November+14+-+Early+Chinese+and+Japanese+Civilizations

=//Reading Assignment//=

China is the world's oldest civilization. The earliest Chinese era confirmed by archeological evidence is the Shang dynasty, dating from about 1760 B.C. Twentieth-century excavations show that the Shang people developed the most advanced technology of the Chinese Bronze Age. The Shang kings ruled until about 1100 B.C., when they were conquered by the Zhou people. The Zhou dynasty 1100-221 BC introduced organized agriculture and established a feudal society. Most Shang artifacts are made of bronze. In the middle of the Zhou dynasty, the two great philosophical and religious traditions indigenous to China took hold - Confucianism and Taoism. Confucianism is based on the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BC, a successful and famous teacher. After his death, Confucius's eminently practical saying were collected in a volume called //The Analects.// Confucius emphasized the importance of the traditional values of self-control and propriety. He believed that if each individual could be virtuous, then the family would live in harmony. The four qualities valued in Confucian teaching were civility, virtue, self-respect, and devotion to the arts. His teachings were designed to help his followers live a better life in the present rather than to achieve an eternal reward after death.

Taoism is also concerned with making life better i the present world, and for that reason is often considered a philosophy rather than a religion. its founder was Laozi (born 604 BC), author of the //Taodejing//, which summarizes Taoist teaching. The Tao is the ultimate reality behind existence. it is a way of ordering one's life. Taoism encourages simplicity, meekness, humility, and cooperation. The yin/yang symbol represents the complementary negative and positive principles of the universe.

the earliest known Chinese literature is lyric poetry. //The Book of Songs,// first written down in the sixth century BC, is one of the five ancient Confucian classics. The poems, meant to be accompanied by music, are about love and war, as well as lamentations and celebrations. during the time of Confucius and Laozi, particular types of music were designated for specific functions, such as at court banquets or accompanying poetry. But music was also considered dangerous, given its ability to stir emotions.

The Zhou Dynasty began to be undermined by invasions from the west in 771 BC. Political fragmentation continued until the Qin dynasty (221-206 BC) unified the country for the first time. The Qin rulers proved that the empire could be run efficiently, establishing a central bureaucracy and introducing standardized writing and currency. The Qin rulers also initiated major building projects, including the Great Wall. But this uniformity came at a price: the Qin rulers suppressed free speech, supplanted Confucianism, persecuted scholars, and destroyed classical texts. Qin rule proved so harsh that he dynasty was overthrown after only fifteen years in power. The tomb of the firs Qin emperor, Shinhuangdi (221-206 BC) includes thousands of life size earthenware figures, designed to serve him in the afterlife.

Following the Qin dynasty, the Han dynasty rulers restored Confucianism to favor and reinvigorated classical scholarship. It was during the Han dynasty that the Silk Road trade route was established, allowing goods to travel from China to India and on to Greece and finally Rome. The period of the "six Dynasties" (AD 220-589) followed the Han dynasty, with six successive dynasties gaining control for a short time. Surviving from this period is a series of monumental stone sculptures cut into caves at Yun Kang. The most colossal of these is a forty-five foot high image of the Buddha, made around AD 460-470. The rulers during the Sui Dynasty (AD 589-618), the last of the Six Dynasties, reunited China. They were quickly overcome by the Tang dynasty, who went on to reestablish China as a world power during nearly three hundred years of prosperity and cultural enrichment (AD 618-907). Early Chinese poetry composed according to ancient folk-song models were called shih. Two of the great shih poets were Li Bai (701-762) and Du Fu 9712-770). When the Tang dynasty ended in 907, China was thrown into fifty years of civil war. The empire was reunified in 960 under the Song rulers, who introduced a period of great technological advancement. During the Song dynasty (960-1279), Chinese inventors developed gunpowder, compass, paper currency, and printing. Painting flourished during the Song period, especially nature scenes suggesting the modest position of humanity in the grand scale of the natural world. One of the most important information about China came from Venetian traveler Marco Polo (ca. 1254-1324), who vividly described the Song capital of Hangzou. Until some time during the first century AD Japan remained politically fragmented. Then some regions joined forces, typically under the leadership of aristocratic warrior clans. Around AD 300, the Yamato clan emerged as a dominant force throughout Japan during the Kofun period. Yamato rule borrowed heavily from the Chinese models of philosophy, religion, and politics. The strongest religious influence was Buddhism, which China itself had borrowed from India. Japan did have its own religious practices, designated as Shinto, which later developed into a state religion of patriotic appreciation of the Japanese land. The development of Shinto was in some measure a response to the Chinese religious and cultural influence. The earliest Japanese sculpture and architecture, closely identified with Buddhism, comes from the Asuka period (AD 552-646). One of the best-preserved and most important Japanese temples is Horyu-ji, the oldest wooden temple in the world (ca. 670). From the late seventh century on, Japanese rulers were true monarchs, no longer merely aristocratic warlords. In 794, the Japanese capital was moved to Heian. The Heian period was a period of rich productivity and peace, and the arts flourished. Among the great works produced was the world's first major work of prose fiction, //The Tale of Genji// (ca. 1021), a sprawling narrative of court life written by Muraski Shikibu (ca. 976 - ca. 1026). the Heian era was a time of cultural sophistication, during which Japanese painters and poets broke away form Chinese influences. The art of the Heian period moved away from religious subjects, and moved towards a more truly Japanese style. This style is exhibited in the painting of narrative hand-scrolls, or //emaki-mano//, usually attributed to artist Takayoshi. During the Heian era, rulers began to see their power diminish at the hands of samurai, warriors in the service of the governing nobility. The period is known as the Kamakura period because the capital was moved there. These warriors began to give themselves the title of shogun, or general-in-chief. The shogun tradition continued until 1868 when imperial rule was restored. By the ninth century, Buddhism and Shinto had covered, with Buddhism assuming prominence. Then Japan converted from Buddhism into their uniquely Japanese form of Zen Buddhism. Zen now influences every form of Japanese cultural life. It has been defined as "the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being." It is less a religion or a philosophy than a way of life. It has not scripture, no ritual ceremonies, no philosophy, and is not concerned with the afterlife. The Kamakura period ended in civil war in 1333, and insurrections continued in Japan until 1573, when a central government was formed. During this era, known as the Ashkikaga period, Japan was ruled by shoguns and their samurai warriors, and as a result, Zen practiced dominated Japanese life. One of the major cultural institutions founded on Zen thinking in the //cha-no-yu//, or the "tea ceremony," which developed during the Ashikaga period and survives today.

