China and the World

1750 - 1918
•To what extent was the Qing Dynasty’s
reluctance to change the cause of its
downfall?
•In what ways was the mutual intolerance
of each other’s values responsible for the
Sino-British conflict?
•How did cultural misunderstanding
contribute to the growth of tensions
between China and Britain?
• Are all traditions equally valid? Should they all be
equally valued?
• Do traditions do more harm than good, or more good
than harm to a society?
• Were the Chinese on the “wrong side of history”? Is it
always bad to be on the wrong side of history? Are all
traditions and cultural beliefs meant to be changed?
• How would you resolve conflicts caused by cultural
misunderstandings?
 The KEY PHYSICAL FEATURES and
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT of China.
• For centuries, a harsh landscape and vast distances separated the enormous land
of China from other world civilisations.
• China is bordered on the east by the Pacific Ocean and on the west by the
massive Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau.
• The Gobi Desert lies to the north, and to the south are dense jungles and
mountain ranges.
• China is also divided into north and south by differences in climate. Northern
China has long winters of snow and wind and short, hot summers. Southern
China’s summers are wet and the land is green all year. The high plateau of the
mountain country is cold, arid and empty. The seasons and the natural
environment shaped Chinese daily life and culture. China’s large population was
concentrated in the river valleys.
Zhong Guo
 China’s Rivers
• China’s very long rivers created Chinese
society and civilisation. Chinese
civilisation began in the valley of the
Huang He, or Yellow River. Its name
comes from the rich yellow soil, known
as loess, which it collects on the
journey across the great agricultural
regions of China. The loess is blown
across northern China by winds from
Mongolia and then travels with the
river. The loess gradually sinks to the
riverbed and forms a thick layer of silt.
The silt causes floods, but it is also left
behind as a rich deposit of soil on the
farming fields of China.
 Chinese Geographic Isolation

One reason that China remained isolated was its geographic location. To the
east lay the vast Pacific Ocean; to the south lay mountain ranges and dense
jungles; in the north was the desolate Gobi Desert; and to the west towered
the mountains of the Tibetan Plateau — the ‘roof of the world’.
In addition, the territorial extent of the Qing dynasty’s rule played an
important part. Its borders stretched further than at any other time in
China’s history. Its vast size gave it access to a wide variety of natural
resources and arable land. It did not need to look elsewhere for materials or
goods because it could support its growing population on its own.
Its unique location and self-sufficiency allowed Chinese culture to develop in
isolation from outside pressures and influences, and also helped nurture a
feeling of superiority over foreigners.
 Traditional Chinese Society

In traditional Chinese society the differences between male and female, young and old,
and people’s occupations were very important and determined an individual’s social
status. Chinese society was broadly divided into four class groupings that were based on
what was regarded as the importance of the group to the country:
- scholars: regarded as the ruling class and usually drawn from the leading
landowning families.
- farmers: essential workers because they produced China’s food and were the
economic foundation of Chinese society.
- artisans and tradesmen: admired because they turned raw materials into the tools,
beautiful and useful objects of everyday life
- merchants: the lowest status social group because they were not seen as producing
anything of real value. Merchants were engaged in the trade of the goods produced by
others.
Tradition
Confucianism

• At the core of China’s traditional beliefs was Confucianism.

• The philosopher Confucius (551–479 BCE) came from a noble but
poor family. His father died when he was young and Confucius
struggled to acquire an education. As he grew older he developed
strong beliefs about society. He taught that the family was the basic
building block of society and that it was the duty of the ruler to
behave like a father to his people.
• He believed that each person should adopt and live by certain moral
values. People should respect and obey their parents, and rulers
should be chosen because of their wisdom, rather than their wealth.
• Confucius taught the ‘five virtues’: humanity, honesty, knowledge,
integrity and manners. With its focus on harmonious relationships,
Confucianism disdained military pursuits and war, believing they
were not needed when Confucian values were in balance.
Class Discussion (Tug of War)

•Proposition: Do ‘traditions’ do more harm than

good to a society?

YES NO