The document provides an overview of Chinese dynasties from 221 BCE to 1912 CE. It discusses the Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Key points include: - The Qin dynasty unified China under the First Emperor and built the Great Wall, but quickly fell after his death. - The Han dynasty ruled for over 400 years and expanded Chinese territory and culture through the Silk Road. However, rebellions led to its decline. - The Sui dynasty briefly reunified China in 589 CE after centuries of division but heavy taxes caused its downfall. - The Tang dynasty was a golden age of culture and

1. Qin to Qing Dynasty
Group 5 II-Rosal
Social Science 2

2. I. Dynasties from Qin to
Qing
II. Mandate of heaven
III. The middle kingdom
thinking
IV. The Dynastic cycle
Outline

3. DYNASTIES FROM
QIN TO QING
221 BCE ‒ 1912 CE

4. Timeline

5. • 221 – 207 BCE
Qin Dynasty • End of the Feudal System
• Qin Shi Huangdi (First Emperor Qin)
• First Emperor Qin was a legalist
• Centralized Nonhereditary Bureaucratic System
• Empire -> Province -> District
• Spy System
• Changes: (1) land was taken away from nobles, (2)
introduction to weights, measures, money, written
language and law, (3) new law code, (4) peasants are
assign to work as a farmer or silk maker, (5) total
censorship
• No rebellion or revolts until the death of the first
emperor
• Start of implementation of Imperial System
“A thousand may die so a million may live.”

6. Qin Dynasty
The Great Wall of China
• Keep off barbarian intrusion
• Reaches from northeastern Heilongjiang
Province to northwestern Gansu

7. Qin Dynasty
Qin Shi Huangdi

8. Qin to Han Fall of Qin -> unstable empire after Qin Shi Huangdi’s
death
Xiang Yu of Chu vs. Liu Bang of Han
• Two rebel leaders that fought for the leadership of
China.
• China fell apart into 18 kingdoms
• Each kingdom chose sides Xiang Yu or Liu Bang
• Xiang Yu proved to be a very good commander but
Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu in the Battle of Gaixia
in modern day Anhui.
• Liu Bang became emperor and is known
posthumously as Emperor Gaozu (r. 202–195 BCE).
• Chang’an was chosen as the new capital of the
reunified empire under Han.

9. Han Dynasty
• Early / Western Han (206 BCE – 9 CE)
• Later / Easter Han (25 – 220 CE )

10. Dynasty
Early Han
• 206 BCE – 9 CE
• First dynasty to adopt Confucianism
• Rebellion of the Seven States (154 BC)
• Contributions:
ü Paper: The writing of Chinese history.
§ Under Emperor Wudi ( 141 BCE – 87
BCE ), Sima Qian was born. He is the father
of Chinese historiography.
ü Porcelain
ü The Silk Road: route of trade from
China -> West (all the way to Rome)

11. Xin Dynasty • 9 – 24 CE
• Wang Mang ( 9 CE – 23 CE )
o Nephew of Grand Empress Dowager Wang
Zhengjun.
o Creative scholar and politician but he was an
incompetent ruler.
Decline - the capital, Chang’an was taken over by
peasant rebels.
• The descendants restored the Han dynasty.

12. • 25 – 220 CE
Dynasty
Later Han
• Liu Xu or Emperor Guang – wu ( 23 CE – 25
CE )
o Luoyang is the capital, east of Xian.
• Contributions
ü Shui Pai
ü An official named Cai Lun improved the
making of paper.
ü Copper and bronze
ü Zhang Heng created a special equipment
which is considered to be the first
seismograph in the world.
ü Arts ( Caligraphy, pottery, etc. )
Decline - Yellow Turban Rebellion and Five
Pecks of Rice rebellion ( 184 CE ).
o The corrupt government.

