ANCIENT
CHINA
PRE-HISTORIC CHINA
Paleolithic China:Peking Man
Fossils found in 1920’s -30’s -- date to 500,000 bce
Zhoukoudian Cave -- 40 km. south of Beijing Classified as HOMO ERECTUS
Neolithic China ca. 12,000-2000 bce
Neolithic China ca. 12,000-2000 bce
Although Neolithic period began ca. 12,000 bce in China, good evidence dates back only to 4,000 bce
Largest concentration of agriculture near Yellow River: millet was main crop
Much wetter geography: most of N. China was lakes and marshes, and central China was covered with enormous lake.
Silk production in Northern China began even before the Neolithic period.
Clustered dwelling suggest importance of kinship
9000 year-old flutes
These 9,000-year-old Chinese flutes are believed to be the oldest known playable instruments.
They're made from the forelimbs of a rare crane.
Yangshao Culture5000-2500 bce
Primitive techniques of cultivation: millet main crop
Semisubterranean houses in mountains of northern and western China
Their handcrafted, Painted Pottery occasionally bears a single incised sign that may be a forerunner of Chinese writing
Domesticated the dog and the pig
Lung-shan Culture ca.2500-1000 bce
More advanced agriculture Permanent settlements in the eastern
plains, and expansion into Manchuria, and Central and South China.
Black Pottery Practiced ancestor worship Domesticated pig, dog, sheep and ox
Jade Early Chinese describe
jade as embodying five virtues: Benevolence is typified
by its luster that is bright and warm
Integrity by its translucency
Wisdom by its sonorous ring when struck
Courage by its hardness
Steadfastness by its durability Ornament in shape of pig-dragon (zhulong)
Neolithic, Hongshan culture ca. 3600-2000 bce
Neolithic Jade
Modern jade includes nephrite and jadeite: only nephrite used in Neolithic times
Ranges widely in color, from pale to dark green, from white to yellow, from brown to black.
Extremely hard, so inordinately difficult to work. It cannot be carved, but must be ground by a material harder than itself
The Neolithic tools of choice were probably a gut saw and bamboo drill together with an abrasive in the form of river sand or sludge.
Earliest pieces date ca. 7000 bce
Hongshan Jade
Far to the northeast, in the Manchurian hills, archaeologists have uncovered traces of a ceremonial center at Niuheliang associated with the Hongshan culture (4700-2920 B.C.).
Jade objects found in tombs
Liangzhu Jade Congs
Found almost exclusively in burial contexts, indicating ritual and religious significance
Unique form of a circle within a square suggests some cosmological significance.
Perhaps the circle symbolizes heaven, and the square symbolizes earth
Xia Dynasty 21st-16th c. bce
Xia Dynasty 21st-16th c. bce
First prehistoric dynasty: descendants of Lung-Shan culture
Early bronze age sites in Henan first discovered in 1928
Urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs that point to the existence of Xia civilization in the same locations cited in ancient Chinese texts
Evolutionary stage between the late neolithic cultures and the urban civilization of the Shang dynasty.
HISTORIC DYNASTIES
Shang Dynasty16th-11th c. bce
Shang Dynasty
Central Yellow River Valley Oldest examples of Chinese
writing Hunters and farmers Brilliant bronze culture Cities
Cheng Chow (16th c. bc) Anyang (C. 1384-1111 bc) Ornament of the late Shang,
7 cm The figurine shows the costume and headdress
usually worn by people in the Shang Dynasty
Shang Social Organization
City-states under the nominal rule of a high king
Proto-feudalism. The area under the jurisdiction
of the king quite probably was small, perhaps not more than 100-200 miles in any direction from Anyang.
Traces of a family ruling system and of ancestor-worship are discernible.
Rigidly patriarchal society. Shang Tang - the first ruling king of the Shang dynasty
Writing
Oracle bones used for divination.
A question was written on the bone, which was then fired and a T shaped crack was produced to be interpreted; the interpretation was then written on the bone.
After the predicted event occurred, the date of the occurrence was also written on the bone.
Astronomy and Calendar
Oracle bone with record of solar eclipse
Ox bone inscribed with a table of the Heavenly Stems and
Earthly Branches
ZhongqiShang Bronzes
Ritual bronze vessels Range from the very small and light to
very large Bronze vessels are called "zhongqi" or
heavy vessels in Chinese.
4 Elements of Zhongqi
Sophisticated bronze technology Li-qi: ritual art -- used for worship, not
utilitarian Restricted decoration and shape Shang bronze types were copied and
reused later in Chinese history, even into the nineteenth century
Taotie
Taotie
This pattern appears on nearly all Shang bronzes,
and has been interpreted as a
vague suggestion of an animal's
head. The animal is unclear, as are
many of the elements of the
decoration, so it is called zoomorphic:
shaped like an animal.
Shang Religion
The Shang worshipped the "Shang Ti," a supreme god over lesser gods, the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain, and other natural forces and places.
