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Qin Dynasty Great Wall of China CK_4_TH_HG_P087_242.QXD 10/6/05 9:02 AM Page 158 V. China: Dynasties and Conquerors Heaven from this ruler and bestow it on another one. Teaching Idea While China prospered under the Zhou, the seeds of the Zhou’s destruction Ask students to tell you about the were sown by the introduction of feudalism. In exchange for military support, Roman Empire and the reasons for its the Zhou kings gave land to their supporters, who established local states and decline, which students in Core ruled them for their own benefit. In time, the local lords, known as warlords, Knowledge schools should have stud- became more powerful than the Zhou kings and fought one another for power ied in Grade 3. Compare that rise and and wealth. The era between 402 BCE and 201 BCE is known as the Warring fall with what students will be learning States Period. about Chinese dynasties. One dynasty displaced another; the second pros- Qin Dynasty pered and then began to have prob- lems, sometimes from inside and some- Shihuangdi times from outside the empire. In the Zheng [JHENG] was a warlord who ruled the state, or province, of Qin midst of these problems, a new group [CHIN]. In 221 BCE he set out to unify China by subjugating the local warlords, would displace it, as it had displaced abolishing feudalism, and proclaiming himself emperor. By his death in 210 BCE, the first group. The Chinese explained he had succeeded for the most part in conquering the local warlords. Zheng took this through the concept of the the title Shihuangdi [she-HWONG-dee], meaning “First Emperor,” and as Mandate of Heaven. Shihuangdi, imposed a strong centralized government on China. In an effort to ensure his control, he had his opponents murdered. The emperor had a great interest in magic and alchemy. He summoned magi- Teaching Idea cians from all over China to visit him. But his motive was beyond entertainment; the emperor desperately sought an elixir that would grant him immortality. When Explore the meaning of the word Confucian scholars criticized the emperor’s preoccupation with magic, he had dynasty before introducing the Qin 460 leading scholars executed. dynasty. Explain that a dynasty is a suc- Shihuangdi is also known for his establishment of a single system of coinage cession of rulers who are members of and a standardization of the Chinese ideographic writing system, which had the same family. The ruler’s position is developed during the Shang dynasty. After his death, Shihuangdi’s policies of tor- hereditary. Ask students how they ture and murder of enemies, heavy taxation, and forced labor (to build the Great know that the president (or anyone in Wall) resulted in a series of rebellions against the next Qin emperor and the end public office in the United States) is not of the Qin dynasty. a member of a dynasty. Ask if they know of any modern rulers who belong In the 1970s, Shihuangdi’s tomb was excavated and a collection of over 6,000 to a dynasty. (While the term is not usu- life-sized soldiers made of terra-cotta was discovered, along with terra-cotta hors- ally used in reference to the English es and chariots made of bronze. The figures are arranged in precise military for- monarch, the queen is a member of a mation, and the soldiers hold weapons that are still sharp. Today, visitors can see dynasty—the House of Windsor.) the figures in a museum constructed above the tomb, and archaeologists are still working to uncover the rest of the tomb. Great Wall of China Cross-curricular The Great Wall of China was built over many centuries. The wall was begun Teaching Idea during the Qin dynasty in the 3rd century BCE, and additions were made during To give students a feeling for Chinese subsequent dynasties. The last work was completed during the Ming dynasty culture, read them a few stories set in (1368–1644). The wall, which was built to keep out invaders, stretches 2,150 China, like “The Wonderful Chuang miles (3,460 km) across North China. Made of earth, stones, and brick, the wall Brocade” (discussed in the Language is 25 feet (7.6 m) high and 12 feet (3.7 m) wide. It is the world’s longest fortifi- Arts section on p. 51). cation and, in fact, the longest structure ever built and the only human-made structure that can be seen from outer space. 