1. Chinese Proverb
If there be righteousness in the heart,
there will be beauty in the character.
If there is beauty in the character,
there will be harmony in the home.
If there is harmony in the home,
there will be order in the nation.
When there is order in each nation,
there will be peace in the world.

2. Do Now
 Pick up a lined sheet of paper from the
back counter…split in half and share
 Define the following vocab terms:
 Scholar Official
 Mandate of Heaven
 Bureaucracy
 Dynastic Cycle
 Civil Service Exam

3. By the end of these notes you
should be able to…
 Describe the dynastic cycle
 Explain how the fall of the Han Dynasty (206
B.C.- 202 A.D.) affected China
 Describe how Buddhism and Confucianism
influenced Chinese History

4. Chinese Dynasties:
Common Trends
 Throughout history Chinese government had
been controlled by dynasties and between each
dynasty was a period of disunity
 Chinese dynasties went through a process
commonly referred to as the “Dynastic Cycle” or
“Cycle of Chinese Dynasties”
 Chinese dynasties would have a strong rise, a
long tenure (period of rule), and a sharp fall. All
determined by the Mandate of Heaven.

5. Dynastic Cycle

6. Chinese Dynasties:
Common Trends
 Each dynasty dealt with invasions from
nomadic groups in the North who were
attracted by the wealth of the settled and
the agriculture success of China.
 Each invader who successfully conquered
China adopted Chinese bureaucracy and
tradition

7. Mandate of Heaven
The Mandate of Heaven is based on four principles:
 The right to rule is granted by Heaven.
 There is only one Heaven therefore there can be only one ruler.
 The right to rule is based on the virtue of the ruler.
 The right to rule is not limited to one dynasty.
Here are some of the ways these principles converted into action and justification:
 It gives the ruler prestige and religious importance.
 It gives the ruler supreme power.
 It allows a new ruler to gain power quickly if the people believe he has the 'Mandate
of Heaven'.
 A ruler's power must be kept in check by virtue (He or She has to be honest).
 The Mandate of Heaven justifies rebellion as long as the rebellion is successful.
Simply because it was successful, obviously then, the new ruler had to have had a
Mandate from Heaven.

8. Chinese Dynasties:
Common Trends
 Each dynasty used the same type of
bureaucratic structure, the civil service
examination, the scholar official,
Confucianism as the basis for education
and elite selection, the development of
successful economies, and the trend of
unification and reunification.

9. The Han Dynasty

10. Han Dynasty 206 B.C.-220 A.D.
 A period of progress and prosperity in China
 The Han Dynasty great expands the Chinese empire
using a very strong army
 Government policies based on Confucian ideals and
centralized bureaucracy and the belief that government
should be run by educated, ethical men
 Han Dynasty and Roman Empire existed at the same
time and traded through the silk road

11. Fall of Han Dynasty
 Fell because of it’s own success
 Growing population
 The financial difficulties brought on by
increasing wealth
 Rivalries
 Ever more complex political institution

12. Results of the Fall
 China experiences a 300 year period of
disunity
 Several warring states tried to take control of
China with little success
 The belief system of Confucianism began to
loose its popularity to Buddhism
 Major technological advances were made
 Gunpowder, etc.

13. From Confucianism to
Buddhism
 Buddhism became very influential during the
three hundred years of disunity following the fall
of the Han Dynasty.
 Buddhism offered an explanation of why humans
suffered and offered a relief from the suffering of
the Chinese people.
 Confucianism focused more on the ethics and
morals of human character and did not take into
consideration times of disunity and suffering