Felix Leeb Mr.

Aguilar World History P3 11/20/11

CCOT: Classical Era China Essay

In China 500 BCE was a time where people began to disregard their leaders and attempt to take power themselves. Different States constantly at war to gain full control of China. For the next 150 years there would be nothing but fighting and unrest. Not until 256 BCE when the Zhou completely lost power and the Qin emerged, was there any peace in China. Over this period, 500 BCE 600 CE, much would change in China, the Silk Road would make Chinas economy soar, or how the government would still progress, on the other hand some things would stay almost the same, for instance, the culture continued to focus on filial piety. During the Zhou Dynasty, China was still young and had enough trouble handling its own problems. Powerful nations in the Middle East and Europe had little interest trading with China, the long and dangerous travel to China was enough to make those countries neednt trade with China. However as China evolved out of the Warring Stated Period and into the Qin Dynasty, China became much more prominent and turned into a civilization that could rival the Romans. Naturally, this made Europeans and Persians eager to trade with these foreign people. This shaped the Silk Road into the biggest international trade route the world has ever seen. The Silk Road increased production of all sorts of goods, made merchants wealthier and it was an excellent way to spread ideas. Much of this accomplishment can be credited to the Qin dynasty, since that was when China first became unified. China made a great leap during this period. The government was still very undeveloped during the Zhou Dynasty. When the Qin seized power they also saw to create a brand new government. Qin Shi Huangdi, the emperor at that time, made certain that all his opposition was squashed immediately. In order to do this he used Legalist methods to control his nation. However during the Warring States Period several

key philosophies were established, including Confucianism, Legalism and Daoism. In the emperors eyes legalism was the right way and the others must be wiped out. He worked hard to eradicate them, however this failed, and when the Qin Dynasty fell and the Han rose they changed their government into a more Confucian oriented one. This was certainly because the people were not in favor of the harsh laws and punishment of Legalism, they were much sympathetic toward an open, more free government that Confucianism provided. However one idea stayed strong in the Chinese belief, the Mandate of Heaven. The idea that once a Dynasty becomes corrupt or weak it should be overrun by another more powerful family. The government and economy changed severely over that time, however, the culture changed very little. Ever since the Shang Dynasty (1766 BCE to 1122 BCE) people in China were very respectful of their family and of their ancestors. When Confucianism was founded this was given a name, Filial Piety. Confucian scholars taught people that it was important to respect and obey ones family. As previously stated, the Silk Road was an excellent means of spreading ideas and beliefs. One major religion that spread through the Silk Road was Buddhism, and although it originated in India, today it is more profound in China. At first Buddhism was believed to be a form of Daoism, but over time the two differed on some key aspects and practices. During the Han and after the Han dynasty there were several people who were very opposed to Buddhism, which caused Buddhism to flourish in rural areas where there werent very many people who cared. All though Buddhism was introduced to China in this period, not much changed in Chinese culture. All in all much changed in China during the Classical Era. All though not much changed in the culture, there were some significant differences between the government in the Zhou Dynasty and the government in the Han Dynasty, and some significant differences between the

economy with the Silk Road and without it. There were also some changes in how the people interacted with the environment, for example, the population grew both in the Qin and Han dynasty. Some social aspects changed, with Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism and Buddhism there was a much more diverse society. There is no doubt that many things changed in China, however some things stayed the same, and all these changes and continuities are what shape Chinese society today.