Classical+China

Classical China
 * = Han China Espirit || [[file:han china espirit.doc]] ||
 * = Shi Huangdi || [[file:shi huangdi .doc]] ||
 * = Notes from 9/16 || [[file:16.docx]] ||
 * = Daoism || [[file:DAOISM 9.doc]] ||
 * = Summary || In Classical China, power was inherited by blood, and royal families were called **dynasties.** The **emperor** was the supreme leader of the government. After the **Shang** Dynasty fell, the **Zhou** dynasty took power and lasted from 1020 BCE to 258 BCE and it featured decentralized government but also important cultural innovations. Regional rulers who made their own laws ruled China. The Zhou dynasty encouraged expansion of China’s territory. They also encouraged people to adopt the **Confucius** way of thinking. After the Zhou Dynasty was the **Era of Warring States**, in which regional lords battled for control. **Shi Huangdi** united China and formed the Qin Dynasty. However, Shi Huangdi turned out to be a tyrannical ruler who loved killing and torturing. Yet he did standardize weights, measures, currency and language, utilized censuses and built the **Great Wall of China.** He used excessive slave labor to build his public projects, which eventually causes an uprising that was his son and successor’s downfall. The rebellion led to the **Han Dynasty** seizing power 201 B.C.E. - 220 C.E. Emperor **Wu Ti** ushered in an era of peace for China. Wu Ti spread Confucianism and strengthened the government’s bureaucracy. The nation was prosperous; especially due to the way the **Silk Road** enabled farther and more extensive trade. China primarily focused on internal trade, however. The trade spread ideas and culture, most importantly **Confucianism and Taoism**. Chinese people practice these two philosophies together. The philosophies promoted intellectual advancements. ||

