5. • 2205 BCE Near mythical Xia dynasty founded (only recently has there been
evidence found to indicate this dynasty existed, at Erlitou)
• 1766 BCE Shang dynasty founded.
• 1122 BCE Last Shang king defeated, King Wu founds the Zhou (Jo)
dynasty. Wu believed Shang had lost the mandate of heaven, and
claimed to be bringing justice.
• 771 BCE nomads from Mongolia and Gobi Desert sack Zhou capital, kill the
king. His son moves the capital further away from the dangerous northern
border.
• 551 BCE Confucius is born.
• 500 BCE Crossbow is invented.
• 481 BCE Warring States period begins.
• 221 BCE Qin Shihuangdi founds the Qin dynasty, becomes Emperor.
• 210 BCE Shihuangdi dies.
• 207 BCE Shihuangdi’s grandson is executed by rebels, ending the Qin
dynasty.
• 202 BCE Liu Bang/Liu Pang conquers rivals, establishes Han dynasty
under the name Gaozu.
• C.200 CE Paper is invented.
6. • System of rule by emperors lasted
until 1911 CE
• Many inventions:
• Gunpowder, matches
• Parachute, umbrella
• Seismograph
• Spinning wheel
• Ink
• Compass, abacus
• Silk
• Paper
• Great Wall, and city walls of various
cities still standing, with the modern
urban sprawl occurring around it.
7. Confucius was an advisor during the Warring States Period
before the Qin dynasty, spoke of relationships between
Lord and servant, Father and Son, Husband and Wife,
Elder Brother to Younger Brother, Friend to Friend, where
all had a duty to each other, although the former was
always superior to the latter (except in the case of the
friends).
Confucius argued that a good society could be
achieved by the ruler/government acting virtuously and
setting an example for the people.
Find three famous sayings and
create one of your own
9. • An ethical system
emphasising punitive
measures and strict
laws, and that the
greater good was far
more important than
any single person.
• Discuss how this
would perhaps benefit
the government but
be negative for
individuals.
10. • From the Legalist philosopher Lord Shang’s The Book of
Lord Shang, trans. J. J. L. Duyvendak, Arthur Probsthain,
London, 1928
Punish severely the light crimes…If light offences do not occur, serious ones have
no chance of coming…The things which people desire are innumerable, but that
from which they benefit is one and the same. Unless the people are made one,
there is no way to make them attain their desire. Therefore they are unified, and
their strength is consolidated…If you establish what people might delight in, they
will suffer from what they dislike, but if you establish what they dislike, they will
be happy in what they enjoy.
13. • Chinese rulers based their authority on the
Mandate of Heaven
• This meant they had been chosen by the gods to
rule
• They held the right to rule, as long as they treated
their subjects fairly and justly
• If the ruler treated his subjects cruelly, then he
would lose the Mandate of Heaven
• Likewise, if he failed to protect the people from
floods, famine, wars or other disasters he was
considered to have lost the Mandate of Heaven
14. What makes the ‘Great Wall’ so
GREAT?
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-the-great-wall-of-
china-so-extraordinary-megan-campisi-and-pen-pen-chen
15. Picture Id: 131810
Rights Managed
Editorial Description:
Painting of slaves building the
Great Wall of China.
Keywords:
THE GREAT WALL, PAINTINGS, WHIPS,
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, PRISONERS,
HISTORIC CHARACTERS, SCENES, AND
EVENTS, SLAVES AND SLAVERY, CHINESE
PEOPLE, COLOR IMAGE, DAY, OUTDOORS,
ILLUSTRATION, CROWD, CHINESE
ETHNICITY, CHINESE, CULTURE, SLAVE,
WHIP, WORKER, PRISONER, HISTORY,
ANCIENT CIVILIZATION, CHINA
Location:
Artwork.
Photographer:
HSIEN-MIN YANG/National Geographic Creative
See More Images by this Photographer
Technical details:
Dimensions: 3729px x 4676px
Max File size: 50 MB
http://www.natgeocreative.com/photography/131810
16.
17. • Many names: Qin Shi Huang, Qin Shi Huangdi, Qin Shi
Huang-di, Qin Shi Huangti, Qin Shi Huang-ti, Ying Zheng,
and First Emperor
• Accomplished great feats and established himself in
Chinese history
• Much good came of his reign, but also many deaths and
violence
Documentary (1:42:26)
18. • Born to King Zhuangxiang of Qin and Zhao Ji
• Inherited the Qin State at 13 with Lü Buwei acting as
Prime Minister
19. • Lü Buwei, the Prime Minister, was afraid of Ying
Zheng. He lined up Lao Ai to overthrow the king.
