Worldview & Order
What did China call itself as the center of the world?
The Middle Kingdom (Tianxia)
What were the exam-picked officials called?
Scholar-officials (mandarins)
What technological advancement made lots of books quickly?
Woodblock printing
What is the yearly book for planting and festivals?
The almanac
What navigation tool began in China?
The compass
What belief system values respect, rules, and harmony?
Confucianism
What did the exams mainly test?
Confucianism
What was the later method using single characters called? (refers to question 1)
Movable type
Why did rulers care about the calendar
It showed heaven’s mandate/legitimacy.
What admiral led massive voyages in the 1400s?
Zheng He
According to Boorstin, which mattered more: harmony, or breaking rules?
Harmony (Order)
What exam habit can limit new ideas?
Memorizing set answers
What is the goal of an imperial encyclopedia?
Collect and keep known knowledge.
What was the main use of astronomy in the empire?
To support rituals and farming schedules
Why didn’t those voyages continue as open-ended exploration? (refers to question 2)
The court stopped funding
Why can a strong focus on harmony slow new ideas?
It discourages challenging the old ways
Name the strict essay format on the exams
The eight-legged essay
Why don’t encyclopedias guarantee new ideas?
They summarize; they don’t test or overturn
Name one early Chinese version of the clock.
Water clock, Incense clock, Sundial, Candle clock
DAILY DOUBLE
Why do many old maps put China in the middle?
Because China was considered the "Middle Kingdom" (ethnocentrism)
What was Boorstin's "big claim"?
"China made many inventions but fewer discoveries because rules and exams pushed knowledge toward order"
How can one national exam shape curiosity?
People study “what’s on the test,” narrowing inquiry
What is one way “more books” can still mean less discovery?
Authorities control what gets printed
Why was changing the calendar risky?
It suggested the emperor had been wrong
What is one reason ocean discovery never became a national obsession?
There were not nearly enough incentives