The Chinese Empire

Chapter 14

Terra-cotta soldiers p. 512

What does the size of the terra-cotta army reveal about the emperor who commissioned the statues?

Video on Terra Cotta soldiers below! https://sn56.scholastic.com/pages/search-results.html?text=terracotta%2520warriors&tab=article&asort=relevance&isort=relevance&arows=12&path=/content/classroom_magazines/sn56/home-page-logged-in

My Story: An Emperor in this Life and the Next

Describe Shi Huangdi as a ruler. Does he deserve criticism or praise?

Section 1: Shi Huangdi Unites China

Ancient China Vocabulary ● Great Wall: a long wall running east and

west along the first Chinese empire’s northern border.

● Standardize: to set rules that make things more similar

● Legalism: a strong leader and strong legal system create social order

● Censor: banning of ideas found dangerous or offensive

Learning Target

I can describe the characteristics of ancient Chinese government.

Key Ideas

● Qin armies united China and founded a powerful new dynasty.

● Emperor Shi Huangdi united China by standardizing many aspects of daily life.

● Emperor Shi Huangdi created a powerful government based on Legalist practices.

Unity Under the Qin

● Emperor of Qin is remembered as a leader determined to build a great empire after the Warring States Period.

● Qin ruler declared himself to be Shi Huangdi, or “First emperor” which was tied to the gods of China’s past.

Defending the Empire

● Shi Huangdi began work on one of the largest public works projects in history - Great Wall.○ The purpose of this wall was to defend empire from

nomads ○ Building the wall was hard and dangerous. Many died

while working on the wall. ○ Later emperor’s made the wall stronger, adding

towers at key location along its length.

The Great Wall of China Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23oHqNEqRyo

Extra Info: Virtual Tour of the Great Wall

https://www.thechinaguide.com/destination/great-wall-of-china The Great Wall of China Travel Guide

http://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=china-great-wall Great Wall of China Virtual Tour

Uniform Standards

● Shi Huangdi standardized aspects of daily life. ● He created standards that unified China’s economy and

culture. Examples of how he standardized: ○ Qin government established a single written language that

is the basis of written language in China today. ○ Transportation was also standardized, making travel and

trade easier. ○ Qin government created uniform set of weights and

measures for use in trade.

Standardize: rules that make things similar

Rule of the First Emperor

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Section 2: Expansion Under the Han Dynasty

Ancient China Vocab

● Official: people assigned to a position in the government● Civil service: a system of government employees mainly

selected for their skills and knowledge. ● Silk Road: A network of trade routes that crossed Asia,

connecting China to Central and Southwest Asia. ● Cuisine: the style of cooking

Remember… The harshness of Shi Huangdi’s rule helped contribute to the downfall of his empire.

The next dynasty made positive changes whether it was eliminating some rules or extending others.

Key Ideas

● The Han Dynasty was one of the longest-lasting dynasties in Chinese history.

● The Han supported Confucianism. ● The Han created a civil service of officials who

were selected based on merit. (good or worthy) ● The Silk Road became an important trade route

linking China to kingdoms to the west.

Government of the Han

● Today, the largest ethnic group in China still call themselves the Han

● The first Han emperor encouraged education, lowered taxes, and ended many of the Qin’s harsh rules.

● The Han expanded territory, especially under the 5th emperor, Wudi.

Civil Service

● The strength of the Han government lay in its civil service.

● Emperor Wudi created exams to find talented people for the civil service. ○ These exams were based on the ideas of Confucius.

The Silk Road

● The silk road was a network of trade routes that crossed Asia, connecting China to Central and Southwest Asia.

● Merchants made their fortunes along the Silk Road, but it was also a path for the spread of ideas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn3e37VWc0k

Awesome silk road video!

The Silk Road

● Silk Road comes from China’s most important export: silk● Because only they could make silk, they guarded their

secret closely. ● They exchanged many goods along the trade route and

enriched Chinese cuisine. ● They also obtained many animals like elephants, lions,

ostriches. ● The Chinese invention of paper and the religion of

Buddhism spread along the Silk Road.

1. Use the terms official and civil service to describe the government of the Han

Han officials reported to the central government. An educated civil service strengthened the Han government.

2. What was the Silk Road

Network of trade routes connecting China to central and Southwest Asia

5. How did the Silk Road influence Chinese culture?

New goods changed Chinese cuisine. Buddhism mixed with other religions.

Section 3: Achievements Under the Han Dynasty

Learning Target

I can identify and summarize ancient China’s achievements.

Ancient China Vocabulary

● Calligraphy: the art of beautiful writing ● Lacquer: protective coating made from the sap of a

special tree ● Acupuncture: therapy that uses needles to cure sickness

and stop pain● Seismometer: tool to detect earthquakes

Key Ideas

● Han society was based on Confucian teachings about order and social relationships.

● Under the Han, China enjoyed a strong economy.

● Han prosperity supported many advances in the arts and technology.

Han Society

Han Society ● The Han dynasty was a time of innovation and economic

development. ● China’s social order was based on Confucian values.

○ Scholars were highly respected because mental work was valued more than physical labor.

Han Society

● During the Han, ancestor worship continued. ● The Han legal code enforced Confucian values.

○ Parents could report children who did not behave with filial piety

○ Adult children would be harshly punished. ● The status of women was generally lower than that of men

○ Most worked in home weaving and caring for children and elderly family members

Silk Making ● It was illegal to share information about silk making to people

outside of China.● Where do silk fibers come from? Cocoon of a silkworm ● How many silkworms are needed to create one pound of silk?

More than 2,000

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqFm_7KyfHI

Learn how silk is made →

Economic Life

● Farmers were the backbone of China’s economy. ○ 90% of the population were farmers.

● Industries, such as iron production became important, too.

Han Achievements

● The traditional arts of China include painting, sculpture and poetry.

● Two other traditional arts were garden design and calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing.

● The greatest craft of the Han period was lacquerware, which provided a protective coating to objects.

Han Achievements

● Advances in science, mathematics, and medicine occurred, too.

● Acupuncture was a therapy that uses needles to cure sickness and stop pain.

● Chinese inventions include the seismometer (for earthquakes), wheelbarrow and the most important was paper.

Chinese Gardens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttb2UtMUbIU