China

1. **Leader Analysis Sheet**
 * Name of Leader: **Shi Huangdi** ||
 * Lifespan: Died in 210 B.C.E. || Title: King of Qin and the First Emperor of the Qin dynasty ||
 * Country/region: China || Years in Power: 221 - 202 B.C.E ||
 * Political, Social, & Economic Conditions Prior to Leaders Gaining Power
 * King of the state of Qin
 * King at 13
 * Era of Warring States
 * Loose regional poltical units
 * Thousands of cultures and no universal language
 * Feudalism ||
 * Ideology, Motivation, Goals:
 * Autocracy; Desoptism; Tyranny
 * China's problems existed within the local aristocracy
 * Centralist
 * Expansionist
 * Permanent rule under his dynasty
 * Egocentric
 * Paranoid ||
 * Significant Actions & events During Term of Power
 * Began the construction of the great wall
 * National censuses
 * Standardization of coinage, weights, and measures
 * Formalization of a single basic language
 * Burned books, especially that of Confucius
 * Terracota Army ||
 * Short-Term effects:
 * His tyranny greatly displeased the public
 * Hindered intellectual growth || Long-Term Effects:
 * The embittered people revolted against his son and the Han dynasty became the successor
 * Ended the Era of the Warring States
 * Formalization of Mandarin Chinese, oral and written
 * Promoted the manufacturing of silk -- Pivotal in later and current day China
 * Centralized administration -- The Hans built upon the bureaucracy set up the Huangdi
 * United China
 * Standardization of items -- Utilized by the Han
 * Destroyed most records of the classical history ||

2. **Analysis of a Philosophy (Confucianism)** >
 * For life, virtue and proper relationships are critical. Underpinning proper relationships is etiquette, the rules of propriety . Propriety is conforming to proper behaviors and without it, life lacks virtue. Children should be virtuous by showing reverence to their elders, even when they object. Even when the parents die, filial piety does not disappear, it continues. More than the commoners, leaders and rulers should practice the rules of propriety. People have an affinity to the rules of propriety; they adore virtue and remonstrate laws and punishment. If a leader rules with virtue and leads by example, and his government is equally just and both strives for universal righteousness, the people will comply and submit in unerring loyalty. Ultimately, these are the characteristics of the superior man. The superior man is conforms a bushido-like code always conversant with virtue and never depravity in any moment. To remain under the restraints of the rules of propriety, to ensure that he is not a utensil able to be abused, one must be extensively studying all the time and not wondering about the immediate, not the future.
 * Confucianism is the best philosophy for China because i t promotes a communal bureaucratic system . It's not rules or punishments that will govern the people and coerce their submission. It's virtue and accepted rules of etiquette that will provide the basis of government. Humanity is inclined to be virtuous; depravity is to be avoided. Once people and ruler connect through the rules of propriety, a peace can be established and maintained. Without any incentive to cause internal strife, the dynasty will endure and prosper.

Confucianism is all about the relationship between the master and the vassal and the rules of propriety, commomplace etiquette, between them. That relationship is based on virtue, or morality and righteousness. Propriety is divided into many relationships, and the virtuous man, the superior man, adheres to the proper rules at any given instance. For general use, reverence should be given to anyone or anything of seniority. In the application to government, the leader must lead by example; he must be the epitome of the superior man and compel his subjects to be virtuous. Once the people are shown the correct way of behavoirs, they will strive to be correct and rectify their actions in all situations. This will create a communal bureacratic system in which people and government will not coexist via rules and coerced submissions, but a general desire to create a virtuous community in which they will all coexist harmoniously. This is the ideal government for China since so many culture and people exist from various backgrounds in their population. Virtue will be a universal thing that they can accept and adhere to while rules and punishments might be unfair or displease a certain people.
 * Statement I made on the Confucianism Wordle:**

