ANCIENT CHINAQIN DYNASTY

(221-206 BC)

By Eric Wei

Above is a picture of Qin Shi Huang by Caiqian from Wikimedia Commons.commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:QinshihuangBW.jpg

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TABLE OF CONTENTSSubject Page NumberTable of Contents 2Map of Qin Dynasty 3Background 4Social Structure 5Architecture Guideline 6Food 7Family Life 8Marriage 9Childhood 10Childhood Qin Dynasty/Canada 11Education 12Religion 13Clothing 14Arts and Crafts 15Festivals 16Conclusion 17Bibliography 18

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MAP OF QIN DYNASTY To the left is an image of Qin Dynasty’s territory between 210 BC. This is after their conquest of the states around them, and the year of the emperor Qin Shi Huang. The Qin Dynasty expanded in all directions. They conquered many states to the north, west, east, and especially south, where he colonized many costal towns. To the north however, Qin had a hard time keeping his land. For example, the Xiongnu tribe to the north west would often raid the cities near them. This was frustrating for Qin and made him make a giant wall to the north of his territory to protect him from attacks. This latter became called the great wall of China.

Above is a picture of Qin dynasty's territory during 210 BC Picture by Itsmine on File:Qin empire 210 BCE.png on Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Qin_empire_210_BCE.png

Key

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BACKGROUNDThe Qin dynasty, started from a statesman called Shang Yang, who reformed many military tactics, and helped construct the Qin capital. After nine years of conquest in China, King Zheng the leader of the Qin became the ruler of China, at the age of thirteen; who latter renames himself as Qin Shi Huang. During his rule, the dynasty accomplished and standardized many things. One of these feats is making the well known Wall of China. This structure stretches across the north boarder of Qin’s territory, and protects the districts behind it from attacks. He was also the first one to unify China as one, and standardize writing, weight and measurement. Qin Shi Huang also made some devastating decisions. He thought that to make his country stick together, everyone must thing the same. He was a legalist, therefore, he burned all the books and scroll that opposed his thought. He also put vigorous laws to ensure that all the books and scrolls were burned. One law was that if someone didn’t burn the listed books within 30 days, they would be banished to the north to work for the Great Wall of China. Another feat is the Terracotta army. When Qin Shi Huang was only thirteen years old, he ordered that a gigantic underground room was to be made with a terracotta army inside. Each solider were to be life size, have armor, weapons, be different and have color. No two were the same. The army were positioned in military formation, and had ranks that could be identified. The army is to protect Qin Shi Huang once he died.

To the left is a statue of Qin Shi Huang, which is near his tomb. Photo by Nat Krause on File:Cin Shihhuang Shaanxi statue.jpg on Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cin_Shihhuang_Shaanxi_statue.jpg

Above is a uncovered pit of the Terracotta army.Photo by Maros on File:Terracotta Army Pit 1 - 2.jpg on Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Terracotta_Army_Pit_1_-_2.jpg

Above is a part of the Great Wall, located near Jinshanling.Photo by Jakub Hałun on File:20090529 Great Wall 8125.jpg on Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:20090529_Great_Wall_8125.jpg

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SOCIAL STRUCTUREEmperor Has complete control and authority over his land. He get his

wealth from taxes and his farmland holdings. Qin Shi Huang, the emperor of the Qin dynasty used his power to standardize money, writing, weight, measurement and other things.

Civil Servants

Civil servants can read and write. They work for the emperor by collecting taxes, enforcing laws, organizing building workers and judging court cases. They are mostly rich, but some can be poor. If they are rich, the would wear silk robes and live in large houses. If they were poor, they would dress in trousers and simple shirts and live in small houses.

Pheasants

Pheasants are mostly poor, but they are well respected for providing food for others. They are also considered the backbone of the culture because of what they supply. Farmers lead a simple life, but they have to work hard because of the few animals to help. Everyone in the family works together; even children when necessary. Pheasants only have enough surplus food to feed themselves. If there crop was to fail, they wouldn’t have enough food to feed themselves after they pay their taxes. However, if a poor farmer was able to take a set of exams and pass, they can become a civil servant .This means that a poor person can become important and make a larger impact.

Merchant

Merchants are considered worth less than pheasants because they take profit from other people’s labor. Though they might be rich, they could still be in a lower class than pheasants. However, if one would take the set of exams and pass, they can become a civil servant. They can also buy a set of land and become farmers.

