Classical Asia: Zhou and Warring States

Questions and Answers

What empire ruled before the Qin?

The Zhou

How was China divided after the fall of the Zhou?

China was divided into 100 local leaders ruling small independent states with no central leadership.

Who attacked the Chinese as well?

Nomads

What is the era of small leaders called?

The Warring States Period Signup and view all the answers

During the fighting between the states, what state emerged victorious?

The Qin Signup and view all the answers

What word is Qin based on?

China Signup and view all the answers

Who was the first leader of the Qin?

Shi Huangdi Signup and view all the answers

What did Shi Huangdi create?

The first empire Signup and view all the answers

What does Shi Huangdi's name mean?

First Emperor Signup and view all the answers

How did Shi Huangdi subdue the warring city-states?

He employed strict Legalist ideas. Signup and view all the answers

How did Shi Huangdi take control of the empire?

He used military power to conquer states and pursued people who fled from the empire; he created a uniform system of writing and confiscated weapons. Signup and view all the answers

Why did Shi Huangdi burn books?

So nobody would look at the past and think of going against the empire. Signup and view all the answers

What was the result of the Warring States Period?

The formation of a national culture and the creation of China's first empire. Signup and view all the answers

What role did agriculture play in creating China's first empire?

It was the primary source of wealth for the empire. Signup and view all the answers

Where did the majority of Chinese people live?

The Yellow River and the North China Plain. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the public works projects of China. Who built them?

Construction of palaces, temples, fortifications, and roads. Every able-bodied man had to participate. Signup and view all the answers

What are the main beliefs/principles of Confucianism?

Absolute authority of the father, responsibilities based on gender, age, and relationships. Signup and view all the answers

What was the role of women under Confucianism?

Women were primarily allowed to cook and manage the household. Signup and view all the answers

What was the religious belief of the ancient Chinese?

Divinity resided in nature with shrines to gods. Signup and view all the answers

What factors made the Qin well-suited to assume control of China?

Long experience in controlling peasants, a large number of peasants, and superior organizational skills. Signup and view all the answers

What role did Legalism play in the Qin dynasty?

Justified the actions of the Qin government. Signup and view all the answers

What steps did Shi Huangdi take to eliminate political rivals?

Allowed primogeniture, abolished slavery, imposed standard weights, and built roads. Signup and view all the answers

What steps helped to unify Chinese civilization?

Thousands of miles of roads and a common system of writing. Signup and view all the answers

How did the construction of roads and canals lead to the collapse of the Qin Dynasty?

The oppressive financial exploitation caused rebellions after Shi Huangdi's death. Signup and view all the answers

Who were the Xiongnu?

Nomadic peoples that lived on the northern border of China. Signup and view all the answers

What is a pastoralist?

A person who depends on horses and herds of animals. Signup and view all the answers

How did the Chinese see the Xiongnu?

The Chinese saw them as uncivilized 'barbarians.' Signup and view all the answers

What did the Xiongnu do that caused the Chinese to think poorly of them?

They raided settlements and stole goods. Signup and view all the answers

What barrier did the Qin build to keep the invaders out?

The Great Wall of China. Signup and view all the answers

How was the wall created?

Thousands of workers performed grueling forced labor. Signup and view all the answers

What led to the demise of the Qin?

Personal hardships and taxes led to peasant rebellions after Shi Huangdi's death. Signup and view all the answers

When did the Han dynasty gain control of the empire?

206 B.C.E. Signup and view all the answers

Who was the Han's most famous emperor?

Wudi Signup and view all the answers

What did Shi Huangdi do to control the past, present, and future?

Burned books on history and established a common system of writing. Signup and view all the answers

What ideology did the Han focus on?

The ideas of Confucianism. Signup and view all the answers

Where did the Han expand in China?

Vietnam, Manchuria, and North Korea. Signup and view all the answers

What else did Han armies secure?

The Silk Road. Signup and view all the answers

Did the Han empire maintain the Mandate of Heaven?

True Signup and view all the answers

What helped the emperor rule the empire?

A bureaucracy which runs the day-to-day business of a government. Signup and view all the answers

What are members of a bureaucracy called?

Civil service workers. Signup and view all the answers

How are civil service workers chosen?

By merit; the most qualified were given government jobs. Signup and view all the answers

What is the major difference between the social hierarchy of Han China compared to other civilizations?

Peasants are above soldiers, artisans, and merchants. Signup and view all the answers

What was the role of scholar-officials in Han society and what qualities were they expected to have?

