Ancient+China


 * ANCIENT CHINA **  **1800 B.C. to 200 A.D.** **By Ayushi and Elsa**

**China has influenced many of our lives today. Not only do they invent and build things for us, they also import their goods all over the world. It all started from the __Xia Dynasty.__Very little is known about this dynasty as it quickly came to an end. The __Shang Dynasty__ took over which was mostly a farming society. Aristocracy was their upper class whose wealth was passed down from one generation to another. The kings would make their decisions from oracle bones which would tell them whether they should go to the war or not. According to legend, the last ruler of the Shang Dynasty was a wicked tyrant who “ruined the moral of the nation.” This led a ruler of a small state, Zhou to revolt against him. He created the longest lasting dynasty in Chinese history called the __Zhou Dynasty.__ They strongly believed in the Mandate of Heaven which was an impersonal law of nature. The king was supposed to rule according to the proper “Way” called Dao. **


 * After 800 years of rule, the Zhou Dynasty finally fell. Every state fought for power in the time period called Warring States. Eventually, the state of Qin came into power and formed the __Qin Dyansty__. Qin Shihuangdi, the originator of this dynasty, changed Chinese politics. His major fear was being attacked by nomadic people from up north, so he demanded that a wall be made to protect him and his people. His ruling still angered many Chinese including Liu Bang  who founded the next dynasty called the __Han Dynasty__. Another Han emperor Han Wudi <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">, better known as the “Martial Em ****<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">peror of Han”, expanded the empire up to the present day Vietnam. Ultimately, the Han Empire began to fall because of the weak rulers that enjoyed the pleasures of court life and did nothing for the empire. **


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Chinese Philosophies were very important to the people of Ancient China. ****<span style="color: #00b0f0; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Confucius ****<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">, also known as the first teacher, taught his pupils <span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Confucianism <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. He wrote down his teachings in books called <span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">analects <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">from where his students spread the message. Around the fourth century, another system of teachings came in existence called <span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Daoism <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. These were the teachings of <span style="color: #00b0f0; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Laozi <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">in which he discussed his knowledge in Tao Te Ching (The Way of the Dao). Daoism and Confucianism were quite different. Daoism believed that the true way to follow the will of Heaven is not action but inaction. Confucianism believed that it was the duty of human being to work hard to improve life here on Earth. The third philosophy that became popular in China was <span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Legalism <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. Unlike the other philosophies, Legalism said that human were naturally evil by heart and nature. The ruler did not have to show compassion for the needs of his people. **

__<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">**Five most important terms from Ancient China** __ **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3)__Legalism-__ A philosophy that became popular in China. It proposed that human beings were evil by nature. **
 * 1) ****<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">__Confucianism-__the system of Confucian ideas, an important part of Chinese history. **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">2) __Daoism-__ A system of ideas based on the teachings of Laozi. **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">4)__Mandate of Heaven-__ It was believed that Heaven kept order in the universe through the Zhou king. **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">5) __Filial Piety-__ The duty of members of the family to subordinate their needs and desires tho those of the male head of the family. **

__ **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Five most important people from Ancient China ** __ **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">1) __Qin Shihuangdi-__ The originator of the Qin Dynasty **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">2) __Confucius-__ The first teacher. **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">3) __Laozi-__ Craeted the system of Daoism and had knowledge in The Way of the Dao **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">4)__Liu Bang-__ a man of peasant origin who beame known by his title of Han Gaozu. **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">5) __Han Wudi-__ A Han emperor. "Martial Emperor of Han" **


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">LINKS: **
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**The British Museum This sites tells about the enhancements the Chinese made during the ancient times.**
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Ancient China Facts Click on links to learn more about the Chinese environment back then.**
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Random Facts Learn about the Chinese art, literature, and much more from this site.**
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Beauty of China See the amazing beauty in current day China and see how it was shaped from its history**
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Facts of China Click on the links to find our more about ancient China from their maps to their technologies.**


 * **<span style="color: #9966ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">1750 B.C. ** || * <span style="color: #31859c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Shang Dynasty begins ||
 * **<span style="color: #9966ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">1045 B.C. ** || * <span style="color: #31859c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Zhou Dynasty begins ||
 * **<span style="color: #9966ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">479 B.C. ** || * <span style="color: #31859c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Confucius dies ||
 * **<span style="color: #9966ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">403 B.C. ** || * <span style="color: #31859c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Period Of Warring States” begins ||
 * **<span style="color: #9966ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">221 B.C. ** || * <span style="color: #31859c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Qin Dynasty begins ||
 * **<span style="color: #9966ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">202 B.C. ** || * <span style="color: #31859c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Han Dynasty begins ||
 * **<span style="color: #9966ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">87 B.C. ** || * <span style="color: #31859c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Han Wudi dies ||
 * **<span style="color: #9966ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">8 B.C. ** || * <span style="color: #31859c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Art paper making begins ||
 * **<span style="color: #9966ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">170 A.D. ** || * <span style="color: #31859c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Han dynasty collapses ||
 * **<span style="color: #9966ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">1912 A.D. ** || * <span style="color: #31859c; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dynasty era for China ends ||


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">"An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger." **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">**~<span style="color: #660099; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none;">Confucius **

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