Monday, September 16, 2013

Ancient China I

For Wednesday's class (re)read Murphey, Chapter 5 and be prepared to discuss the following questions:

  • What's the Xia dynasty? What's the evidence for it?
  • What did Chinese culture during the Shang dynasty borrow from elsewhere, and what is original to China?
  • What brought the Shang dynasty to an end?
  • What was the Zhou dynasty system that was admired by Confucian scholars and for which the Zhou period was considered a golden age? Why did the system break down?
  • Describe the rival kingdoms of the Warring States period.
  • How might the history of China be different if the Chu kingdom had won out over the Qin kingdom?
  • How did what was happening in China during the Warring States period parallel what had happened in Mauryan India a century earlier?
  • What is your impression of Confucius? 
  • Why was Qin victory over the other kingdoms surprising?
  • What changes did the Qin bring to the rest of China when they took over?
  • What were the upsides and downsides of Qin Legalism?
  • How did the Han dynasty differ from the Qin? What stayed the same?
  • What was the relationship of the Han dynasty to Vietnam and Korea?
  • The Han Dynasty and the Roman empire never connected. How might history have been different if they had?
  • What was important about the imperial examination system?
  • What were Wang Mang's reforms? What was the problem with landowning?
  • What is interesting about the roles of (some) women during the Han dynasty?
  • What do you think are the greatest achievments of the Han period?
Link to video Engineering an Empire: China

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