Chapter 6.2 Notes

Chapter 6.2 Notes

The Zhou Dynasty and New Ideas

The Zhou Dynasty

 $\cdot$  In the 1100s BC the leaders of the Zhou ruled over China
   -They joined the nearby tribes and overthrew the Shang Dynasty 
       *The Zhou dynasty is one of the longest ruling dynasties in China
 $\cdot$  The Zhou political system

     -The Zhou kings claimed to possess the mandate of heaven
          *According to this idea, heaven gave kings the power to rule
         *No ruler was allowed to rule without heavens permission

Multiple Choice

What did the rulers of the Zhou dynasty need to be in power?

• the permission of the people

• support of his fellow nobles

• mandate of heaven

• Nothing he was king

-The Zhou came from an area to the west of the Shang Kingdom

*They used their heaven mandate to rebel against the Shang
*The Zhou expanded their territory northwest, south and east into the Chang Jiang area

 $\cdot$  The Zhou established a new political order
       -They granted land to others in return for loyalty, military support and other services
           *The Zhou king was at the highest level and he granted plots of land to the lords

    -Lords paid taxes and provided soldiers to the king

         *Peasants were at the bottom of the order
    -Each peasant family received a small plot of land and had to farm additional land
Lord: people of high rank
Peasant: farmers with small farms

 $\cdot$   The Zhou system brought order to China
       -Ruling through lords helped the Zhou control distant lands and ensured loyalty to the king
        *Over time the political system breaks down

Open Ended

Why do you think the political system will break down?

       -Lords passed their power to their sons who has little loyalty to the king

            *With a lack of trust the new lords rejected the authority of the Zhou kings

 $\cdot$  The decline of Zhou power
      -The lords loyalty lessened and many refused to fight against invasions
         *In 771 BC invaders reached the capital and not many lords came to protect the king.
         *The Zhou lost the battle but the dynasty survived

Poll

What led to the decline of the Zhou Empire?

• a lack of layalty

• economic issues

• Invaders

 $\cdot$  By 481 BC, China had entered an era called the Warring states period

    -The lords were constantly fighting one another
       *Fighting became brutal and cruel as soldiers fought for territory not honor
 $\cdot$  Internal Problems
       -The decline of the Zhou important changes were taking place in the Chinese family structure
         *For centuries the family was the foundation of life in China
 $\cdot$  Bonds of loyalty even weakened within small families especially in the upper class
         -The sons in there families would challenge one another and created wars among their families

Confucius & Society

 $\cdot$  During the late Zhou period, thinkers came up with ideas about how to restore order in China
    -One of these thinkers was Confucius, who became the most influential teacher in Chinese history
         *Confucius is a Western form of the Chinese title of “Master Kong”
 $\cdot$  Confucius felt that China was overrun with rude and dishonest people
     -Confucius believed that the Chinese people needed to return ethics
          *These ideas became known as Confucianism
Ethics: moral values

Multiple Choice

What does Confucius mean?

• Master King

• The Wise one

• Master Kong

• Father

Confucianism: a philosophy based on the ideas of Confucius that focuses on morality, family order, social harmony and government 

 $\cdot$  Confucius wanted to return to a time when people knew their place or role in society
      -These are basic guidelines that Confucius thought would restore family order and social harmony
          *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

    -Confucius’s ideas about government were similar to his ideas about family

      *Moral leadership, not laws, brought order to China
      * A king should lead by example
      * The lower classes would learn by following to example of their superiors

 $\cdot$  Confucius travelled to many different regions and earned the reputation of being a respected teacher
       -His ideas were passed down through his students and later books
          *Since Confucianism focuses on morality, family, society and government people think of it as a philosophy
        

Open Ended

What was Confucius's idea about how a government should run?

    *Many people went beyond the philosophy and shifted towards religious understanding

-Confucianism became a guiding force in human behavior and religious understanding in China
      *Confucius believed that if a person behaved well and acted morally then they were following heavens expectations

Poll

What was the guiding force in Confucianism?

• Moral human behavior

• High ethic behavior

• Religious understanding

Daoism & Legalism 

 $\cdot$  Daoism gets its name from Dao meaning “the way”
Daoism: a philosophy that developed in China & stressed the belief that one should live in harmony with the Dao, the guiding force of all reality
      -In Daoist teachings, the Dao gave birth to the universe and all things in it
           *Daoism developed in part as a reaction to Confucianism
     -Daoist did not believe leaders could bring social harmony by being active in government
           *Instead, they wanted the government to stay out of people's lives

Open Ended

What does Dao mean?

   -Daoist believed that people should avoid interfering with nature or each other

       *They thought people should be like water  and flow naturally
   -Daoist believe the ideal ruler was a wise man who was in harmony with the Dao
       *This leader would govern effortlessly so that the people would never know
 $\cdot$  Daoist taught that the universe is a balance of opposites: female and male; light and dark or low and high 
     -In each case there is a focus on harmony in all things
        *Daoists paid more attention to the natural world

   -Daoist regard humans as part of nature and they aren’t better than anything else

     *Laozi was the most famous Daoist teacher
 $\cdot$  Legalism
Legalism: the belief that people were bad by nature and needed to be controlled
      -Legalism was different from Confucianism and Daoism
         *Unlike the other two beliefs, Legalism was a political philosophy without religious concerns
     -It dealt only with government and social control

Open Ended

How is Legalism different from Daoism and Confucianism?

      *They disagreed with the moral preaching of Confucianism or the rejected Daoism because it didn’t stress authority

   -Legalist felt that society needed strict laws to keep people in line and the punishment fit the crimes
       *Unity and efficiency were very important and they appointed officials to run China

Poll

What eastern religion have you still heard about today?

• Daoism

• Legalism

• Confucianism