Highly ritualized, ancestor worship Sacrifice to the gods and the ancestors When a king died, hundreds of slaves and
prisoners were often sacrificed and buried with him.
Woman Warrior: Fu Hao13th c. bce
The tomb of Fu Hao is the only royal Shang tomb to have been found unlooted.
The floor level housed the royal corpse and most of the utensils and implements buried with her.
Below the corpse was a small pit holding the remains of 6 dogs, and the skeletons of 16 humans.
Fu Hao was mentioned in oracle bone inscriptions as the consort of King Wu Ding and a general who participated in several campaigns.
ZHOU DYNASTY 1027 bc-221 bc
Periods of Zhou Dynasty
771 bce -- Zhou invaded by barbarians allied with rebel lords; king killed. Capital moved eastward to Luoyang in Henan Province
Western Zhou: 1027-771 bce Eastern Zhou 770-221 bce
770-476 bce: Spring and Autumn Period 475-221 bce: Warring States Period
Zhou Dynasty
Introduced organized agriculture Feudal society
Land grants in return for support in war and loyalty
Ruler: Tian or “Son of Heaven Principal of societal relationships illustrated in
the Book of Odes and the Book of Rituals Confucianism and Taoism introduced
Zhou Jade: Ritual
Changes in ritual and funeral custom manifested themselves in the appearance of jade-piece masks and, much later, jade burial suits.
Belief that jade could protect the corpse from decay, thereby providing the spirit with a "living" home.
The pieces of this jade mask were sewn on a silk veil to define the facial features of the deceased.
Musical Instruments
Bian zhong was the main ritual instrument played at sacrificial
activities or feasts of
aristocrats in the Western Zhou
Dynasty. Percussion instrument of
Western Zhou, height 38.5-48 cm
Qin (Chin) Dynasty 221 bce -206 bce
First unified the country by subjugating the Warring States
Established central bureaucracy
Legalism supplanted Confucianism: scholars persecuted and books burned
Standardized writing, currency, weights and measures
Qin Shihuangdi
Qin Building Projects
– Used forced labor of convicts and peasants
– Roads and canals– Palaces– Connected
fortification walls to build 5000 kilometer Great Wall
Mausoleum of Qin Emperor ShiHuangdi (First Emperor)
Qin ShiHuangdi’s Mausoleum was discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well.
The 13 year-old emperor had ordered 800,000 workers to build his tomb.
Terra Cotta Army Rebellions broke out after
Emperor’s death in 210 bce: dynasty overthrown after only 15 years of rule
ConfuciusK’ung fu-tzu or Kongfuzi
551-479 bc Son of aristocrat, raised in poverty Itinerant teacher Sayings collected in The Analects Possibly edited The Book of Songs
Confucianism Importance of traditional values: self-
control, filial piety, propriety, ritual Individual virtue leads to societal virtue Contextual morality -- guided by
circumstances of a particular problem Obedience contingent upon
benevolence
Confucian Values Li: propriety, ceremony, civility. 4 basic rules of human
conduct: courtesy, politeness, good manners, respect (reverence for age)
Jen (Ren): respect for self and others:”Do not do to others what you do not want done to you.” Charity and courtesy
Te: virtue, the power of moral example as in a strong leader who guides by example or in the forces of nature
Wen: the arts of peace: music, poetry, art -- conducive to harmony and order and a model of excellence. Traditional Chinese art always strives for beauty.
The Six Relationships
Obedience in The Six Relationships is contingent upon the superior members observing their duty
to be benevolent and caring.
Ruler Teacher
Older Friend
Subject Student YoungerFriend
The Mandate of Heaven
The moral order of the Universe: right and wrong
Fate: Life and death are beyond our control.
The right to rule: knowing and observing the moral order of the Universe
The judgement of history: losing the Mandate of Heaven results in loss of power.
Lao Tzu or Lao Zi“Old Sage” or “Old Master”
Born c. 604 bc Author of Tao te Ching or
Taodejing: The Way and Its Power Legendary life
TAOISM Tao: the ultimate reality behind
existence, a transcendant essence. Highly individualistic and mystical
character Existential skepticism Wu-wei: spontaneity -- to discern and
follow the natural forces -- to follow and shape the natural flow of events, not to struggle against nature
Yin and Yang
Negative and positive principles of the universe. One cannot exist without the other, and they often
represent opposites in relations to each other. As there is more and more Yang, eventually, Yin
will appear and replace this increase. Similarly in the opposite direction, Yang will appear to replace the increase in Yin
YIN YANG
Negative Female Dark Evil Earth
Positive Male Light Good Heaven
Three Jewels
Compassion - leads to courage
Moderation - leads to generosity
Humility - leads to leadership
ANCIENT
CHINA
Earliest Dynasties
Xia Dynasty 21st-16th c. bce
Shang Dynasty 16th-11th c. bce
first writing
Zhou Dynasty1027 bc-221 bc
ConfucianismTaoism
CLASSICAL
CHINA
Dynasties
Qin (Chin) Dynasty
221 bc-206 bc
origin of name of China
The Han Empire206 bce-220 ce