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Objective 10: Explain the origins and compare the principles of legalism, Confucianism, and taoism

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Objective 10: Explain the origins and compare the principles of legalism, Confucianism, and taoism

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Confucianism:The system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Confucius and his disciples, stressing,love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct.

Legalism:In Chinese history, Legalism was a philosophy emphasizing strict obedience to the law system. It was one of the main philosophic currents during the Warring States period. It was a utilitarian political philosophy that did not address higher questions like the purpose and nature of life.

Taoism:a
Chinese philosophy based on the writings of Lao-tzu ( fl. 6th century BC), advocating humility and religious piety.

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Objective 9: Identify the achievements of early civilizations in China and India and explain their lasting significance

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Objective 9: Identify the achievements of early civilizations in China and India and explain their lasting significance

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India was also successful in the realm of mathematics. They invented Indian numerals which were renamed arabic numerals due to the traders bringing it along the silk road.

China is packed with innovations from the early period. Everything from the printing press to navigation to bureaucracy they had a leap during one of the early dynasties.

Today we still use the mathematic skills that the Indians discovered.

Indus Valley Achievements

The Indus Valley civilization lasted over 1000 years. Like the peoples of the ancient Middle East, Indus Valley people developed their own systems of writing and counting. They also developed a system of weights and measures.

Indus Valley people were skilled craftsworkers. They made jewelry and' other objects of gold, bronze, and copper. Weavers wove cotton thread into cloth. (Indus Valley people were probably the first people to grow cotton.)

Sailors from the Indus Valley crossed the Arabian Sea to trade cotton cloth and other goods with Mesopotamia. Sailors took crows with them on their ships. If the sailors lost sight of land, they set a crow free and followed it. They knew that a crow always flies toward land.

Indus Valley civilization began to decline about 1800 B.C. No one knows Why. Floods may have forced people to leave the valley. Or invaders may have destroyed towns and cities. By 1500 B.C., the Indus Valley civilization had disappeared.

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Objective 8: Analyze the commercial and cultural significance of the trans-Eurasian "silk road"

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Objective 8: Analyze the commercial and cultural significance of the trans-Eurasian "silk road"

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The Silk Road, or Silk Route, is a series of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting West and East by linking traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads and urban dwellers from China to the Mediterranean Sea during various periods of time.[2]

Extending 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometres), the Silk Road gets its name from the lucrative Chinese silk trade which was carried out along its length, and began during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). The central Asian sections of the trade routes were expanded around 114 BC by the Han dynasty, largely through the missions and explorations of Zhang Qian,[3] but earlier trade routes across the continents already existed.

Trade on the Silk Road was a significant factor in the development of the civilizations of China, the Indian subcontinent, Persia, Europeand Arabia. Though silk was certainly the major trade item from China, many other goods were traded, and various technologies, religions and philosophies, as well as the bubonic plague (the "Black Death"), also traveled along the Silk Routes.

The main traders during Antiquity were the Indian and Bactrian traders, then from the 5th to the 8th century the Sogdian traders, then afterward the Arab and Persian traders.

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Objective 6: Explain important elements of Chinese culture such as ancestor worship, the dynastic cycle, and the Mandate of Heaven.

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Objective 6: Explain important elements of Chinese culture such as ancestor worship, the dynastic cycle, and the Mandate of Heaven.

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I would say that the Mandate of Heaven (Tianming) is emphasised much more in modern analyses of Chinese political culture than in the ancient sources themselves. The Mandate was so closely linked to ideas like "fate" and "Heaven's will" that the same term "Tianming" is often used for all of them. It is only modern scholars who have tried to distinguish the Mandate as a separate (and higher) concept from the belief in fate.

As for the dynastic cycle, there is no equivalent term in Chinese because it is a term invented by modern scholars to explain how the Chinese saw history. The idea is that no dynasty lasts forever - it will always decline after a period of prosperity, because the later rulers will have become complacent and decadent. The dynasty will then fall and be replaced by another. I personally find the concept not so useful, because not all dynasties in Chinese history have lasted long enough for a cycle to be evident. Furthermore, just because the court historians and scholars saw history that way doesn't mean the average uneducated Chinese peasant who knew hardly any history and would probably not live beyond the reign of the next emperor would have had any chance to see it that way.

