Zu Chongzhi Chapter Summaries

The Han Dynasty of China from 206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E. and the Imperial Roman Empire from 21 B.C.E. to 476 C.E. were large empires that dominated during their time periods.

In order to see how the principles and teachings of Confucius influenced the Han Dynasty, we must first look at the history of Confucius. "Kong Fuzi, known in Latin as Confucius, a philosopher and political adviser from the small state of Lu in modern Shandong, sought to reform China by redefining Chinese political and ethical thought" (Spodek 208-209). Confucius dedicated his life to education and philosophy, as he mastered the six Chinese arts: archery, ritual, calligraphy, music, chariot driving, and arithmetic. He went on to be a teacher, government advisor, and author several historical works. Confucius focused on the importance of self-discipline and earning rather than power based on birthright. His teachings eventually grew to impact the region, although most of this transformation took place after his death.

In the period 1046B.C- 256B.C the Zhou Dynasy ruled. Next, during 221B.C -206B.C, the Qin Dynasty ruled. Finally from 400 years to 220C.E, the Han Dynaty ruled. Throughout all these dynasties, political, economical, social,and religion, were problems which led to different scenerious.

Following the collapse of the Han Dynasty in 220, China declined into an elongated term of division. China was divided and in a time of war, with a lack of leadership. It was only in the Sui Dynasty (589-618) reunited North and South China as one. The Tang (618-906) and Song (960 - 1279) Dynasties that followed created the “Golden Ages of China”. Although the Tang and Song Dynasties existed in a similar time and had a similar economy, there are also many differences between the influential dynasties such as certain aspects of their society and politics.

The period that followed the Han dynasty was known as the Warring States period, during which China suffered frequent invasions from Central Asia. The documents of "Four Noble Truths" (Doc 1)

Mark C Elliott’s book Emperor Qianlong Son of Heaven, Man of the World is a short biography about Hongli. Hongli was the fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor and the favorite of his father and grandfather and was born in 1711. In the beginning it describes how he rose up in rank as a son through his father who introduced him to the current emperor Kangxi, his grandfather. The first chapter gives us the story of what Hongli was like as a child and how he won the favor of the Emperor. The book follows Hongli all the time from his birth from a low ranking palace consort right up to the end of his life even after he technically gave up his title as

    The Tang Dynasty is an important aspect of Chinese history.  Lasting from 618 AD to 907 AD, it received the nickname “The Golden Age of Ancient China” because it was a very prosperous time.  This powerful empire came into control when the reign of the Sui Dynasty before it ended.

The Han dynasty was a golden era for China. It saw the greatest land confiscation of the nation’s history and economic success. In this paper I will be focusing on the structure of the national government, the monopolizing of iron and salt, the Yumen Pass and the Yellow Turban rebellion. Join me as we take a trip back in time to visit a time in Chinas history that is highly revered.

Chinese Dynasties: 1. Shang: Also called Yin, dynasty that was China's earliest historically verifiable state 1766 B.C. to 1122 B.C. A. Reason's for Rise: Unlike the early accounts of history by the Chinese, there is archaeological evidence of the Shang, who built their cities in northern China around the eastern parts of the Yellow River. For this reason they are called the Yellow River civilization. They were a bronze age people; bronze-working seems to have entered China around 2000 BC (about one thousand years after its invention in Mesopotamia). B. Territorial Location & size at height of power (map): The Shang ruled the area from the North China Plain northward into present-day Shantung Province and westward to the tip of Honan

They are numerous aspects of Meyer’s book that specifically intrigued me. One was the weaving of the historical background about the creation of the Hutongs and the difficult process by which they were torn down. Another aspect of the book was the Olympics’ influence in diurnal life. Meyer portrays a fascinating and intimate portrait of the Beijing through the explanation of the Hutongs and the people residing within them. For example, the Dazhalan and specifically the Red Bayberry and Bamboo Slanted Street. It intrigued me to learn how people in Hutongs get to experience a more sense of community because of the lack of large spaces, the shared courtyards, and the shared lavatories. Meyer was able to connect with the Chinese people better and lose his title of foreigner because of the sense of community he had with the Widow,

Qin Shi Huang was the son of the king of the Qin State. When he turned thirteen he surpassed his father's regality. There were seven major kingdoms formed that was to become modern

Rhoads Murphey describes the history of China history is on the succession of dynasties that ruled it over a period of time until around 1912 when Republic of china was formed before rising to the current People’s Republic of China was formed in 1949. In China, a dynasty was made up of Kings or emperors that came from the same family. They ruled in succession where a king could be inherited by his son or his immediate relatives. Although china’s history is majorly regarded on the basis of dynastic ruling, other small kingdoms were established that ruled different part of china. For example, in 200AD, the fall of great Han dynasty triggered formation of smaller kingdoms all over the china which were later united by a short lived Sui Dynasty that reigned between 580 and 618 AD.

The Six Dynasty period in Chinese historiography is often classified with moments of conflict, revolt, strife, famine, disunity, and not innovation. Historians and academics categorize the period as a placeholder between the more significant Han China—206 BCE to 220 CE—and the Tang dynasty—618 to 907 CE. Understandably, Han China’s military, infrastructure, and civil capabilities were rivalled only by that of the Roman Empire, and even then, the Han dynasties administrative capabilities were rivalled by none. The Tang period is widely considered to be the high point of Chinese culture and civilization, where cosmopolitan China emerged with force vastly shaping China for centuries to come. The significance of the Han and Tang dynasties is not in question, it is the lack of importance that historians confer on the Six Dynasties period. Admittedly the Six Dynasty period in Chinese history can be categorized as a warring period, in which China did not develop unilaterally, but separately along fractured lines (split both north-south, and east-west). Much like the European medieval period, there are few accessible sources from early-medieval china, and because of this, China’s six dynasty period is brushed over as a period of little advancement and innovation. The “Dark Ages” in Europe use to receive the same scholarly interpretation as a period of stagnation.

Next, looking at the Han Dynasty, it lasted from 202 B.C.E. to 220 C.E. This time period was said to be the most prosperous; population growth of approximately 50 million, expansion to Korea, Vietnam, and Pakistan, and the establishment of the famous Silk Road. It was not until about 184 C.E that this dynasty was to break internally through political and economical reasons

Srinivasa Ramanujan was a brilliant, self-taught Indian mathematician. It is also the history of the fruitful cross cultural collaborations between this young, ill educated mathematical genius and his mentor at Cambridge University. Ramanujan is probably the greatesr mathematician that India has given to the world and one of the greatest the world has seen. In the land of mathematics, wizard Srinivasa Ramanujan the inadequate number of competent mathematician is now being viewed with concern. In September 1887, two montha before her child was due to be born, a nighteenth year od kumbakonam girl named Komalathammal travelled to erode, her parental home, 150 miles upriver, to prepare for the birth oof the child she carried. That a woman