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Cultural development in ancient china
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The northern and northwestern border of the Chinese dynasties presented easy pathways for pastoral nomads to access the Chinese dynasty lands and raid the land. One early attempt to deal with these raiders such as the Xiongnu tribes of the Asian Steppe was the building of frontier fortifications now known as the Great Wall of China in order to alleviate the frontier regions of the northern Qin dynasty from the raids of the Xiongnu. The successive dynasties and the wall did little to stop the incursions from the nomads living on the Asian Steppe. The Tang dynasty would supersede the Sui dynasty and expand northwestward, thus creating an environment for the Tang and later dynasties to absorb steppe culture and create a unique military relationship …show more content…
The Yuan dynasty introduced the extreme case of hybridization between the Chinese and Inner Asian social order as the Mongols replaced the Song dynasty. This period saw the transfer of Chinese Confucian literature into Mongolian. This period experienced migrations such as the Turks migrating into China and even taking control of the throne. The Tang dynasty may have reopened the Silk Road, but the Yuan dynasty continued to maintain the Silk Road and encourage trade until the isolationist Ming dynasty replaced the Yuan …show more content…
The Qin dynasty had originally built a wall to counter the raids of the pastoral nomads of the steppe, and garrisons were maintained to deal with these steppe people. From time to time, the Chinese military made excursions into the steppe to deal with the nomads, while other times the Chinese recruited the nomads for military service or provided gifts to appease the nomads and prevent them from raiding into China. The interaction with the nomadic tribes provided the Chinese military officers with the understanding of nomadic politics on the
The founder of the Qin dynasty was Qin Shi Huangdi, a title meaning “First Emperor.” He was a brutal ruler, but he brought about many changes. However, in addition to all the new, some old ideas were continued from the Zhou, such as the emphasis on the wheat and rice staple foods, and the philosophies, Confucianism and Daoism. The old continuities tended to have been deeply embraced by China, and, just as the Zhou did, the Qin would create some ideas that lasted, and some that did not. Qin Shi Huangdi enforced a tough autocratic rule and, as a result, opposed formal culture that could make people counter his rule. This meant that he burned many books and attacked Confucian ideas in order to keep the people from generating rebellious ideas. When the Qin dynasty fell, so too did the opposition towards education, because it took away from the civilization culturally. Despite the fact that the Qin dynasty was very short and had little time to fully develop its systems and ideas, it did pump out a vast quantity of new and lasting concepts, such as the Great Wall and a central government. One of the biggest contenders for the most well-known feature of the Qin dynasty is the Great Wall. This architectural masterpiece extends over 3,000 miles, and was mainly a
Around 220 CE the Han dynasty that rules China starts many attacks on the northern nomads. The Han have conquered and received new territories. Then repairs and builds about 10,000 kilometers of walls. This is the first time the Chinese are extending far west through the Gobi Desert. The Great Wall then takes on a new role which is protecting the Silk Road trade routes that connect China and the West.
(Doc. E). The wall was not one big long wall. It stretched three hundred miles to the west and there was a watchtower beyond the wall end. But there were still places that were not protected by the wall. The Xiongnu could just walk around the wall and them come in and invade.
Agriculture was a big part of both cultures. It's how they were successful. If a place did not have enough food for the population then it could not sustain a military or any growth at all. The Qin and Zhou dynasties both lived off of the Yellow River and its fertile grounds made agriculture flourish. The geography on both dynasties was relatively the same. They both originated in Northeast China
The Great Wall of China, one of the world’s eight wonders, is one of the most famous feats of human architecture in the history of the world. This ancient marvel is not only a great spectacle, but is also significant in the shaping and molding of the China everyone knows today. The Great Wall of China allowed China to possess some of the longest lived governmental structures in the world by providing a means of protection against hostile nomadic groups and other warlike peoples. This allowed the lifespans of the dynasties-- lines of hereditary rulers who rule over a country for a long period of time-- inside the wall to be prolonged. This massive structure is therefore a key part of China’s history, influencing nearly every dynasty that ruled the region, since the rise of the first emperor.
