Unit 4 Lesson 7 The Zhou Dynasty and New Ideas
Matching Write the term in your notebook and then the description that best matches it. 1. The Analects a. The longest lasting Chinese dynasty 2. Confucius b. Desired a return to family order and social harmony 3. Daoism c. People of high rank who received land in exchange for their loyalty 4. ethics d. The lowest social class, farmed noble lands 5. Laozi e. Moral values 6. Legalism f. A book of Confucius s teachings compiled by his students 7. Legalists g. Stressed living in harmony with the guiding force of all reality 8. lords h. Wrote The Way and Its Power, the basic text expressing Daoist thought 9. peasants i. The belief that people were bad by nature and needed to be controlled 10. Zhou j. The first to put their ideas into practice throughout China
Generalization: Leaders impact both their own people and other peoples Big Idea The Zhou dynasty brought political stability and new ways to deal with political and social changes in ancient China.
Zhou Political System - Mandate of Heaven called son of heaven -elaborate- what happened when nobles began to reject the Zhou king s authority? Decreased loyalty, civil wars - form of divine right power to rule came from heaven - would be supported by heaven only as long as he ruled justly - if king was bad, heaven would support another king - people had the right to overthrow him - some believed that their rulers were gods - Zhou used this to justify a rebellion against the Shang - Social Order - highest king - granted land to nobles in return for loyalty, military support and other services form of feudalism - nobility - paid taxes and provided soldiers - Peasants lowest rank - had small plot of own land - had to farm additional land for nobles - Initially brought stability to China but then broke down - sons of nobles less loyal to king - local rulers gained power - rejected king s authority -explain- describe the political order used by the Zhou kings to rule distant lands. Granted land to lords for loyalty, military support, and other services
-recall- why did the king s armies not rush to help him when invaders reached the capital in 771BC? they had been tricked by the king who was lighting the fires to entertain a friend, so they did not take the signal seriously.
Decline of Zhou Power - king s lost loyalty and authority - nobles refused to fight invaders - capital fell in 771 BC, but dynasty survived Warring States Period 481 BC - civil wars as lords began to fight each other - armies and brutality grew more interested in territory than honor - changes in the family structure - extended families had formed powerful groups - when they broke apart lost power and became rivals - sons began fighting over inheritances - dividing of property led to even more problems -evaluate- why do you think the decline of the Zhou weakened the Chinese family structure? There was no strong government to stop power struggles within families cause and effect How did the Zhou s decline affect Chinese society? It weakened family structure and caused many civil wars among its citizens.
Ideas of Confucius - teacher who was disgusted with the disorder and actions - taught a return to ethics and proper roles in society - Fathers should display high moral values to inspire their families - Children should respect and obey their parents - All family members should be loyal to each other - Moral leadership, not laws brought order to China - A king should lead by example, inspiring good behavior in all of his subjects - The lower classes would learn by following the example of their superiors point of view what did Confucius believe about good behavior? That when people behaved well they were simply carrying out what heaven expected of them
Confucianism - both a philosophy and a religion - teachings collected in a book called The Analects - has become the dominant beliefs in China - led Chinese to develop a dislike sharp changes in their way of life - impact on society for centuries
Daoism - means the way - stressed living in harmony with the Dao, creator of the universe and all things - a reaction to Confucianism - wanted government to stay out of people s lives - avoid interfering with nature and each other - let things just flow naturally - attention on the natural world - humans just another part of nature live in harmony with nature - worshipped nature as the Dao - Laozi or Lao-tzu - most famous teacher - people should not try to gain wealth or power - wrote The Way and its Power
Legalism - belief that people were bad by nature and needed to be controlled - political philosophy not religious - rejected Confucianism's moral preaching - rejected Daoism non respect for authority - strict laws and punishments - everyone responsible for each other s conduct - relatives and neighbors of the guilty also punished - efficiency important - appointed officials, not nobles to rule - empire to continue to expand -elaborate- what might be some disadvantages of Legalism? Too much government power, innocent people punished -summarize- what did Legalists believe society needed? Strict laws to keep people in line, punishments that fit the crime, and holding citizens responsible for the crimes of others
Read the following passage. Then put together information from the passage to draw a conclusion about the question. The Revival of the Family Since Confucianism was the official government philosophy during Wudi s reign, Confucian teachings about the family were also honored. Children were taught from birth to respect their elders. Disobeying one s parents was a crime. Even emperors had a duty to respect their parents. Confucius had taught that the father was the head of the family. Within the family, the father had absolute power. The Han taught that it was a woman s duty to obey her husband and children had to obey their father. Han officials believed that if the family was strong and people obeyed the father, then people would obey the emperor, too. Since the Han stressed strong family ties and respect for elders, some men even gained government jobs based on the respect they showed their parents. Children were encouraged to serve their parents. They were also expected to honor dear parents with ceremonies and offerings. All family members were expected to care for family burial sites. Question: How did the ancient Chinese view Emperor Wudi? Information from the Text Conclusion