Week 5 Schedule

Week 5 Schedule:

Due Date	Activity
Feb 18	Read & Examine: Week # 5 Module Textbook: Chapter 4 Documents Watch: All Videos
Feb 17	Discussion: Confucius
Feb 18	Assignment: Extra Credit # 1
Feb 18	Quiz # 3, Map Quiz # 5

Image: Terracotta Warriors

Topic:

Ancient China and East Asia

China’s diverse geography impeded contacts with other cultures. Eastern China is defined by the Yangzi and the Huanghe rivers. The climate in the south was warm and the growing season is long, while the north is cold and dry, leading to a short and uncertain growing season. The Gobi Desert and the Mongolian Plateau limited contact with other regions.

Despite the harsh climate, China’s first settled communities emerged in the north, along the Yellow River. The people of northern China developed a culture that served as the basis for later Chinese societies. The Xia is considered China’s first historical dynasty. It was followed by the Shang dynasty, which united the Yellow River region. Shang society was stratified into a number of classes, with a king and the warrior aristocracy at the top. The most common form of religion appears to have been ancestor worship. The writing system of ancient China emerged out of religious practices during this period.

According to traditional accounts, Shang corruption and oppression gave rise to rebellions that toppled the dynasty and gave rise to the Zhou. The Zhou developed the concept of the Mandate of Heaven, a doctrine that held political legitimacy to be dependent on the maintenance of a just and humane government. This doctrine justified the Zhou takeover, but it also created the pretext for future rebellions. The Zhou responded to the considerable challenges of ruling China by establishing a decentralized government. The Era of Warring States followed the end of unified Zhou rule. Political chaos, however, did not impede the growth of connections within China based on trade.

Warfare and turmoil gave rise to enduring belief systems that favored harmony and stability, most notably Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. Confucianism was an ethical philosophy that focused on human behavior. Its virtues were meant to help create a hierarchical society in which key relationships were the foundation of a stable and harmonious way of life. Daoism urged harmony with nature and the avoidance of ambition. Legalism favored strong rulers who could impose law and order and, therefore, stability.

Under the influence of the Legalist Li Si, the Qin emperor Shihuangdi conquered much of China and created a new dynasty. The First Emperor’s policies were meant to consolidate power in his hands and glorify the state. While the Qin succeeded in bringing the Chinese empire into existence, their brutality led to the dynasty’s overthrow and the advent of the long-lived Han dynasty.

On the basis of Qin achievements, the Han formed the first strong, effective service bureaucracy in China’s history. Wudi, the Han Martial Emperor, built the Chinese army into an expansive force. Wudi’s many wars, however, led to unrest. A pattern of decline and reform marked much of the Later Han period. Revolts and civil war eventually brought the dynasty’s rule to an end.

While the Han dynasty lasted, China enjoyed one of the world’s most stable and productive societies. Han society was based mainly on village farming and herding. Peasant life was centered on the family. Urban life was far more diverse and sophisticated than rural life. Han cities were the sites of considerable technological and commercial invention. As it extended its reach into Central Asia, China also increased commerce with other cultures along a network of trade routes that came to be called the Silk Road.

Goals:

Learning Objectives:

Analyze the impact of China’s geographic diversity on connections between various parts of China, and between China and other cultures.
Explain why and how early Chinese societies developed along the Yellow River.
Compare and contrast the Chinese systems of Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.
Describe and discuss the social structures, innovations, and connections developed in China during the Han era.