The first major philosopher who lived in China was Lao Tsu (if he really existed), about 600 BC, under the Eastern Chou dynasty. Lao Tsu founded the philosophy of Taoism, which said that people should try to live in harmony with the universe, rather than fighting it. Instead of living by rigid rules and laws, people should try to work with the natural way of the world, and in this way their lives would be easier and happier.
Not long after Lao Tsu began teaching Taoist ideas, another philosopher named Confucius came along to disagree with him. Confucius, who lived about 550 BC, also under the Eastern Chou dynasty, taught that people should recognize their responsibilities to the larger society, and work to uphold the laws and customs of their society. If everyone was a good citizen, the whole community would benefit and everyone would be happier.
You can see that these two ideas conflict with each other. Yet both Taoism and Confucianism were popular all over China for the next two thousand years, and they are still both popular today.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Religion Of ancient China
In the Shang Dynasty (about 2000 BC), the earliest period we know much about, people in China worshipped a lot of different gods - weather gods and sky gods - and also a higher god who ruled over the other gods, called Shang-Ti. People who lived during the Shang Dynasty also believed that their ancestors - their parents and grandparents - became like gods when they died, and that their ancestors wanted to be worshipped too, like gods. Each family worshipped their own ancestors.
By the time of the Chou Dynasty (about 1100 BC), the Chinese were also worshipping a natural force called t'ien, which we usually translate as Heaven. Like Shang-Ti, Heaven ruled over all the other gods. Heaven also decided who would be the Emperor or Empress of China. The emperor or empress could only rule as long as he or she had the Mandate of Heaven (as long as Heaven wanted him or her to rule). You knew when the emperor or empress had lost the Mandate of Heaven because he or she would then be overthrown by somebody else who would become the new emperor or empress.
Around 600 BC, under the Eastern Chou Dynasty, and for the next two hundred years, there were a lot of new ideas in Chinese religion. First, a Chinese philosopher named Lao Tzu (he may be mythical) created the philosophy of Taoism, which became very popular. Taoism holds that people should not try to get their way by force, but through compromise and using natural forces in their favor. It is partly a philosophy, and partly a religious faith. Taoists believe that there is a universal force flowing through all living things, and that respecting that force is essential to a happy life.
Not long after Lao Tzu, another Chinese scholar called Confucius created a different philosophical system we call Confucianism, which disagreed with Taoism but also became very popular. Confucianism holds that people should do their duty and follow their leaders and the gods faithfully. Order is the way to peace. If everyone just does what they are told, and what they are supposed to do, there won't be any fighting and nobody will be upset.
There were two other important philosophical schools of this period. One was started by Mo Tzu, which suggested that the way to happiness was for everyone to treat all other people as well as they treated their own families. The other was Legalism (a kind of Confucianism), which believed that people were all basically bad, and needed to be kept in line by strict laws and harsh punishments in order to create order and peace. Legalism was very important in the way the Chin Dynasty worked (about 220 BC).
But these new philosophies did not end the old religious practices. Everybody kept on worshipping their ancestors and the traditional Chinese gods, and they kept on believing in the Mandate of Heaven.Under the Han Dynasty (about 200 BC to 200 AD), scholars working for the emperors tried to find a way to combine Taoism and Confucianism. They believed that the emperors should follow the Tao, or the way, and help people to be good by rewarding good deeds. In this way, people would naturally want to be good, and wouldn't have to be forced into it.
Around 500 AD, in the period of the Three Kingdoms, Buddhism first came to China from India, where the Buddha had lived and where Buddhism got started. Actually there were Buddhists in China even during the Han Dynasty, starting about 50 AD, but there got to be a lot more of them under the Three Kingdoms. Some Buddhists were persecuted by the emperors, but generally Buddhism was popular and accepted. The T'ang Dynasty Empress Wu, for example, was a Buddhist. But Taoism was still very strong in China too.
During the T'ang Dynasty, also, trade with the Sassanians and then the Islamic Empire in West Asia meant that Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam all found converts in China. In 636 AD, for instance, some Christians from Syria in West Asia built a church in China. Jews settled at Kaifeng, at the end of the Silk Road, and built a synagogue in 1163 AD.
Under the Sung Dynasty (about 1000 AD), a sort of Confucianism combined with Buddhism got to be popular. Scholars reread the old Confucian philosophical writings in Buddhist terms, and tried to get Buddhist meanings out of them.
With the Mongol conquests around 1200 AD a new multiculturalism came to China. Kublai Khan, a Mongol emperor, although he was himself a Buddhist, was very interested in all different faiths and encouraged Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Tibetan lamas to all come debate each other at his court in China. But most people in China remained either Buddhists or Taoists.