13. Three Kingdoms ‒
Period of Disunion
• Wei 220 CE – 265 CE
o Cao Pi or Emperor Wen of Wei
o Luoyang
• Shu 221 CE – 263 CE
o Liu Bei
• Wu 229 CE – 280 CE
o Sun Quan or Emperor Da of Wu

14. Jin Dynasty
• Western Jin Dynasty (265 CE – 317 CE)
• Eastern Jin Dynasty (317 CE – 420 CE)

15. Dynasty • 265 CE – 317 CE
Western Jin
• Founded by Emperor Wu or Sima Yan
• Provided a brief period of unity.
• Decline - War of the Eight Princes
o The Prince of Runan: Sima Liang, son of Sima Yi
o The Prince of Chu: Sima Wei, the son of Emperor Wu
o The Prince of Zhao: Sima Lun, son of Sima Yi
o The Prince of Qi: Sima Jiong, nephew of Emperor
Wu
o The Prince of Chengdu: Sima Ying, son of Emperor
Wu
o The Prince of Changsha: Sima Ai, son of Emperor
Wu
o The Prince of Hejian: Sima Yong, distant cousin of
Emperor Wu
o The Prince of Donghai: Sima Yue, distant cousin of
Emperor Wu

16. Dynasty
Eastern Jin
• 317 CE – 420 CE
• Emperor Yuan of Jin or Sima Rui or
Jingwen
• There were rebellions all throughout this
dynasty such as the rebellions of Generals
Wang Dun and Su Jun.
• VICTORY!!! Battle of Fei River
• They were known for their celadon porcelain
pottery.

17. Northern Dynasty
Southern and
• 420 CE – 589 CE
• A time of civil wars but the arts and culture
was able to flourish.
• Spread of Mahayana Buddhism and Daoism.
• There were advances in medicine,
mathematics, astronomy and cartography.
• The Chinese pagoda tower evolved from the
stupa.

18. Southern Dynasty • Liu Song (420–479)
o Liu Yi
• Southern Qi (479–502)
o Emperor Gao
• Liang (502–557)
o Emperor Wu or Xiao Yan
• Patron of the Arts and Buddhism
• Confucian values and embraced Buddhism too.
• Chen (557–589)
o Emperor Wu of Chen

19. Northern Dynasty • The Rise of Northern Wei
• Eastern Wei (534–550)
• Western Wei (535–557)
• Northern Qi (550–577)
• Northern Zhou (557–581)

20. Sui Dynasty •
•
589 – 618 CE
Emperor Wen of Sui
• It unified China for the first time in over a century.
• The capital was at Chang’an which was renamed Daxing.
• The Emperors Wen and Yang undertook reforms to get an
Equal-field system, reducing the distance between rich-
poor social gap.
• Coinage was standardized.
• Defense was improved and the Great Wall expanded.
• The Great Canal
• Buddhism is spread throughout the empire and was
encouraged.
• Three Departments and Six Ministries it replaced The
Three Lords and Nine Ministers
Decline - crushing taxes + labor + spending -> didn’t get to
focus on the military campaign.

21. • 618 – 907 CE
Tang Dynasty • Characterized by strength and brilliance that is
unprecedented by any other
• Imperial and local government
• Control ranging from Korea, southern Manchuria, and
Northern Vietnam
• Tang influence was felt as far away as present-day
Afghanistan
• Strength came from a system of equal land allotments
to the male population
• Hsuan Tsung
o Fell in love with a woman and neglected his duties
o nepotism
o An Li-shan had a quarrel with the woman’s brother –
war
o Generals withheld tax money and eventually created
kingdoms from the land they were to protect.

22. • Many great poets emerged
Tang Dynasty o Li
o Po
o Tu Fu
o Po Chu-i
o Prose master: Han Yu
• Printing of books and sharing of ideas promoted
cultural unity
• Buddhism declined, Confucianism became more
popular
o Many Tang officials were of the Confucian
discipline and regarded Buddhism as a disruptive
force in China
o 845 – full scale persecution of Buddhists
o 4600 monasteries and 40,000 temples were destroyed
• Handicraft guilds and the use of paper money all
started in the late Tang dynasty

23. Sung/Song Dynasty
• Northern Sung Dynasty (969 AD – 1126 AD)
• Southern Sung Dynasty (1127 AD – 1279 AD)

24. Dynasty
Northern Sung
• 969 AD – 1126 AD
• Made the military subordinate to the civil
government
• Re-organized the imperial government,
centralizing the control of the dynasty at the
capital
• One major flaw: a weak military
o Signed treaties to end fighting
o Usually included in the treaties were stipulations
requiring the Sung to pay tributes to the enemies
they were fighting
• Fell apart due to differences in opinions by
the civil bureaucrats

