Dynastic Cycle - Mindy Xiong

In Chinese Political Theories, even the Dynasty's had a Cycle...

• New Ruler: (1)Unites China (2)Makes New Dynasty (3)Gains Mandate of Heaven (meaning idea of ruler is favored by heavens)
• Under new Dynasty, China gains new way of living and Golden Age.
• Major Increase in Population. (too much to handle)
• Empire begins to decline ~due to Corruption in Imperial Court.
• Farmland wipes out(not enought to provide), plus, natural disaster would not be as bad if wasn't for on going corruption at the same time.
• Shortage causes population to rebel and start up Civil War.
• Ruler loses Mandate of Heaven and respect.
• Due to violence population begins decreasing...
• China experiences "warring states" period.
• One state turns out victoriously, of course.
• and that state eventually begins new empire
• Empire gains mandate of heaven...

(and so on the Cycle repeats)

"Dynastic Circle." Wikipedia. 2008. Wikipedia. 11 Oct 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynastic_cycle>.

Here is a Graph that helps briefly explain the Dynastic Cycle, so you can have a better visualization of how it really works.

Jeffery, Watkins. "Global History: Golden Ages." Dynastic China. 1999. Oswego City School District Regents Exam Prep Center. 11 Oct 2008 <http://regentsprep.org/Regents/global/themes/goldenages/china.cfm>

Xia Dynasty (Leya Wood)

First dynasty to be recognized.

2070-1600BC

Information through bronze tools, tombs, and urban sites.

Agrarian people

Held rituals and ceremonies to show people that they had the power to govern.

Rulers were mainly shamen.

Poon, Leon. "The Ancient Dynasties." History Of China. 5 Oct 2008 <http://www.chaos.umd.edu/history/ancient1.html#xia>.

"Xia Dynasty." Emuseum. Minnesota State University. 5 Oct 2008 http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/ancient_china/xia.html.

Here is a picture of a woman at the tombs of the Xia Dynasty.
http://home.alphalink.com.au/~dawa/03/00D-17G.jpg

Shang Dynasty (Crystal Tsang)

Also known as the Yin Dynasty, ruled in the North Eastern region known as ‘China Proper’ or the Yellow River Valley

-lasted from 1766 B.C to 1122 B.C

-information on this era comes from inscriptions made on bones, and bronze and jade artifacts that are discovered from old “capitols” of the dynasty, many are found in the tombs that also contain human and animal sacrifices.

-Believed to have been founded by a rebel leader who overthrew the former Xia ruler. The culture and economy was based on agriculture, though hunting and herding also occurred

-Kingship was hereditary, and ruled over much of modern China. The Shangs are believed to have moved their capitol six times.

- Wikipedia quote “Court rituals to propitiate spirits developed. In addition to his secular position, the king was the head of the ancestor and spirit-worship cult. The king often performed oracle bone divinations himself, especially near the end of the dynasty. Evidence from the royal tombs indicates that royal personages were buried with articles of value, presumably for use in the afterlife. Perhaps for the same reason, hundreds of commoners, who may have been slaves , were buried alive with the royal corpse.”

-had developed a system of writing, as shown on bronze inscriptions, and their culture fast advanced, with a court life and aforementioned rituals.

-The last king, Shang Zhou, fought a war with the rebel Zin, and lost, according to legend, because his soldiers betrayed him.

-It is possible that several dynasties could have existed at once, these being early Shang dynasty and Zhou, then late Shang dynasty and Xia dynasty

-had an advanced economy, with large production of bronze goods, which requires a large workforce to mine and manufacture.
www.wikipedia.org

The territory of the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1766 BC - ca. 1122 BC)

Zhou Dynasty (Lauren Sink)

·         Preceded the Shang dynasty

·         Followed by the Qin dynasty

·         Lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history

During the Zhou (1029-258 BC)

·         iron introduced

·         skilled in making bronze-ware

·         written script evolved from bronze inscriptions

·         took over Yangtze River valley

·         created a linguistic unity, Mandarin Chinese-resulted in the largest single group of people speaking the same language in the world at this time

·         Kong Fuzi founded Confucianism

·         Laozi founded Daoism

·         Confucius’s statement became core of China’s philosophical heritage

The Zhou dynasty period produced a large amount of bronze-ware.