Soldiers and Servants

The lowest class is soldiers and servants. Servants would work for a rich family and do what they were told. If it were to fan a person or serve food, they were expected to carry them out. Soldiers had to go to war and fight when told. Though they defend a city from invaders, they are the people’s soldiers, so they are like servants.

Above is a picture of a rice farm in China by Vmenkov on wikimedia commons.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tongshan-County-rice-fields-9882.jpg

To the left is a picture of Qin Shi Huang, the emperor of the Qin dynasty by unknown.http://www.sacu.org/qinemperor.html

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ARCHITECTURE GUIDELINES

In ancient China, most of buildings were designed the same way, until later on. That means that the Qin dynasty had houses that were similar to the Han who came after, and the Zhou dynasty that came before. The architecture is the same for the rich and complex palaces to small poor farmhouses. They all follow the same guidelines, which include bilateral and enclosure. Bilateral architecture is keeping a balance or symmetry in the building. When extending ones house, they would try to keep the symmetry if there was enough land to do so. That would mean adding the same thing from one side to the other. Enclosure architecture is when a house or building takes up all the property and have a small or big open courtyard somewhere in the house. The courtyard is usually positioned in the middle of the house because of the need for symmetry, but if the owner has enough land, he can have many courtyards. This is different from the western style, which is having a garden in front and behind the house.

To the right is picture of a large temple with many courtyards. However, the layout is still symmetric.Fayuansi (Beijing: Fayuansi liutongchu, 1981), inner cover illustration on Home Architecture.http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/home/3intrhme.htm

All pictures above except for the one on the top right are adapted from: Liu Dunzhun, ed. Zhongguo gudai jianzhu shi. (Beijing: Zhongguo gongyue chubanshe, 1984), p. 12.http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/home/3intrhme.htm

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FOOD Rich Poor

Rich Chinese people have a diverse diet, which included rice, noodles, lettuce, stew and meat; with the occasion of duck legs, cow hearts and tongues. There would usually be many different kinds food from the same food group. For example, for meat, they can have ox, mutton, deer, pig, dog, ducks and parts of cows. In a meal, one would first have a bowl of rice and then pick things from the variety of dishes available. The bowls were small, held in one hand and they rarely touched the table. To eat, they would bring the bowl to their lips; tilt their head slightly and use the chopsticks to move the food into their mouth. It is a tradition to drink rice wine and have long conversations after and while eating. A meal can have more talking then actually eating. Subjects were usually recent events.

The poorer people in China often didn’t have enough food to eat, and had to settle with plain rice, tofu and soup with only vegetable. However, they would add strong flavored spices and ginger to make them taste better. They would also eat from small bowls with chopsticks like the rich people, but instead of rice wine, they would have weak green tea. The food also depended on where they lived and what was available. In the north, they ate a kind of cereal called millet, while in the south they ate tofu, noodles and bread. Even though they are the ones that grow the food, they have to sell them for money. The rich can afford to buy a bountiful meal, while the poor will they to get enough to sustain their next meal.

To the left is photo of white rice by Francesca Nocellaon on Flickr.http://www.flickr.com/photos/francescanocella/2418292881/

Above is a photo of raw egg noodles by Nmaji on Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Egg_noodles.JPG

Above is a photo of jars containg rice wine by Binh Giang on Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ruou_can_jars_in_E_De_long_house.png

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FAMILY LIFEFamily is a source of

harmony and the most important for the rich and poor. If one person in the family did something wrong, the whole family was disgraced. If one person did very well, the whole family was honoured. This caused everyone to try hard. Most ancient Chinese families were large with many generations living in one house. The oldest male would be the leader and head of the family. He is the one who would makes all the decisions. Women, whether rich or poor are to be gentle and respect their husbands. They are to maintain the house, work in the fields and look after children. Children also had major role in their family. They have the responsibility to continue their family’s name as a good on. They have to make others think of the good things their family has done when they hear the name. They are also expected to obey their parents without fussing, and respect their elders.

