Brief History of Chinese Dynasties Printable Outline | Student Handouts
 
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A Brief Outline History of Chinese Dynasties
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A Brief Outline History of Chinese Dynasties - Free to print (PDF file). I. Geography of China
     i. Larger than the United States
     ii. Climate varies
          1. North
               a. Temperate and cold
          2. South
               a. Subtropical
               b. Erosion
               c. Floods and drought
     iii. Important rivers
          1. Hwang ho (Yellow River)—north
          2. Yangtze River—central China
     iv. Enclosed by high mountains, hot deserts, and wide oceans

II. Ancient history
     i. By 4000 B.C.E.
          1. Village settlements along the Hwang ho River
          2. Farming, stone tools, weapons (bow and arrow), animal domestication, pottery
     ii. Circa 1500 B.C.E.
          1. Picture writing (oldest writing in existence)
          2. Now circa 40,000 characters

III. What are dynasties?
     i. A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family
     ii. Historically, royal rule was descended from father to son
     iii. Dynastic cycle
          1. Emperor comes to power and gains the Mandate of Heaven
          2. Upward rise (wealth and population increase) to peak
          3. Downward spiral (natural disasters, corruption, etc.)
          4. Emperor loses the Mandate of Heaven
          5. Civil war until a new emperor, with the Mandate of Heaven, comes to power
     iv. Mandate of Heaven
          1. Described by philosopher Mencius
          2. Belief that the emperor was chosen by heaven to rule

IV. Xia (a.k.a. Hsia) dynasty
     i. Circa 2070-circa 1600 B.C.E.
     ii. China’s first dynasty
     iii. Founded by Yu
     iv. Built roads and irrigation projects

V. Shang dynasty
     i. Circa 1600-1046 B.C.E.
     ii. Writing began
     iii. Developed bronze, glazed pottery, and silk industries

VI. Zhou (a.k.a. Chou) dynasty
     i. 1045-256 B.C.E.
     ii. Invaded China from the northwest
     iii. Set up a loose central government
     iv. Feudal power held by strong nobles
     v. Philosophers
          1. Confucius
          2. Mencius (his follower)

VII. Qin (a.k.a. Chin) dynasty
     i. 221-206 B.C.E.
     ii. Military dictatorship centralized China
     iii. Emperor Shih Huang Ti
     iv. Destroyed nobles’ feudal power
     v. System of taxation
     vi. Established weights and measures
     vii. Great Wall (1500 miles)

VIII. Han dynasty
     i. 206-220 C.E.
     ii. Conquerors
     iii. Empire—central Asia to China Sea, Indochina to Korea
     iv. Trade
          1. Chinese fruits, silks, and spices sold in Rome (1st century C.E.)
     v. Buddhism came from India
     vi. Civil service system
     vii. First paper made

IX. Tang dynasty
     i. 618-906 C.E.
     ii. 400 years of warfare between Han and Tang dynasties
     iii. Tang reunited China
     iv. T’ai Tsung
          1. Emperor in 627 C.E.
          2. Education and government reforms
               a. Extended boundaries
               b. Alliances and peace treaties with neighbors
               c. Industry and trade
               d. Jade porcelain, and silks to Arabia, India, Japan, and Persia

X. Song (a.k.a. Sung) dynasty
     i. 960-1279 C.E.
     ii. Disorder between Tang and Sung dynasties
     iii. Culture superior to that of medieval Europe
     iv. Powerful only in southern China

XI. Mongol rule
     i. 1259-1368
     ii. Central Asian nomads
     iii. Genghis Khan
          1. Conquered Asia, including China
     iv. Kublai Khan
          1. Grandson of Genghis
          2. Visited by Marco Polo (Venetian)
               a. Ruled for circa 100 years
     v. Capital—Peking (modern-day Beijing)

XII. Ming dynasty
     i. 1368-1644
     ii. Overthrew Mongols
     iii. Chinese natives
     iv. Beautified Peking (Beijing)
     v. Encouraged trade with Europe
     vi. Gave Europeans:
          1. Gunpowder
          2. Jade
          3. Playing cards
          4. Porcelain
          5. Silk
          6. Tea

XIII. Qing dynasty (Manchu rule)
     i. 1644-1912
     ii. Manchurians conquered China, Indochina, Korea, Mongolia, Tibet, eastern Turkestan
     iii. China prospered
     iv. British imperialism
     v. Western pressure brought about Manchu overthrow in 1912
     vi. Ended with birth of Chinese republic

XIV. Philosophy and religion
     i. Late Zhou (Chou) period (1100-256 B.C.E.)
          1. Suffering produced influential philosophers
               a. Lao-Tse (6th century B.C.E.)
                    a. Men should be left alone to work out their own lives with the fewest possible laws of government
                         b. Men should make their own lives simple & desire nothing; should submit to all that comes in life
                    c. Taoism
               b. Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.)
                    a. Considered China's greatest philosopher
                    b. Ethics—correct way to live
                    c. Human nature—good
                    d. Men should be kind, tolerant, and love their elders and ancestors (filial piety)
                    e. Golden rule: "Do not do to others what you would not have others do to you."
                    f. Analects
                    g. Confucianism—code of behavior and religion
                    h. Education, good manners, right morals, respect for others, love of tradition, obedience to parents

XV. Culture
     i. Literature, poetry, history, philosophy
          1. Tang dynasty—poet Li Po
          2. Printing invented—books produced cheaply in great numbers
          3. Paper—1st century B.C.E.
     ii. "China" or "Chinaware"
          1. Known for glazed pottery and porcelain
     iii. Music
     iv. Paintings

XVI. Science
     i. 1000-1500 C.E.—civilization superior to that of medieval Europe
     ii. Paper and ink
          1. "India" ink really Chinese ink
     iii. Movable type
          1. Movable blocks with cut-out raised characters
     iv. Compass
     v. Gunpowder
          1. Originally for firecrackers
     vi. Silk manufacturing
     vii. Irrigation and farming techniques

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