Qin Dynasty (Rishi Simha)

The Qin dynasty was extremely important in the history of China.  It started through military conquest of the Warring States through the use of the Qin’s superior cavalry.  Although the dynasty only lasted from 221 BCE to 206 BCE, several important decisions by Shi huangdi, the first emperor, would change the future of China forever.  A big change involved Shi huangdi making the entire government a Legalist government.  He also forced all of the former nobles to move to the capital city.  Additionally, he standardized the language, currency and wheel axle measurements.  Building projects also characterized this dynasty; one of the projects included the Great Wall of China.  Unfortunately for the Qin dynasty, Shi huangdi died suddenly in 210 BCE.  The famous terra cotta army of the Qin is found at Shi huangdi’s burial site.  His son immediately took over the empire, but due to resentment among Chinese for his father’s actions, including limiting Chinese citizen’s freedom and forcing the nobles to move, the Han clan quickly overthrew Shi huangdi’s son and became the next dynasty.  Last and definitely not least, one of the most notable affects on Chinese history is the fact that Qin is believed to be the origins for the name, China!  

This is the famous terra cotta army that stood at Shi Huangdi’s burial site.  There are around 6,000 individual soldiers, each with unique features that leads archaeologists to believe that they are real-life representations!

Source for Information and Picture:

"Qin Dynasty." Qin - Microsoft Internet Explorer. n/a. Minnesota State University. 11 Sep 2008 <http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/early_imperial_china/qin.html>.

Han Dynasty(Daniel)

The Han lasted 400 years to 220 C.E the preceding dynasty was the Qin which they defeated in the valley of Wie.  The rebellion occurred after the death of the first emperor because the people where dissatisfied with the ruling of the Qin dynasty and their legalist government.  When they had overpowered the Qin the Han kept the centralized government but they were in process of changing the cruel subjugation employed by the Qin.  The Han dynasty expanded the empire’s territory by pushing into Korea, Indochina, and central Asia allowing the Chinese to gain contact to India and the Parthian Empire; with trade being conducted around the Mediterranean with the Roman Empire.  A time of peace expands over Asia, a Han historian explains it as a time when even the gate keepers would eat fine grain and meat.  Han ruler Wu Ti, had the empire embrace Confucian philosophy reflecting upon the improve bureaucracy opposite of the Qin dynasty.  Two centuries later the Han dynasty was impacted by the attacking Huns sending China into chaos.  China was able to restore order and stability but the reformative period ended.

 Confucius temple Statue.  The Qin built

many shrines for the ancient philosopher,

to promote his worship as a god.

Mandarin (Shampa Panda) Mandarin Chinese is the main language of China today. Historically, those who lived in northern and southwestern China spoke Mandarin. Mandarin is the main lanuage of mainland China, and used to be spoken only by the upper classes in Beijing. It has been changed significantly from the Mandarin spoken in classical China.

 This is an example of mandarin Chinese. 

Confucius (Steven Myers)

      ·         Confucius was born in 551 B.C.E.

·         He was a very reknowned Chinese thinker and social philosopher.

·         His philosophy, which became known as Confucianism, stresses personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, and sincerity.

·         He allegedly compiled his work into a series called the Five Classics, which have been studied for centuries on aspects especially pertaining to social grace and political morality.

·         His works gained much prominence and prestige under the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), and led to such items as the civil service nomination system and the official study of Confucianism by anyone interested in becoming part of the Chinese bureaucracy.

·         Confucianism is still studied and practiced today by a decent-sized following, although it is not generally acknowledged as a religion.

This is a drawing of Confucius that was actually done by a Western artist who had never seen Confucius. It is still considered an accurate rendition though.

Imperial Confucianism-       

Legalism (Richard Monroe) - Created during the Qin and practiced into the Early Han periods, 200 BCE. It was created by the government to take better control of the people. It was favor of authoritarian state ruled by force. The army would control and the people would labor. There was no education or political courtesy. Clashed with Confucianism because it conflicted with ideals

•  

  3 points of Legalism:

• Fa: Law must be made widely known and understood; if the law shall be consistently enforced.

• Shu: There should be secrets that the emperor keeps to protect his controlling of the state. No one should gain knowledge of how to take advantage of the state

• Shi: The ruler should hold the power, he should also be able to to be trusted to change the law if necessary.

Picture: a water color of Emperor Qin

Information and Picture provided by www.asian-center.net

Daoism-Sara Marshall

DAOISM

àDaoism is a religion native to China.

àThose of the Daoism religion believe in nature’s peace and harmony, like many other religions in China. But, they also add a sense of nature’s mystery and a belief that nature contains a divine impulse that directs all life.

àThe most well-known person for the Daoism religion is Laozi, who furthered the religion and its beliefs.

àThe religion came about during the wanting centuries of the Zhou dynasty, right around the start up of Confucianism.

à Believers of Daoism believe that political activity and learning are irrelevant to a good life.

