大家好
Dà jiā hǎo
Hello, everyone!
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
explain the brief appraise the discuss the different
history of China; contributions of Chinese
Chinese dynasties philosophers.
to the development
of Chinese
literature; and
PRESENTERS
Ellaine Peñol Marissa Esguerra Brent Salamanca
History of China
❖ The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area.
Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods
of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in
the Yellow River valley, which along with the Yangtze basin constitutes the
geographic core of the Chinese cultural sphere. China maintains a rich diversity
of ethnic and linguistic people groups. The traditional lens for viewing Chinese
history is the dynastic cycle: imperial dynasties rise and fall, and are ascribed
certain achievements. Throughout pervades the narrative that Chinese civilization
can be traced as an unbroken thread many thousands of years into the past,
making it one of the cradles of civilization. At various times, states representative
of a dominant Chinese culture have directly controlled areas stretching as far
west as the Tian Shan, the Tarim Basin, and the Himalayas, as far north as
the Sayan Mountains, and as far south as the delta of the Red River.
BASIC FACTS ABOUT CHINA
China spans approximately
5,250 km from east to west and It has the biggest population of
5,500 km from north to south. Its any country in the world and is
land border is around 20,000 the largest country in Asia.
km long, while its shoreline is Almost entirely encompassing the
approximately 14,000 km long. East Asian landmass.
China's longevity and resilience
China has the world's biggest are unparalleled among nations.
temperature difference between With over 4,000 years of
its northern and southern recorded history, China is one of
borders, from the desert in the the few countries that also
northwest to the tropical flourished economically and
monsoon in the southeast. culturally during the earliest
stages of world civilization.
HISTORICAL SCENIC SPOTS
The Forbidden City The Great Wall The Summer Palace
The Forbidden City, also known as The Great Wall is a group of The Summer Palace is a large
the Imperial Palace, is located in defensive structures built along collection of lakes, gardens, and
the heart of Beijing and is a must- the northern borders of ancient palaces. It was an imperial
see for any traveler to China. Chinese states and Imperial China. garden during the Qing dynasty,
but currently it stores national
historical materials.
NATURAL SCENIC SPOTS
Yangtze River is China's Hangzhou West Lake's Zhangjiajie National Park is
longest and most important beauty has inspired poets, in the Wulingyuan Scenic
river and the world's third painters, and landscape Area in the central-eastern
longest after the Amazon designers throughout part of China. This area is
and the Nile. Chinese history. known for its beautiful rock
formations.
THE DYNASTIES
ca. 1600-1050 BCE 221-206 BCE 220-589 CE 618-906 CE
Shang Dynasty Qin Dynasty 6 Dynasties Period Tang Dynasty
ca. 2100-1600 BCE 1046-256 BCE 206 BCE-220 CE 581-618 CE
Xia Dynasty Zhou Dynasty Han Dynasty Sui Dynasty
1949-present 1644-1912 1279-1368 907-960 CE
People's Republic of China Qing Dynasty Yuan Dynasty 5 Dynasties Period
1912-1949 1368-1644 960-1279
Republic Ming Dynasty Song Dynasty
CHINESE LITERATURE
HISTORY OF CHINESE LITERATURE
• Chinese literature is a vast subject that spans thousands of years
• Hieroglyphs (sacred character) writings in China were used in Shang Dynasty in 1700-
1050 BC which starts the Chinese writing
• Chinese literary works include fiction, philosophical and religious works, puppetry and
scientific writings
• Poetry became China’s major literary achievement. The Chinese poets celebrated the
delights of nature and pleasures.
• Subtlety and purity of expression are the main features of Chinese poetry. They do not
use figures of speech but present the topic itself.
THE CHINESE DYNASTIES AND
THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO
LITERATURE
SHANG DYNASTY (ABOUT 1700-1050 BC)
• The first dynasty for which there is a historical record and archaeological evidence
• The hieroglyphic writing system later evolved into ideographic and partly-phonetic
Chinese characters.
ZHOU DYNASTY (1045-255 BC
• Lasted for about 800 years but for most of the time, their original territory was
broken up into dozens of competing kingdoms
• Taoism, Confucian literature, and other prominent religious and philosophical
schools all emerged during this period
QIN DYNASTY (221-206 BC)
• The most powerful for it had big armies and conquered the others
• An early form of Buddhism was also established
• The emperor ordered the destruction of most books all over the empire, killed
many Confucian philosophers and teachers, thus the “Book Burning and Burial
of Scholars was a literary disaster.
• Standardized the written Classical Language which later developed into modem
Chinese writing that helped people all over
• The Qin Emperor favored a philosophical school that was called Legalism which
justified the strong control of the emperor and maintained that everyone should
obey him
• Introduced a writing system that later developed into modern Chinese writing.
Standardization was meant to help control the society. The standardized writing
system also helped people all over the country to communicate more clearly.
• Legalism texts and the standardization of writing were the Qin Dynasty era’s
literary contributions.
HAN DYNASTY (206 B-220 AD)
• Lasted for 400 years
• Confucianism was revived, Confucian texts were rewritten and republished
• Printing wasn’t available for wide publication of the information.
