
By the Qing dynasty, the Chinese
empire saw themselves as the
Celestial Empire.

In a letter to the King of England,

Qian Long declared that they had
everything they need and had no
use for the manufactures of the
West.
I. Introduction to Civilization

II. History of India

III. History of China

IV. History of Islam