CHINA

ANCIENT CHINA

• In ancient days, China was known as the Middle Kingdom
• Early inhabitants lived along Chinas two major river systems: Huang He & Yangtze
• Ancient China was similar to Mesopotamia, Egypt, & India.
• Early China remained free from outside influences
• Developed a unique and stable culture that still stands today

IMPORTANCE OF CHINESE FAMILY

• Chinese life revolves around the family.
• Major responsibility is to bring honor to his family.
• The cult of ancestor worship became the leading religion in China.
• Every Chinese household contained an ancestral alter.
• Alters used to burn incense to honor the deceased.

LANGUAGE AND LEARNING

• Chinese language has a unique tonal quality.
• Ex: "ma" can mean 'mother', 'horse' or 'to scold' depending on tone of voice
• China has a common written language but the spoken language varies
• The alphabet consists of 65,000 characters.
• In order to read/write you must memorize all 65,000 characters

THOUGHT AND LIFE

• 2 philosophies largely influenced Chinese culture

CONFUCIANISM

• Kung Futzu was the most honored teacher in Chinese history
• He was known as "the master"
• Believed that through proper conduct, man could solve society's problems
• His disciples developed a system of ethics - was a major influence on Chinese culture

BELIEFS OF CONFUCIANISM

• Father and son
• Elder and younger brothers
• Husband and wife
• Friend and friend
• Ruler and subjects

TAOISM

• Founder: Lao-Tzu
• Taught men to find peace/happiness by living in harmony with nature
• Cease to strive for power, wealth, & learnings
• Adopt a simple, inactive lifestyle
• Accomplish great things by being passive & submissive

SHANG DYNASTY

• Earliest known Chinese dynasty; established along the Yellow River
• United much of Northern China
• Our knowledge of this dynasty comes from writing on bones & tortoise shells

ZHOU DYNASTY

• Overthrew the Shang Dynasty
• Longest lasting dynasty (800 years)
• Often called the "Classical" or "Formative" age
• Much of Chinese religion, writing system, & family life was firmly established
• Fighting broke out during 5th & 3rd centuries BC; dynasty collapsed

QIN DYNASTY

• Zheng or Qin Shi Huang was the founder and first emperor of China
• Qin Shi Huang was the 1st to unite China under one government
• Established weight, coinage, and measurement systems
• Greatest accomplishment: beginning of the construction of the Great Wall
• Served as protection from the invasions of the barbaric Huns

HAN DYNASTY

• Most popular dynasty
• To this day, some Chinese call themselves "sons of Han"
• Most famous Han ruler was Wu Ti-he drove back the Huns & extemded land
• The Han established the Pax Sinica (Chinese Peace) throughout China
• Buddhism was introduced during this time-soon became a leading religion

TANG DYNASTY

• Restored unity & prosperity to China after years of conflict
• Became a golden age in Chinese history
• One of the finest periods of Chinese poetry
• Li Po- famous poet; wrote thousands of poems with sentimental themes.
• Dynasty lost power & collapsed shortly after 900

SONG DYNASTY

• Politically weak dynasty
• China was divided into the Northern Song and the Southern Song
• Result of northern China falling under barbarian control
• Despite the split, China continued to flourish
• Chinese excelled in painting, printing, & porcelain during this time

CHINESE CULTURE AND CONTRIBUTIONS

• First to produce silk
• Developed the process for making porcelain or "china"
• Invented movable type but it was not widely used in China
• First to develop paper and use ink
• Invented the compass and discovered gunpowder