The Qin and Han Dynasty

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The Qin and Han Dynasty

• Reference pages 240-248

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Who was Qin Shihuangdi?

• The First Qin Emperor
• The rulers of powerful local
  states fought one another and ignored
  Zhou kings.
• One of these states was called Qin.
  Its ruler took over states one by one
  and declared himself Qin Shihuangdi

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A Powerful Ruler

• Qin based his rule on the ideas of Legalism
  started by Hanfeizi.
• Consequences of disobedience Killed, harshly
  punished, books were burned if they contained
  opposing views.
• Hanfeizi Legalism

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How was China Unified?
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The Great Wall of China

• Northern China was bordered by the vast Gobi
  desert.
• Nomads lived in the Gobi.
• The nomads were known as the Xiongnu
• Xiongnu were masters of fighting on horseback.
• Qin Shihuangdi forced farmers to leave their
  fields and work on connecting and strengthening
  walls.
• The result

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Not quitethis famous Great Wall was built 1,500
years later, but Qin was responsible for parts of
the wall and of course the idea! (1,500 miles
long and ranges from 15-30 feet tall)
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Why did the People Rebel?

• Many people viewed Qin Shihuangdi as a cruel,
  harsh leader.
• Aristocrats were angry because he limited their
  power.
• Scholars hated him for burning their writing.
• Farmers hated him for forcing them to build roads
  and the Great Wall.
• Four years after Shihuangdi died, the people
  overthrew his dynasty and a civil war followeda
  new dynasty arose!

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The Han Dynasty

• Developments during the Han dynasty improved life
  for all Chinese.
• Liu Bang Once a peasant, became a
  military leader and defeated his rivals.
  Declared himself Han Gaozu Exalted
  Emperor of the Han.
• Used censors and divided the empire into
  provinces and counties.

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What was the Civil Service?

• The Han reached its peak under the leadership of
  Han Wudi, which means Martial Emperor of the
  Han.
• He wanted talented people to fill government
  posts, job seekers had to take difficult tests to
  qualify for openings in the bureaucracy.

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Wudis Legacy

• Wudis tests became the civil service
  examinations.
• This system lasted for 2,000 years.
• Favored rich because .
• Students preparing for the test learned law,
  history and the teachings of Confucius.
• Only one in five passed.

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The Chinese Empire Grows

• The population increased from 20 million to about
  60 million during Han Wudis rule.
• Because farmers had to divide their land among
  more and more sons, by the middle of the Han
  dynasty the average farmer had only about one
  acre of land not enough to raise their family.

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Tenant Farmers

• As a result, farm families had to sell their land
  to aristocrats and work on the land.
• Tenant farmers paid rent in crops.
• Chinas empire continued to grow in size and
  secure their borders resulting in a period of
  peace for almost 150 years.

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An Era of Inventions

• Water Wheel to grind more grain Iron
  drill bits to mine more salt
• Rudder to move the sail of ships Paper

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Medicine

• Doctors discovered certain foods prevented
  disease.
• Used herbs to cure illnesses.
• Eased pain by sticking thin needles into
  patients skin acupuncture.

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The Silk Road

• The Silk Road carried Chinese goods as far as
  Greece and Rome. Carried only high price goods
  such as silk, spices, tea, and porcelain.
• The Silk Road, or Silk Route, is a series of
  trade routes through regions of the Asian
  continent mainly connecting Chang'an (today's
  Xi'an) in China, with Asia Minor and the
  Mediterranean.

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As a result Buddhist ideas helped people cope
with the stress and their fear during this state
of disorder
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The Fall of the Han dynasty

• Unrest in China helped Buddhism Spread.
• Merchants and teachers brought Buddhism from
  India to China.
• In time Buddhism became very popular mostly
  because of the fall of the Han dynasty.