Chinese History And The Chinese Tradition

Whats effects does religion have on culture? Why are they connected? Over time, humans have stopped hunting and gather to survive. Instead they have created civilizations as it is more effective. Religion and culture are connected because religion is the basis for civilization and culture. The Han Dynasty is structured with many different social classes, emperors being at the top. Confucianism played a big role on the social structure. Thus, the cultural setting of the dynasty was well documented. For example the many cultural achievements are known to us because they were written down.

In breaking down the causations and effects of the Mongols regarding their rule on China during 1200-1500, one can see these include the implementation of governing philosophies of elected officials that shaped Chinese culture, the influence of tax-farming systems on China’s economy, and the influence of trade on social hierarchies. An example of an impact by the Mongols on Chinese rule is the negative influences of tax farming on Chinese economy. Another example of a causation of Mongol rule on China is the of tax-farming systems in order to improve revenue in the area.

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.

In the Dynastic cycle, the Song and Han Dynasties of ancient China showed similar periods of prosperity. They had many similarities and differences during their ruling. The dynasties always ruled with an athortain type of government because one man ruled by himself and gave little power to the council and/or government officials. Moreover, the Han and song dynasty shows many similarities and differences during the period of prosperity. First of all, there were 4 similarities that stood out.

From 618-907, the unprecedented leniency and tolerance of the Tang dynasty created a large hyper power, with alliances and trading and such. This empire left a lasting impression on the Chinese. “These and other factors converged to produce a dynasty more tolerant of foreign cultures, religions, and influences than any other in Chinese history.” Taizong was the first emperor of the tang dynasty and set the precedent for his successors. His main goal was to establish equality throughout the regions. He achieved this and became “the first Chinese ruler to establish dominion over the steppes.” As the Tang rule grew larger and larger, it engulfed areas like Manchuria, Vietnam, and parts of Iran. The way they chose to handle the commerce and diplomacy

Despite being the shortest ruling dynasty at fifteen years, the Qin dynasty served a vital role in the development of China’s civilization (51). The Qin dynasty was prefaced by a period of instability caused by an ineffective political system and war between several regions all vying to overtake the others. After the Qin kingdom rose as the victor, King Cheng established for himself the title of Shi huangdi, or emperor, and looked to create a political system that would prevent the empire from fragmenting again. To achieve such a centralized government, Shi Huangdi sacrificed his people’s intellectual freedom and lives and produced a connected and standardized China, whose efficiency and strength still impacts the vision

From 600 BCE to 600 CE, China experienced changes in its political system in terms of the dissimilar ruling styles of different leaders, the rule under Legalism, and the influence of philosophical thinking like Daoism. These changes, influenced by aspects of the world and its own region, shaped China into its Classical state. In contrast, the concept of the Mandate of Heaven, the civil service system, and the significance of unity through a strong central government remained constant throughout China’s Classical period. These continuities followed through, staying essentially the same as an important part of China’s identity.

The Roman Empire and Han Dynasty in China are two kingdoms that, despite the geographical difference between them, managed to achieve great success and failure in equal measure. Both were characterized by imperial dynasties that were headed by the emperors and they held large territories. Both of these kingdoms faced various challenges after their formation that became a major stabling block, but due to good leadership, they both managed to overcome and achieve success. Nevertheless, due to different reasons, both the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty declined and fell. This paper

The Han Dynasty and Imperial Rome were two greatly advanced civilizations for their time period and their success was no fluke. Both dynasties gained their success through a handful of varying ideas and strategies involving the economy, military, and social structures. However, one of the greatest factors that determined the respective dynasty’s futures was their methods of political control. The Han Dynasty and Roman Empire agreed on some major aspects and ideas of politics, but also had diverging views on a few subjects. For example, one major topic both groups disagreed on is the form of government. Some examples of subjects they both agreed on was the focus on infrastructure and trade.

Comparative Essay Two classical civilizations, the Han dynasty and Imperial Rome, both demonstrated evident methods of political control. Although the Han Dynasty demonstrated political control through the means of a bureaucracy and Confucianism, Imperial Rome portrayed political control through an aristocracy and a polytheistic religion. In spite of their differences, these two civilizations shared characteristics of political control, including the use of pre-existing class structures and the ruling of the empire by a single leader. To begin with, the Han dynasty had a single emperor and a group of bureaucrats. The bureaucrats served to advise the empire and played a key role in running the empire through executive privileges.

“ All our civilization is based on invention; before invention, men lived on fruits and nuts and pine cone and slept in caves “ - Reginald Fessenden. All major civilizations have a significant influence on mankind and the different inventions the civilizations produced. Although, it is evident that the Chinese Civilization has the greatest impact on the development of man out of all of the civilizations due to the innovation of gunpowder, and the discovery of the silk road.

Analyze similarities and differences in methods of political control in two of the following empires from 600 BCE to 600 CE (Han China, Mauryan/Gupta India, Imperial Rome).

New agricultural techniques, porcelain, metallurgy, printing, and naval technology were few of the technological elements that reinforced the established features of social order. New agricultural techniques helped in the expand of their agricultural potential, the dynasties gained reputation from porcelain technology which moderately diffused to other societies producing porcelain in large quantities, metallurgical techniques as well diffused to lands beyond China, printing produced texts quickly and popular works appeared in huge quantities, and naval technology included of the magnetic compass which soon became common for mariners to use. Population growth, patriarchal social structures, and gunpowder were technological elements reinforcing established features of political order. Population growth reflected the capacity of economy and distribution of food, patriarchal social structures included of concern to preserve family fortunes and foot binding, and gunpowder was an element used for military effectiveness. These aspects provided a fundamental change in traditions because they changed their whole concepts of how to use goods as in previous Chinese eras.

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.

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.