CHAPTER 7 CHINA: FRACTURE AND UNIFICATION THE QIN, HAN, SUI, AND TANG DYNASTIES, 200 B.C.E.–900 C.E. Overview: This chapter continues the history of China with the creation of the first empire at the hands of Qin Shi Huandi. It works well with Chapter 6, and deep comparison of the Chinese Empire with that of Rome can be a useful pedagogical approach. The controlling question of the chapter is ―how did China hold together, despite political unrest, enormous expansion of territory, and periods of disintegration?‖ Spodek explores these questions especially in terms of the cultural and linguistic unity of the Chinese elite. This may surprise readers who have experience of spoken Chinese and know about the wide range of dialects in the language; the explanation lies in the characters of written Chinese, which for the most part are not linked to absolute sound values. Thus an educated person in ancient China would use the same characters to read and write, no matter whether a counterpart on the other side of the empire would have been able to understand him in conversation. Of particular interest is the theme of assimilation, as the ruling class of China consciously tried to inculcate their values and culture in border lands. As a result, China casts an enormous shadow over the history of Asia, extending to lands ruled only briefly or not at all by the Chinese. OUTLINE OF KEY POINTS WITH SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHING: I.

Qin dynasty, 221–206 B.C.E. (pp. 205–208) A. Qin (pron. ―Chin‖) = 1 of Warring States of period c. 481–221 B.C.E. 1. Conquered others, declared creation of empire 221 B.C.E. B. Qin Shi Huandi (r. 221–210 B.C.E.) = ―first emperor‖ 1. Built Great Wall of China 2. Enormous tomb complex C. Economic power of state: goal = increase productivity D. Centralization of administration 1. Standardization, bureaucratization

II.

Ideologies of empire (pp. 208–214) A. Confucius (551–479 B.C.E.) 1. Moral order 2. Emphasis on hierarchy, ritual, arts 3. Ideal = the moral leader (―gentleman‖), shaped by education B. Legalism 1. Strict laws and enforcement C. Daoism 1. Mystical philosophy 2. Emphasis on simplicity D. Legalist efforts to suppress Confucianism

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Possible Teaching Topics: 1. Discuss the source selection from Confucius’ Analects on p. 210. Encourage students to make comparisons, both to Roman and to modern American values. 2. Bring images of Qin Shihuandi’s tomb at Mt. Li to class. Encourage a discussion of what the thousands of clay soldiers from the tomb can tell us—about craftsmanship, about military organization, about the ideology of the new Qin Empire. 3. Chart the differences between Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism. III.

Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.) (pp. 215–222) A. Civil war accompanied fall of Qin dynasty 1. Liu Bang established new dynasty B. Social/political hierarchy established that privileged scholars 1. Increasing centrality of Confucianism 2. Emperor Wu made knowledge of Confucianism important a. A basis for promotion in civil service b. Established as absolute in Tang dynasty 3. How do we know? The Court Historians C. Militarism 1. Large-scale expansion 2. Creation of tributary system D. Population shift from north to south E. Economic growth 1. Much state control F. Later Han dynasty, 23–220 C.E. 1. Growing border threat 2. Oppression of peasants G. Fall of Han, 184 C.E. on 1. Yellow Turban revolt 2. Court factions 3. Empire broken up among warlords

Possible Teaching Topics: 1. There is a lot of Han art available on the Internet, including fascinating objects such as funerary urns shaped like realistic houses of the era. Put together a presentation on the physical evidence of the Han dynasty. You may find it useful to draw in Roman remains and make pointby-point comparisons. 2. Give a mini-lecture expanding on the textbook’s discussion of the Yellow Turban revolt, a movement with millenarian underpinning that makes for an interesting comparison with Christianity and its relationship to the Roman state. 3. Compare the decline and fall of the Han to the decline and fall of the western Roman Empire. Especially consider the relative importance of external invasion and internal discontent. IV.

Society and culture (pp. 222–224) A. North-South division on fall of the Han 1. Variety in ecological regions B. Tradition of unity remained

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1. Disintegration period: arts flourished 2. Chinese language as unifying factor 3. North: ethnic mix with nomadic peoples a. Several nomadic groups conquered parts of the north C. Buddhism appeared in China first cent. C.E. V.

