Chinese Civilization
The Heavenly Kingdom
Presented by :
Nishat Anjum Bini (NAB)
Lecturer
Department of Social Relations
East West University
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Table of Contents:
Introduction to Ancient China
China’s Prehistoric Origins
Dynastic & Political History
Architecture: The Great Wall of China
Trade: The Silk Road
Religion, Language & Philosophy
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Life is really simple, but we insist on making it
complicated. Wisdom, compassion, and courage
Ye are the three universally recognized moral
qualities of men in life.
-Confucius,551-479 B.C.E
孔夫子
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Introduction to Ancient China
China, one of the cradles of civilization , arose and developed in a vast land of
over four million square miles in Far-East Asia. Geographically, China looks like a
vast checkerboard divided by mountain ranges and river systems.
Three great river systems cross China from Central Asia in the west to the Pacific
in the east.
In the north, the Yellow River (Huang Ho), traditionally known as China’s
Sorrow, because of the misery caused by its periodic flooding, traverses the
great North China plain. Here was the original homeland for the Chinese
culture.
The Yangtze river, is 3200 miles in length. The Yangtze River Valley is the
heartland of Central China with its great cities like Shanghai and Hankow.
The shorter rivers and valleys converging on present day Canton( Guangzhou)
and entering the sea at Hong Kong form the third major river system of China.
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Qikou town along
Yellow River
in Shanxi Province of
China
Aerial View:
Yellow River
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China’s Prehistoric Origins
The discovery of fossils of Peking Man made it evident that archaic humans had
dwelt in China in the Paleolithic age. Certain physical characteristics of Peking
Man, are the distinctive marks of the Mongoloid branch of the human race.
Human skulls have also been found, providing further evidence that paleolithic
culture flourished in China between 1,00,000 to 20,000 years ago.
Two distinctive neolithic culture sites have been found in Northern China, near
Yellow River Valley:
i) Yang Shao Site ii) Lung Shan Site
People of these village settlements domesticated dogs and pigs for food,
engaged in farming and produced striking potteries. They also used pounded-
earth technique for building walls.
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Dynastic & Political
History of China
According to ancient historical texts such as
the Book of Documents (Shangsu) and Yu, the
the Records of the Grand Great
Historian(Shiji) China's first dynasty was the Xia
dynasty (2070–1600 BC). But there is no writing
known from the period. Legendary hero Yu, the
Great, was the founder of Xia dynasty. Wu
Ding 7Wu
The earliest known written records of history in
China date from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046
BC) during the reign of King Wu Ding. The oracle
bone script appearing in the Shang Dynasty
recorded various events of the Shang Dynasty.
Dynastic & Political History
of China
The Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC)
supplanted the Shang and introduced the Jade Dragon of
concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify Zhou Era
their rule. The central Zhou government
began to weaken due to external and
internal pressures in the 8th century BC,
and the country eventually splintered into
smaller states during the Spring and
Autumn period(776-480 BC).
These states became independent and
fought with one another in the
following Warring States period(480-221
BC). Much of traditional Chinese
culture, literature and philosophy first
developed during those troubled times
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Dynastic &
Political History of
China
Qin Shi Huang
In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang conquered
the various warring states and created
for himself the title of Huangdi or
'emperor' of the Qin, marking the
beginning of imperial China.
However, the oppressive government fell
soon after his death, and was supplanted
by the longer-lived Han dynasty (206 BC Painting from Han Era
– 220 AD).
Flag of Qing
China's last ruling dynasty was Dynasty
the Qing Dynasty/Manchu dynasty
(1636–1912 A.D. ), which was replaced by
the Republic of China in 1912, and then
in the mainland by the People's Republic
of China in 1949.
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Dynastic & Political History
of China
The Republic of China retreated
to the island of Taiwan in 1949 after the
Chinese Civil War(1927-1949). Both
the PRC and the ROC claimed to be
the sole legitimate government of ROC (Kuomintang)
vs PRC (Communist Party)
China, resulting in an ongoing dispute.
Finally the United
Nations recognized the PRC as the
government to represent China at all
UN conferences in 1971.
Chiang Kai-shek Mao Zedong
Hong Kong and Macau transferred
sovereignty to China
in 1997 and 1999 from the United
Kingdom and Portugal respectively,
becoming special administrative
regions of the China.
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Chinese Schools of
Philosophy
CONFUCIANISM, TAOISM, BUDDHISM
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Chinese Schools of
Philosophy
Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are considered the “three
pillars” of ancient Chinese society. As philosophies and religions,
they not only influenced spirituality, but also government, science,
the arts, and social structure.
Instead of one tradition taking over and pushing the others out, the
three philosophies have influenced society alongside each other,
changed each other, and at times blended together.
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Confucius: The
Great Sage
The founder of Confucianism, named Confucius, lived from 551 to 479
B.C.E. He was a philosopher and political figure who lived during a
time when traditional Chinese principles began to deteriorate under
competing political states.
❑His teachings gave guidance on all levels of ancient Chinese life,
from interactions between family members and in the public sphere,
to educational standards and how states should be governed.
