Asia is such a large area of the world and it happens to hold a lot of history of Chinese and Indian cultures. Through this essay I will discuss early art forms and how it reflects on the Indian and Chinese values and cultures. I will also discuss China’s first four Dynasties as well as the origin of Indian culture.
China has had over ten Dynasties, but I am here to talk about the first four; the Xia, Shang, Zhou, and Qin Dynasties. 2070-1600 BCE was the rise of The Xia Dynasty, the first government in ancient China. According to Sima Qian, a historian during ancient China, “there was once a great ruler named Huang-ti better known as the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor created Chinese culture and established a form of government which
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Many historians questioned the existence of the Xia Dynasty saying the Shang Dynasty may have actually been the first to establish China and its culture, but during the 20th century Chinese historians uncovered sites which corresponded to accounts made by earlier historians'. The third Dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty, was during 1046-256 BCE. Unlike previous Dynasties, The Zhou people were not the type to invade. “During the course of several centuries, the Zhou migrated west towards North China to the lower Wei River valley where they developed Shang-style agriculture, and they also built a city in an area named Plain of Zhou, which gave its name to the state and the dynasty” (Violatti, 2009-2016). The last on the list is the Qin Dynasty. This Dynasty was brief in duration, only reigning from 221-206 BCE, but it was very important in Chinese history. China became involved in an endless conflict between the various regions that all wanted total …show more content…
In Chinese culture, what is known about early Chinese figure painting comes from burial sites during the Han and Tang Dynasties. Many early tomb paintings served the purpose to protect the dead and help their souls get to paradise ("Chinese Art," n.d.). During the time of sculpture, between the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the Terracotta Army was built for the tomb of the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. These figures were placed in tombs to enable the deceased to enjoy the same lifestyle they lived while alive, in the afterlife. Also during that time frame bronze casting was popular, particularly ritual vessels. Ritual vessels were containers used to store or serve various solids and liquids used in the performance of sacred ceremonies. Indian culture had similar arts. Rock painting was the earliest art known from the Indian culture. “The paintings often depicted scenes of human life alongside animals, and hunts with stone implements. The most common characteristic was a red wash” ("Indian Art," n.d.). Gold, terracotta, and stone was used during the Indus Valley Civilization to make figurines of girls in dancing poses, as well as cows, monkeys, and dogs, but it is not known what they were used for. Lastly, during the time of the Mauryan Empire, several large mound-like or structures called stupas were built. They contained relics and were used as a place of
The fall of the Shang dynasty ended the river valley society in China, and made way for the beginning of developed civilization in China. After the collapsed Shang dynasty came the Zhou dynasty, which began in 1029 BCE and flourished until 700 BCE, but it did not officially collapse until 403 BCE. Following that came the period of political disintegration and unease, known as the Era of the Warring States, from 402 BCE to 222 BCE. Finally, the Qin dynasty arose in 221 BCE and brought order back to China, however this did not last, and the dynasty fell in 207 BCE. Revolts over the Qin emperor’s death broke out, and it was the rise of the Han dynasty that restored China’s political
Overall the Qin and Zhou dynasties were very similar in all aspects except for their government and the Qin’s military conquest. The Zhou dynasty lasted for hundreds of years where as the Qin lasted for only 15 years. Even though the time period and the scale at which they grew is so different they were both big factors in the ancient history of
Before the Communist Revolution, China had a dynastic system for their form of government. A dynastic system consisted of China being ruled by emperors and it started around 221 BC. The first known dynasty in China is the Shang Dynasty. The social classes included the upper class of nobles, the working class, and slaves. In the Shang Dynasty, China was well- known for their well- organized armies and the chariots they used. Their system of writing consisted of pictures called ideograms, pictograms and phonograms. The dynastic system left China in 1911 when the Qing Dynasty ended. A republican form of government was introduced where warlords governed the country. This type of government was weak for China and Sun Yat-sen, the leader of the Nationalist Party, searched for help from other countries to try to bring down the warlords. Unfortunately, western countries did not give their help, and China went to the Soviet Union for help instead. The Soviet Union agreed to help them out but they pushed for China to become communist. This decision eventually led to the civil war that occurred in China.
In this Treatise have discussed China's classical age and how they influenced all of east Asian culture for over two thousand years. And How Buddhism spread throughout east Asia and evolved into several different schools each embracing the host nations principle and beliefs. I have discussed Confucian teachings and texts have influenced Chinese and Eastern Asian culture and government for centuries. How China overcame invaders from all sides and managed to emerge as a world economic power. And finally how Japan developed its own culture and founded a new social class the Samurai. East Asian History is compelling, deep and complicated. A history that will sound differently each time as their history continues to grow and influence other non Asian cultures.
