ChinaCreativity Continues to

Flow

Chinese Civilizations

Map showing early Yellow River Societies (with later expansion to Yangtze River area)

Chinese Civilizations

• Yellow River– High Silt content (40%

of its volume)– Rich topsoil when it

floods– Unpredictable flooding

• Isolated– Deserts– Distance– The Great Wall

(eventually)

Chinese Civilizations: Xia or Hsia Dynasty (2200-1700

BC)

• Earliest Dynasty (compare to Egypt)• Lasting Contributions

– Domestication of the horse– Development of bronze weapons and

tools– Expansion of territory

• People were largely tribal

Chinese Civilizations: Shang Dynasty (1700-1000 B.C.)

• Chinese Writing System developed– Uses logograms or

pictographs– Over 50,000 characters,

but good literacy requires only 5,000.

• Horse-drawn chariots• Bronze weapons

improved– Improvement occurred

later than the Mesopotamian’s did, shows isolation

Chinese Civilizations: Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.)

• Mandate of heaven concept introduced, Emperors were chosen by divine right

• Two most important thinkers of Chinese history lived during this dynasty– Lao Tzu– Confucius (Kung Fu-

Tzu)

Lao Tzu

Confucius

Chinese Civilizations: Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.)

Confucius (551-479 BC)• Kung Fu-Tzu, Master Kung• Born to a family of

bureaucrats (minor nobility)• Received a good education• Worked for several

governments and developed a system of good government, which was based on– Honesty– Dependability– Hard work– Loyalty

Chinese Civilizations: Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.)

Confucius• Had a small group of disciples during lifetime• Teachings were recognized later during Han

dynasty– Humans are basically good but some traits need to be

built and others diminished– Society should be adapted to the goodness of people– Status of a person should be decided upon merit – Each person has a role to fill– Family is the basic unit of society

• Confucianism is not a religion but a collection of moral teachings– “A clever tongue and a fine appearance are rarely the

signs of goodness”

Chinese Civilizations: Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.)

Lao-Tzu: Taoism• Lived about the

same time as Confucius

• Teachings known as Tao Te Ching or The Way– Nature is the great

teacher – By observing nature

we can find the correct path in life.

Taoism

"The term wu wei is frequently used in Taoist philosophy and means literally "non-action." What the Chinese mean by wu wei is not abstaining from activity but abstaining from a certain kind of activity, activity that is out of harmony with the ongoing cosmic process. [Perhaps a better definition of wu wei is] refraining from action contrary to nature... This is the meaning of Lao Tzu's seemingly puzzling statement: "By nonaction everything can be done."– The Turning Point, Fritjof Capra

"Lao Tzu in his Tao Te Ching shares an invaluable piece of wisdom: 'The world is ruled by letting things take their course. It cannot be ruled by interfering.'" – Ray, Michael and Rochelle Myers, Creativity in Business, Broadway Books, 1986, p. 29.

Taoism

"When the effective leader is finished with his work, the people say it happened naturally."

– Lao Tzu, quoted in Thorpe, Scott, How to Think Like Einstein, Barnes & Noble Books, Inc., 2000, p.172.

TaoismYin

FeminineEarthMoon Night Winter MoistureCoolnessInteriorIntuitionContractiveConservativeResponsiveCooperativeSynthesizing

Yang

MaleHeavenSunDaySummerDrynessWarmthSurfaceRationalExpansiveDemandingAggressiveCompetitiveAnalytical

"Yin corresponds to all that is contractive, responsive, and conservative, whereas yang implies all that is expansive, aggressive, and demanding...In Chinese culture yin and yang have never been associated with moral values. What is good is not yin or yang but the dynamic balance between the two; what is bad or harmful is imbalance."

– The Turning Point, Fritjof Capra

Chinese Civilizations: Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.)

Taoism• Government—do

more by doing nothing

• Man’s relationship to nature

Confucianism• Government─do

more, but do it better

• Man’s relationship to man

Comparison:

Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.)

• Later Zhou period:– Kings became weak and so kingdom

fragmented – Bureaucrats became powerful– Society became fixed– Many wars between kingdoms– Creativity slowed

Chinese Civilizations: Qin/Ch’in Dynasty (221-207

BC)• First Sovereign emperor

– Powerful and feared• All territory united for the first

time• Ch’in emperor knew value of

– Communication– Unity for his empire – Good roads for trade

• Silk Road went from the capital Xi’an to the Black Sea

• Principle route for trade between Europe and China

• Was expanded through history• Used through Middle Ages

Chinese Civilizations: Qin/Ch’in Dynasty (221-207

BC)

Movie: Hero

Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty

• The Great Wall of China– Improved in Ch’in

dynasty to avoid revolt by keeping peasants busy

– Surpassed original expectations of Zhou dynasty

• 1500 miles • Stretched from the

Pacific Ocean to the Tibetan mountains

• Large enough to march armies along the top

Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty

• Built terracotta warriors in the capital Xi’an

Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty

Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty

Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty

Silk Road

Chinese Civilizations: Qin/ Ch’in Dynasty

• Attempted to destroy knowledge books• Required all aristocracy to leave their land

and come to the capital so he could watch them

• Distributed land to peasants, but heavily taxed

Control:

"Geographic connectedness and only modest internal barriers gave China an initial advantage [by developing civilization over a wide area]. But China's connectedness eventually became a disadvantage, because a decision by one despot could and repeatedly did halt innovation. In contrast, Europe's geographic balkanization resulted in dozens or hundreds of independent, competing statelets and centers of innovation.“

– Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel, 1999,

414-416.