Reunification: Sui (581–618 C.E.) and Tang dynasty (618–907 C.E.) (pp. 224–229) A. New centralization B. Grand Canal—massive economic undertaking C. Art/technology advances 1. Block printing 2. Porcelain 3. Poetry 4. Flourishing of Buddhism

Possible Teaching Topics: 1. Discuss in class Du Fu’s ―Ballad of the Army Carts‖ (―How Do We Know?‖ panel, p. 229). What can you tell about Chinese attitudes from the poem? What was the social class of the author? 2. Show examples of Sui and Tang art, such as Tang porcelain. Discuss the markets for which such objects were intended and production methods. 3. Give a mini-lecture on the reaction against foreign and Buddhist elements during the Tang dynasty. VI.

Imperial China (pp. 229–234) A. Assimilation as major theme B. Great expansion into central Asia 1. Political control = short 2. Influence = long C. Vietnam 1. Annam = province for 1000 years 2. Adopted many Chinese customs 3. Periodic revolts against Chinese domination D. Korea 1. Vassal state of China 2. Deep cultural influence E. Japan 1. Waves of Korean and Chinese immigration 2. Cultural influence 3. Japanese emperor as figurehead a. Struggles for power 4. Shinto

VII.

Legacies for the Future: Significance of Roman and Chinese Empires (pp. 234–237) A. Series of useful comparisons between the two empires

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Possible Teaching Topics: 1. Of the regions culturally influenced by China, Japan is the easiest to develop with a lecture, since there are easily accessible sources. For example, the seventh-century Prince Shotoku and his transformation of Confucian/Buddhist ideology for Japanese use is a very interesting tale of political consolidation that is comparable in some ways to that of ancient Israel. 2. Hold a discussion on the theme of assimilation. Compare ancient China’s efforts at assimilation to modern examples. KEY TERMS: Warring States period Qin dynasty (chin) Qin Shi Huangdi (chin shee HWAHNG-dee) Confucius Legalism Daoism (DOW-izm) Han dynasty Liu Bang (le-oo bahng) Wudi (WOO-dee) Yellow Turbans Sui dynasty (sway) Tang dynasty (tahng) Grand Canal Annam (ANN-am) Shinto QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION OR ESSAYS: 1. Discuss attitudes toward the military in China and other early empires. 2. Why did Confucianism eventually win as the leading philosophy of China? 3. Compare the two short-term dynasties, the Qin and the Sui. What features did they have in common that might explain their short duration? Compare them to the more stable Han dynasty. 4. Who are the most important figures to remember from ancient Chinese history and why? 5. Compare the ―barbarian menace‖ that confronted Rome to that of China. RESOURCES FOR CLASSROOM USE AND LECTURE PREPARATION Maps in Prentice Hall World Atlas Han China (p. 44) Religions of the World after 400 C.E. (p. 46) The World: 500–750 C.E. (p. 48) States and Empires in South Asia 300–1550 (p. 54)

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Websites China the Beautiful. http://www.chinapage.com/main2.html This page has hundreds of links to other websites dealing with Chinese culture and history. East and Southeast Asia: An Annotated Directory of Internet Resources. http://newton.uor.edu/Departments&Programs/AsianStudiesDept/index.html Anything you’re likely to want about China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and other Asian countries. Videos The Great Wall of China, Ambrose Video, 1995 [video; 27 minutes, color] This video presents the construction of the Great Wall and the reasons for its creation. History as a Mirror: Using China’s Past to Shape its Future Films for the Humanities & Sciences [DVD or video; 58 minutes, color] The focus of this film is modern China, but seen through the lens of China’s ancient legacy. It explores the delicate balance in Chinese history between governmental control and satisfying the people’s needs. Additional Primary Sources World History Documents CD-ROM 2.7 Sima Qian: The Historian’s Historian Writes about the Builder of the Great Wall 2.8 Shi Huang Ti of Qin: A Study in Absolutism 9.1 The Tang Dynasty (618–907): The Art of Government 9.2 Sun (Song) China: Imperial Examination System 9.3 Record of Ancient Matters: Futo No Yasumaro 9.4 Prince Shotoku’s Seventeen-Article Constitution 9.5 Pilgrimage to China (840): Ennin 9.6 Thai Civilization: Southeast Asia *Confucius. The Analects, trans. D.C. Lau (Penguin, 1979). 256 pp. The most influential book in Chinese history. Murasaki Shikibu. Diary of Lady Murasaki, trans. Richard Bowring (Penguin, 1999). 144 pp. A look at court life in eleventh-century Japan. Yohannan, John D., ed. A Trasury of Asian Literature (Plume, 1995). 432 pp. An anthology of works from India, China, Japan, and the Arabic world. (*available at discounted price when purchased with textbook from Prentice Hall)

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