CHINESE CIVILIZATIONS

Chapter III


Chinese Civilization
Geography and Population


2. Cultural Developments and Achievements
Geography and Population
The Hoang River Valley

4000 B.C. farming communities had grown
throughout the Hoang River Valley
Brought both joy and sadness to the people of China
The Shang Dynasty (1700 B.C. - 1122 B.C.)
About 1700 B.C. the Shang united the cities and towns
of Huang River Valley
Lasted nearly 600 years
Sometime after 1600 B.C., the Shang build An-yang
on one tributary of Huang River
The Family and Social Order:

Elderly, oldest members of the family were respected and had a lot of influence
The oldest man: in charge of possession and
final approval of all important family matters

The oldest woman: had power over all other women in the household

The young: no say in family affairs

The children: had to obey their parents and grandparents without no question.

Cultural Developments and Achievements
Religion
The family was closely to religion
Spirits of dead ancestors
Used oracle bones to ask the gods their own questions
Writing
Earliest examples show pictures of objects
Chinese writing developed from the systems of picture writing used in China 3,500 years ago
Chinese language used a lot of different characters and signs
Ancient Chinese: 3,000 characters
Modern Chinese: 50,000 characters



Cultural Developments and Achievements
Chinese Civilization to the 20nd century
Contents:
Geography and Population
1.1. Outer China
1.2. North China
1.3. South China
2. History of Dynasties
1. Geography and Population
1.1. Outer China:
Tibet and Sinkiang: called Outer China
Lands of Outer China in western China
1% population lives here
1.2. North China
Most people live here
Loess: from desert far to the west
fertile, improves the quality of its soil
Rich in mineral resources




1.3. South China:
Lush vegetation grows well
The Chang: the world’s longest river
Monsoons brings more moisture
Rice paddies fill the countryside


2. History of Dynasties

Ten dynasties of China more than 3,500 years and major achievements of China Civilization



Medical science
Develop the technique of acupunture and dissecting.
Military engineering
Invents: gunpowder, flame-throwers, poison gas, cannons and tanks
Printing
Invent: paper, wood-block printing and paper money
World civilisation
Chinese civilisation
2.3 Philosophy and religion
Confucius
Yin and Yang school and Chinese cosmogomy
Five elements
Money commands
Yin and Yang principles
Taoism
Leggiest and jurist




Confucius
(551 B.C-479 B.C)

Personal life and family
A great time of unrest: wars between feudal kingdoms
Family
Justice Minister
A long journey after resignation

Confucius
Teachings
Peace and justice begin at home
Children respect and obey parents
People should respect and obey rulers
Rulers respect citizens


Occult arts
Astrology
Almanacs
Five elements
Divinations
Miscenllanuos divinations
Feng shui

The five elements

Five agents: metal, wood, water, fire and soil

Five functions: personal appearance, speech, vision, hearing and thought


Monthly commands

Meaning if the name

Yin and yang
descriptions of the antitheses or mutual correlations in human perceptions of phenomena

Yin: shadow, darkness
Yang: sunshine
Taoism
A major spiritual ways of China
Founded by Lao-tzu in 6th century B.C
Viewed in two ways:
A religion
A philosophy or form of mysticism
Characterised by a quest of harmony
Leggiest and jurist
Feudalistic society based on two principles:
Rituals, ceremonies; rules of conduct and mores
Penalties and punishments

Han Fei Tzu: the synthesizer of the Legalist school
architecture
The Great Wall
The Grand Canal
The Forbidden City

From the 5th century B.C: walls built along the northern borders to try and hold back the invaders.

3rd century B.C: Emperor Shih Huang Ti, founder of the Qin dynasty decided to unite these walls and strengthen them.

The Great Wall: from China’s east coast to Outer China

300,000 peasants

At first: 2,200 km in length

When finished: the longest structure ever built
The Grand Canal

Under the Sui dynasty: built to connect the Huang and Chang rivers.

Kublai Khan: ordered 100,000 workers to lengthen it to reach Beijing.
The Forbidden City
Ming dynasty created the amazing Forbidden City
Located in the center of Beijing
Surrounded by walls
Three golden-roofed palaces
Carved dragons: symbol of Emperor
Peacocks: symbol of Empress
Streams filled with gold fish
Gardens filled with a lot of flowers.
The end of the dynasties
The Manchus

Manchu Overthrow
History

Development

weakness
history
Conquered the Ming dynasty
Came from the fertile plain of Manchuria
In 1644: founded the Qing dynasty (lasted for nearly 300 years
Ruled until 1912
China grew and prospered

Qing control spread far beyond China’s old borders

European traders from the West wanted Chinese goods
Development
weakness
European bring opium to China

Many Chinese become addicted to drugs.

The Chinese military was defeated by the British and trade in goods and opium continued

Qing dynasty weakened from the outdside and from within

Manchu Overthrown
During last years of rule: send young Chinese to Europe and the US to be educated.
These young people learned about Western democratic government
Sat Yat-sen: lead a revolt against Manchu rule in 1895 but failed
In 1912: a rebellion against Qing dynasty succeeded
China became republic
History of Ancient Greece
Geography and population


History of Democracy
I. Geography and Population:







II. History of Democracy:

2.1 The Polis

- What is the Polis?

- Monarchy ?

- Tyranny ?

.
2.2 The birth of Democracy:

- Democracy is a Greek word meaning “power of the people”
- Athens was the world’s first democracy

- The basic lawmaking group is an assembly.

- Pericles was Athens’ greatest leader.
History
of the Roman Empire
contents
The Punic Wars
Building an Empire
Popular generals
Julius Caesar
Octavian Augustus
The Punic Wars
264 B.C
Punic comes from the Latin word for Phoenicia.
218 B.C: Hannibal
202 B.C : Scipio
Battle of Zama
Building an Empire

A small republic to a large empire
Separate states
Julius Caesar
Born in 100 B.C
46 B.C
Dictator
On March15 in 44B.C
Octavian Augustus
27 B.C
“Grand” ; “Honored one”
Pax Romana:

Pax: peace
A.D. 476