Name

Pe-h-ōe-jī

Common Romanization

陳 /陈 Tân Chen, Chan

林 Lîm Lin, Lam

黃 NPgHuang, Wong, Hwang, Ung

李 Lí Li, Lee, Le

張 /张 TiuⁿZhang, Cheung, Chang, Teo, Teoh

王 Ông Wang, Wong

吳 /吴 Ngô͘V Wu, Ng, Goh

劉 /刘 Lâu Liu, Lau, Liou

蔡 Chhòa Cai, Choi, Tsai, Choy

楊 /杨 Iûⁿ Yang, Yeung

Table from Chinese name by unknown on Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_name

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MARRIAGEIn ancient China, marriage is a

very important part of ones life. For the male, it determined his prosperity and the future name of his family. For the female, it was not seeing her parents for a long time. This made finding a partner crucial for both the couple and their family. In that time, marriage was decided by the parents, and there are many procedures. The first one is the proposal of marriage, which get the families to know each other more. If both families accept the proposal, the matchmaker will have to look at the birthdates because the ancient Chinese believe that birthdates determine ones future. Using a special method, the matchmaker will determine if the birthdates will bring good luck or not. The next step is having the grooms parents give a gift called the betrothal gifts to the brides family. The gift is important because it shows that the grooms family will take care of the bride. Then both families give small gifts that are less important then the betrothal gifts. Finally, the wedding is arranged, and the bride and the groom meet for the first time. Then they become a married couple at the wedding ceremony.

Above is a photo of a married couple in traditional attire by Supersentai on Wikimedia Commons.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Traditional_chinese_wedding.jpg

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CHILDHOODRich Poor

Children from a rich family mainly lead a pleasant life. They wore fine clothes, there was plenty of good food to eat, and they had free time. Boys went to school and studied for the imperial exam. Passing the test would be one of the happiest moment of his life. School is only for boys, so the girls have to stay home and learn from their parents. They were taught good manners and some simple house hold chores. Most of them were done by the servants, so they didn’t have to do many. Their parents would also start looking for a suitable husband for their daughters, and have them marry at a young age. Once married, the wife will live with her husband’s family and she won’t see her parents for a long time.

Children from a poor family lead a simple but hard working life. To get enough money to sustain their needs, they would have to work all day in the fields. Their jobs were mainly pulling out the weeds, but if extra help was needed elsewhere, they would lend a hand. Poor families lived in small mud houses with a simple stove, table, stools and mats. A meal would consist of plain rice, tofu, noodles and bread. To make things taste better, they would add spices and ginger. Like those in a rich family, boys went to school and studied for the imperial exam. This exam is a way to get more money and have a better life. Girls also couldn’t go to school, and learned from their parents. However, if a family was very poor, they would sell their daughters, not their sons. This is because most people believed that sons are of more value than daughters. Other than selling their daughters, a poor family can find a husband for her. The betrothal gift from the husband will help the family. Like girls in rich families who are married, they won’t see their parents for a long time and will live with her husbands family.

Above is a photo of an ancient Chinese farmers house by Nuffnang on her blog.http://popofoto.blogspot.com/2009/10/kuching-trip-day-1-sarawak-cultural.html

Above is a photo of an ancient Chinese rich families house by unknown on Cultural China.http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/html/en/26Arts195.html

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CHILDHOOD(QIN DYNASTY/CANADA)

Qin Dynasty Canada

In the Qin Dynasty, boys and girls had separate lives. All boys went to school and studied for the imperial exam, which determined if they were worthy to get a job from the government. They would study in the same classroom until they are at the age to take the test. Taking the test was graduating. Passing the test would be graduating successfully, while failing the test would be a bad graduation. Girls didn’t go to school and had to learn from their parents. If they were rich, there parents would teach them many things like good manners and traditional curtsey. If she was from a poor family, her parents would teach her less good manners and curtsey then the rich because of not knowing much about it themselves. She would also work in the fields with her parents and help in any way she can. All girls would be partnered with a husband picked from their parents at a young age. The marriage was important, but most only see their husbands for the first time during the wedding ceremony. Then the wife would leave her family and live with her husband’s family for many years. She usually didn’t see her family for a long time after leaving.

In Canada, both girls and boys goes to school for elementary (kindergarten to grade 7), high school (grade 8 to 12) and then university or college in for a different amount of years. Selling children to slavery isn’t heard of , and they don’t need to work in fields. There are various of different clothes and styles that children wear. They are made out of different materials and come in different size and shapes, but is usually depends on the weather and season. Finally, both girls and boys attend in other activates that are outside of school. For example, there are a many sports, bands, instrument lessons, and other extra curriculums lessons one can choose from.