Under the Ming Dynasty (begins in 1368 AD), Confucianism was again the main principle of the emperors, while Buddhism and Taoism remained popular among ordinary people. Throughout this whole time, however, the old ideas of the Mandate of Heaven, the traditional Chinese gods, and ancestor worship remained normal for everyone in China.
By the time of the Chou Dynasty (about 1100 BC), the Chinese were also worshipping a natural force called t'ien, which we usually translate as Heaven. Like Shang-Ti, Heaven ruled over all the other gods. Heaven also decided who would be the Emperor or Empress of China. The emperor or empress could only rule as long as he or she had the Mandate of Heaven (as long as Heaven wanted him or her to rule). You knew when the emperor or empress had lost the Mandate of Heaven because he or she would then be overthrown by somebody else who would become the new emperor or empress.
Around 600 BC, under the Eastern Chou Dynasty, and for the next two hundred years, there were a lot of new ideas in Chinese religion. First, a Chinese philosopher named Lao Tzu (he may be mythical) created the philosophy of Taoism, which became very popular. Taoism holds that people should not try to get their way by force, but through compromise and using natural forces in their favor. It is partly a philosophy, and partly a religious faith. Taoists believe that there is a universal force flowing through all living things, and that respecting that force is essential to a happy life.
Not long after Lao Tzu, another Chinese scholar called Confucius created a different philosophical system we call Confucianism, which disagreed with Taoism but also became very popular. Confucianism holds that people should do their duty and follow their leaders and the gods faithfully. Order is the way to peace. If everyone just does what they are told, and what they are supposed to do, there won't be any fighting and nobody will be upset.
There were two other important philosophical schools of this period. One was started by Mo Tzu, which suggested that the way to happiness was for everyone to treat all other people as well as they treated their own families. The other was Legalism (a kind of Confucianism), which believed that people were all basically bad, and needed to be kept in line by strict laws and harsh punishments in order to create order and peace. Legalism was very important in the way the Chin Dynasty worked (about 220 BC).
But these new philosophies did not end the old religious practices. Everybody kept on worshipping their ancestors and the traditional Chinese gods, and they kept on believing in the Mandate of Heaven.Under the Han Dynasty (about 200 BC to 200 AD), scholars working for the emperors tried to find a way to combine Taoism and Confucianism. They believed that the emperors should follow the Tao, or the way, and help people to be good by rewarding good deeds. In this way, people would naturally want to be good, and wouldn't have to be forced into it.
Around 500 AD, in the period of the Three Kingdoms, Buddhism first came to China from India, where the Buddha had lived and where Buddhism got started. Actually there were Buddhists in China even during the Han Dynasty, starting about 50 AD, but there got to be a lot more of them under the Three Kingdoms. Some Buddhists were persecuted by the emperors, but generally Buddhism was popular and accepted. The T'ang Dynasty Empress Wu, for example, was a Buddhist. But Taoism was still very strong in China too.
During the T'ang Dynasty, also, trade with the Sassanians and then the Islamic Empire in West Asia meant that Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam all found converts in China. In 636 AD, for instance, some Christians from Syria in West Asia built a church in China. Jews settled at Kaifeng, at the end of the Silk Road, and built a synagogue in 1163 AD.
Under the Sung Dynasty (about 1000 AD), a sort of Confucianism combined with Buddhism got to be popular. Scholars reread the old Confucian philosophical writings in Buddhist terms, and tried to get Buddhist meanings out of them.
With the Mongol conquests around 1200 AD a new multiculturalism came to China. Kublai Khan, a Mongol emperor, although he was himself a Buddhist, was very interested in all different faiths and encouraged Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Tibetan lamas to all come debate each other at his court in China. But most people in China remained either Buddhists or Taoists.
Under the Ming Dynasty (begins in 1368 AD), Confucianism was again the main principle of the emperors, while Buddhism and Taoism remained popular among ordinary people. Throughout this whole time, however, the old ideas of the Mandate of Heaven, the traditional Chinese gods, and ancestor worship remained normal for everyone in China.
Ming Dynasty
After Hung-Wu threw the Mongols out in 1368 AD, he established the Ming Dynasty. But Hung-Wu's power was still pretty weak after the Mongol invasion. He only ruled China from the Great Wall to the east of Tibet - smaller borders than modern China or than T'ang Dynasty China. Hung-Wu modelled his government on the T'ang Dynasty, trying to keep as much power as possible in the central government and especially in his own hands. To deal with the extra work this made for him, he created a council of his advisers to help him. Examinations came back as a way to select governors and judges.