Ran the bureaucracy and were expected to be well-educated. Signup and view all the answers

How did the Han find the most qualified civil servants and what did they have to study?

They created a system of exams on Confucian classics. Signup and view all the answers

Why did wealthy students have a better chance of passing the exam?

Because they could afford years of study. Signup and view all the answers

How did the civil service exam influence Chinese history?

It created an enduring system of values and kept Confucianism influential. Signup and view all the answers

Who is the leader of Chinese bureaucracy?

The Emperor. Signup and view all the answers

What duties do his main assistants perform?

Command armies, act as secretary, and control the ten ministers. Signup and view all the answers

What are three functions of the central government?

Treasury, direction of guests, and commandment of justice. Signup and view all the answers

How is the government organized?

It has several branches. Signup and view all the answers

One benefit and one drawback of bureaucracy?

Information is constantly shared to the emperor but if one branch ceases to communicate, the system collapses. Signup and view all the answers

How did the Han change the way China was governed?

Employed strict Legalist ideas and Confucian beliefs. Signup and view all the answers

How long did the Han empire survive?

426 years (from 206 BCE-220 CE). Signup and view all the answers

Describe Chang'an.

A large city surrounded by hills and walls; the emperor lived in a secluded home. Signup and view all the answers

What showed the power of the Han?

Extended the Great Wall, expanded the empire, and created tools using new materials. Signup and view all the answers

Who are the gentry? What was their role? How did they incorporate Confucian beliefs of government?

Prosperous landowners who provided local officials and established a code of conduct. Signup and view all the answers

What role did Daoism play in Chinese society?

Caused people to question the current government system of Confucianism. Signup and view all the answers

What were the major technological achievements of the Han?

Replaced bronze with iron, invented the crossbow, and built roads. Signup and view all the answers

What role did silk play in the Chinese economy?

The Chinese had a monopoly on silk. Signup and view all the answers

How did the Han government promote agriculture?

Farmers were higher on the social hierarchy. Signup and view all the answers

How did the Han exert central control over the economy of China?

Created monopolies on salt, iron, coins, and alcohol. Signup and view all the answers

What is a monopoly?

When a group has control over the production and distribution of goods. Signup and view all the answers

What is iron and what is its importance?

A metal used to create tools for domestic use and battle. Signup and view all the answers

What is silk and what is its importance?

A thin fabric used to make clothes, significant for the economy. Signup and view all the answers

What is paper and what is its importance?

A bamboo-like substance made of bark, less expensive to make. Signup and view all the answers

What is horse collar and what is its importance?

A device used to allow a horse to pull an object. Signup and view all the answers

What is a crossbow and what is its importance?

A weapon that fires arrows and allowed for military victories. Signup and view all the answers

What is agriculture and what is its importance?

Farming for food to support the population. Signup and view all the answers

What is the Silk Road and what is its importance?

A trade route that stretches from the Mediterranean to China. Signup and view all the answers

Who seized power by killing the Nanda king?

Chandragupta Maurya. Signup and view all the answers

How did Chandragupta Maurya unite India?

He seized land from independent states in India. Signup and view all the answers

How did Chandragupta pay for his soldiers?

He levied taxes. Signup and view all the answers

Who was Kautilya and what did he do?

An advisor of Chandragupta who wrote Arthasastra. Signup and view all the answers

Who was Asoka?

Chandragupta's grandson who came to power in 269 B.C.E. Signup and view all the answers

Why did Asoka convert to Buddhism and stop his conquering of other lands?

He saw 100,000 soldiers and civilians perish at war. Signup and view all the answers

What did Asoka do after converting to Buddhism?

Erected huge stone pillars inscribed with new policies. Signup and view all the answers

Why did Asoka create roads and houses along the roads?

To improve communication in the vast empire. Signup and view all the answers

What happened after Asoka's death?

Regional kings challenged the imperial government and regained their kingdoms. Signup and view all the answers

How did India participate in long-distance trade?

Connected to the Silk Road and created trading spots at oases. Signup and view all the answers

What is a theater state?

A state in which a golden age is present with lavish royal ceremonies. Signup and view all the answers

What were the Gupta Empire's advances in astronomy?

Sailors used stars to navigate and proved the earth was round. Signup and view all the answers

What were the Gupta Empire's advances in math?

Place value notation, creation of modern numerals, and calculated pi. Signup and view all the answers

What were the Gupta Empire's advances in medicine?

Discovered over 1,000 diseases and performed surgeries. Signup and view all the answers

What classifies the Hindu form of art and architecture?

Raised platforms, high towers, and statues of deities. Signup and view all the answers

What classifies the Buddhist form of art and architecture?