秦Above is the Chinese letter Qin by Eric.

To the right is a picture of the Canada flag by Cybjorg on Wikitravel.http://wikitravel.org/en/Image:Flag_of_Canada.png

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EDUCATIONMost children in Ancient China

didn’t go to school. They had to work in the fields and take care of younger siblings. However, if you were a boy, he would be sent to a school. If there wasn't a school in your village, one would have to live with their relatives or strangers in a larger village. Education was free at that time and paid by the government. Students worked very hard because it prepared them for the government test. Those with the highest marks for this test got to have a job from the government. To make things fair, only the test marks counted, it didn’t matter if you were rich, poor, who your father was, or if you were a good fighter. That means a boy from a poor family could work for the emperor if he studied hard enough. School usually started at around 6:00 am to 4:00 pm every day. Student would learn how to read, write poetry and essays, and how to paint picture. It was also required to memories every page of the Confucian Philosophy. For very smart boys, they could take a special test to enter the gifted program. Otherwise, one would stay in the same school and class from six to seventeen years old.

Above is a photo of an ancient school, which were found in temples by Omar A. on Flickr.http://www.flickr.com/photos/oansari/2851361535/

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RELIGIONAfter a long war that occurred

from 400 to 200 BC, the ancient Chinese started to look for ways to have peace. They followed three different systems. Confucianism, Taoism, and latter on, Buddhism. These became very common, even though they are very different, and became known as the “Three ways to one goal”. Taoism is mainly about harmony with nature, and the relation ship between humanity. It shows the balance of light and dark and that both are important. Buddhism focuses on harmony with your mind and soul. However, it is different from Buddhism in India. Confucianism is stabling society using common sense. It is from a scholar Confucius, who was born in a wealthy family. However, after a war, his family became poor, so he decided to study to improve himself. Confucius made a system of rules on how people should behave. He states that sons have to be loyal to their father, wives have to by loyal to their husbands, and that younger brothers and sisters owe loyalty to their older siblings. He mostly believed that children should obey and respect their elders, and Chinese people should respect and obey their emperor.

Above is a photo of a statue of Confucius by Paul Parker at the Stockholm University.http://www.su.se/english/about/news-and-events/confucius-statue-unveiled-at-nordic-confucius-institute-1.978

To the left is a picture of the Yin Yang symbol, which represents Taoism by Klem on Wikimedia Commons.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yin_and_Yang.svg

Below is a photo of a small Buddha statue by Nepalese Handicrafts.http://himalayacrafts.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html

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CLOTHINGPoor

Rich

Poor men wore baggy tough fiber trousers and a loose shirt. Sometimes with a fur lined coat in the winter. The women wore simple dresses from wool for the winter and cotton in the summer. Both men and women wore shoes from woven straw. The clothes of the poor are usually plain and dirty from their work. Because they have to labor hard just to get enough food to support their family. Having luxuries were out of question.

In that time, silk was considered a lucky luxury and a fashion that rich people wore. They would wear robes of silk with a large sash at the waist. For the women, their robes were opened a little to show their undershirt of different colored silk. For their feet, they wore silk slippers with wooden soles. On the silk robes, there would usually be colorful and amazing embroideries, which portrayed scenes from stories or lucky symbols. These lucky symbols were frequently dragons because of the belief that dragons scared away evil spirits. Silk badges with dragons on them would be worn to show the rank of an officer. The rank depended on how many talons the dragon had.

Part of an embroidery of a Chinese silk robe.Photo by wonderferret on Flickr.http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderferret/1839458616/

Above are many cultivated silk worms larvars.Photo by Ian Armstrong on Wikimedia commons.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silk_worm_cocoons.jpg

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ART/CRAFTSThe ancient Chinese made

many different kinds of crafts and had unique arts. There is a special instrument called the guqin, which is like a small, skinny guitar, but has 25 strings and is played lying down. This instrument was very common, but only the rich were taught to play it. Another art is calligraphy, which is where Chinese characters are written on paper. The brushes are made out of animals hair tied with silk, and then fastened to bamboo reeds. The ink was made from rubbing water droplets on ink stone made from burned pine soot and gum. Calligraphers were usually made up of poets, who wrote their poems in this fancy writing. It would take many years to learn this art. Lastly, many ancient artists made their art work from bronze, jade and clay. For bronze, they would melt it and pour it into a mold. Jade was carefully carved with bronze tipped tools. Clay would be baked and terracotta could be made. The objects created are usually statues, vases and cups. Vases and cups would have amazing designs and color around it.