In 1451 AD, after a civil war, the emperor Yung-Lo moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing (bay-ZING), where he began work on the imperial palace, which still stands today.
In 1451 AD, after a civil war, the emperor Yung-Lo moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing (bay-ZING), where he began work on the imperial palace, which still stands today.
Yuan Dynasty- the mongols invasion
In 1276 AD, when the Mongols invaded and took over China, they had already been ruling a large empire for about fifty years. Their empire stretched from India and Russia to northern China and Korea. In 1276 the Mongols captured the Sung capital at Hangzhou, and by 1279 the Mongols controlled all of China. Kublai Khan, the Mongol leader, moved the capital of the Mongol empire from Karakorum in Central Asia to Beijing, China. In 1271, when he was 56, Kublai Khan declared himself emperor of China.
Kublai Khan tried to conquer Japan in 1274 and 1281 AD, but was prevented by a great storm. He also tried to recapture northern Vietnam (Annam) and Burma, but without much success. Even in China, Kublai Khan's rule was not very successful. The Chinese were very angry that Kublai Khan gave foreigners like the Venetian Marco Polo all the jobs as governors and judges, instead of choosing Chinese people. But Kublai Khan did not trust the Chinese. And the Chinese were also angry that the Mongols kept their own language and customs, and didn't want to act like the Chinese.
Kublai Khan died in 1294 AD, and his successors were weaker and less able to keep the Mongol empire together. During the 1350's AD, a revolutionary movement called the Red Turbans became active in northern China. In 1356, the Red Turbans, under the leadership of Chu Yuan-chang, captured Nanjing. Chu Yuan-chang gradually conquered China, and threw out the Mongols. In 1368 AD Chu Yuan-chang declared himself emperor of China, under the name Hung-wu, and then he finally captured the Mongol capital at Beijing, starting the Ming Dynasty
Kublai Khan tried to conquer Japan in 1274 and 1281 AD, but was prevented by a great storm. He also tried to recapture northern Vietnam (Annam) and Burma, but without much success. Even in China, Kublai Khan's rule was not very successful. The Chinese were very angry that Kublai Khan gave foreigners like the Venetian Marco Polo all the jobs as governors and judges, instead of choosing Chinese people. But Kublai Khan did not trust the Chinese. And the Chinese were also angry that the Mongols kept their own language and customs, and didn't want to act like the Chinese.
Kublai Khan died in 1294 AD, and his successors were weaker and less able to keep the Mongol empire together. During the 1350's AD, a revolutionary movement called the Red Turbans became active in northern China. In 1356, the Red Turbans, under the leadership of Chu Yuan-chang, captured Nanjing. Chu Yuan-chang gradually conquered China, and threw out the Mongols. In 1368 AD Chu Yuan-chang declared himself emperor of China, under the name Hung-wu, and then he finally captured the Mongol capital at Beijing, starting the Ming Dynasty
Sung Dynasty
The first part of the Sung dynasty is called the Northern Sung. In 960 AD, one of the generals of the declining T'ang Dynasty managed to reunify China under his control. This general's name was Chao K'uang-yin, but once became emperor he renamed himself Sung T'ai Tsu. Sung T'ai Tsu was a strong emperor who kept the army firmly under his control, but after Sung T'ai Tsu died, his successors did not do as well, and China's defenses became weak. The Sung Dynasty never controlled as large an empire as the T'ang had. In 1004 AD, the Sung made peace with the Khitans in the north-east, and in 1044 they made peace with the Western Hsia in the north-west. The emperors had to pay heaps of gold to these people every year in order to keep them from attacking China.On the other hand, the old Han Dynasty examinations became more and more important to Chinese government, and from the Sung dynasty on, these examinations were really the only way to get political power in China. But paying out the gold meant that poor people had to pay high taxes, and everyone was unhappy. Some people wanted to keep making the payments anyway, and other people thought it would be better to try to fight the northern invaders off. These two groups kept fighting with each other. First one would get into power and then the other.
Then about 1110 AD, the Sung emperor made an alliance with the Juchens of Manchuria to fight the Khitans and get them out of China. It worked great! But once the Khitans were out, in 1115, the Juchens took over the Sung capital of Kaifeng. The Juchens took the emperor and his son prisoner.The second part of the Sung dynasty is called the Southern Sung. Another son of the Sung emperor ran away to southern China and in 1126 he started a new Sung Dynasty with its capital at Hangzhou. He took the name Kao Tsung. Kao Tsung and his successors were not very strong militarily, and could not take back northern China from the Juchen. But they did develope thriving trade. Because the Juchen had cut off their traditional route along the Silk Road, traders began sailing to South-East Asia and to India. Paper money helped to create growth in the economy. But in 1279 AD the Mongols invaded from the north and killed the last of the Sung emperors.
