LESSON 2.3 - CHINA

THE QIN & SUI DYNASTIES

Students are to go the the following website and learn about Chinese pronunciation.  The website is at : http://www.pronouncenames.com/

Please print off this chart labelled "CHINESE PRONUNCIATION CHART" and using the above website record the pronunciation.  The link is below:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxIkQvEHk4XzRlJBZUtEZVFBRTQ/edit

VOCABULARY:

Using the handout "VOCABULARY ORGANIZER" for the Qin and Sui Dynasties and the info either in your text or on this page, complete the handout below:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxIkQvEHk4XzSTBrRFFjdkczQ2c/edit

1. CENTRAL GOVERNMENT - A government that is concerned with areas that affect an entire nation or empire.

2. REDISTRIBUTION - To re-assign ownership.

3. TAXES - Mandatory fees paid to the government.

4. PUBLIC WORKS - Major construction projects owned by the government.

5. CONSCRIPTED WORKERS - People forced to become laborers by government.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

THE QIN AND SUI DYNASTIES

THE QIN DYNASTY

Ë    BY 221 BCE, Ying Zheng had defeated all of the Zhou Kings and conquered every army in the land

Ë    Ying Zheng gave himself the name Shi Huangdi which means “First Emperor” because he was the first ruler of a united China.

Ë    He called his new dynasty, The Qin Dynasty which lasted until 206 BCE.

Ë    Shi Huangdi set up a strong central government and divided China into 36 districts.

Ë     Previously, nobles had complete power over their lands and peasants, but Shi Huangdi redistributed the nobles’ lands, and every peasant family was given enough land to make a living and pay taxes.

Ë     Shi Huangdi used his government to improve the economy and standardize the systems of money, weights, writing and measures so that trade within China would be easier.

Ë     THE GREAT WALL – is one of Shi Huagdi’s most significant achievements.

Ø The Great Wall brought peace and protection to most Chinese people.

Ø It took more than 2000 years to complete.

Ë     Shi Huangdi was a Legalist who believed that he and the state were more important than the people.

Ë     He disagreed with Confucianism, and burned many Confucian and Daoist books as well as killing scholars of Confucianism.

    THE HAN DYNASTY

Ë     The first Han Emperor was Gaozu.

Ë     Gaozu thought the central government that Shi Huangdi created was good, but he decided that Shi Huangdi’s laws were too tough and he instructed his government to follow Confucian ideas.

Ë     Gaozu’s dynasty lasted for more than 4 centuries (206 BCE – 220 CE)

Ë     The Han emperors strengthened Chinese society by:

Ø Building roads and canals.

Ø Building more flood control and irrigation projects.

Ø Building granaries where grain could be stored in case of famine.

Ë     The Han Dynasty began to weaken with less capable emperors and several natural disasters.

THE SUI DYNASTY

Ë     In 581, Emperor Wen founded the Sui Dynasty by successfully defeating other kingdoms and uniting China.

Ë     The Sui were successful with many projects such as the creation of the capital of Chang’an which was at the time the largest city in the world with 1 million people.

Ë     The Sui ruled with cruelty and forced many people to work on projects with harsh working conditions which led to many deaths.

Ë     Their greatest accomplishment was the completion of the Grand Canal.

Ë     THE GRAND CANAL

Ø The Canal was used for transportation of crops and other goods.

Ø Emperor Wen decided to link a number of small existing canals into one large one that ran from the Huang He river to the Yangtze river and then to the city of Hangzhou.

Ø This canal allowed for the crops grown in the southern farmlands to be used to feed the people in the north.

POWERPOINT:

Check out this powerpoint about the Great Wall of China!!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxIkQvEHk4XzR3ZfdVpIUzVfS28/edit


BIG QUESTIONS:

WHAT WERE THE MAIN IDEAS ABOUT THE QIN AND SUI DYNASTIES OF ANCIENT CHINA?

ANSWER:

• Taxes collected to build public works projects during the Qin Dynasty.
• Shi Huangdi was the emperor who created taxes.
• The Han Empire kept the central government which allowed for road and canal projects, and flood-control and irrigation projects.
• The Sui built the Grand Canal which led to food being redistributed to those who grew in the south to those who couldn't grow in the north.
• Parts of the Great Wall were built during these empires.

WHY WAS CHINA A CIVILIZATION?

ANSWER:

• They celebrate their arts and culture.  For example: Shi Huangdi died in 210 BC and a whole army of terra cotta warriors were buried with him.
• They had many organized religions such as Confucianism, Laoism, and Daoism.
• They had organized commerce in that the people paid taxes and the government built publics works projects like roads and bridges.
• They had central government.  For example: the Sui dynasty divided the country in to 36 districts and redistributed the nobles' land and every peasant family was given enough land to make a living and pay taxes.

HOW CAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT ADVANCE A CIVILIZATION?


ANSWER:

• Shi Huangdi redistributed the land that was previously run by nobles and he gave everyone enough land to make a living and pay taxes.
• Taxes collected by the government along with free peasant labour allowed the Qin Dynasty to provide public works projects like roads, bridges, and an army.
•  Trade within the Qin Dynasty became easier due to standardization of money, weights, measures, and writing system.
• The Han empire kept the central government which strengthened Chinese society by allowing the building of roads and canals, as well as more flood-control and irrigation projects.
• The Han also built granaries to store food in case there is a famine.
• The Sui Dynasty united China after the Han’s fell.
• The Sui created the capital city of Chang’an with a population of 1 million.
• The Sui built the Grand Canal which helped link communities and trade.
• The Grand Canal allowed for food to be grown in the south and transported and sold to those in the north.

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STUDENT ACTIVITY

    -Students are to create a 5-6 sentence summary of what they have learned about the Chinese Empire.
-  -Students are to get a peer to edit their summary and then record it on the blog comments section.

-    REFERENCES:

Cranny, Michael. (2012). Pathways - Civilizations Through Time. Pearson. Toronto.