Above is a picture of a gugin by CharlieHuang on Wikimedia commons.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ZhongNiZhiback.jpg To the left is a rocked carved

to look like a piece of meat by Asiir.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MeatStone_Taiwan.JPG

To the rightis white and green jade carved as a cabbage by Peelden.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IMG_35392.jpg

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FESTIVALSOne important festival in ancient

China is the new year, or also called the Lunar New Year. This is because it is based on the lunar calendar. It started when Chinese villagers believed that there was a mythical creature who would come down from the mountains on every new year. He ate livestock, crops, farmers, and especially enjoyed children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food outside their door in belief that if the creature ate their food, it wouldn't’t hurt them. One New Year, villagers saw the creature run away from a boy wearing red while playing a drum. They soon realized that the creature was afraid of the color red and loud noises. Therefore, every New Year, villagers would put up red lanterns, and red scrolls of the word spring everywhere. Fireworks would be lit, and everyone would wear red. After many generations, the Chinese New Year became more a the start of a good year. For example, phrases like, “May you have fish to eat every day,” or, “May you have promotions every year,” where widely spoken. There was also many interesting traditions during the Chinese New Year. One of them is that the boss must invite all his employees to a New Year feast. However, the person the chicken’s head is pointing to is fired. Therefore, the boss would tell the servants the have the chicken’s head face a certain person to get them fired. There are also red envelopes with money inside, which are given out to family and friends. The Chinese New Year is a festival that is still celebrated today, and it will most likely continue for many generations to come.

Above is a photo of Chinese New Year lanterns Dcubillas on Wikimedia Commons.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Lanterns_for_Chinese_New_Year_KK.jpg

To the left is a photo of Chinese New Year red envelopes by Ksionic on Flickr.http://www.flickr.com/photos/ksionic/394378142/

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CONCLUSIONThe Qin dynasty is the baseline

for all the dynasties that follow. Though it only lasted for a short period of time, it greatly influenced the way people lived in ancient China. It also accomplished many feats that still fascinate many people today. One of these, is starting the Great Wall of China, which was latter expanded by other dynasties. Qin Shi Huang, the emperor of the Qin dynasty also ordered that a gigantic tomb was to be made for him, and that thousands of terracotta warriors are to be buried with him. These terracotta warriors carried weapons, armor and not one were alike. These warriors are now exhibited in museums all around the world. Lastly, Qin Shi Huang standardized Chinese writing, measurement, and weight. He would make tracks on the road for wheelbarrows, so in order to travel on these tracks; one would have to have the right measurements. The Qin dynasty accomplished many things, but the most important one would be setting the guideline for the other dynasties to follow.

Above is a photo of a part of the Great Wall of China as it is now by Emily Whale from Flickr.http://www.flickr.com/photos/etraveler48/4407409531/

Above is a picture of a wheelbarrow used in Ancient China by Behind the Great Wall: A Journey to the Middle Kingdom by Demco Inc. http://www.central.k12.ca.us/akers/inventions.html

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BIBLIOGRAPHYBook

Nicholson, Robert, and Claire Watts. Ancient China. Journey Into Civilization ed. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994. N. pag. Print.

Clark, Patrick. China. Ancient Civilization ed. Parramon Ediciones, SA, Spain: Chelsea House Publishers, 2006. N. pag. Print.

Arnold, Toutant, and Susan Doyle. Ancient Worlds. Outlooks ed. Vol. 7. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. 135-43. Print.

Website

Qin Dynasty . Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 25 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Dynasty

Terracotta Army. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 27 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army

Chinese Marriage. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 6 June 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_marriage

Ebrey, Patricia B. House Architecture. Ed. Joyce Chow, Lenore Heitkamp, Kevin Jensen, Robin Lin, and Helen Schneider. UW Departments Web Server, n.d. Web. 28 May 2010. http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/home/3intrhme.htm

Carr, Karen. "(page title here)" Kidipede - History for Kids. 2009. June 4, 2010. http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/people/school.htm

Citations using kightcite, a tool from The Hekman Library, which is a branch from Calvin, Minds In The Making.

http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php