Then about 1110 AD, the Sung emperor made an alliance with the Juchens of Manchuria to fight the Khitans and get them out of China. It worked great! But once the Khitans were out, in 1115, the Juchens took over the Sung capital of Kaifeng. The Juchens took the emperor and his son prisoner.The second part of the Sung dynasty is called the Southern Sung. Another son of the Sung emperor ran away to southern China and in 1126 he started a new Sung Dynasty with its capital at Hangzhou. He took the name Kao Tsung. Kao Tsung and his successors were not very strong militarily, and could not take back northern China from the Juchen. But they did develope thriving trade. Because the Juchen had cut off their traditional route along the Silk Road, traders began sailing to South-East Asia and to India. Paper money helped to create growth in the economy. But in 1279 AD the Mongols invaded from the north and killed the last of the Sung emperors.
Tang Dynasty
Yang Ti, the last ruler of the Sui Dynasty, was killed in 618 AD by his generals, who blamed him for the disastrous defeat of the Chinese army in Korea. One of the generals, Li Shih-min, took over ruling the empire, putting his father, Li Yuan, on the throne as emperor. By 626, Li Shih-min made his father abdicate (retire) and took over being emperor himself, taking the new name T'ai Tsung. He made his capital at Chang'an. It became one of the biggest cities in the world at this time.
T'ai Tsung had a long reign and was a strong emperor. He continued the Han Dynasty way of choosing governors and judges on the basis of the great examinations, to see who was the smartest and the best educated. And he also continued the Sui Dynasty way of giving each man a grant of land and collecting taxes equally from everyone. T'ai Tsung also took a census every three years to make sure that everyone paid the right amount of taxes. Under his rule, trade and cities began to become more important to China.Wu Chao was one of T'ai Tsung's girlfriends. After he died, she became his son's girlfriend too! His name was Gaozong. She used Gaozong's love for her to get rid of all his other girlfriends (some she had killed) and eventually he married her, so she became the empress. As empress, Wu Chao (woo-CHOW) was very active in politics. When Gaozong had a stroke in 660 AD and was too sick to rule, Wu Chao took over the government of China. In 684 AD, Gaozong died, and Wu Chao became the regent for her young son. In 690, when she was 64 years old, Wu Chao forced her son out altogether and made herself Empress of China, ruling on her own. Wu Chao was a devout Buddhist, but also promoted Taois. She was a great ruler, and China was very successful both militarily and economically under her rule. But in 705 AD, Wu Chao (now 79 years old!) was forced out of power. Nobody could agree about who would come after her, and so there was a long civil war.In 712 AD, Hsuan Tsung became the ninth T'ang emperor of China. Hsuan Tsung was a great emperor who ruled a long time, and he managed to greatly expand the borders of China, so that by 750 he ruled all the way to Tibet and Central Asia in the west, and north to Mongolia and Manchuria, and south to Vietnam, and even controlled Korea as the Sui emperors had wanted. In 751, the Chinese army fought the Arabs in a great battle at Talas (Samarkand) in Uzbekistan. They lost the battle, but they succeeded in stopping the Arabs from invading China.
But in the last years of his life, Hsuan Tsung turned to art and philosophy, and lost interest in running his empire. Some people say that he was more interested in his girlfriend, Yang Kuei-fei. His generals took over instead. One of these generals, An Lu-shan, controlled the troops of north-west China. In 755 AD, An Lu-shan led a rebellion against Hsuan Tsung. Hsuan Tsung ran away to Szechwan with a small part of his army. Soon his army rebelled too, and made Hsuan Tsung abdicate (quit) and let his son be emperor.The son raised a new army, and by 757 AD he was able to get An Lu-shan assassinated. Still there was more civil war until 763. These wars wrecked China and killed millions of people. He never did really get command of China again. The generals of the armies in each province had more real power than the emperor did. There were also several revolts of the poor people in the countryside. In 881 AD a revolt under Huang Ch'ao ruined much of central China and destroyed the capital at Chang'an. The T'ang emperors had to move their capital east to Luoyang. They never became strong again.