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Objective 5: Evaluate the achievements of the emperor Asoka and the other accomplishments of the other ancient Indian empires.

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Objective 5: Evaluate the achievements of the emperor Asoka and the other accomplishments of the other ancient Indian empires.

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Chandra Gupta and Asoka

In 322 BC, Chandragupta Maurya began his rule by conquering the small kingdoms and private armies that dominated India at the time. Starting in Eastern India in the Magadha area, he spread his influence into a big territory. His lands stretched west into present-day Afghanistan, east to the Himalayas, and south almost to the tip of India. During Chandragupta’s reign, Jainism led to social and religious reform all throughout the society. Hinduism, practiced by the emperor Ashoka after the Kalinga War, brought social and political peace to all of India. The expansion of science and knowledge also benefited the Mauryan dynasty and Ashoka in the era after the Kalinga War. Ashoka was one of the best rulers in Indian history, and when he died in 232 BC, he was succeeded for fifty years by much weaker emperors. The kingdom shrunk a huge amount during that time. Brihadrata was the last Mauryan dynasty ruler, but he still followed the Buddhist faith. In 185 BC, Brihadrata was assassinated by Pusyamitra Sunga, who then took control and established the Sunga dynasty, which ended the Mauryan dynasty.

Mauryan Government and Army

An important idea of the Mauryans was the central government. Chandragupta Maurya established the imperial capital at Pataliputra, and then split the empire into four provinces for organizational and ruling purposes. Tosali was the capital of the eastern province, Ujjain in the west, Savarn in the south, and Taxila in the north. The Kumara was the head of all the provincial administration. He ruled as the king’s representative and was helped by Mahamatyas, the Council of Ministers. In the national government, the Emperor was also assisted by a Council of Ministers called Mantriparishad. The councils advised the leaders but the ultimate authority in the kingdom was the Emperor’s. A united military was also wielded by the Emperor, which made the defense and expansion of the empire possible. Consisting of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry and 9,000 war elephants, it was the largest standing army of that time. The Mauryan Emperor also controlled a vast spy system that was depended on both for internal and external security. This combination of the strong central government and the huge military force was an important part of the Mauryan dynasty.

Mauryan Trade

The economy of the Mauryans was another big accomplishment. Under the Indo-Greek friendship treaty, international trade was thriving. The Silk Road provided a way to get their goods to other areas, and the Khyber Pass, located on the modern border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, developed into a strategically important place of trade and contact with the rest of the world. Through the Khyber Pass on the Silk Road the Mauryans could trade with Greece, Hellenic kingdoms, and the Malay Peninsula in West Asia. The main exports sent to those empires were silk, textiles, spices and exotic foods. Technology and science ideas were also exchanged with Europe and West Asia. Because of the peace and tranquility that the Mauryan dynasty was experiencing, internal trade within the empire flourished as well. The political unity allowed people from different areas of Mauryan India to travel and sell their merchandise at markets around their domain. The trade and economy of the Mauryan dynasty was one of their most influential achievements.

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Objective 4: Explain the origins and core beliefs of Hinduism and Buddha

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Objective 4: Explain the origins and core beliefs of Hinduism and Buddha

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Main Idea: Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the most influential and profound religions around the world. Both religions have similar roots and philosophies and originated in India before the Common Era. They are among the top five major religions around the globe. Today, Hinduism ranks third as an organized religion and is much older than Buddhism. Buddhism and Hinduism have survived for centuries and are still widely practiced around the world. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Lord Buddha who had been a Hindu before attaining Nirvana, and therefore given this fact, it follows that Buddhism share many similarities and some differences in certain doctrinal ideas and beliefs, practices, and sacred texts.

Differences and Similarities: Buddhism and Hinduism share some differences and similarities in beliefs and the practice of mediation. Hinduism is believed to have no known founder, no central authority, no universal texts and no widely known creed but it has a caste system. Hindus believe that everyone has their place in the world and they cannot overstep their roles. On the other hand, Buddhism is viewed more like or philosophy and not a religion. Due to this thinking it put everyone on equal grounds. The caste system is one of the core beliefs of Hinduism. It is viewed as a type of social structure that divides individuals in classes on the basis of an inherited social status. It divides individuals into five major classes, the Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, and "untouchables," also referred to as Dalits. The individual in each class has a religious duty or dharma to contribute in, to maintain an orderly society. In contrast, Buddha strongly disagreed with the Hindu caste system because he believed it was unjust and that there should not be a difference in the classes of people and due to this it gave everybody an equal chance.