àDaoism is important because it promoted harmony and a durable division in religious and philosophical culture in China. 

Citations:

Stearns, Peter. World Civilizations. 5th. New York City: Library of Congress Catalogin-in-Publication Data, 2007. 

This is a Daoism temple of worship.

Era of Warring States (Sarah Mann)

• 475 B.C.E. to 221 B.C.E.
• Followed the Spring and Autumn period in ancient China
• This period was filled with violence and chaos
• Chinese armies were first commanded by generals (First military theorist and wrote The Art of War– Sun-tzu)
• Huge amounts of iron weapons were first used, replacing bronze
• The first version of the Great Wall of China was built
• The seven most powerful kingdoms, known as the Seven Overlords in the Warring States, fought against each other and the Qin state was the final victor (Qin, Chu – conquered in 223 B.C.E., Han – conquered in 230 B.C.E., Zhao – conquered in 222 B.C.E., Wei – conquered in 225 B.C.E., Qi – conquered in 221 B.C.E., and Yan – conquered in 222 B.C.E.,)
• 475 B.C.E. to 338 B.C.E. was filled with political reforms and a stable society
• 338 B.C.E. to 221 B.C.E. was much brutality as Qin took over the other states and unifying China in 221

Bellamy, Christopher. "Military History Companion: Warring States period." Anwers.com. 2008. Answers Corporation. 11 September 2008 http://www.answers.com/topic/warring-states-period.

Ebrey, Walthall, Palais. "Warring States period. " Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 29 August 2008. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc.. 11 September 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_Period.

"Eastern Zhou Dynasty." Travel China Guide. 2008. 11 September 2008 http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/zhou/eastern/.

The map shows that boundaries of the Warring States.

http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/

watkins/warringstates.htm

Great Wall of China - Brianna Kosko

• Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, built the first wall between 220 and 200 B.C.

• The Great Wall of China is a 6,400 kilometer-long wall built of many stones in China.

• It was built between the 6^th century B.C. and the 16^th century.

• It stretches from Shanhaiguan to Mongolia.

• It was built to protect the Chinese empire from attacks.

• It is important because it is a large part of history that is still around today. It is a work of art that represents the minds of the Chinese culture back at the time of their origin.

the great wall of china

Political Bureaucracy - Corey Hume

• Rules made in order to control activity

·         Division of labor with people and political offices

·         Has heirarchy amongst individuals

·         Can occur in any large organization, such as nations, hospitals, courts, churches and schools

·         Confucius led to beauracracy in China

·         Began after the Era of Warring states, during the Qin Dynasty

·         Sumerian scribes are another example of beauracrats in history

·         The world”bureau” in this text, doesn’t just mean shelves or desk, but a workplace or group or workers

·         The second part, “crat”, comes from the Greek suffix “kratos” meaning power or rule

This is a political cartoon to illustrate how Bureaucratic organizations might place too much power in the offices and limit the freedom of the people.

"Characteristics of Bureaucracy." RevisionNotes 2001 17 Sep 2008 <http://www.revision-notes.co.uk/revision/1019.html>.

no picture yet- tech trouble :(

Chinese Invention of Gunpowder- (Laura Guidry)

o       Dates back to 850 AD

o       Discovered by accidents (alchemists were seeking the elixir of immorality)

o       Earliest use for military was recorded in 919 AD

o       Silk Road helped it spread to the west

Silk Road  

Ancestor Worship (Rachel Franks)-

Ancestor Worship started as early as 1000 B.C.E..  Ancestor Worship is not a religion but it is a religious form of worship that emphasizes the influence of the deceased relative on the family members that are living.  The basis of Ancestor Worship stemed from two principle ideas and they are the deceased have a continual and beneficent interest in the affairs of the living and they fear the dead with practices to placate them.  The practice of Ancestor Worship is held in homes and temples which consits of prayers and offering before tablets.  After the prayers and offerings an elaborate burial systems follow and then the graves are visited with a very high level of respect.  In China they practiced ancestor worship so the family will continue and respect for the wisdom of the elders.

This is a picture of a temple with the tablets in the background.

Patriarchal Families 

Chinese art (classical)- Tyler Cornett

·         The Four Great Chinese Inventions of Ancient China are printing, gunpowder, papermaking, and the compass.

·         The Chinese developed Chinese medicine such as acupuncture as early as the first millennium B.C.E.

·         The Chinese invented counting devices such as the abacus. (The abacus was invented between 1,000 and 500 B.C.E.

·         The Chinese experimented in alchemy.

·         The Qin Dynasty introduced the crossbow in the fifth century B.C.E.

