A Presentation by: Mr. Tsolomitis The End of the Qin The Chinese - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
A Presentation by: Mr. Tsolomitis The End of the Qin The Chinese people were unhappy with the Legalist government of the Qin. After Qin Shihuangdis death in 210 B.C.E., the people rebelled against the Qin rulers. Liu Bang, a rebel
The Chinese people were unhappy with the Legalist
After Qin Shihuangdi’s death in 210 B.C.E., the people
Liu Bang, a rebel who gained control of the Han
Military tactics and new weapons helped expand the
Well-organized army: all men from ages 25-60 had to
Technology: new armor designed like fish scales
Even kites were used to scare away enemy soldiers by
Kept strong central government of Qin, but softened
Bureaucracy: a form of government that is structured
Emperor used officials to help run the empire using
Top officials lived in the capital and gave advice to the
emperor
Lower-level officials lived throughout the empire and
and other important duties
One key improvement was the way civil servants were
Used to be based on your social class Now they were chosen on ability and knowledge.
To become officials, young men had to pass a long and
Once a civil servant was hired, they were not allowed
Intended to prevent them from giving special favors to
family and friends.
They were evaluated every three years and could be
– Also expected to make their own clothing, build their
homes, and give one month of unpaid labor to the government for building projects (canals, roads, etc.)
– Workers used pedals to turn a wheels, which pulled a
series of wooden planks, which in turn moved the water uphill to the fields.
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Poured iron into molds, which allowed mass
Also invented the wheelbarrow.
Two most important industries in China: silk and salt.
Government controlled both
Both industries would lead to new inventions
A material made from the fibers of a silkworm cocoon.
Difficult and time-consuming to make, and thus very
valuable.
Developed a foot-powered machine that wound fibers
Made production more efficient, so they could make
more to trade.
http://www.avianaquamiser.com/20130215silkwormcloseup.jpg
discovered a way to mine it.
– Salt water, or brine, exists deep beneath the surface of the
earth.
– Dug deep wells using iron-tipped bamboo drills – When they reached brine (sometimes 1,000 ft. below the
surface), a hollow bamboo pole was dropped down.
– The pole had a valve that allowed water in, and when the pole
was full, the valve shut and it was pulled up.
– Water was placed in iron pots and were heated until the water
evaporated, leaving just the salt.
Invention of paper and calligraphy.
Calligraphy: a style of writing that flows naturally, or
the art of fine handwriting.
Paper absorbed ink very well, was ideal for scribes and
Made of fibers from silk, hemp, bamboo, straw and
ingredients, flatten it out, and when it dried, it was paper.
Before paper, the Chinese wrote on silk, because it
Paper was cheaper to make than silk and easier to use
Believed that illness happened when the forces of yin
Healers tried to restore the natural balance using two
Discovered more about how the human body works.
Tiny, thin needles inserted into particular parts of the
Thought to rebalance the forces of yin and yang
Thought to be useful for curing illnesses that strike
A small cone of powdered leaves or sticks (called a
The heat is believed to reduce pain and promote
Used to treat long-term illnesses, like arthritis.
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Learned to judge a persons health by listening to the
Discovered that blood circulates from the heart
This same discovery was not made in the West until the
1600’s C.E.
Anesthetic: something that takes away the feeling of
Numerous scientific discoveries were made in the
Astronomy
Recorded appearance of comets Discovered that the moon shines because it reflects the
light of the sun
A solar eclipse is brought on when the moon blocks our
view of the sun
– First one was a circular device made of bronze, which
had a pendulum in the centerand was surrounded by sculpted animal heads.
– During an earthquake, the pendulum vibrated, which
would release one of eight balls.
– The ball would then fall in the direction of the
earthquake, telling them which direction the quake came from.
– Chinese used a magnetic version, which points out
either north or south.
position for luck.
– Achieved this by using a lodestone (lodestone: a type of
iron ore), which tends to align itself in a north-south direction naturally.
always point south.
A network of roads that stretched more than 4,000
Reached from Luoyang and the Han capital of
Goods and ideas flowed along the Silk Road
Silk and jade were most common Chinese goods,
Buddhism was introduced to China via the Silk
Made possible by military expansion of the Han
An explorer named Zhang Qian went west in 138 B.C.E.
Mission was to form an alliance with the western
people’s against the Hun’s, China’s enemy to the north.
Unable to form an alliance, but his trip was beneficial in
– Discovered a more powerful type of horse than the
Chinese currently had, which were better suited for the type of warfare the Chinese used.
– Discovered grapes and established trade relationships
with several central Asian peoples.
Silk is a strong material, but is also light, warm and
Only the Chinese at this time knew how to make it,
Kept the process a secret so no one else could get in on
Revealing the process was a crime punishable by
The Silk Road is not one continuous route, but rather a
The Eastern Silk Road connected Luoyang to Kashgar
The Western Silk Road connected Kashgar to Antioch
This route led west along the Gobi Desert to
Protected by the desert and the Great Wall to the north.
From Dunhuang, traders could go by a northerly or
Most chose the northern route because the distances
between the oases were much shorter.
Very expensive to carry goods over the Silk Road. In
Silk was great because it was light, valuable and didn’t
Also sold fine dishware (we call it today china),
Received a variety of goods in return:
Horses, jade, furs and gold from Central Asia. Cotton, spices, pearls and ivory from India.
A major stop along the route was Ctesiphon, located
Traders from Egypt, Arabia and Persian brought
Sometimes even slaves.
Chinese doctors used coral to help them locate
Diets, gardening techniques and agriculture changed
China imported many new foods and spices, such as
grapes, cucumbers, figs, pomegranates, walnuts, chives, sesame, and coriander.
Meanwhile, the West imported many decorative plants
like roses, peonies, azaleas, chrysanthemums, and camellias, as well as oranges, peaches and pears.
Also eventually learned to make the major products
– Buddhism was introduced to China around the middle
– Some Chinese Buddhists journeyed through Central
Asia to learn more about their new religion and brought back sacred Buddhist texts.
– Buddhism would soon become a major religion in China