Failed, caught, and executed violently.
• State of Yan fearful of being conquered sent Jing
Ke to present gifts then kill the king. Failed and
executed.
• Gao Jianli tried to avenge Jing Ke’s death by
playing his lute for the king. The lute was
fastened to a piece of lead and was thrust at the
king. He missed and was executed.
20. • The state of Qin conquered the states of Han, Zhao, Wei,
Chu, Yan (all independent states)
• King Qin Shi Huang became Emperor Qin Shi Huang in
221 BCE
21. • No more states: 36 commanderies further
divided into districts, counties, and hundred-
family units
• Standardized units of measurement and Chinese
characters
• Began construction to join sections of the Great
Wall
• Constructed the Ling Canal
22. • After unifying China, Huang decided to connect walls
created by the previous states and add new sections
• Built in order to keep out the Huns and other nomadic
tribes
23. • The Emperor and his Prime Minister, Li Si, burned all books
pertaining to the Hundred School of Thought and the time
prior to his reign. Severe punishment for owning a banned
book.
• Over 460 scholars were buried alive in order to keep
Confucius’s teachings out and also for revenge (a few
scholars tricked him in his quest for eternal life).
24. • Sent many people on quests to find the Elixir of
Life
• None returned, although it is believed that some
people on this quest might have settled in Japan.
• Died of mercury poisoning from consuming it in
the hope that it would make him immortal
• Li Si attempted to hide the death for 2 months
until all affairs were in order.
25. • Began construction soon after gaining the Qin throne
• Contains the Terracotta Army
• No one living person has been inside, but legends say
that there are building replicas, tools, and 100 rivers of
mercury
• Probes sent into tomb revealed high mercury levels
Article: Flowing Rivers of Mercury
26. • Life-sized warriors, chariots, and horses made of clay
guard the tomb. Each are slightly different.
• 7,000+ warriors, 130 chariots with horses, and 110
cavalry horses
• Originally painted in “Chinese purple”
27. • Read the secondary source
• Complete the table showing evidence for why he was a
great leader and why he could be seen as a terrible
tyrant.
• Qin Shi HuangdiEmperor Qin Shi Huangdi-activity.pdf
• Ancient China - Life of Confucius - Worksheet with
Suggested Responses.pdf
30. Great Leader
• Unification
Eg. currency, country,
measurements, language
• Building
Eg. palaces, Great Wall
• Organisation of the
Empire
Eg. system of government –
Legalism
First Emperor
Clever administrator
Brutal Tyrant
• Feared by his people
Eg. severe punishments, branding,
torture etc.
• Stamped out Confucianism
Eg. book burning, punishments,
scholars killed, buried alive for
owning Confucian books
• Building
Eg. thousands died working on his
building projects
• Organisation of the Empire
Eg. taxes, conscription to the army,
strict and unreasonable laws,
Legalism
31. Websites
About. 2009. New York Times Company. 13
March 2009
<http://archaeology.about.com/od/china/a/terr
acotta.htm>.
Absolute Astronomy. 2009. GFDL. 12 March
2009
<http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/B
urning_of_books_and_burying_of_scholars>.
Travel China Guide. 1 December 2008. Travel
China Guide. 13 March 2009
<http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_grea
t_wall/history/>.
Wikipedia. 14 March 2009. Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc. 12 March 2009
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Haungdi#Zhan
g_Liang.27s_assassination_attempt>.
Pictures
“Map of China.” 2008. ISEP. 14 March 2009
<http://www.isep.org/students/Directory/maps/china_big_map.jp
g>.
“Map of Qin.” 2008. China Highlights. 14 March 2009
<http://www.chinahighlights.com/image/map/ancient/qin-
dynasty-map1.gif>.
“Portrait of Qin Shi Huang.” 2009. China Online. 14 March 2009
<http://www.chinaonline.cn.com/chinese_culture/biography/ima
ges/Qin_Shi_Huangdi_3.jpg>.
“Terracotta Carriage.” 2009. Dynasty Hotel. 15 March 2009
<http://www.dynasty-
hotel.com/images/content/terracotta_army_of_qin.jpg>.
“Terracotta Crouching Soldier.” 2008. Fun President. 15 March 2009
<http://funpresident.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/800px-
terracotta_army__gdynia_2006_-_01_ubt.jpeg>.
“Terracotta Soldiers.” 2008. CenBlog. 14 March 2009
<http://cenblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/terracotta-
army.jpg>.
“The Great Wall of China.” 2009. Travel Centre. 14 March 2009
<http://www.travel-centre.co.uk/site-
media/images/sections/great_wall_1.JPG>.
