Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the

Han”?

Do Now: Complete “Connections to Today”

Homework: Do Research on Civil Service exams in our city. How do they compare

to the Civil Service system in China?

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

Connections to Today• Digital Chinese

• The writing systems in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan are all based on a common set of thousands of characters developed in China centuries ago. Over time, each country has modified this system in a different way. These differences have made it difficult for writers in the various countries to communicate clearly with one another. The computer age has added new communication problems. Since 1970s each East Asian country has developed its own code of Chinese characters to input and transmit computer data. The codes are not always compatible, and their differences can corrupt information sent from a computer in one country to that in another. To solve this problem, an international task force is attempting to develop a standard software set of digital Chinese characters.

• Why might there be so much interest in developing a common Chinese character code for computer communication?

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

Qin vs. Han

What is the major geographic difference between the Qin and Han Dynasties?

What was a major factor in the expansion of the Han Dynasty?

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

The Han Dynasty

• Gao Zu restored order to China after the fall of the Qin dynasty– Did away with high taxes and harsh policies– Returned to Confucian ideas

• Lasted from 206 BC to 220 AD

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

Emperor Wudi

• Most famous Han Dynasty emperor

• Strengthened the government and economy

• Set up an imperial university to train Confucian scholars

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

Wudi - Achievements

• Improved roads and canals. • Set up granaries to store grain • Reorganized the economy.• Government controlled iron and salt production• This gave the government a source of income

besides taxes• Increased territory under Chinese rule• Military outposts in Manchuria, Korea, Vietnam,

Tibet and Central Asia.• This helped spread Chinese influence.

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

The Silk Road: Gateway to the West

• New trade route opened during the Han dynasty• This would link East and West for centuries• Major method of cultural diffusion• New opportunities for different countries to trade

food (grapes, figs, cucumbers and walnuts), fabric (silk, linen, muslin)

• Eventually the road grew to 4000 miles long• Goods were relayed in stages from one set of

traders to another

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

The Silk Road: Trading Network

Identify one negative and one positive aspect of the Silk Road.

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

Civil Service• Han emperors used Confucianism as the

philosophy of the state.• If you were a Confucian scholar you were

expected to be dignified and have a knowledge of history, music, poetry.

• A major change was the Civil Service exam. You could no longer get a job based on your family. You had to take a test, similar to what we have now. This gave the most qualified people good positions in government.

• Dynasties rose and fell, but Confucian influence remained in China.

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

Major Achievements• Medicine:

– Herbal remedies– Acupuncture– Anesthetics

• Technology– Paper out of wood– Rudder to steer ships– Fishing reels– Wheelbarrows– Water pumps

• Arts– Splendid temples, places, temples and parks– Jade/Ivory carvings

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

Visual AidHerbal Medicine Anesthetics Paper out of wood

Water pumps

Wheelbarrows Fishing reelRudder

Aim/Goal: Why do modern Chinese consider themselves to be “people of the Han”?Do Now: Connections to Today

All Good Things Come To An End!

• Collapse of the Hand– Scandals undermined the emperor– Powerful warlords – Heavy taxes and debt– Rebellious peasants

• This left China open to invasion by conquering hordes coming over the Great Wall.