25. Dynasty
Northern Sung
• 1069 – Wang An-shih was appointed as
chief counselor
o Proposed plans to increase government income,
decrease spending, and strengthen military forces
o Government’s wealth came from peasants
o Implemented land reforms to give equal allotments
of land to farmers, loans to cultivators to assist
planting and harvesting, and a graduated tax on
wealth
o Some of his plan were not used due to bureaucratic
opposition

26. Dynasty
Southern Sung
• 1127 AD – 1279 AD
• Made an alliance with Chin dynasty
(1122-1234) of northern Manchuria
• Economic and intellectual achievements
increased while the former Song dynasty to the
north slowly decayed
• Downfall was due to many years of bitter
fighting against a superior force
• 1206 – Mongol tribes convened at Karakorum in
Outer Mongolia to confirm Mongol unity under
the command of Genghis Khan
o Genghis Khan captured the Chin Dynasty
• Southern Song was captured on 1279 – Kublai
Khan took control

27. • 1279 – 1368 AD
Yuan Dynasty • Led by Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan’s grandson
• Moved the Mongol capital from Karakorum to
somewhere near Beijing
• Mongol empire – stretched from Eastern Europe to
Korea and from Northern Siberia to the northern
rim of India
• Mongols ruled as if they were Chinese
• Most notable foreigner that visited during this was
Marco Polo
• There was resentment towards the Mongols by the
Chinese
o Chinese accepted them as rulers but resented the
fact that they held back able Chinese due to the
Confucianism tests.
• 1371 – Chu Yuan-chang was successful in pushing
the Mongols back into Mongolia

28. Ming Dynasty • 1368 – 1644 CE
• Founded by Chu Yuan-chang
• Literature became more important, schools
were created, and the justice system was
reformed
• Great Wall of China and Grand Canal –
were improved
• Divided into 15 provinces
• Three commissioners per province:
o Finances
o Military
o Judicial matters
• Financial commissioner was over-ruled by a
governor in the later years of the dynasty

29. Ming Dynasty • First quarter of 15th century: Ming had
decisively defeated the Mongol tribes
• Middle of 15th century: Ming’s power started to
decline
• Imperial treasuries were being depleted by war
• Downfall of Ming Dynasty was brought about
by a rebellion due to the inability of the
government to provide food in a time of famine

30. Dynasty • 1644 – 1912 CE
Manchu/Qing
• China reached the highest point in its 2000-year
history and collapsed from internal pressure along
with pressures exerted by West
• Manchus started to absorb the Chinese culture
• Government: based on Ming and was more
centralized
• Regulated by a new institution called the Grand
Council
• By the end of 17th century: Manchus had
effectively eliminated all of the Ming opposition
and put down a rebellion led by Chinese generals
that helped the manchus
• This dynasty controlled: Manchuria, Mongolia,
Xinjiang, and Tibet

31. Dynasty
Manchu/Qing
• Nepal, Burma, Korea, Vietnam: recognized China
as a major power
• 18th century: time of unprecedented peace
o Economic status of the Chinese peasant declined
o Government’s funds depleted due to foreign
expansion
• Manchus accepted trade with the West
o British, French, United States
• British
o Introduced Indian opium
o Opium trade depleted Chinese silver reserves
and gave the British a large advantage over all
the other Chinese trading partners

32. MANDATE OF
HEAVEN
heaven s orders

33. When the Zhou people overthrew the last Shang king, they
had to convince the other people, especially the nobles, that
they are under their rule. The Zhou people told them that
the gods in heaven had told that they were to rule only if
they were ‘good rulers’.
What is the Mandate
of Heaven?

34. 1. The right to rule is granted by
Heaven.
2. There is only one Heaven
therefore there can be only one
ruler.
3. The right to rule is based on the
virtue of the ruler.
4. The right to rule is not limited to
one dynasty.
4 Principles

35. THE MIDDLE
KINGDOM THINKING

36. • Translates as central nation or middle kingdom
• Sinocentrism
• They believe that China is the center of the earth.
Zhongguo

37. “The map is similar to many present-day Chinese world maps in that it
positions at the centre of the map China (which used self-confidently
to refer to itself as the “Middle Kingdom”), and not Europe.”

38. THE DYNASTIC
CYCLE