Unit 5 Lesson 4 World History

What did the Qin Emperor Shi Huangdi consider a leader's greatest virtue?

strength

How was Gazou able to raise a new empire?

Anger over persecution and other harsh policies under Shi Huangdi led to revolts that toppled the Qin and left the region open to new leadership.

What factors helped Buddhism spread through China?

Buddhist missionaries and traders from India had spread Mahayana Buddhism to China. Buddhism was popular in times of crisis, as it promised escape from suffering. The Buddha was seen as a compassionate god. Through prayer, good works, and devotion, anyone could hope to gain salvation.

ow was the Silk Road used to bring ideas to and from China?

Chinese technologies such as paper, printing, gunpowder, and the magnetic compass all traveled west on the Silk Road, as did Confucian ideas. Cultural influences, like Buddhism and Islam, were absorbed into China from its trading partners. New knowledge about astronomy and mathematics also spread to China from Arab, Indian, and European sources.

How does Legalism differ from Confucianism?

Confucianism focuses on the good in people and expects rulers to behave in a righteous manner toward those they rule in order to preserve social order. Legalists believe that people are basically evil and must learn goodness. Rulers must show strength and achieve order through strict, harsh laws and punishments.

How did Emperor Wudi change government?

Emperor Wudi replaced the system of family relations with a civil service based on merit.

Read the third paragraph of Buddhism Spreads to China. Recall what the phrase "filial piety" means. How does the concept of filial piety relate to Buddhist principles?

Filial piety refers to the Confucian teaching of honoring one's parents. By A.D. 400, Chinese Buddhist monks had absorbed some of the ideas of Confucianism, and stressed the importance of filial piety.

How did Shi Huangdi impose allegiance to a central government?

He abolished feudalism and replaced feudal states with military districts run by loyal government officials. He gave the nobles' lands to peasants and forced noble families to move to the capital so he could monitor them.

Why was a well-ordered civil service of benefit to the Han government?

It created a network of Confucian scholar-officials who had won their government positions through merit rather than family ties. This would suggest they were the most qualified to be an official. Also, it created a strong system of Confucian values within Chinese government that lasted for centuries.

Why did Emperor Wudi impose a monopoly on salt and iron?

It provided the government with a revenue source other than taxation.

Why do you think the Silk Road is sometimes called the Road of Civilization?

It was the way in which far-flung cultures exchanged goods, technologies, and ideas. This exchange of ideas, goods and technologies contributed to the growth of civilization.

Liu Bang

Liu Bang (circa 256 to 195 b.c.) was an illiterate Chinese peasant who rose to prominence during the collapse of the Qin dynasty. He became ruler of China, claiming the Mandate of Heaven, and founded the Han dynasty. Liu Bang took the title of Gao Zhu and reordered Chinese society. He is most remembered for rejecting the harsh legalism of the Qin dynasty in favor of policies based on Confucian philosophy.

What are some of the key contributions made by the Qin and Han dynasties that had a long-lasting effect on China's development as a classical civilization?

Qin dynasty: Great Wall, standardized weights, measures, and coins, uniform system of writing, extended roads and canals; Han dynasty: Silk Road; civil service system, expansion, Confucian government and belief system

Shi Huangdi

Shi Huangdi (about 259 B.C. -210 B.C. ) was originally named Zhao Zheng. He was the son of the king of the Qin territory. At age 13, Zheng became the king of Qin. He proclaimed himself Shi Huangdi, or "First Emperor." Using spies, loyal generals, and bribery, he removed the leaders of six other surrounding states to create a unified China under his authoritarian rule. However, the unified China he created was too dependent on Shi Huangdi. The Qin dynasty collapsed four years after his death.

Why was the Han period considered a Golden Age of Chinese civilization?

The Han period resulted in many advances and achievements in government, science, medicine, technology, engineering, and the arts. The Silk Road was established, and canals and roads improved.

Wudi

Wudi (156 B.C. -87 B.C.) was given the name Liu Che at birth. As the eleventh son of the Han emperor Jingdi, he would not have been destined to rule. However, the influence of his relatives changed this and he became emperor in 141 B.C. Determined to expand his dynasty's rule, he succeeded, though it came at a high cost to his soldiers and people. Liu Che made Confucianism the state religion. He was given the title Wudi (Martial Emperor) upon his death.

warlord

a leader of a military group who is not officially recognized and who fights against other leaders, groups, or governments

acupuncture

a method of relieving pain or curing illness by placing needles into a person's skin at particular points on the body

civil servant

a person who works for the government

expansionism

a policy of increasing a country's size by expanding its territory

How did the Han try to unify China?

by lowering taxes and rolling back Legalist policies as well as by hiring Confucian scholars as royal advisors

monopoly

complete ownership or control of something

What are some examples of Han inventions still used today?

the basic method of paper-making, metal riding stirrups, wheelbarrows, steering rudders for ships, acupuncture, suspension bridges