World and Geographical Studies

1. 221 B.C. - A.D. 220
How can differing philosophies influence a culture?
What factors can help a dynasty stay in power?
(The First Chinese Empires)

2. Confucianism
• Three major schools of thought emerged towards the end
of the Zhou dynasty. These three major schools were
Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.
• Confucius, known as the First Teacher, was a philosopher
who tried to answer one question: How do we restore
order to this society?
• Confucius traveled around China attempting to spread his
ideas and persuade political leaders to follow them.
• His ideas were spread widely and became known as
Confucianism.
• Confucianism was intended to help restore order to a
society that was in a state of chaos and confusion.
• Confucius believed that it was pointless to speculate
spiritual questions and he decided to simply assume that
there was an order in the universe.
• The Five Constant Relationships were viewed as the key
to peace. If every person did what was required of them it
would lead to world peace.
• A key element in Confucius’ teachings was to treat others
as you would want to be treated.
• Confucius’ ideas eventually became the guiding principles
for the Chinese Empire and fundamental ideas of Eastern
civilization.

3. Daoism / Taoism
• Daoism was a system of ideas
developed around the teachings of
Laozi, the Old Master. (some
speculate if Laozi actually existed)
• Daoism became a rival to
Confucianism.
• Like Confucianism, Daoism doesn’t
concern itself with the meaning of
the universe. Daoism does set forth
proper forms of human behavior.
• Daoism, unlike Confucianism,
believes that the best way to achieve
harmony with the universe is to not
interfere with the natural order. (If
you don’t do anything, you can’t do
anything bad)

4. Legalism
• Legalism was the belief that human
beings were evil by nature.
• Legalists were commonly referred to as
the “School of Law” because they
rejected the Confucian view that
government by “superior men” could
solve all of society’s problems.
• Legalists saw that it was important to
have a strong ruler in order to create an
orderly society.
• Legalists believed that harsh laws and
strict punishments would cause the
people to serve the ruler.
• Because they believed that people were
not capable of being good, the ruler did
not have to show compassion for the
people.

5. 3 MAJOR SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT IN
ANCIENT CHINA
Principles
1. Confucianism
Duty
Humanity
2. Daoism Inactive
3. Legalism
Harsh Laws
Punishments

6. The Qin Dynasty
• When under the Zhou dynasty, the state of
Qin defeated its chief rivals in a civil war.
• Qin Shihuangdi, meaning “the first Qin
Emperor”, was the ruler of the Qin dynasty.
He came to the throne at the age of 13.
• In 1974 we discovered a vast army made
of clay buried near the burial mound of
Qin. This army was created to be with the
emperor on his journey to the next world.
• There are more than 6,000 figures in the
first pit alone, along with weapons,
chariots, and horses. The soldiers all had
different appearances; 10 different head
shapes were used.
• It is estimated that about 1/3 of the
national income was used to prepare for
the ruler’s afterlife.

7. RISE OF QIN ATTRIBUTES
RISE
1. Became Emperor
2. Unite China
RULE
1. Built Great Wall
2. One Monetary System
3. Built Roads
4. High Taxes
5. Forced Labor
6. Legalism
FALL 1. ended after his death

8. The Great Wall
• The Great Wall was built by a number of
Chinese states for protection.
(specifically to protect them from the
Xiongnu, a nomadic group who had
mastered the art of riding on horseback)
• Qin decided to help protect China by
connecting the already existing walls.
This wall is known today as The Great
Wall of China.
• Some of the walls still remain standing
but most of them were built of loose
stone, sand, and rubble so they
disappeared long ago.
• According to legend, some of the
builders of the wall died while working
and were buried within the wall.

9. Politics of the Qin Dynasty
• The dynasty adopted Legalism as its ideology
of the regime. (those who opposed this were
punished or even executed)
• The Qin dynasty ruled a highly centralized state.
• The government was split into the civil division,
the military division, and the censorate.
• The censorate included inspectors that
checked on government officials to make sure
they were doing their jobs. This became
standard procedure for future Chinese
dynasties.
• Below the central government were two levels
of administration, the provinces and countries.
• Qin’s harsh rules angered many Chinese. Qin
was the only ruler that the dynasty ever had.
• The Qin dynasty was overthrown four years
after Qin’s death.

10. The Han Dynasty
• Liu Pang was the founder of the Han Dynasty.
• The first Han emperor abandoned the harsh laws and Legalistic
beliefs of the Qin dynasty. This new dynasty was based on
Confucianism.
• The Han dynasty did decide to keep some of the practices of
the Qin empire, such as the splitting of the government into
three ministries. (the military, civil service, and the censorate)
• The Han dynasty introduced civil service. This was a way of
educating the Chinese city officials and ensuring the influence
of Confucianism on government.
• Han armies went westward into Central Asia, extending the
Chinese boundary.
• Farmers began to suffer not because of taxes but because of
what was required of them. (military service, forced labor) Many
poor peasants were forced to sell their land and become tenant
farmers.
• The Han dynasty was prosperous and very involved in trade.
• Advancements in technology added to the economic prosperity
of the dynasty. (textile manufacturing / water mills / iron-
casting, which led to the invention of steel / paper)
• The Han empire began to fall when the concentration of land
fell into the hands of the wealthy. The population of the empire
drastically decreased. When a general seized control of the
dynasty a civil war broke out, leading to the fall of the dynasty.

11. Sources for Pictures
• http://slideplayer.com/slide/4314568/
• http://taoism.about.com/od/visualsymbols/ig/Taoist-Symbols/
• https://wiland.com/market/store-retail/service/customer-lifestyle-modeling-ret
• https://attheintersectionblog.com/2014/06/08/share-leadership/
• http://www.deviantart.com/tag/handcuffs
• http://cliparts.co/clipart/27350
• http://sydneysqindynasty.blogspot.com
• http://mentalfloss.com/article/67539/15-colossal-facts-about-great-wall-china
• http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/chin-dynasty-map.cfm
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Mulan
• http://www.disneyclips.com/imagesnewb/mulan2.html
• http://www.chinasage.info/dynastyhan.htm