ANCIENT CHINESE

CIVILIZATION
 Introduction
• Most isolated civilization
• East- bordered Pacific ocean
• North- Immense Gobi desert
• South east-Himalayas mountains and
Tibetan plateau
• South-jungles impenetratable to
invaders
• Thus- the isolation and cultural
supremacy bred a belief in China’s
uniqueness
 Origin
• Settlement - 6000BC in Huang he valley
• Initially- hunters & gathers, & fishing
• Crops grown: millet and vegetables
• Domesticated: dogs, pigs (meat)
• Oxen & horses (labour)

• Social life:
• Priestly class assumed political role
• Ancestor worship
• Closely net family network
 Government:
• Ancient China is associated with 3
dynasties:
• Xia (Hsia)- Yu- great ruler
• Shang-Founded by Yu
• Zhou (Chou)
• Qin dynasty (Chin)
 Shang:
• 1st dynasty or ruling class
• Power centered Anyang
• Not a nation despite one uniting language
• Government:
• Confederation of state
• Rulers acted as priests
• Military leaders - defend the Northern China
from border raids
• In peace-time
• Monarch performed religious rituals and
sacrifice son behalf of the people
• Armies composed of aristocrat who fought
on horse-chariots & foot soldiers
 Shang Dynasty:
• Bronze weapons
• Writing preserved on bones
• Socio-religious life:
• Believed in many gods and spirits that
resided in nature, floods, drought
• Polytheists but not worship directly through
ancestors (ancestral worship common)
• Sacrificial worship, & good will sacrifices-
Kings’ burials
• Classified into three –
• Priests/Kings, officials and warriors
• Nobles (fortified houses), artisans, agricultural
workers
• Slaves
• Writing – preserved in bones
 Zhou Dynasty:
• From North invaded the Shang dynasty
• History- Western & Eastern
• Invented - “Mandate from heaven” (approval of
gods to govern)
• Shang dynasty corrupt, cruel & wicked
mandate taken away
• Indicators- famine, drought, (natural
disasters)
• Mandate of heaven remained as long as
rulers ruled with wisdom, justice and honor
• Legitimized their authority
 Chou/Zhou Dynasty:
• Government:
• Feudalism
• Bureaucratic system of government
• System of government:
• Chief advisor (formulated royal policies)
• Ministers-
• 6 administrative departments- in charge of
agriculture, war, public works and religious
observances etc
• Collected taxes
 Chou/Zhou Dynasty:
• Government:
• Feudalism
• Divided the land into 100 of feudal states
which competed for land and power
• Large standing army to oppress rebellion
and expand authority
• Established a ruler’s responsibility to
provide good government
• Trusted military and royal leaders with
land in exchange for the military services
to the rulers & protection
 Qin/Chi’n Dynasty:
• Located in modern Shaanx
• Qin brought an end to the warring period in 221 BC
(Zhou)
• Assumed absolute power
• Divided his empire into 6 districts all
under the control of the central
government (each with a military & civil
governor)
• Centralized government and destroyed
feudalism
• Forced the nobles to live in palace hence
losing touch with the subjects and
therefore power
• The new structure: King- scholar-officials-
peasant farmers- merchants and artisans
Kings, Nobles & Warriors

Scholar-Officials

Peasant Farmers

Merchants, Traders, Artisans

(unproductive)
 Qin/Chi’n Dynasty:
• Social life::
• Family was the basis of the society
• Emphasis on filial piety- loyalty of children
towards parents as the cornerstone of the
society
• Women in Chinese society were considered
less members of the society
• When a woman married she was
dominated by her husband, grandfather,
father and mother-in law
• Women faced many authorities- which
limited the achievements of women
 Qin/ Chi’n Dynasty:
• Achievements:
• Standardized measurements and money (use of
coins)
• Improved communication and transport with a
network of roads
• Introduced legalism philosophy-
• Built the great wall of China which stretches
1500 miles (one of the wonders of the world)
• Utilized forced labour for enormous projects
• Imposed heavy taxes on peasants
• Banned private ownership of books

•
CHINESE PHILOSOPHY
 Confucianism
• Started during warring states (403-221BC) –
Zhou dynasty
• Means of transforming the violence and
conflict into stability
• Founded by K’ung Fu Tzu/Master
K’ung/Confucius
• Teacher not a religious leader
• Educated in political life and was a scholar
and adviser of feudal lords
• Concerned civil morality- how people should
live, behave towards each other & good
government
• As a state person hope to put his ideas for
reforming the state into practice
• Left the job after his effort failed and founded
 Confucianism
• Five basic relationships:
• Ruler and subjects,
• Father and son,
• Husband and wife,
• Older and younger brothers,
• Members of a community
• Believed that each person must adopted the
real ideas of jen (humanity)
• People are fundamentally good
• Reform state:
• Virtues - courtesy, generosity, good faith,
hard work & kindness
 Confucianism
• People should respect one’s social superiors-
elders and ancestors
• Purpose of government & rulers - Care for
people
• State be governed by aristocracy of the talent
and not birth
• Knowledge was the key to happiness and
successful conduct
• Utopia- re-division of the land was not possible
• As a pacifists- declared that a true gentleman is
a man of wisdom & virtue whatever his social
origin
 Legalism
• Founded by Han Faizi (233BC)
• People are fundamentally bad- (Machiavellian
idea), evil, selfish & untrustworthy by nature
• People are motivate by greed & fear
• Government:
• Wealthy & powerful state with absolute ruler who
will control unruly people with harsh laws & cruel
punishments
• Concern- power & wealth not welfare
• Peoples lives shaped by interest of the state
• Rulers reward those who conform and punish
those who do not
 Legalism
• Rulers could not rule by moral example
• People could not be trusted to be good,
instead rulers must derive power from strict
laws & force
• Occupation:
• Agriculture and wars
• No Formal education:
• Study of history, classical or philosophy-
make people think become discontent &
rebellious
• Appointments:
• Legalist administrators & promotions merit
• Policies that would keep the whole nation
productive at work for the good of the state
 Taoism/Daoism
• Lao, Keeper of archives in the state of Zhou
• Dao-means way (way of virtue and nature)
• Individual is important-
• Individual seeks harmony with the universe
renouncing all artificial connections
• Government
• Out of harmony with nature and the ultimate
• Believed that government interference &
source of iniquity and that if people were left
to live by intuition they would live in harmony
• Purpose of the government was to promote
human happiness
 Taoism/Daoism
• Emphasized virtues:
• Do nothing (humble, meditate) but get in line
with nature, universe and the ultimate (Dao)
• Avoid pursuit of wealth, political power &
learning
• Best society is the simple preliterate society
life synchronized with rhythms and nature
• Fishing than work
• Confucius and Legalist worked to change
things never worked
• Nature made of Yin and Yan
• Yin- female
• Yan- Male
• Complement each other
 Contributions:
• sounds but for an entire word Philosophy-
Confucianism, taoism, and Legalism
• Government- feudalism
• Social institution-
• Filial piety that is where the loyalty and
respect of children towards the parent is the
cornerstone of the family
• Economy-
• Large-scale framing and labor-intensive
farming
• Writing-means of communicating with
spirits
• Each character stands not for