T'ai Tsung had a long reign and was a strong emperor. He continued the Han Dynasty way of choosing governors and judges on the basis of the great examinations, to see who was the smartest and the best educated. And he also continued the Sui Dynasty way of giving each man a grant of land and collecting taxes equally from everyone. T'ai Tsung also took a census every three years to make sure that everyone paid the right amount of taxes. Under his rule, trade and cities began to become more important to China.Wu Chao was one of T'ai Tsung's girlfriends. After he died, she became his son's girlfriend too! His name was Gaozong. She used Gaozong's love for her to get rid of all his other girlfriends (some she had killed) and eventually he married her, so she became the empress. As empress, Wu Chao (woo-CHOW) was very active in politics. When Gaozong had a stroke in 660 AD and was too sick to rule, Wu Chao took over the government of China. In 684 AD, Gaozong died, and Wu Chao became the regent for her young son. In 690, when she was 64 years old, Wu Chao forced her son out altogether and made herself Empress of China, ruling on her own. Wu Chao was a devout Buddhist, but also promoted Taois. She was a great ruler, and China was very successful both militarily and economically under her rule. But in 705 AD, Wu Chao (now 79 years old!) was forced out of power. Nobody could agree about who would come after her, and so there was a long civil war.In 712 AD, Hsuan Tsung became the ninth T'ang emperor of China. Hsuan Tsung was a great emperor who ruled a long time, and he managed to greatly expand the borders of China, so that by 750 he ruled all the way to Tibet and Central Asia in the west, and north to Mongolia and Manchuria, and south to Vietnam, and even controlled Korea as the Sui emperors had wanted. In 751, the Chinese army fought the Arabs in a great battle at Talas (Samarkand) in Uzbekistan. They lost the battle, but they succeeded in stopping the Arabs from invading China.
But in the last years of his life, Hsuan Tsung turned to art and philosophy, and lost interest in running his empire. Some people say that he was more interested in his girlfriend, Yang Kuei-fei. His generals took over instead. One of these generals, An Lu-shan, controlled the troops of north-west China. In 755 AD, An Lu-shan led a rebellion against Hsuan Tsung. Hsuan Tsung ran away to Szechwan with a small part of his army. Soon his army rebelled too, and made Hsuan Tsung abdicate (quit) and let his son be emperor.The son raised a new army, and by 757 AD he was able to get An Lu-shan assassinated. Still there was more civil war until 763. These wars wrecked China and killed millions of people. He never did really get command of China again. The generals of the armies in each province had more real power than the emperor did. There were also several revolts of the poor people in the countryside. In 881 AD a revolt under Huang Ch'ao ruined much of central China and destroyed the capital at Chang'an. The T'ang emperors had to move their capital east to Luoyang. They never became strong again.
Sui Dynasty
In 581 AD, a general named Wen Ti from northwest China succeeded in conquering the other two kingdoms and establishing a new dynasty in China, with emperors who ruled all of China like the Ch'in and the Han. This was the Sui Dynasty. Wen Ti made himself popular by trying to make the government better than it was during the Three Kingdoms. Wen Ti ordered that poor people in the countryside should pay less taxes than they had before. And he sent men around to all the provinces to count how many people there were and how much land and money each of them had (this is called a census) so that the government would know how much taxes that province should pay. He ordered that every man should get a certain amount of land to farm. When the man turned 60 and was too old to farm, he would stop paying taxes and give back some of the land, and pass on the rest to his sons.Wen Ti also decided to go back to the Han Dynasty way of picking his government officials through the university and the great examinations, to find out who were the smartest and best educated men (Women were not allowed to be government officials at this time).
Wen Ti died while he was still not old. He may have been killed by his son, Yang Ti, who wanted to be the emperor himself. In any case Yang Ti did become the next Sui emperor. Yang Ti wanted to be a great emperor, so he began a lot of important projects. Yang Ti's best project was one where people dug a Grand Canal which connected the Yellow River with the Huai and Yangtze Rivers and made it much easier to get from northern to southern China and back again.But Yang Ti's worst project was that he attacked Korea to try to take it over. He got together a great army of over a million men to invade Korea, but his great army was defeated and had to run away. The army generals were angry about this and killed Yang Ti. That was the end of the Sui Dynasty.
Wen Ti died while he was still not old. He may have been killed by his son, Yang Ti, who wanted to be the emperor himself. In any case Yang Ti did become the next Sui emperor. Yang Ti wanted to be a great emperor, so he began a lot of important projects. Yang Ti's best project was one where people dug a Grand Canal which connected the Yellow River with the Huai and Yangtze Rivers and made it much easier to get from northern to southern China and back again.But Yang Ti's worst project was that he attacked Korea to try to take it over. He got together a great army of over a million men to invade Korea, but his great army was defeated and had to run away. The army generals were angry about this and killed Yang Ti. That was the end of the Sui Dynasty.
