Empires Han

Empires: Han China Life in Classical China Society in Classical China Family basic unit of society Wealth generally based on land ownership Merchants lower status than scholar-bureaucrats Big social divide between rural and urban Some slavery Patriarchal society emphasized obedience of wife to husband Culture of Classical China Confucianism dominated the political & social structure. Legalism and Daoism develop during same era. Threats from nomads from the south and west spark the first construction of the Great Wall trade along the Silk Road inventions include water mills, paper, & compasses Xi'an: capital/most sophisticated, diverse city in the world

Political Structure of Classical China Downfall of Zhou Qin Dynasty Ended the Warring State Period Over centralized Standardization of laws, currencies, & measures Standardization of scripts Waves of rebels overwhelmed the Qin Rise of Han Dynasty Liu Bang of Han

Rule in China Zhou - emperor rules by mandate of heaven Emperor was the "son of heaven." Political authority controlled by Confucian values, emperor in full control but bound by duty Political power centralized under Shi Huangdi - often seen as the first real emperor Han - strong centralized government supported by the educated shi Shi: scholar bureaucrats who obtained positions through civil service exams

Han Centralization

middle way between Zhou decentralization and Qin overcentralization adopted Legalist policies Built an enormous bureaucracy to rule the empire Continued to build roads and canals Levied taxes on agriculture, trade, and craft industries Imperial monopolies on production of iron and salt Established Confucian educational system for training bureaucrats