February 21, 2010
February 20, 2010
The Han Dynasty (202-220 BCE)
A NEW METHODThe Han dynasty tried to fix the problems other dynasties had fallen to, such as government that was too centralized or fragmented. Instead, Han Gaozu allocated power to his family. This didn't work too well either, but the dynasty was still successful.
BRINGIN' ACADEMICS BACK
An imperial university was founded by Han Wudi, another emperor. Three thousand young men enrolled to train for government service. They learned Confucian curriculum.
THE DYNASTY GAINS STRENGTH
Under Han Wudi, the Han dynasty conquered Vietnam and Korea and fought off the Xiongnu, a nomadic people north of China with war knowledge. The empire became rich in iron, silk and paper. Agricultural techniques improved and as a result there was a huge jump in population.
WHO WAS WANG MANG?Wang Mang was an emperor who took the throne in place of the actual emperor, a two-year-old. He only had the throne for fourteen years, but instituted land reforms to distribute land and money from the rich landowners to the poor farmers. However, the effort didn't work out and there was a resulting famine. When the Han dynasty picked up again, it was much weaker and eventually fell apart.
The Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE)
CHANGE IN RULEThe Qin dynasty was very short, yet of great importance. The founder, Qin Shihuangdi, established centralized rule and divided China into provinces. He relied on his own loyal servants to rule the provinces rather than established nobility and disarmed regional military forces.
STANDARDIZATIONS
Qin Shihuangdi standardized laws, currencies, weights and measures. This united the country and greatly improved trade. He also standardized script in such a way that people speaking two different languages would be still be able to read the same word with the same meaning.
OPPRESSIONHarsh punishments were used to squash dissent, such as the execution of people who criticized him or his regime. Shihuangdi did not like learning or academics. He ordered 460 scholars to be buried alive and required the burning of all literary, ethical and history books.
THE TOMB OF QIN SHIHUANGDI
In his tomb, a myriad of terracotta wariors, horses and chariots were discovered buried underground. In addition, numerous servants and builders of the tomb, and many of his concubines were also buried with him. The terracotta figures were found broken apart and each one was had to be pieced back together.
The Zhou Dynasty (1045-256 BCE)
GOVERNMENT AND RULEThe Zhou dynasty established the Mandate of Heaven, a belief that a ruler's authority came from a higher power and could also be taken away if he acted unjustly. In addition to losing office, a ruler could sometimes have further consequences, like the destruction of his ancestral temple.
THE DOWNFALL OF ZHOU
The dynasty was large and relied upon decentralized administration. It came to an end, however, when individual states became too strong as a result of decentralization. The development of iron could no longer be controlled as well.
The Shang Dynasty (1750-1085 BCE)
CAPITAL CITIESAt one time, the capital city was Ao, but changed many times. At Ao, a wall was constructed by laborers and took twenty years to complete. It was 33 ft high. At another capital, Yin, there ware lavish tombs, bronze foundaries, artisan's shops and royal palaces.
BRONZEThe Shang dynasty had bronze metallurgy which allowed them to take over the previous dynasty, the Xia. This was because the rulers controlled the bronze and didn't allow others access to it. This dynasty was primarily under military rule and may have had over 10,000 troops.
ORACLE BONESOracle bones were like the ancient Chinese version of a magic 8 ball. They answered questions with two possible answers such as "Should the emperor do this or that?". Based upon where a heated bone would crack, the answer written on that side of the bone would be interpreted as correct. The bones did not have spells written on them.
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