• Cai Lun (50-121) of the imperial court is said to be the first person in the
world to create writing paper, and this was important for written
communication at the end of the empire
• Two or three mathematical texts showing advanced mathematics for the
times were written
TANG DYNASTY (618-907) - EARLY WOODBLOCK PRINTING AND POETRY
• An early form of Buddhism was also established
• This era’s main contribution to Chinese literature was in the
poetry of Dufu, Li Bai and many other poets.
Dufu and Li Bai are often thought of as China’s greatest poets.
• Li Bai (701-762) was one of the • Du Fu (712-770 AD) also wrote more
greatest romantic poets of ancient than a thousand poems. He is thought of
China. He wrote at least a thousand as one of the greatest realist poets of
poems on a variety of subjects from China. His poems reflect the hard
political matters to natural scenery. realities of war, dying people living next
to rich rulers, and primitive rural life.
SONG DYNASTY (960-1279)- EARLY WOODBLOCK PRINTING, TRAVEL LITERATURE, POETRY,
SCIENTIFIC TEXTS AND THE NEO-CONFUCIAN CLASSICS
• One of the era’s technological accomplishments was
the invention of movable type about the turn of 2nd
millennia during the Northern Song period.
• Travel literature in which authors wrote about their
trips and about various destinations.
• Confucian Classics were codified and used as test
material for the entrance examination into the elite
bureaucracy.
• Advanced scientific texts and atlases were published,
and important poems were written
• High education in this system was thought to produce
nobility.
YUAN DYNASTY (1279-1368)- DRAMA AND GREAT FICTIONAL NOVELS
• Dramatic operatic theaters with
human actors speaking in vernacular
language was a favorite form of
entertainment
• Some of China’s best dramatic scripts
were written
• Shadow puppet plays started
• Novels were another outstanding
achievement of the Yuan era
YUAN DYNASTY (1279-1368)- DRAMA AND GREAT FICTIONAL NOVELS
Water Margin The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
MING DYNASTY (1368-1644) – NOVELS
The book Journey to the West was written. The
book based on the historical journey of a Buddhist
to India during Tang era to learn Buddhist
teachings and bring back scriptures and
information. The book describes India as a land of
gross sin and immorality, and the monk was
commissioned by Buddha to help India. The
characters in the book are well known to Chinese
children, and they often appear in martial arts
movies and cartoons.
QING DYNASTY (1644-1911) - NOVELS AND PRE-MODERN LITERATURE
• Foreign literature and the West became better
known; Educated Chinese had easier access to
foreign literature, and they were more
influenced by Western culture.
• In the middle of this era, the last of China’s four
great classic novels was written called Dream
of the Red Chamber(红楼梦); and near the end
of the era, modernistic literature developed.
MODERN ERA (1912-- PRESENT) – WESTERNIZED LITERATURE
• Sun Yat-sen led a revolution that marked the
end of Chinese dynasties in which a clan rules
an empire. This led to a change in literature. It
became Westernized, the Classical Language
wasn’t used.
• Under the national government, there was
some freedom of expression, and lots of views
and styles of literature were popular, China
came under attack from Japan. After the
Communist victory, only literature approved by
the government was allowed.
Imperial seal:
大清帝國之璽
The Chinese Philosophers
CONFUCIUS
Confucius or Kung Fu- Tzu
-was born in the state of Lu in 551 BC was the Chinese Sage who
founded Confucianism.
-Confucius’ family was part of a growing middle class of people in
China called “shi.”
-Confucius died in 479 BC of natural causes.
His Philosophy
Confucius developed his own philosophy which he taught to others.
Today, his philosophy is known as Confucianism.
BASIC IDEAS OF CONFUCIANISM:
CONFUCIUS
✓ Treat others kindly
✓ Have good manners and follow daily rituals
✓ A man should have good morals and ethics
✓ Family was important and ancestors were to be respected
✓ A true man had the qualities of integrity, righteousness, altruism,
goodness, and loyalty
✓ One should practice moderation in all things
✓ He believed in a strong and organized central govemment
Legacy
• Confucius teachings became the state philosophy of China during the
Han Dynasty. His teachings were the basis of the government civil
service exams.
Confucius Quotes
➢What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
➢To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.
➢The cautious seldom err.
➢Isn’t it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned?
➢If you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage.
➢When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone
not so good, reflect on your own weaknesses.
In the discourses with his disciples, Confucius never discussed religion. He taught
them ethics and in these ethical teachings, his disciples and their successors kept the
memory of Confucius alive among themselves. His fame slowly began to wane among the
people generally.
He left them FIVE BOOKS:
▪ Book of Changes (YI King).
▪ Book of Ceremonies (Li King).
▪ Book of Historical Documents (Shu King).
▪ Book of Poetry (Shi King).
▪ Book of Spring and Autumn (Ch’un Ch’iuo).