3.**ESPIRIT chart on the Han Dynasty**

The Chinese industry was large, prosperous, and self efficient. They were innovators and had dozens of unique industries. || Mongolian China, Japan, Korea, and other areas were greatly influenced by classical China || The religion of China was primarily polytheistic. The closest thing to religion //during// the Han dynasty was the Taoist philosophy. || Due to the widespread usage of Confucianism, China was more intellectual than religious. || Due to the widespread usage of Confucianism, a great emphasis was placed on learning and increased learning led to innovation. || media type="custom" key="6960109"
 * Years: 206 B.C.E. - 220 C.E.**
 * E || * Traded with Romans, the Middle East, and India
 * Silk Road -- Trade route that eventually leads to the rise of Buddhism in China
 * Primarily traded silk and paper
 * Traded via the Hindu Kush, an entrepot
 * Directly organized the production of salt and iron
 * Standardized currency, weights, and measures - Thanks to the Qin
 * Intricate public works - Continued from the Qin
 * Irrigation and canal systems
 * Regulation of crops in order to control prices during surplus and famine
 * Annually taxed money and manual labor
 * This is were the majority of the work for public works came from
 * Luxury items for the nobles
 * Silk, jewelry, leather, furniture
 * Food exchanges between wheat and rice regions
 * Copper coin currency
 * Iron mining
 * T extil e and pottery
 * Water powered mills
 * Paper industry
 * Porcelain
 * S || * C reated a strong cultural identity known as the "Sons of Han"
 * This helps their cultural identity survive after the Han's fall
 * Extended family networks through kinship
 * Family authority was heightened among the aristocrats via ancestral worship
 * Among the commoners, village leadership overshadowed family authority
 * Village leaders were the administrators
 * Periodic rebellions and criminal gang uprisings
 * Was not a war-like society; judicial matters overshadowed militant actions
 * Strict code of law; applied torture and execution
 * **The Five Classics** (editted in c 500) promoted the base of literary advancement, primarily poetry and philosophical advancements
 * Social status was inherited unless professionalization allowed social mobility
 * Mandarins > Commoners > Mean People
 * Mandarins were nobles
 * Commoners were primarily serf farmers and urban artisans
 * Mean People were punished more severely and were identified by a green scarf ||
 * P || * Bureaucracy
 * The emperor sent governors with military and legal powers to govern regions in his name
 * Governors appointed officials to help with the job
 * Eventually, the emperor developed ministers that were delegated a certain issue
 * Finance, justice, military, etc.
 * Could deter the whims of the emperor
 * Took one month for an edict of the emperor to reach outlying districts
 * First civil service examinations
 * Promoted the scholar-bureaucrat
 * Process limited an aristocratic rule since commoners were occasionally recruited ||
 * I || * Succeeded the Qin dynasty; formed by a peasant revolution
 * Encompassed areas spanning from Korea, to Indochina, to the Middle East, to the Mediterranean
 * Interacted directly with India and the Parthian Empire
 * Conquered by the Huns, barbarians to the North
 * R || * Worshiped Confucius
 * Polytheistic beliefs
 * Spirits
 * Dragons
 * Deities
 * Statues, rituals, and celebrations were made to show reverence to spirits
 * Buddhism
 * Introduced due to interactions of the Silk Road with Indian cultures
 * Does not take prominence until after the Han
 * I || * Three common philosophies
 * Confucianism
 * Founded by Confucius (551-478 BCE)
 * //Analects// were burned during Qin
 * Revived during Han
 * Most widespread and utilized by the emperors of Han
 * Based on ethics and virtue
 * Legalism
 * Wasn't very popular
 * Based on a police state idea
 * Daoism
 * Further developed by Laozi (c.500 BCE)
 * Favored by emperors (after Han)
 * Daoism eventually integrated loyalty to the empire into their dogmas
 * 365.5 Day Lunar Calendar (c.450 BCE)
 * The Five Classics
 * Mandarin Chinese
 * **Mandate of Heaven** (during Zhou Dynasty 1029-258 BCE)
 * Idea that rulers were predestined and chosen by heaven
 * T || * Science
 * Astronomy
 * Seismotography
 * Precise anatomy
 * Hygeine
 * Art
 * poetry
 * calligraphy
 * jade and ivory carving
 * silk weavingAdvances in acoustic due an increase of mathematical and musical studies
 * Ox-drawn plows (c.200 BCE)
 * New collars for animals to prevent strangulation (horse collar) (c.200 BCE)
 * Pulley systems
 * Paper
 * Compasses

4. **Key Terms**
 * **Shi Huangdi** || **//__Refer to the 1) Leader Analysis of Shi Huangdi, on the top of the page.__//** ||
 * **Qin** || The Qin Dynasty was the successor of the Zhou Dynasty. From 221-202 B.C.E., Shi Huangdi was the ruler. One of the key contributions of the Qin dynasty was the centralization of government; Shi Huangdi liquidated the feudal system and began the bureaucratic system. The Qin dynasty was also responsible for many innovations and developments:
 * 1) Expanding the territory south, to present day Hong Kong and northern Vietnam