·         The Chinese were the first to record a supernova.

·         Emperor Qin Shi Huang built the Great Wall of China between 220 and 200 B.C.E.

·         The Chinese made the first flying machines in the world. The flying machine in question was the kite.

·         Archaeology was greatly improved upon during the Song dynasty.

·         The Chinese developed the first seismological detector.

·         In the Middle Ages, the Chinese developed the parachute, propeller, sluice gate, cast iron, iron ploughs, and many other items.

·         Timepieces were greatly improved during this time period.

            Ancient Chinese Compass-

Picture taken from: 

4http://upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Model_Si_Nan_of_Han
_Dynasty.jpg/800px-Model_Si_Nan_of_Han_Dynasty.jpg

Chinese art (classical) - 

Chinese Classical Art ( Estefania Delgado)

It has varied throughout its ancient history, divided into periods by the ruling dynasties of China and changing technology. Different forms of art have been influenced by great philosophers, teachers, religious figures and even political leaders. Chinese art encompasses fine arts, folk arts and performance arts.

The tools used in traditional Chinese painting are paintbrush, ink, traditional paint and special paper or silk.

Chinese painting developed and was classified by theme into three genres: figures, landscapes, and birds-and-flowers.

The birds-and-flowers genre has its roots in the decorative patterns engraved on pottery and bronze ware by early artists. Among the common subjects in this genre, which reached its peak during the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), are flowers, bamboo, birds, insects, and stones. The genre flourished under Emperor Huizong (1082 - 1135), who was an artist himself and excelled at both calligraphy and traditional painting, especially paintings of exquisite flowers and birds.

Most of the paintings are painted on silk and mounted in a traditional scroll format. They follow the Six Principles established by the founder of Chinese art criticism, Xie He (500-535).

This painting was painted after one of the most famous Buddhist images in Dunhuang, Cave 401 of the Sui Dynasty (581-618).

"Chinese Art." Google. Wikipedia. 11 Sept. 2008 <http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chinese_art>.

"Dunhuang Buddhist Art." Google. Google images. 11 Sept. 2008 <http://http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.weiyangart.com/images/rpd-hdk00

Alison Chang - mean people- unskilled labor

In Chinese social structures in the classical china, there were large gaps between China upper class and the peasant farmers. At the bottom of society were the “mean “ people who performed rough and transport and other unskilled jobs and suffered form the lowest possible status. In general, social states was passed from one generation to the next through inheritance.

there were large gaps between China upper calss and the peasant farmers

Caste System

Hinduism (basics) 

Buddhism(basics) Jenny Borowski

• Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world.
• Created by first known Buddha, Siddhartha Gautana.
• 6th century BC, became Lord Buddha (one who has awakened)
• 3 main forms- Thervavda, Mahayan, Vijrayana.
• Lesser forms- Tibetan, Zen
• Since late 19th century- Modern

http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm

A picture depicting Buddha.

Maurya Dynasty --Kelly Best
The Maurya Dynasty began when Chadragupta Maurya obtained power by the Ganges River in India around 322 B.C.E. It eventually controlled all but the southernmost tip of India The dynasty unified the smaller regional states. Chandragupta had an autocratic (domineering and tyrannical where he had unlimited power) style of government with large armies and extreme safety precautions for himself.

His grandson, Ashoka, was a ferocious leader who murderously conquered, expanding territory, until he converted to Buddhism and grew kinder, allowing for better trade, communication, and further improvement. After Ashoka, the dynasty fell apart when invaded by the Kushans.

Sources:
Stearns, Peter. World Civilizations. 4th AP. New York, NY: Pearson Longman, 2006.
18 Sep 2008 <http://stoa.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/gupta-asoka.jpg>.

 

http://stoa.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/gupta-asoka.jpg

This map and key show the territories both leaders ruled.

Gupta Dynasty

Sanskrit- Alexandra Bauer

• Sanskrit is the classical language of India.
• Composed of a series of complicated symbols, and a series of complex vowels
• The oldest of any of the Indo-European languages
• The first form of Sanskrit was known as Vedic Sanskrit and can be traced back to 1500 BCE
• Etymology: Greek and Latin languages, the word stems from the terms meaning, “put together” and “sacred language”   
• The areas dominated by the language included Southern India, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.
• Large influence on the modern day languages of India
• The language disappeared as a result of the domination of a series of vernacular languages, much like the dissolving of the Latin influence   

"Sanskrit ." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . 09/09/08. Wikipedia . 11 Sep 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit>.

  An example of a document written in sanskrit

Bhagavad Gita