MENCIUS
• Considered to be the Second Sage of China
• One of the masters of the lyric verse in the T’ang
dynasty
The Cold mountain
The cold mountain turns dark green
The autumn stream flows murmuring on
Leaning on my staff beneath the wicket gate,
In the rushing wind I hear the cry of the aged cicada
LI PO
▪ Chinese poet
▪ One of the greatest figure of Chinese
literature
▪ After his apprenticeship with a Taoism
hermit, he lived briefly as a poet of the
T’ang court.
Drinking Alone Beneath the Moon Drinking Alone
I take my wine jug out among the flowers
Among the blossoms, a single jar of wine. to drink alone, without friends.
No one else here, I ladle it out myself.
I raise my cup to entice the moon.
Raising my cup, I toast the bright moon,
That, and my shadow, makes us three.
and facing my shadow makes friends
three, But the moon doesn't drink,
though moon has never understood wine, and my shadow silently follows.
and shadow only trails along behind me.
Kindred a moment with moon and I will travel with moon and shadow,
shadow, happy to the end of spring.
I've found a joy that must infuse spring:
When I sing, the moon dances.
I sing, and moon rocks back and forth;
When I dance, my shadow dances, too.
I dance, and shadow tumbles into pieces.
Sober, we're together and happy. Drunk, We share life's joys when sober.
we scatter away into our own directions. Drunk, each goes a separate way.
Intimates forever, we'll wander carefree
and meet again in Star River distances. Constant friends, although we wander,
we'll meet again in the Milky Way.
TU FU
• Regarded as the greatest Chinese poet
• Raised according to Confucian tradition
Empty Purse
Green cedar, bitter, is yet food. Dawn rays, high above,
sustenance
People of the world are rude. Mine is a difficult road
No cooking-the well at dawn frozen. Without robes-bedding
at night, cold
Purse empty, I fear the sting of shame And keep a single
coin, for looking in
PO-CHU-I
▪ Chinese poet and government official, held a various posts,
starting in the palace, library and rising to become a provincial
governor
▪ One of the greatest writers of the T’ang dynasty; renowned for
its poetry
▪ Influenced by his predecessor TU FU
▪ Believed that literature should have a social purpose;
employed satire and humor to his work to protest against
contemporary evil
▪ His poetry was extremely popular in his own time, its elegantly
simple style still attracts readers.
Drunk Again A Farewell Poem on the Theme “Grass
Last year, when I lay sick, I vowed on the Old Plain
I’d never touch a drop again As long as I should
See how the grass flourishes on this each year,
live.
once withered, then green again. Wild fires
But who could know Last year
can’t burn it all
What this year’s spring would bring?
When the spring winds blow, it grows again.
And here I am,
Now, its fragrance overruns the Old road.
Coming home from old Liu’s house As drunk as I
can be!
Summary
China has a rich and complex history characterized by a succession of dynasties that shaped
its culture, politics, and society. The earliest known dynasty is the Xia, followed by the Shang and
Zhou, which introduced significant philosophical developments, including Confucianism and
Daoism. The Qin Dynasty is notable for unifying China and establishing a centralized
bureaucracy, while the Han Dynasty is often considered a golden age of cultural, economic, and
technological advancements.
Subsequent dynasties like the Sui, Tang, and Song contributed to further innovations and
cultural flourishing, with the Tang known for its cosmopolitan culture and the Song for economic
growth and advances in science and technology.
Summary
The Yuan Dynasty established by the Mongols, marked a significant period of foreign rule,
while the Ming and Qin dynasties focused on consolidating power and expanding territory. The
Qing Dynasty, the last imperial dynasty, faced internal strife and external pressures, leading to its
fall and the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912.
Throughout its dynastic history, China has seen remarkable achievements in philosophy, art,
literature, and technology, influencing not only East Asia but the entire world.
Summary
Confucius is a foundational figure in Chinese philosophy, Confucius emphasized ethics, proper
conduct, and social harmony. His teachings, compiled in the "Analects," advocate for virtues like
filial piety, righteousness, and respect for tradition, greatly influencing Chinese culture and
governance. Mencius is a prominent follower of Confucius, Mencius expanded on his ideas,
particularly the concept of inherent human goodness. He argued that people are naturally inclined
toward benevolence and that good governance is rooted in moral leadership and the well-being of
the populace. Li Po is a celebrated poet of the Tang Dynasty, Li Po is known for his romantic and
imaginative poetry. His work often explores themes of nature, friendship, and the joys of life,
characterized by a unique lyrical style that has made him one of China's greatest poets.
Summary
Tu Fu also a Tang Dynasty poet, Tu Fu is recognized for his profound social commentary and
historical awareness. His poetry reflects the struggles of ordinary people, personal hardship, and
the chaos of his times, often marked by a more realistic and moral tone compared to Li Po. Po
Chu-I is a leading poet of the Tang Dynasty, Bai Juyi was known for his accessible style and
emphasis on social issues. His poems often addressed the lives of common people, reflecting his
concern for social justice and the impact of government policies on daily life.
Together, these figures represent the rich tapestry of Chinese thought and literature, each
contributing unique perspectives on ethics, governance, and the human experience.
谢谢你
Xiè xiè nín
Thank you!