Today we can look around ourselves and see thousands of technical innovations that make life easier; But if we take a step back and ask ourselves “How?” we will soon realize that most often, these technological advancements did not just “poof” into existence, but are usually the outcome of building upon yesterday’s technology. If we follow this cycle back into time, we can attribute almost any modern day invention to an ancient civilization during its golden age. China was no exception. China’s Song and Tang dynasties fostered scientific advances comparable to Rome’s during its Pax Romana. The most significant and impacting of these were the development of primitive gunpowder and porcelain of the Tang and paper money, and the magnetic compass of the Song Dynasties. Although these may seem very far off, if you look hard enough, you can see traces of their impacts in society today because most of the advancements today we owe to them.
One of the eras of a majestic ancient civilization that has left a lasting impression upon the world of today is the Chinese Song Dynasty. Established by General Zhao Kuangyin this dynasty lasted from 960–1279 AD and brought a new stability to China after many decades of civil war, and ushered in a new era of modernization. It was divided into the Bei (Northern) and the Nan (Southern) Song periods. This brilliant cultural epoch gave birth to major advances in economic reform, achievements in technology, and helped to further medical knowledge.
... promoting loyalty and increased trust between the two peoples. The Chinese would be more willing to follow the new policies under Mongol rule, even though they were not at the top of the social class anymore. The Mongols were civilized because they were accepting of the customs of different peoples and used this to their benefit.
One of the major lasting effects was the Han Dynasty’s changes to the economy. The Han Dynasty expanded their influence throughout the land and made improvements in many products made in China, including silk, iron, and textiles, as well as inventing paper. As stated in the article, “Great Journeys of China… The Silk Road”, “at the order of Emperor Wudi, courtier General Zhang Qian travelled to the “regions western ...
Major changes in political structure, social and economic life define the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. Each period laid the foundation for the next, with changes and improvements to create a new order.
Source L (3.) is a secondary source that shows how the Great Wall of China was constructed from the measurements and materials involved and the conditions and terrain in which thousands of peasants had to work in. It also portrays the dangers they faced and the possible injuries that may have occurred which suggests that the peasants, farmers (Nong) and craftsman (Gong) may have been forced into slavery to construct the Great Wall of China. Although this is said, the Great Wall of China was beneficial to the country because it’s objective was to keep china safe from northern invaders. Despite Qin having such great achievements he was a very cruel and ruthless leader where he would give out very harsh punishments or execution for minor offences for example by suggesting another way to do something could result in death (Qin was a legalist). Source M – Burning Books (2.) a secondary source, the image conveys multiple scholars (Shi) being killed by Qin’s authority and books being burnt.
Throughout the Tang and Song Dynasties, there was a plethora of growth and progress developed over time. The dynasties generated a “Golden Age” for China as a whole, creating the strongest and most advanced country during that era. There is close to an infinite amount of points to acknowledge about how the two dynasties compare and contrast. Broadly, most of the features developed through economics, social relations, politics, and culture. Together, both dynasties lasted around 300 years. While the Tang and Song Dynasties shared alike propositions economically, they had contrasting cultural and social ideals, but despite their differences displayed how all aspects aided and expanded the overall growth.
...air and did not benefit China were signed just so the fighting could cease, and nomads and other enemies were paid just so peace could be obtained. In fact, the weakness in the military was an important reason that the Northern Song Dynasty came to an end. Around the beginning of the 12th century, a group of nomads succeeded in conquering the capital and also the emperor, which marked the end of the period of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Despite history not having its golden points, you have to work your way up to riches when you’re nothing but rags. This is a constant in life, and despite some of the dynasties obviously having awful awful things happen, they establish many things that influence better things to come later on. The Tang Dynasty is often considered the most prosperous dynasty in ancient Chinese history, having enlarged its territory greatly and having made great achievements in politics, economy, military, culture, and diplomacy under the administration of successful emperor after successful emperor. The Song Dynasty wasn’t as impressive, but they were astoundingly amazing in terms of economy, science and technology. Though they lacked in military strategies
Long ago, before the great land of China was united, it was separated into multiple kingdoms. Each kingdom ruled by a king. One king was not satisfied with the amount of people and land he ruled over, he wanted more. While King Qin Shi Huang ruled over his kingdom, he began to unify the rest of the kingdoms and turned it into the great Empire of Qin, which he ruled over, naming this period in history the Qin Dynasty. Along with many of his accomplishments, Shi Huang is known for his great art. Although he did not create the art himself, these "art" became trademarks for China. During his time ruling he ordered thousands of workers to construct what is known as the Great Wall of China. Along with one of the wonders of the world, he ordered his