The Three Kingdoms
For three hundred years starting in 220 AD, China was divided into three smaller kingdoms (which were each still really pretty big). One kingdom was called Wei, and it was ruled by the Ts'ao family. It was in the northern part of China. Wei was not really strong enough to protect itself against invaders from the north, and soon some of these invaders, the Toba, took over ruling it. The second kingdom was called Shu Han, and it was ruled by Liu Pei. It was in the south-west part of China. The third kingdom was called Wu, and it was ruled by Sun Ch'uan. Wu was in the south-east part of China.
Eastern Han Dynasty
In 9 AD, there was a short break in Han Dynasty control of China. A man named Wang Mang, who was a nephew of the current Han empress, took the throne from the emperor and called his new dynasty the Hsin Dynasty. Wang Mang got into power by promising to take a lot of power and land from the rich people and give it to the poor people.
But this turned out to be hard to do. The powerful people defended their land and wouldn't give it up.
Soon everybody hated Wang Mang: the rich people hated him because he tried to take their land, and the poor people hated him because he didn't give them any of the things he had promised.
In 17 AD the poor people in Shandong began a rebellion. They painted their faces red (so they were called the Red Eyebrows) and attacked Wang Mang. Wang Mang's army was defeated, and Wang Mang himself was killed, in 23 AD.
After the revolution, in 25 AD, a Han Dynasty emperor took control of China again. His name was Kuang Wu Ti. Kuang Wu Ti died in 57 AD.
Because the Han were so strong, they were able to fight off the Huns to their north and west. Because of this, the Huns travelled west to Europe, where they were important in the fall of the Roman Empire some hundreds of years later.In 73 AD, a great general, Pan Ch'ao, went with an army of 70,000 men all the way across Asia to explore. He was gone for 28 years! But when he got back, he was able to tell the emperor all about the Roman Empire.
In the last years of the Han Dynasty, the emperors were not so powerful and so there was a lot of fighting for power between the different parts of the government, and between the government and the poor people in the countryside. The empresses' bodyguards tried to control the government, and so did the rich people who owned a lot of land. So they were always fighting each other. Possibly the first smallpox epidemics in China, about this time, also weakened the country. In 184 AD and 190 AD the poor people rebelled too. The leaders of these rebellions ended up killing more than 2,000 of the bodyguards and destroying the capital city. By 207 AD, the general Ts'ao Ts'ao had managed to get control of northern China for himself. When Ts'ao Ts'ao died in 220 AD, his son decided to remove the last Han emperor, and rule on his own in northern China. Other generals like him took over other parts of China, so China was divided into three kingdoms, called Wei, Shu Han, and Wu
But this turned out to be hard to do. The powerful people defended their land and wouldn't give it up.
Soon everybody hated Wang Mang: the rich people hated him because he tried to take their land, and the poor people hated him because he didn't give them any of the things he had promised.
In 17 AD the poor people in Shandong began a rebellion. They painted their faces red (so they were called the Red Eyebrows) and attacked Wang Mang. Wang Mang's army was defeated, and Wang Mang himself was killed, in 23 AD.
After the revolution, in 25 AD, a Han Dynasty emperor took control of China again. His name was Kuang Wu Ti. Kuang Wu Ti died in 57 AD.
Because the Han were so strong, they were able to fight off the Huns to their north and west. Because of this, the Huns travelled west to Europe, where they were important in the fall of the Roman Empire some hundreds of years later.In 73 AD, a great general, Pan Ch'ao, went with an army of 70,000 men all the way across Asia to explore. He was gone for 28 years! But when he got back, he was able to tell the emperor all about the Roman Empire.