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Objective 7: Assess the policies and achievements of the Qin emperor, Qin Shi Huang

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Objective 7: Assess the policies and achievements of the Qin emperor, Qin Shi Huang

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First emperor of the Qin dynasty in ancient China. Brought the Period of Warring States to an end by unifying the nation under his control.

He built a canal connecting the Yangtze to central China and constructed the first Great Wall of China.

He was a real mean guy who overtaxed his people and forced them to work on his public works projects; after he died the people overthrew his successor, bringing the Qin dynasty to an end. Shihuangdi was buried in the place where all the terra cotta soldiers where found.

Answer:Shi Huangdi (259-210 BC) was the first emperor of unified China in 221 BC. He reorganized the political and legal systems in China, and standardized and simplified the written Chinese language.

The Changes to the Empire

In order to consolidate the nascent empire, Qin Shi Huang reformed politics, economy and culture. In politics, he abolished the hereditary vassal system and established prefectures and counties, ruled directly by the emperor. Although law was based on the original rules of the Qin State, the emperor adopted some regulations of other rival states to form a workable code for the Qin Dynasty. He considered agriculture and commerce crucial and developed them concurrently. The tax system, monetary coinage and meteorology were all standardized. In culture, the emperor unified the Chinese characters in writing, which promoted the development of the Chinese culture. However, he also suppressed scholars who were not to his liking. Consequently, many opposing scholars were killed in Xianyang.

The Great Wall of China

The symbol of the Chinese ancient civilization, the Great Wall bears witness to Qin Shi Huang's centralism. He ordered conscript laborers to link together the defensive works against marauding nomads already built by the former states. That was the forerunner of the modern Great Wall. Another world-famous achievement is the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xian, which was discovered nearby the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Both are the wonders of China. But during their construction, countless conscripts lost their lives.

Decline of the First Empire

Qin Shi Huang longed for longevity, so he sent his ministers to go on quests seeking an elixir of immortality. However, death claimed him before he could find success in that matter. The emperor departed from the world of the living in 210 BC while traveling. The Peasant Uprising led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang broke out soon after Hu Hai, the second generation, assumed the throne. Accordingly, the Qin Dynasty came to an abrupt end in 206 BC.

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Objective 3: Evaluate the impact of the Aryan migration on Indian Culture.

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Objective 3: Evaluate the impact of the Aryan migration on Indian Culture.

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The impact that the Aryans have on India is that drove out most of the original inhabitants of North India. They were responsible for the Indus Valley civilization. They also introduced the caste system.

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Objective 2: Describe the impact of geography on the Indus Valley and Yellow River Civilizations. 

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Objective 2: Describe the impact of geography on the Indus Valley and Yellow River Civilizations. 

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Indus Valley Yellow River Civilizations

Large Area
Streches across present day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan

Surroundings
Natural borders consisted of mountains and the Arabian Sea, sheltering the civilization from attack and disease. Water from the river fertilized and irrigated crops. Proximity to the river allowed boats to become a viable transportation option.

Yellow River Civilizations
The Huang He (yellow) river stretches across China for more than 2,900 miles. It carries its rich yellow silt all the way from Mongolia to the Pacific Ocean. Also the Chang Jiang river or Yangtze river is longer, stretching about 3,400 miles across central china. The two major rivers both merge together to create a great food-producing area. Although China has to major rivers running through it only 10% of its land is fertile and has rich enough soil to grow crops unlike the 19% by the United States. Also another negative is that China is surrounded by mountain ranges and river valleys, which make it hard for people to travel and trade their crops and live stocks, so they have to mostly rely on their food.

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Objective 1: Identify political boundaries and physical features of South and East Asia.

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Objective 1: Identify political boundaries and physical features of South and East Asia.

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Southeast Asia consists of eleven countries that reach from eastern India to China. The first feature of mainland geography is the long rivers that begin in the highlands separating Southeast Asia from China and northwest India. A second feature is the extensive lowland plains separated by forested hills and mountain ranges. A second feature of maritime Southeast Asia is the seas themselves. Apart from a few deep underwater trenches, the oceans are shallow, which means they are rather warm and not very saline.