Subject: World History and Geography I

Crisis in Zhou China

SCENARIO You are a citizen living in Zhou China at a time when life is very difficult. The Zhou dynasty has been ruling China for hundreds of years, since 1122 BCE. However, they have never had total control over all of the people of China. They did have strong control for the first 300 years of their rule, but lately their power has been on the decline. The majority of Chinese people are farmers. Traditionally, China has been a feudal state. In this system of government, local lords ruled their own lands but owed military service to the ruler. Recently, there has been a shift away from feudal control of the land to private ownership. This and other changes have disrupted the old ways of life. Due to the instability of the Zhou family, there has been a constant struggle for power. There is constant warfare with China’s neighbors, which brings even more instability and hardship. This situation has left many people in China wondering if the Zhou family is losing the Mandate of Heaven. Rulers claim to possess the Mandate of Heaven because they believe the gods selected them to rule China. As a citizen, your biggest concern is that there is no direction from the government. This has led to chaos, as everyone has different ideas as to what is best for China. However, many individuals have come forward with good ideas to bring order to China. Some believe the ruler must be a kind “father figure” while others believe that society should be based on very strict laws and harsh punishments. There are also those people who believe that there should not be any government at all. The king is willing to reward successful advisors with riches and a top government position.

YOUR ROLE -- ADVISOR #1 You believe that China can be brought to order if the ruler establishes general principles for all to follow. All people of China should find their place in society depending on five basic relationships: father to son, elder brother to younger brother, husband to wife, ruler to subject, friend to friend. Friendship was an equal relationship. All other relationships were unequal. Older people were superior to younger people and men were superior to women. Superiors were supposed to set a good example and care for the inferiors. Inferiors owed loyalty and obedience to their superiors. These relationships provided a set of duties and responsibilities for everyone. If all the people of China followed these relationships, everyone would know what they were supposed to do and there would no longer be any chaos. Since each person will have different roles in society, it is important that people are educated. Society can only be orderly if all people have a common understanding and expectations of each other. This can only happen through education. You believe that if people are educated, they will do good. People should believe that the ruler is superior to the people. Yet, the ruler must not take advantage of the power of the position. Since the ruler is looked up to by the people due to his power, the ruler must set an example of proper behavior. It is important for the ruler to be a “gentleman” so that he would serve as a moral guide to the people. If a ruler is not a “gentleman”, he does not provide the needed direction and order for the people, and then the people could revolt against him. Crisis in Zhou China

YOUR ROLE -- ADVISOR #2 You believe that all people are naturally evil and only act out of greed and selfishness. The chaos that is taking place in China is because everyone wants more for themselves and does not care about China or the other people in China. People will not follow a code of values that does not place oneself over everyone else. For this reason, people will only act in China’s interest if punishments are so harsh that people will be afraid to do something that will hurt China. You believe that China can be brought to order if the ruler establishes strict laws and harsh punishments. The ruler must be willing to do whatever is necessary -- including performing evil actions -- in order to keep control. You do not believe that a good and moral ruler will be followed by the people without harsh laws. The ruler must strike out at anyone who threatens the ruler’s power or protests against the ruler in any way. Since the people will be afraid of the ruler, he can then order the people to perform actions that will help the country. The ruler must be able to control everyone as well as all aspects of culture. All parts of culture, including education, transportation, communication, and especially the army must be ruled by the emperor. The military must be very strong so that the ruler can cause fear in anyone in or out of China. There can be no limits -- not even the laws that everyone else must follow -- placed on the ruler. In fact, a ruler who follows the law will not be as strong as a ruler willing to break the law. The people should not have any input about how China should be ruled. The people are selfish and are not capable of thinking about what is best for China. Crisis in Zhou China

YOUR ROLE -- ADVISOR #3 You believe that China can be brought to order if the ruler eliminates all rules and laws. You believe that people are going to act as they naturally act, regardless of rules or laws. People break the laws every day, mostly because they do not think the law reflects the natural way they should live. The universe and all creatures within the universe were created with a natural sense of order that should not be disturbed. The nature of the universe -- rivers, animals, plants -- live and function well without any form of government. They do not need established rules stating what can and cannot be done. Even though there are no laws, there is a great deal of order in nature. People need to get back into the same type of harmony with nature as other creatures. The reason why China is having so many difficulties is that the laws of the government is interfering with the natural way of the Chinese people. People can survive on their own; they did for millions of years before the creation of government. A ruler should not decide what actions people should or should not be allowed to perform. People should not be told by someone who does not know them what is best for their own life. People will learn that on their own. Finally, a government should not be permitted to take away rights, property, or the life of another person without that person’s consent. People are naturally good creatures. They can live together without any laws. Government is not a natural force and therefore causes many problems among people. Laws only create disorder, and they should therefore be eliminated. The best government is the government that governs least. Crisis in Zhou China

YOUR ROLE -- KING You are the king of China but you face times of trouble. You need to establish a sense of order among your people without them despising you. Past rulers of China have been overthrown if they were not considered protectors of the people. Because there is much fighting among the people of China, you are afraid that people will think you have lost the Mandate of Heaven. You must make the people in China believe that you know the way to bring peace and happiness to them. You want to restore the people’s confidence in you as soon as possible. You are very scared that anyone in China might try to challenge your right to rule and try to fight or kill you. Advisors are approaching you with different ways to regain order in China and establish yourself as the supreme ruler of the “Middle Kingdom.” You must choose which advisor has the best strategy for you in this situation and you must explain why. World History & Geography I

Which School of Philosophy?

Decide whether the statement belongs to the school of Confucianism, Daoism, or Legalism.

A. younger people must serve older people B. school was founded by Laozi C. family is the basic unit of society D. believes in “the Way”, which cannot be described E. believed that human nature was evil F. there are 5 important relationships G. emphasized tolerance for individualism H. best government was a government with few or no laws I. thought humans were subject to change due to circumstances J. the ruler must be just and the people must be loyal K. laws should be used to scare people to act a certain way L. the interest of the state is more important than the interest of the people M. stressed the importance of education N. wanted people to live in harmony with nature O. people who break the law must be punished harshly P. the morals of society hinder the individuality of people Q. emphasizes respect for ancestors R. education is impractical and unnecessary S. considers filial piety very important T. a good ruler possesses the Mandate of Heaven U. believed all laws went against human nature V. people are motivated to act because of fear and greed W. people should be forced to work on government projects X. enforcement of the laws must be consistent Y. became official philosophy of the Qin dynasty Z. people should revolt against the ruler only if he was acting like a tyrant Chinese Philosophies Handout

Name of Philosophy Advantages Disadvantages

Confucianism

______

Daoism

______

Legalism

Which philosophy would be preferred by the following groups of people?

• teenagers?

• teachers?

• senior citizens?

• soldiers?

• prisoners?

• environmentalists?

Explain characteristics of a teacher/classroom setting following the principles of Confucianism.

Explain characteristics of a teacher/classroom setting following the principles of Daoism. Explain characteristics of a teacher/classroom setting following the principles of Legalism.

Which class of students do you think would be the MOST successful? WHY?

Which class of students do you think would be the LEAST successful? WHY?

List the groups of people who are authorities in your life. Beside each group, identify the group as (C)onfucian, (D)aoist, or (L)egalist depending on the principles of the relationship between you and the authority.