The Warring States
The greatest battle of the Warring States period was __________ and why was it so notorious?
Changping / the Qin general Bai Qi buried 400,000 Zhao soldiers alive following their surrender
This was, traditionally, the first Chinese dynasty and it came to an end around 1600 BC. Most modern scholars, however, consider it to be mythical.
A general from the state of Wu during the early Warring States period and author of the Art of War
Sun Tzu
The founder of the People's Republic of China and long-term communist dictator thereafter
Mao Zedong
Several technological and cultural advances occurred in the practice of warfare during the early Warring States which helped change the battlefield. Can you name 2?
-Calvary replaces the Chariot
-Crossbows emerge
-Mass Conscription of peasants
-Defensive Walls
-Decline of Chivalric codes
This mythical figure was, essentially, the Chinese Noah due to his monumental efforts to save China from terrible floods which were ravaging it in prehistorical times. He is also considered the first emperor of the Xia dynasty.
Yu the Great
The Confucians, who heavily stressed social hierarchy and filial piety considered this concept antithetical to their worldview and believed it would lead to anarchy.
What might be considered the "Golden Age" of the Chinese nobility?
The early Spring and Autumn period
The Wei official, Ximen Bao, was remembered for his famous incorruptibility. Consider this quote attributed to him in addressing Marquis Wen of Wei:
Last year, I governed Ye for my lord, and my lord wanted to revoke my seal. This year, I changed my method and governed Ye for your courtiers, and my lord thanks me. I can no longer continue governing in this way. Please allow me to resign.
Can you fill in the gaps in this story?
His first year, he governed his province frugally, helped the people of his district and there was no money for "kickbacks" to the corrupt court officials whom he reported to. So, after the report, the Marquis wished to fire him, but he begged for, and received, a 2nd chance.
His second year he fleeced his district's citizens with high taxes and used them to pay off the corrupt court officials; these, of course gave a glowing report to the Marquis, which led to this famous exchange.
At the beginning of the Western Zhou dynasty, around 1043, the Duke the Zhou provided this service for the 2nd Zhou king, King Cheng, and was immortalized forever after for it.
He stood in as regent for the young king for 7 years and dutifully stood down once the king reached adulthood.
Other philosophical schools often condemned the Confucians for their excessive adherence to outdate or extreme rituals. Most prominently, Confucius argued that parents should be mourned for _________ , which was considered impractical and detrimental to society.
3 years
In an ideal Chinese capital city, 2 altar complexes flanked the royal palace. On the left was the Altar of the Imperial Ancestors which was dedicated to the ruling family's ancestral cult. On the right was the Altar of Soil and Grain which was representative of
The land, agricultural production and people themselves
In 403 BC, the State of Jin was finally partitioned permanently into three new states _____, _____ and ______. The ruler who engineered this was __________.
Han, Wei, Zhao
Marquis Wen of Wei
The Shang Dynasty was considered mythical until the discovery of ____________ around 1900.
Thousands of oracle bones with inscriptions on them matching the recorded histories
Which philosopher asserted these seemingly paradoxical sentiments to his own greater theory?
Consider a state that is cruel and destructive, and suppose a sage, intending to rid the world of evil, raises an army to eradicate and punish it, and he triumphs. And then because he is using [another philosopher's] methods, he issues orders to his soldiers, saying: “Do not pursue those who are fleeing; do not shoot at those who are trapped; help those in retreat to drag their heavy carts.” Then those who are cruel and destructive will hold on to life and the harm to the world will not be done away with. This is to act in a way that is damaging and destructive to parents and deeply detrimental to ordinary people.
Mo Di
The notion that the state exited - at least in part - to serve the ruling clan's ancestral cult
Several factors / milestones are emblematic of the emergence of a more modern abstract Chinese state during the Warring States period. This trend was particularly pronounced in Qi and Qin. Can you name 2?
-Decline of nobility as a "state within a state"
-Rise of meritocracy
-Division of the state into districts directly managed by the central government
-When the Tian clan seized power in Qi in 386 BC, they KEPT the state's name as Qi, arguing that they were merely its new caretakers
In ancient China, as throughout most of the world, women were expected to keep to domestic duties. Although they were usually kept kept out of political affairs, they were almost always restricted from military ones. This Shang dynasty queen, however, was not only a capable and intelligent ruler, but, was she was an experienced and famous general too.
Lady Fu Hou
During the late Spring & Autumn, Sun Tzu taught King Helu of Wu the longstanding Chinese military principle that a general in the field must have absolute independence from government interference once he is granted the command. The memorable method by which he publicly demonstrated this before the king was:
by instructing (and then executing, despite King Helu's protest) the royal concubines in military drills.
Xi Shi, a woman of unparalleled beauty was sent as a spy by King Goujian to Wu during the late Spring & Autumn period. She successfully helped bring down King Fuchai, and was celebrated for her cunning, patriotism and was honored by her inclusion among the Four ...
Four Beauties of Ancient China