 * 1) Beginning construction and constructing parts of the **Great Wall**
 * 2) Utilizing national censuses to accurately account for taxes
 * 3) Standardization of coinage, weights and measures; includes wheel axle lengths and road width
 * 4) The written component of Mandarin Chinese
 * 5) The burning of all non-medical, historical, and legal scripts, especially the philosophical texts
 * 6) Promotion of silk industry ||
 * **Han** || //**__Refer to the 3) ESPIRIT chart on Han Dynasty__**// ||
 * **Zhou** || The Zhou Dynasty was the successor of the Shang Dynasty. Due to internal conflict and a weak political system based on regional alliances, the dynasty prospered for about 300 years. At the time, China was a feudal state ; the ruler, in exchange for land, expected loyalty from the lords that provided troops and taxes. During the Zhou Dynasty, the **Middle Kingdom**, an area from the Huanghe to the Yangtze, was established. (//__**The Middle Kingdom becomes a major area in Chinese history.**)__// In politics, Zhou rulers inherited the ideas of a continuation of Shang rulers. They converted the idea into the **mandate of Heaven//,//** stating that rulers were rulers because they were predestined "sons of Heaven". Lastly, they developed Mandarin Chinese in its oral form. ||
 * **Great Wall** || During the Qin dynasty, Shi Huangdi attempted in creating a wall to ward of Northern Hun invaders. Extending over 3000 miles, the wall was mainly build by forced labor and slavery, which resulted in abhorrence. Ultimately, the Han Dynasty finishes the wall by using annual conscripted labor. ||
 * **Taoism** || A philosophy developed during the Zhou dynasty. It's primary belief is in the harmony of nature: yin and yang. It stressed adhering to **Tao**, or moderation. Taoism provided the religious aspect that Confucianism lacked. Due to this surreal aspect, the public favored it since it coincided with their venerations of spirits and gods. The philosophy was championed c. 500 B.C.E. by Laozi and provided rivaling ethics to Confucianism. Though the philosophies tended to conflict, neither objected one another; they sometimes complemented each other. Ultimately, Taoism found favor among the emperors and political compatibility with Confucianism after loyalty to the state was integrated into their dogmas. ||
 * **Confucianism** || //__**Refer to 2) Analysis of a Philosophy (Confucianism)**__//
 * Promoted by Wu Ti
 * Promoted the bureaucracy
 * Helped establish the ethics behind professionalization
 * Championed by Confucius' disciples in the //Analects//
 * Most widespread philosophy, especially in the upper-class
 * Highly valued literature, art, and learning
 * Promoted the development of calligraphy, poetry, and learning ||
 * **Legalism** || Supported the idea of a authoritarian state in which the actions of the government and public were overseen by a military. It was not a prevalent philosophy, but it entered Han political traditions. ||
 * **Bureaucracy** || A system of government in which a central authority deploys officials with military and legal powers to govern provinces in his name . Those governors can then appoint minor officials administer districts. The Han dynasty, especially under the rule of Wu Ti, used a bureaucratic government filled with scholar-bureaucrats. The system began in the Qin dynasty and flowed over to the Han Dynasty. With Confucianism, bureaucracy was enhanced by professionalization . The Chinese bureaucratic system was also so successful that future rulers could not abandon or overhaul the system. ||


 * Summary:**

After the fall of the **Shang Dynasty**, the Zhou dynasty took roots. Still centric around the Huanghe, the Zhou advanced the Shang innovations and lasted from 1029-258 B.C.E. Due to internal strife and the breakdown of feudalism, the dynasty fell and ushered in the Era of the Warring States from 402-201 B.C.E. States from the river basins roses and fell in the war for supremacy until Shi Huangdi, the leader of the Qin state had prevailed and unified China under his rule in 221 B.C.E. At the price of tyranny, China had ushered in an era of centralized government. The tyranny of Huangdi closed in 202 as the Han rebellion succeeded and established the Han dynasty from 202 B.C.E. - 220 C.E.

The **Zhou Dynasty** flourished from 1029 B.C.E. until c. 700 B.C.E. due to internal conflict and a weak political system based on regional alliances. Essentially, China was a feudal state; the ruler, in exchange for land, expected loyalty from the lords that provided troops and taxes. The most important development during the Zhou Dynasty was the establishment of the **Middle Kingdom**. From the Huanghe, Zhou rulers extended settlements to the Yangtze River. In the Middle Kingdom, a northern wheat industry and a southern rice industry prompted a population increase. In politics, Zhou rulers accepted the ideas of the **mandate of Heaven//,//** decreeing that rulers ascended to throne because it was destiny. Lastly, they developed Mandarin Chinese in its oral form.

Succeeding the Zhou Dynasty was the **Era of Warring States,** a period in which many people sought supremacy. The era lasted into the **Qin Dynasty//,//** but under **Shi Huangdi//,//** the despotic Qin emperor, China transitioned from loose regional alliances into a centralized bureaucracy. The Qin Dynasty was responsible for many innovations and developments such as: expanding the territory south, constructing parts of the **Great Wall,** utilizing censuses, standardization of coinage, weights and measures; and the written component of Mandarin Chinese. One tragedy during the Qin Dynasty was that all scripts except of legal, medical, and historical content were burned, especially the Confucianism and Taoist texts.

Due to the tyranny of Shi Huangdi, his son's rule was overthrown by a peasant rebellion. The rebellion put the **Han Dynasty** in power from 201 B.C.E. - 220 C.E., and represented the last dynasty of the classical period. Building on the Qin Dynasty, Han rulers expanded the empire east into Korea and west into central China. During the reign of **Wu Ti** (140-87 B.C.E) the empire experienced the most peace. Under Wu Ti many changes occurred: Confucianism was brought to prominence, professionalization was introduced and central authority was strengthened even more. With a strong central government, economy prospered as the Qin standardizations, the **Silk Road**, and the numerous industries brought wealth into the nation. Social customs, culture, and religion were greatly influenced by **Confucianism** and **Taoism**. These two complementing philosophies promoted intellectual developments, like scholar-bureaucrats, astronomy, anatomy, new arts, like poetry, pottery, and calligraphy, and patriarchal society.