In the last years of the Han Dynasty, the emperors were not so powerful and so there was a lot of fighting for power between the different parts of the government, and between the government and the poor people in the countryside. The empresses' bodyguards tried to control the government, and so did the rich people who owned a lot of land. So they were always fighting each other. Possibly the first smallpox epidemics in China, about this time, also weakened the country. In 184 AD and 190 AD the poor people rebelled too. The leaders of these rebellions ended up killing more than 2,000 of the bodyguards and destroying the capital city. By 207 AD, the general Ts'ao Ts'ao had managed to get control of northern China for himself. When Ts'ao Ts'ao died in 220 AD, his son decided to remove the last Han emperor, and rule on his own in northern China. Other generals like him took over other parts of China, so China was divided into three kingdoms, called Wei, Shu Han, and Wu
Han Dynasty
Kao Tsu (Liu Pang), when he established the Han Dynasty in 202 BC, didn't really change that much from the system that Ch'in had set up. He still got the kings and their families to live at his capital city, and he still sent out governors and judges whom he could trust. But Kao Tsu didn't kill or exile the scholars anymore. Instead, Kao Tsu called for smart educated men to work for him, to be the governors and judges he needed, because he knew they would be good workers and make fair, wise, decisions (but still he would not let any women be judges, no matter how smart they were). Kao Tsu did allow some areas to have their own rulers, if the rulers were really loyal to him. This earlier part of the Han Dynasty is called the Western Han, because Kao Tsu's capital was in Western China, at Chang'an.Kao Tsu's wife was the Empress Lu. When Kao Tsu died, Lu tried to take over power for herself, and she succeeded in controlling Chinese politics for some time, even though it was very difficult for women to get political power at this time.
In 141 BC, Wu Ti became emperor. Wu Ti was called the Martial Emperor, because he led many campaigns against the Huns (the Chinese called the Huns the Hsiung-Nu). At this time, the Huns were living north and west of China, and they tried to invade all the time. Wu was able to set up a safe and peaceful trade route for sending Chinese silk and other things across Central Asia to West Asia, Egypt, and the Roman Empire, in exchange for Roman gold.Wu Ti also set up the first university in China, in 124 BC. Young men (only men were allowed to go to university then) were chosen for being very smart and hard-working and then the government paid all their expenses while they went to the school. At first the university had only fifty students, but it grew quickly. Students at the school mainly studied Confucian philosophy, which Wu also made the official state philosophy. Now men who wanted to become governors and judges had to pass a very difficult examination to see if they were smart and well educated enough.In 111 BC, Wu Ti invaded northern Vietnam, and made it part of the Han empire. And in 108 BC, he invaded northern Korea and took it over. Wu Ti died in 87 BC.
In 141 BC, Wu Ti became emperor. Wu Ti was called the Martial Emperor, because he led many campaigns against the Huns (the Chinese called the Huns the Hsiung-Nu). At this time, the Huns were living north and west of China, and they tried to invade all the time. Wu was able to set up a safe and peaceful trade route for sending Chinese silk and other things across Central Asia to West Asia, Egypt, and the Roman Empire, in exchange for Roman gold.Wu Ti also set up the first university in China, in 124 BC. Young men (only men were allowed to go to university then) were chosen for being very smart and hard-working and then the government paid all their expenses while they went to the school. At first the university had only fifty students, but it grew quickly. Students at the school mainly studied Confucian philosophy, which Wu also made the official state philosophy. Now men who wanted to become governors and judges had to pass a very difficult examination to see if they were smart and well educated enough.In 111 BC, Wu Ti invaded northern Vietnam, and made it part of the Han empire. And in 108 BC, he invaded northern Korea and took it over. Wu Ti died in 87 BC.
Chin Dynasty
The Ch'in Dynasty is the one which gave its name to China. The first Ch'in emperor, in 221 BC, was Ch'in Shih Huang Ti. He started out as the king of a smaller state, but he was able to force all the other states to accept his rule too, so then he became the emperor of all China. To show that he was the emperor, and more important than the other kings, he built big palaces and had very elaborate court ceremonies in his capital city of Xianyang. And, to show that China was all one empire now, Ch'in made everyone use the same letters to write with and use the same of weights to measure things with, all over the empire.
Ch'in didn't trust the other kings whom he had conquered, so he didn't let them run anything. Instead, he chose his own assistants and sent them out as governors and judges for each part of his empire. And, so that he could keep an eye on the kings and their families, he made them leave their homes and come live in the capital city with him, and help him there. That wa
y they couldn't revolt against him.Ch'in also got together a huge army to keep the kings from revolting against him. And when he didn't need it for revolts, he kept the army busy defending the empire and making it bigger and bigger. Soon China reached from Mongolia in the north to Vietnam in the south. The biggest danger to China was the people who lived in Mongolia and Siberia, who often tried to invade China. A lot of the kings in northern China had already built walls along their kingdoms to keep out these invaders. Ch'in ordered his army to join up all these little walls to make the Great Wall of China. The wall ended up being 1,500 miles long (2400 kilometers)!
