The Empires of Ancient China
In this course, our class studied ancient China and followed its progress up to modern times. However, while we now know that the Qin Dynasty invented legalism and built the Great Wall of China, we learned little else about the four first dynasties. (Not to say we learned nothing, but not much.) Because I feel that we didn't give them enough attention, I an dedicating this entire blog page to descriptions of those very civilizations (the QHST Dynasties), and their leaders and accomplishments from 221 B.C. to 906 C.E. Enjoy! :)
The Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty, the most well-known and yet most short-lived of the QHST Dynasties, was in control from 221 B.C. to 206 B.C. Before this, China had been ruled by the Eastern Zhou for about 500 years. However, "ruled" is a loose term here, because by the beginning of the Warring States period (475 B.C.), the Zhou mostly had equal power to the other groups trying to gain power in the huge war that erupted across China. Finally, in 221 B.C., the Qin won the war and reunified China. The Qin Dynasty was led solely by an emperor who called himself Qin Shi Huangdi (left). He believed that in order to keep China under control, he must ensure that everyone worked and thought the same. He invented a way of thinking called legalism (meanwhile attempting to destroy all others, such as Confucianism) and established a uniform currency, written language, and measuring system. He also orchestrated the building of the Great Wall of China, but as effectively as it protected his dynasty from outside attacks, it ironically destroyed it as well. This is because the building cost so much money and so many lives that the people rebelled against the dynasty shortly after the death of Qin Shi Huangdi in favor of another ruling family, the Han.
The Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty ruled for many centuries, from 206 B.C. to 220 C.E. The first ruler, Liu Bang, developed the dynasty's government and reinstituted Confucianism as its main ideology. This era is known as one of China's golden ages due to its many successful conquests and advances in learning, as well as the invention of porcelain and paper. Like the Zhou, the Han Dynasty is divided into two periods -the Western Han and the Eastern Han. During the Western Han period (in about 100 B.C.), the emperor Wudi (left) established the famous Silk Road, a trade route between China and the Western civilizations, such as ancient Greece. The Chinese traded goods like silk for items that could not be found in Asia, such as horses. Around 9 A.D., the Western Han were overthrown, but quickly replaced by the Eastern Han in 24 A.D. This era lasted for another 200 years or so before increased wealth, population, and corruption caused it to collapse, leading to disunion of China for almost 300 years.
The Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was somewhat similar to both the Han and Qin Dynasties. Like the Qin, it lasted for a very short time (from 589-618 C.E.) and is also known as having been tyrannical. However, it used the Han's government structure and retained Confucianism as the main ideology. It also introduced Buddhism, which quickly became almost as popular. However, the people were overly taxed and the emperor's many projects (such as the Great Canal (left), which stretched from Beijing to Hangzhou) depleted the dynasty's wealth. Eventually, the dynasty went bankrupt and came to an end; however, it laid a strong foundation for the Tang. In fact, the Sui Dynasty was the beginning of an artistic renaissance that reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty, which lasted from 618-906 C.E., is often regarded as the height of the Chinese imperial era. They established a very strong government that resisted corruption and kept the dynasty in power for a very long time. China's culture flourished through connection with Japan, India and Arabia, and poetry reached new heights. Joining the army was voluntary, but the army was strong nonetheless. However, one downside to this culture was that Buddhism became so popular that Confucianists began to see it as a threat and oppressed it. In its stead, Judaism, Islam, and even one branch of early Christianity were introduced from other areas of the world! The decline of this great civilization occurred when a general named An Lushan (left) began a rebellion that greatly devastated the empire. Although the Tang won, it took years for peace to be restored and the dynasty was permanently weakened.
http://www.china-tour.cn/Chinese-History/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/572085/Sui-dynasty
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/572085/Sui-dynasty