158 Grade 4 Handbook CK_4_TH_HG_P087_242.QXD 10/6/05 9:02 AM Page 159 Han Dynasty Teaching Idea One way to introduce the “Han The Han [HAHN] dynasty succeeded the Qin in 206 BCE and ruled for more Dynasty” section is to ask students than 400 years, until 220 CE. The harsher policies of Shihuangdi were replaced, and Confucianism was introduced as the basis of government actions. what they know about Confucius. Confucianism remained the basis of Chinese government until the early 1900s Students in Core Knowledge schools when the last dynasty, the Qing, was toppled. should have studied Confucius in Grade 2. Explain that it was during Confucius was a philosopher and teacher who lived in China from 551 to 479 the dynasties that they are going to BCE. After his death, his sayings and activities were collected as the Analects of study that Confucianism was put into Confucius. The principle tenet of Confucianism is jen, pronounced “ren” and practice and became the guide for the translated as “human-heartedness” or “sympathy.” Human-heartedness is a sensi- way government was run as well as bility that relates every person to every other. Human-heartedness sets up certain how society was organized. relationships in society and requires that people treat others as they would wish to be treated themselves. According to Confucius, there are five basic relationships: • father to son Teaching Idea • elder brother to younger brother • husband to wife If you have taught Section II, “Europe • ruler to subject in the Middle Ages,” on pp. 101–127, • friend to friend use the Han as an opportunity to Except for the relationship between friends, the relationships are unequal. In review what was happening in the first four relationships, the father, the elder brother, the husband, and the Europe at this time. Create a brief ruler are superior and are owed allegiance and obedience by the lower person. In time line on the board with students, turn, the superior person owes protection to the lower. These duties and respon- listing events in China with their sibilities set up a system of right action that governs relationships. dates and events in Europe in the same centuries, or use a graphic Confucius saw the family as the basic unit of society and government as an organizer in the form of a chart to extension of the family. It was within the family that a person learned right action. show simultaneous events. Begin Filial piety, respect for one’s parents, was the most important virtue. A person who with the Huns. practiced right action in the family—honoring his or her elders, obeying them, and taking care of them—would transfer this sense of correct behavior to rela- tionships outside the family. Translated into the political realm, Confucianism meant that the ruler as the Teaching Idea head of society (the family) was owed allegiance, but that those he governed were Get a copy of the Analects of due good government in return. Confucius maintained that when all family rela- Confucius from a local library and tionships are in order, including those between husband and wife and parents and select a few of the simpler and clear- children, then there will be order in society. er episodes to share with children. The students of Confucius called him “Master” and came to study with him The Analects contain many stories to hear the wise things he said. The Analects record some of the advice he gave about what Confucius said to his dis- his students: ciples and much wisdom on how one ought to behave in life. By listening to IV.18 The Master said, “In serving your father and mother, you ought to excerpts from the Analects, students dissuade them from doing wrong in the gentlest way. If you see your will also get a sense of Confucius as advice being ignored, you should not become disobedient but remain a “master” who was consulted, fol- reverent.” lowed, and emulated by his admiring XV.24: Tzu-kung asked, “Is there a single word which can be a guide to students. (See More Resources.) conduct throughout one’s life?” The Master said, “It is perhaps the word shu [reciprocity]. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.” History and Geography: World 159 CK_4_TH_HG_P087_242.QXD 10/6/05 9:02 AM Page 160 V. China: Dynasties and Conquerors XIII.6. The Master said, “If a man is correct in his own person, then there Teaching Idea will be obedience without orders being given; but if he is not correct in Create overheads of Instructional his own person, there will not be obedience, even though orders are Masters 26–28, showing the major given.” Chinese dynasties. Use them to orient XV.21 The Master said, “What a gentleman seeks, he seeks within him- students to the extent of each dynastic self; what a small man seeks, he seeks in others.” empire. Have them find the size of the XVII.2. The Master said, “Men are close to one another by nature. They different empires using map scale. Talk diverge as the result of repeated practice.” about the directions in which goods VII.1.
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