❑ He taught that if everyone fulfilled their roles and obligations with
respect and kindness towards others, it would build a stronger state.
❑The structure of Chinese society and its focus on rituals, familial
respect and obligation, worship of ancestors, and self-discipline,
remains greatly influenced by Confucius and his teachings.
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Confucianism
❑The golden rule of Confucianism is “Do not do unto others what you
would not want others to do unto you.”
❑According to Confucius, state/government existed for the man, not
man for the state.
❑He stressed the importance of five cardinal human relationships,
which were already traditional among the Chinese.
1. Ruler and Subject 2. Father and Son 3.Elder and younger brother
4. Husband and wife 5.Friend and friend
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Taoism
Taoism (also called Daoism) is a Chinese religion that developed a bit after
Confucianism. Founder of Taoist School of Philosophy is Lao-Tzu, (Old Sage).
Taoism is mainly concerned with the spiritual elements of life, including the
nature of the universe. The guiding principle of Taoism is roughly translated as
“the Way,” which is a harmonious natural order that arises between humans
and the world, and that Taoists should strive to achieve.
Achieving spiritual immortality through becoming one with nature is an
important part of the Taoist religion.
The Taoist focus on natural elements and observing how the natural world
works helped to create Chinese medicine. Their collective knowledge gained
through trying to improve human longevity made a huge contribution to
health sciences.
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Buddhism
Buddhism was the third major belief system of ancient
China. It was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, also called
the Buddha, who lived in India around the sixth century
B.C.E. Buddhism is a philosophy that focuses on personal
development and attainment of deep knowledge.
Buddhists seek to achieve enlightenment through
meditation, spiritual learning, and practice. They believe in
reincarnation and that life is impermanent and full of
suffering and uncertainty; the way to find peace is through
reaching Nirvana, a joyful state beyond human suffering.
After its founding in India, Buddhism spread to and became
popular in China in the first century C.E.
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Writing System
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Oracle Bone
Oracle bones are pieces of ox scapula and
turtle plastron, which were used
for divination – in ancient China, mainly
during the late Shang dynasty.
Diviners would submit questions to deities
regarding future weather, crop planting, the
fortunes of members of the royal family, military
endeavors, and other similar topics. These
questions were carved onto the bone or shell
in oracle bone script using a sharp tool. Intense
heat was then applied with a metal rod until the
bone or shell cracked due to thermal expansion.
The diviner would then interpret the pattern of
cracks and write the prophecy upon the piece as
well.
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Religion of the Shang Period
Ample testimony exists for the religious practices of the Shang people. They
worshipped many natural objects and forces-the earth, rivers, the winds even
the directions. To these gods they performed sacrifices in temples. Offerings of
burnt animal flesh and millet beer were common.
The principal deity was Shang Ti, a god concerned primarily with rainfall, crops
and war.
Kings and queens had royal tombs with jewels and statues.
The practice of human sacrifice was prevalent during the Shang period, but
disappeared throughout time.
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Ancestor
Ancestor
veneration in
Worship in China
China
The Chinese family was not only an economic
and sociological unit , but a religious and
political one as well.
Ancestral spirits were believed to possess the
power of helping or hurting their descendants,
and yet depended upon their living
representatives for nourishment in the form of
food offerings. Altars were prepared for
presenting offerings to the spirits.
They believed that the spirits of the ancestors
could bring prosperity to the family and that
dire consequences would follow any neglect of
the rites.
It was also customary to bury valuable objects
with the deceased.
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The Chinese dragon, also known as the , long or lung is a legendary
Worship of the Dragon King
creature in Chinese mythology. They traditionally symbolize potent
and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, typhoons, and
(Longshan)
floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck for
people. The Dragon King, also known as the Dragon God, is a Chinese
water and weather god. He is regarded as the dispenser of rain,
commanding over all bodies of water.
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Military
Chinese warfare involved perhaps the largest and
most technologically advanced armies in the ancient
world.
Chariots, cavalry, swords, bows and crossbows were all
staple features of the battles which raged as rulers
forever struggled to dominate this huge country and
defend its borders against threatening neighbors.
One of the greatest manual on warfare ever
produced, was The Art of War by Sun-Tzu (5th
century BCE). The book contains a detailed
explanation and analysis of the 5th-century BC
Chinese military, from weapons, environmental
conditions, and strategy to rank and discipline. Sun-
Tzu also stressed the importance of intelligence
operatives and espionage to the war effort.
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The Terracotta Army at Shaanxi, China is a collection
of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin
Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. It is a form
of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209
BCE with the purpose of protecting him in his
afterlife. The Terracotta Army holds more than 8,000
soldiers
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Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, often called by
the umbrella terms Kung
fu are multiple fighting styles that
have developed over the centuries
in Greater China.
The genesis of Chinese martial arts has
been attributed to the need for self-
defense, hunting techniques and
military training in ancient
China. Hand-to-hand
combat and weapons practice were
important in training ancient
Chinese soldiers.
The Shaolin style of kung fu is
regarded as one of the first Two grandmasters of the Shaolin
institutionalized Chinese martial arts.
Temple practicing Kung Fu
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Fortifications: The Great Wall
of China
Not only cities but state frontiers were protected by high walls and watchtowers.