Qin Shi Huang, the first ruler of the Qin dynasty, led the way to creating a powerful nation. Before then, citizens were suffering from wars due to constant vying for power between the Warring States. Finally, in 221 B.C., the King of Qin unified the empire mainly through aggressive military power with the help of social reforms, including standardizing mathematical measures and formalizing a Chinese writing system, which revolutionized the Chinese civilization. During his rule, Qin Shi Huang also worked on establishing a bureaucratic government, enforcing strict rules, creating clear social rankings, constructing extravagant architectures, and building a renowned reputation for himself. The Qin Dynasty featured a strong centralization and
and the oldest dynasty is Xia Dynasty. From the long history of China, there emerge many eminent people that have contribute a lot to development of the whole country and to the enrichment of her history.
In the year 221 B.C.E., there was a great ruler over the Ch'in kingdom in China, named Shih Huang Ti. Shih was power hungry and wanted more land so he gathered his army and captured the surrounding kingdoms. As the ruler of so many kingdoms he became "the first emperor" of China. Shih showed his tyranny when he burned all history books to insure that his people and future generations would only remember him and none of the earlier rulers. He had a strong army but the fierce tribes north of China, the Mongols and the Huns, were stronger. These nomadic tribes would come into China and steal crops and animals and then destroy everything left behind.
Daily life was influenced in both Ancient India and China because of religion and philosophies. Their well being, their beliefs, and their caste system were affected by religion and philosophies.
From 1700 to roughly 220 BCE (before the Common Era), the region currently known as China was divided into six states: Qin, Wei, Zhao, Qi, Yan and Zhongshan, each ruled by different kings. These inter-warring states were already familiar with wall building techniques, each having constructed extensive fortifications to defend their own borders. When Shih Huangdi, the young king of the ancient Chinese state of Qin (also spelled Ch’in, from which the word China derives), conquered each of the remaining five states in 221 BCE, the continuous warring finally came to an end. By conquering these states, Shih Huangdi established the Qin Dynasty, thus creating the first unification of China, and the first Chinese central government. In his efforts to make this new concept of centralized rule “stick”, as well as prevent the reemergence of feudal lords, Shih Huangdi ordered the destruction of the wall sections that divided his empire along the forme...
During the third century B.C.E, the Qin dynasty has risen to power on the Wei River in northwest China. Qin is also pronounced as “Chin”. The Qin where ruthless people in the late Zhou era. The emperor of the Qin dynasty believed in unifying China and practice Legalism. After the Qin defeated the Zhou’s they began to unify China. They started by conquering divided parts of China, like the civilized parts and the Yangzi River basin, and also new lands. The Qin emperor was the first Chinese emperor. He took the title emperor and he followed simple practice like commanded bordered states to build walls to protect themselves from raiders. He would later join all those northern walls together, making it into one wall that would extend 1400 miles
Secondly, the art of India fascinated me a lot especially the 13th Century art of “S...
The code of Hammurabi was one of the most important documents in Babylon history. It was adopted from many Sumerian customs that had been around for a while before the Babylonians. Though many of the Laws were adopted from Sumeria they were published by Hammurabi and thus known as the code of Hammurabi. This code had four main parts to it. They were: Civil Laws, Commercial Laws, Penal Laws, and the Law of procedures.
Millions of years ago the procreant low lands in the river basins of Euphrates and Tigris was probably the home of some animal life, but no great civilizations. However, things change over time, and just a few thousand years ago the same fertile low lands in the river basins of Euphrates and Tigris became the home of a very rich and complex society. This first high society of man was located in what some still call "Mesopotamia". The word "Mesopotamia" is in origin a Greek name meaning "land between the rivers." The name is used for the area watered by the Euphrates and Tigris and its tributaries, roughly comprising modern Iraq and part of Syria. South of modern Bagdad, this alluvial plain was called the land of Sumer and Akkad. Sumer is the most southern part, while the land of Akkad is the area around modern Bagdad, where the Euphrates and Tigris are closest to each other. This first high, Mesopotamian society arose as a combined result of various historical, institutional, and religious factors. The reality of these factors occurring at a specific place within the fabric of space / time indeed established the basis for this first high civilization. Items like irrigation, topography, and bronze-age technical innovations played a big part along with the advent of writing and the practice of social conditioning (through the use of organized religion) in this relatively early achievement of man.
The Tang and Song Dynasties are both pertinent to China’s development. During the Tang period, which is also considered the “Golden Age”, art and literature was embraced and thrived. During the Song Dynasties, many technical inventions allowed China to grow as a nation, and emerge as one of the greatest nations in the medieval world. Both dynasties played a key role in the history of China.
Ancient Egypt was a very important time in our time period. They had their own way of life. Egyptians had their own writing, burials, government, religion, cooking, and games. They were educated people with many talents. They were good with their hands and brains. Ancient Egyptians were a magnificent race of people.