Preview

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Chinese Society and Culture

• Preview
• Main Idea / Reading Focus
• Han Society
• Trade and Buddhism
• Map The Silk Roads
• Han Achievements

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Chinese Society and Culture
Main Idea The Han dynasty was a time of social
change, the growth of trade, and great
achievements in the arts and sciences.

• Reading Focus
• What features characterized Chinese society in
  the Han period?
• How did trade and the spread of Buddhism affect
  Han society?
• What were some achievements in art, science, and
  technology during the Han period?

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Han Society
Chinas Han period was a time of great
prosperity, growth and achievement, defining
imperial Chinese civilization for years.
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Family Life

• Women in China
• Had fewer privileges, less status than men
• Rarely received education, owned property
• Sons valued more than daughters

• Marriage
• Sons carried on family line
• Remained part of parents household after
  marriage
• Daughters married and joined husbands household

• Power and Status
• Older women achieved power because of Confucian
  respect for elders
• Ban Zhao, female scholar, writer helped write
  history of Han dynasty
• Called for mutual respect between husbands,
  wives, education for women

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• Social Structure
• Han society highly structured, clearly defined
  social classes
• Emperor at top, ruled with mandate from heaven
• Upper class of palace court, nobles, government
  officials, scholars
• Second, largest class consisted of peasants, who
  grew empires food

• Other Classes
• Third class composed of artisans, made useful
  items, luxury goods
• Merchants occupied fourth class, trade not valued
  by Confucianism
• Slaves at bottom of society
• Military not an official class, but part of
  government and offered way to rise in status

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Han Society
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Summarize What was life like for Chinese
peasants during the Han dynasty?
Answer(s) worked hard in fields, farmed, raised
animals, often sold land to feed families, forced
to work on building projects, easily forced into
debt, worked for wealthy landowners
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Trade and Buddhism

• Trade grew in Han period
• Agriculture basis of economy
• Growth of trade increased prosperity
• Led to contact between China, other civilizations

• Han products
• Ironworkers made iron armor, swords
• Artisans made pottery, jade and bronze objects,
  lacquerware

• Production of silk
• Most prized Chinese product
• Secret method for making silk
• Revealing secret punishable by death

• Major industry
• Raised silkworms, unwound threads of cocoons
• Dyed threads, wove into fabric
• Fabric beautiful, soft, strong
• Clothing costly, in high demand

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Growth of Trade

• As they conquered areas of Central Asia, the Han
  learned people farther west wanted Chinese goods
• Zhang Qian returned from Central Asia mission,
  126 BC
• Told of regions riches, demand for Chinese goods
• Events led to increased trade with west
• Blood-sweating horses seen by Qian
• Parasites caused boils that bled
• The Han thought they were blessed by heaven
• To obtain them, Emperor Wudi conquered more land
• Trade with Central Asia increased even more

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The Silk Roads
Merchants traveling between China, Central Asia
used overland routes. The most famous were called
the Silk Roads. This network of routes eventually
stretched from China over 4,000 miles to
Mediterranean Sea, and linked China to India, the
Middle East, and the Roman Empire.
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Trade and Buddhism

• Traders carried ideas as well as goods over the
  Silk Roads
• Buddhism spread from to China from India
• Reached China in first century AD
• Han government became less stable, violence
  increased
• Buddhisms message of rebirth offered hope
• Buddhism gained popularity by AD 200
• Example of cultural diffusion
• Spread of ideas from one culture to another

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Draw Conclusions How did trade over the Silk
Roads affect Chinas culture?
Answer(s) profitable trade in luxury items,
connections to Central Asia, introduction of
Buddhism
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Han Achievements

• Classical Age
• During Han period, arts flourished, sciences and
  technology improved life
• Han China boasted magnificent palaces,
  multistoried towers
• None survived, but ceramic models from tombs show
  architecture of period

• Artisans and Artists
• Artisans produced ceramic, bronze figurines, jade
  carvings, silk cloth
• Artists painted portraits and nature scenes on
  walls, scrolls, room screens
• During Later Han, Buddhist art flourished,
  including temple wall paintings

• Literature
• Han literature known for poetry, new styles of
  verse
• Fu style, combined prose and poetry to create
  long works of literature
• Shi featured short lines of verse, could be sung

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Han Achievements

• Han writers produced important works of history
• Sima Qian
• Wrote Records of the Grand Historian or Shiji
• This early history became model for Chinese
  historical writing

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Han Achievements

• Technology
• One of most important Han inventions - paper
• Made by grinding plant fibers into paste, paste
  dried in sheets
• Created books by connecting several sheets of
  paper into long scroll

• Farming
• Inventions included iron plow, wheelbarrow
• With iron plow, farmer could till more land
• With wheelbarrow, farmer could haul more

• Science
• Created seismograph to measure earthquake tremors
• Made advances in acupuncture, use of needles to
  cure disease, relieve pain
• Invented compass, sundial, water mill, ships
  rudder

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Summarize What were some technological advances
of the Han dynasty?
Answer(s) paper, iron plow, wheelbarrow,
acupuncture, compass, sundial, water mill, rudder