Eastern Chou Dynasty
In 771 BC, China was invaded by skillful fighters from the northwest. The Chou emperors retreated and made a new capital at Luoyang, further east. So this period is called the Eastern Chou. The first three hundred years of the Eastern Chou period is called the Spring and Autumn period because it was a good time for China. Iron began to be used for tools in China at this time. But iron also made good weapons, and the 200 little states began to fight each other all the time. The period from 481 to 221 BC is called the Warring States period. By about 300 BC, there were only seven big states left. By 256 BC, the Chou emperors lost power, and the only rulers of China were the kings of the seven states. These kings fought among themselves until the king of Ch'in, the strongest state, succeeded in making himself emperor and established the Ch'in Dynasty.
The Chou dynasty
The Chou conquered the Shang Dynasty about 1100 BC (the traditional date is 1122). The Chou said that the reason they were able to conquer the Shang was that Heaven was on their side. The first period of Chou rule is called the Western Chou, because at this time the Chou only ruled the western part of modern China. China was divided up into about 200 little kingdoms, and then each of these kings was under the Chou emperor.This is the same time when the Indo-Europeans were settling in India. Further away, the kingdoms of West Asia, Egypt, and Greece were collapsing at the end of the Bronze Age. In terms of the Bible, Moses would probably be leaving Egypt about this time. Zoroastrianism was just getting started.
The Shang Dynasty
Around 2000 BC, the Chinese learned how to make bronze out of tin and copper, so we call this the Bronze Age. About the same time, they developed writing.
Like Sumerian and Egyptian writing of this time, their writing is based on pictures that stand for ideas or sounds. We know of this writing from oracle bones, which are bones with writing carved into them.
They were used to tell fortunes. People also used bones and tortoise shells to keep records about who paid what to who, much like Linear A in Crete or Linear B tablets in Greece at the same time.
By about 1800 BC (the traditional date is 1766 BC), the Shang dynasty had become the first to unite a big part of China under one king. The king had his capital in Anyang, in northern China. People had already begun to divide up into the rich and the poor.
We know that some people were slaves under the Shang Dynasty. Many men were in the king's armies.
During the Shang Dynasty, people also began to use horse-drawn chariots. This is about the same time as in West Asia. People also used jade (a green stone) for jewelry and decoration. The Shang Dynasty lasted for about 700 years. But finally they were conquered by the Chou, about 1100 BC.
Like Sumerian and Egyptian writing of this time, their writing is based on pictures that stand for ideas or sounds. We know of this writing from oracle bones, which are bones with writing carved into them.
They were used to tell fortunes. People also used bones and tortoise shells to keep records about who paid what to who, much like Linear A in Crete or Linear B tablets in Greece at the same time.
By about 1800 BC (the traditional date is 1766 BC), the Shang dynasty had become the first to unite a big part of China under one king. The king had his capital in Anyang, in northern China. People had already begun to divide up into the rich and the poor.
We know that some people were slaves under the Shang Dynasty. Many men were in the king's armies.
During the Shang Dynasty, people also began to use horse-drawn chariots. This is about the same time as in West Asia. People also used jade (a green stone) for jewelry and decoration. The Shang Dynasty lasted for about 700 years. But finally they were conquered by the Chou, about 1100 BC.
Introduction To The Stone Age Of China
The first people (leaving out Neanderthal-type pre-humans) seem to have reached China about 50,000 BC. This is about the same time as the first people in Europe. These people lived in caves, made fires, used stone and bone tools, and wore fur and leather clothes. They were hunters and gatherers.But big changes happened around 4000-3000 BC, in the Neolithic or New Stone Age, when people began farming rice and keeping animals (like sheep and chickens) in China. West Asian people had already been farming for about two thousand years, but we don't know whether people in China learned how to farm from the West Asians or began doing it on their own. Probably they began on their own, just as a natural response to being more crowded and needing to produce more food on their land, or because of climate changes. As in Egypt and West Asia, the first place where people began settling down in cities was in a river valley, along the Yellow River in northern China.
Once people living in China began farming, they also began to live in villages and build small houses with reed roofs. Around 3000-2000 BC, they also began to make pottery. Again, this is later than in West Asia, but that doesn't mean that the Chinese learned how from the West Asians. We know about two kinds of Chinese pottery from this time:Red clay pots with swirling black designs from north-west China, and Smooth black pots from north-east China.It was also about this time that the Chinese began to use silk to make clothes, and to use wagons with wheels.
Once people living in China began farming, they also began to live in villages and build small houses with reed roofs. Around 3000-2000 BC, they also began to make pottery. Again, this is later than in West Asia, but that doesn't mean that the Chinese learned how from the West Asians. We know about two kinds of Chinese pottery from this time:Red clay pots with swirling black designs from north-west China, and Smooth black pots from north-east China.It was also about this time that the Chinese began to use silk to make clothes, and to use wagons with wheels.
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