Strong Rulers Unite China

Strong Rulers Unite China

Shi Huangdi Unifies China

• Shi Huangdi: powerful ruler in Western China that overthrew feudal lords around him until he had enough land and power to declare himself emperor

• Called himself “First Emperor” in 221 BC• Began China’s classical age (a time in a

civilization that sets patterns in government, philosophy, religion, science, and the arts that serves as a pattern/framework for later cultures)

Legalism

• Shi Huangdi was a harsh ruler with centralized power• He had Legalist advisors: based on the idea that “the

nature of man is evil. His goodness is acquired”…and therefore the only way to have an ordered society was to have strict laws and harsh punishments– Tortured, killed, or enslaved opposition– Approved book burnings on all writings other than

instructive medicine/farming manuals– Ideas lasted for a long time in China: people could be

forced to work on government projects if they didn’t follow through on their duties or broke a law

Shi Huangdi’s Other Legacies• Standardized weights and measures and other things, like wheels for

carts• Abolished feudalism because that required allegiance to a local lord

rather than to him (the central government)• Ordered local defensive walls to be joined and improved, which led to

the first stages of the Great Wall of China• Built a massive tomb that he filled with 6,000 life-sized and individually-

carved clay soldiers and horses– wasn’t found until the 1970s because it was hidden underground in a burial

mound– http://www.smithsonianmag.com/multimedia/photos/?

c=y&articleID=48071972&page=1 !!• After Shi Huangdi died, there were revolts throughout the country and

(4 years later) an illiterate peasant leader, Gao Zu, defeated the other armies that were fighting for power and founded the Han Empire

The Han Dynasty Strengthens China• New emperor Gao Zu lowered taxes, appointed Confucian

advisors, and made laws less strict• Most famous Han Emperor: Wudi

– Strengthened government and economy– Expanded China’s territory– Established the Silk Road (network of trade routes with the Fertile

Crecent)– Gave people positions in the government (civil service) based on

ability accomplishments rather than through family ties• made government stronger and made social mobility a bigger possibility• stayed in place until 1912

Dynastic Cycle: empire decayed; weaker leaders came to power; peasants revolted; invaders came in; China broke into many smaller kingdoms

- Floods, famines, earthquakes- Invasions

- Peasant revolts

- Restores Peace-Appoints loyal officials- Builds canals and

roads- Repairs defensive

walls

- Neglects government duties

- Corrupt officials- Heavy taxes to pay for fun- Allows walls to decay

- Loses control

Gao Zu

Wudi

Achievements of the Han Golden Age

• Han period was a Golden Age in Chinese History• Science and Medicine:

– Astronomers made advancements in mapping stars, planets, and eclipses– Invented acupuncture– Invented the seismograph to detect earthquakes

• Technology and Engineering:– Method for making paper out of wood pulp still used today– Advanced methods of shipbuilding and using the rudder to steer– Invented wheelbarrows– Invented suspension bridges

• Religion and the Arts:– Great architecture: palaces and parks– Jade and ivory carvings; ceramic figures– Bronze and silk-making techniques improved– By 100 AD, Buddhism had spread to China; it caught on quickly and became very

popular (by 400 AD) because it presented a hope of escaping suffering (eventually)