Text of Ch. 7 Early China Lesson 6: The Qin and the Han Dynasties pp. 184-191 Take 2 handouts from the back...
Ch. 7 Early ChinaLesson 6: The Qin and the Han
Take 2 handouts from the back counter
Today you will take notes on the Qin Dynasty and then you will take ½ of the Benchmark test.
• 6.35 List the policies and achievements of the emperor Shi Huang and explain how these contributed to the unification of northern China under the Qin Dynasty and the construction of the Great Wall of China. (H, P)
• 6.36 Detail the political contributions of the Han Dynasty and determine how they contributed to the development of the imperial bureaucratic state and the expansion of the empire. (H, P)
• 6.37 Cite the significance of the trans-Eurasian “silk roads” in the period of the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire and their locations. (E, G, H)
• 6.38 Describe the diffusion of Buddhism northward to China during the Han Dynasty
The Qin Emperor
• Qin (chihn) was one of the strong rulers during the Period of the Warring States
• Qin sent a cavalry – army of men on horseback – out to battle
• Defeated the surrounding territories and ended the Zhou dynasty
• Controlled China from the Huang He to the Chang Jiang
• Declared himself Qin Shihuangdi means “the First Qin Emperor”
How Did Qin Change China?
Qin brought changes to Chinese government that would last for many centuries:
1)Qin wanted to strengthen and unify China2) He took control of the territories (before, under
the Zhou rule, aristocrats positions of governing the territories was hereditary)
Now only Qin had the power to appoint the governors – Ruled with absolute control and punishment– Anyone who disagreed was punished and killed– Writings that displeased Qin were burned
3) Appointed Censors
• This increased government power
• These overseers made sure government workers did their work
4) Qin created currency or moneythat everyone had to use
5) Writing system was simplified
• Scholars were hired to make the writing system easier
• and set rules for writing system – how and when it was to be used
6) Building projects
• Ordered farmers to build – Palaces– Roads– Dams– The Great Wall– A huge, grand canal that connected the
Chang Jiang River in central China to many territories in southern China
• This canal was used to transport supplies to soldiers throughout the territories
– Qin’s tomb
Shi Huangdi Qin’s Tomb
• In March of 1974, Chinese peasants digging a well near Xi'an in the central province of Shaanxi found some unusual pottery fragments. Then, deeper down at eleven feet, they unearthed a head made of terra cotta (baked earth or clay). They notified the authorities and excavation of the site began immediately. To date, workers have dug up about eight thousand sculpted clay soldiers, and the site has proved to be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time.
• Shi Huangdi Qin built a canal that connected Chang Jiang to the Guangzhou in Southern China
Why was the Great Wall Built?
• To keep out invaders– Nomads and
herders moved their animals along the Gobi desert
– Xiongnu – skilled warriors who fought on horseback and often attacked Chinese settlements
The Great Wall of China Facts• The Great Wall of China was built
over about 2000 years by several different Chinese emperors, starting in BC 475, to protect the people from their enemies, the Huns.
• The Wall is a unique structure that is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It snakes through the mountains of China for 4,500 miles. That's longer than the distance across from New York to California by about 1,000 miles!
• The Great Wall is 25 feet tall and 15-30 feet wide. That's wide enough for two cars to drive on!
The Great Wall Facts• The Ming Dynasty's rebuilding made it
more elaborate with watchtowers, battlements and cannons. Leading the great wall to additional protection of the people.
• Ancient records show that more than 300,000 soldiers and 500,000 commoners worked to build it. That's about the same as the population of San Francisco!