The earliest walls may have been built from the 8th century BCE but the practice
became a common one in the Warring States Period when many different
powerful states vied for control of China.
Most of these walls were dismantled by the victor state, what would become
the Qin Dynasty from 221 BCE, but one wall was greatly expanded to become
the Great Wall of China. Extended again by subsequent dynasties, the wall
would eventually stretch some 5,000 km from Gansu province in the east to
the Liaodong peninsula. The structure was not continuous but it did, for several
centuries, help protect China's northern frontier against invasion from nomadic
steppe tribes.
The Ming emperors later improved the wall with watchtowers and platforms.
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Trade and Economy
Ancient China was often connected to the rest of the world through trade,
not only along the famous Silk Road but also via merchant ships that sailed
the Indian Ocean, connecting East Asia to the Middle East, Europe,
and Africa.
The Silk Road was a network of ancient trade routes, formally established
during the Han Dynasty of China in 130 BCE, which linked the regions of
the ancient world in commerce between 130 BCE-1453 A.D.
Silk, paper, tea, and porcelain, gunpowder were just some of the goods the
Chinese exported far and wide. Trade routes, once firmly established, also
carried ideas and innovations as well as goods for sale.
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19th-century "rose
medallion" plate
Ming
dynasty jar,
16th century
AD
Porcelain was a Chinese invention and is so identified with
China that it is still called "china" in everyday English usage.
Many of the most important kiln workshops were owned by the
emperor, and large quantities of Chinese porcelain were
exported as diplomatic gifts or for trade from an early date,
initially to East Asia and the Islamic world, and then from around
the 16th century to Europe.
Ming
dynasty
vase, 16th
century AD 30
The Invention
of Paper
There is ample archaeological evidence of
primitive paper types from the 2nd century
BCE in China, largely using
hemp(Cannabis sativa).
Cai Lun, the director of the Imperial
Workshops at Luoyang(Henan Province),
is the one credited with creating paper by
using soaked and then pressed plant fibers
which were dried in sheets on wooden
frames or screens.
Chinese paper was of such high quality that The world's
it was traded to foreign states along the Silk earliest known
printed book
Road. (using woodblock
printing),
the Diamond Sutra
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Beginning of Sericulture in
China
Silk is a fabric first produced in Neolithic China from the filaments of the cocoon of
the silk worm. It became a staple source of income for small farmers and, as weaving
techniques improved, the reputation of Chinese silk spread so that it became highly
desired across the empires of the ancient world.
As China's most important export for much of its history, the material gave its name to
the great trading network the Silk Road, which connected East Asia to Europe, India,
and Africa. Not only used to make fine clothes, silk was used for fans, wall hangings,
banners, and as a popular alternative to paper for writers and artists.
Silk is produced by silk worms (Bombyx mori) to form the cocoon within which
the larvae develop.
Sericulture - that is the cultivation of mulberry leaves, the tending of silkworms,
the gathering of threads from their cocoons and the weaving of silk - first appears
in the archaeological record of ancient China c. 3600 BCE.
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From top left: Mulberry
tree, Silkworm, Silk moth
From bottom left:
Mulberry, Silkworm and
Cocoon
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The silkworms
The
and mulberry
cocoons are
leaves are
boiled in
placed on trays.
water and
the silk is
wound on
spools.
The cocoons are
weighed
Chinese
silk making
The silk is woven using a loom.
process
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From left: Raw silk of domesticated silk
worms, showing its natural shine, Silk
fabrics in market, Dragon Silk Robe, Taipei.
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Timeline of Foreign
domination over China
The Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan started the
conquest with small-scale raids into China in 1205 and
1207 A.D
By 1279, the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan had established
the Yuan dynasty in China.
Century of humiliation" or "hundred years of national
humiliation" is a term used in China to describe the period
of intervention and subjugation of the Qing dynasty and
the Republic of China by Western powers and Japan from
1839 to 1949.
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Timeline of Foreign
domination over China
•Defeat in the First Opium War (1839–1842) by
the British and the occupation of Hong Kong.
•Defeat in the Second Opium War (1856–
1860) by Anglo-French forces.
•The partial defeat during the Sino-French
War (1884-1885), which resulted in losing
suzerainty over Vietnam
A political cartoon depicting Queen
Victoria (Britain), Kaiser Wilhelm II (Germany), Tsar
Nicholas II (Russia), Marianne (France), and Emperor
Meiji (Japan) dividing China.
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Timeline of Foreign American troops storming
the Peking city walls during
domination over the Boxer Rebellion, 1900
China
•Defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–
1895) by Japan, which resulted in
the Japanese colonization and suzerainty
over Korea.
•Failure of the Boxer uprising (1899–1901)
•The simultaneous Russian invasion of
Manchuria (1900),
•The Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931–
1932)
•The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945),
during which widespread war crimes were
committed by Japanese forces, most
infamously the Nanjing Massacre.
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The 8-nation Alliance force having 45,000 troops from
Germany, Japan, Russia, Britain, France, the United States, Italy, and Austria-
Hungary, was formed to crush the Boxer Rebellion(1900) in China.
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