Carved huge statues and built large dome-shaped shrines. Signup and view all the answers

What was Madurai?

A city that became a site of writing academics. Signup and view all the answers

What important pieces of literature were written?

The Ramayana, The Mahabharata, and The Bhagavad Gita. Signup and view all the answers

What was recognized as a written language?

Sanskrit. Signup and view all the answers

How large was the Gupta Empire in relation to the Mauryan Empire?

Smaller. Signup and view all the answers

What items of trade did the Gupta Empire have?

Spices, diamonds, sapphires, gold, pearls, and woods. Signup and view all the answers

How did the Gupta Empire fall?

Nomadic peoples called the White Huns invaded. Signup and view all the answers

What is Sati?

The sacrifice of a widow to the pyre of her husband. Signup and view all the answers

What is a pyre?

A funeral fire to burn the body of a deceased person. Signup and view all the answers

How were goods exchanged on the Silk Road?

They were sold from one trader to another by peddling and bartering. Signup and view all the answers

What was the role of nomads in the Silk Road trading system?

Navigated traders through terrain, paid to protect traders, and raided traders. Signup and view all the answers

How did Buddhism spread through the Silk Road?

Through missionaries, monks, merchants, and oasis towns. Signup and view all the answers

What diseases spread through the Silk Road and how?

Rats settled in cargoes and spread diseases such as smallpox and plague. Signup and view all the answers

How did the Silk Road lead to the spread of technology?

Allowed for trading of items such as paper, silk, and the compass. Signup and view all the answers

What major nations participated in the Silk Road trade?

China, India, Rome, Persia, and the Arabs. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Classical Asia Empires

The Zhou dynasty ruled China before the Qin dynasty.
Following the Zhou's decline, China fragmented into 100 local leaders without central authority, leading to the Warring States Period.
Nomadic peoples, particularly the Xiongnu, threatened China by frequently raiding settlements.

Qin Dynasty

The Qin emerged victorious during the Warring States Period and marked the start of China's first empire, established by Shi Huangdi, meaning "First Emperor."
Shi Huangdi implemented strict Legalist principles to unify and control the empire.
The Qin dynasty is noted for standardizing weights, measures, and writing, and employing military power to conquer rival states.
Shi Huangdi's policies included book burning to suppress dissent and to prevent ideals opposing the state, leading to the creation of a unified national culture.

Governance and Society

Agriculture was the mainstay of the empire’s economy, sustaining the majority of China's population living along the Yellow River.
Public works, including roads and walls, were constructed by every able-bodied man as part of their civic duty.
Under Confucianism, the social structure emphasized family hierarchy, with absolute authority held by fathers, and strict roles for women, confined primarily to household duties.

Fall of the Qin and Rise of the Han

The Qin dynasty's oppressive taxation and forced labor for infrastructure led to widespread rebellion after Shi Huangdi's death.
The Han dynasty emerged in 206 BCE, with Wudi being its most famed emperor, promoting Confucianism and expanding into territories such as Vietnam and North Korea.
Han governance featured a bureaucracy founded on merit, which helped maintain the Mandate of Heaven.

Cultural Advancements

The Han dynasty maintained and spread Confucian ideals, reinforcing social order and the educational system with civil service exams based on Confucian classics.
Technological innovations included the crossbow, iron tools, and advancements in medicine, astronomy, and mathematics under the Gupta Empire.
Art and architecture flourished, showing distinctions between Hindu and Buddhist styles, with Hindu art featuring raised platforms and high towers, while Buddhist art included large stupas.

Trade and Economics

The Silk Road emerged as a significant trade route, enhancing economic prosperity through goods like silk and spices, and facilitating cultural exchange.
The Gupta empire participated in long-distance trade, linking to the Silk Road and utilizing maritime routes, leading to a vibrant economy centered around trade in luxuries.

Decline and Legacy

The Gupta Empire, though smaller than the Mauryan Empire, prospered until invasions by nomadic groups like the White Huns led to its fragmentation.
Sati and pyres were cultural practices emphasizing the roles of women and funerary traditions in ancient India.
The spread of technology and diseases along the Silk Road impacted societies significantly, facilitating both enlightenment and devastation.

Overall Importance

The era of classical Asia established foundational systems of governance, cultural practices, and economic structures that influenced subsequent civilizations in the region.

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Description

Test your knowledge on Classical Asia with this quiz focused on the Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States Period. Explore key events, figures, and the political structure after the fall of the Zhou. Perfect for history enthusiasts looking to deepen their understanding of early Chinese empires.