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=//Study Sheet//= Write the answer to each of the following questions and submit it to the instructor.

1. What is the world's oldest civilization? a. India b. China c. Japan d. Greece

2. The earliest of the Chinese eras for which archaeological evidence has been found is that of the a. Tang dynasty b. Shang dynasty c. Qin dynasty d. Han dynasty

3. At Anyang, archaeologists have found rich burial sites, but no city walls or dwellings, leading them to believe that a. the early Chinese used relatively short-lived building materials b. the early Chinese took exceptionally good care of their burial sites. c. Anyang may have been a royal burial site for another city. d. Anyang was originally a city built on top of a burial site.

4. What dynasty introduced organized agriculture? a. Zhou dynasty b. Shang dynasty c. Qin dynasty d. Tang dynasty

5. The most numerous and important Shang artifacts are made of a. wood. b. gold. c. bronze. d. jade.

6. Confucius's saying were collected during the fifth century in a volume called a. //Taodejing.// b. //The Tale of Genji.// c. //The Analects.// d. //The Book of Songs.// 7. Confucius lived in a period of political chaos and moral confusion. He emphasized the a. importance of traditional values. b. benefits of anarchy. c. disadvantages of social cohesion. d. need for people to speak their minds.

8. What quality in Confucian teaching refers to virtue? a. //li// b. //jen// c. //te// d. //wen//

9. What Cnfucian quality refers to the ideal relationship that should exist between people? a. //li// b. //jen// c. //te// d. //wen//

10. What quality in Confucian teaching refers to the arts of peace, that is, to music, poetry, art, and other cultural activities? a. //li// b. //jen// c. //te// d. //wen//

11. Confucius considered the arts a a. distraction in his quest for order and harmony. b. form of moral education. c. dangerous pastime that stirred the people to revellion. d. means to an eternal reward after death.

12. Who was the founder of Taoism? a. Lip b. Laozi c. Confucius d. Buddha

13. Taoist architecture employs a. intricate designs. b. wood in its natural state. c. lacquered wood. d. ceremonial details.

14. What is the earliest known Chinese literature? a. prose tales b. epic poetry c. lyric poetry d. novellas

15. What dynasty unified China for the first time? a. Zhou dynasty b. Qin dynasty c. Tang dynasty d. Han dynasty

16. The effect of the brief Qin dynasty was to a. delay needed building projects. b. unify the country for the first time. c. weaken the country to the point of inviting invasions from the west. d. divide the country so badly that it took centuries to bring it back together.

17. The army of terra cotta figures found buried in the mausoleum of hte first Qin emperor was there to a. serve him in the afterlife. b. scare off grave robbers. c. pay tribute to the empoeror. d. prevent evil spirits from taking the emperor's soul.

18. During hte Song dynasty, China saw within its borders the invention of a. the steam engine and the thermometer. b. paper currency and gunpowder c. movable type and bamboo. d. embroidery and social etiquette.

19. Under what dynasty was the Silk road trade route established? a. Qin dynasty b. Han dynasty c. Tang dynasty d. Zhou dynasty

20. Li Bai and Du Fu were two of the greatest practitioners of a. shih b. Indian monumental sculpture. c. terra cotta figure making. d. music honoring Chinese ancestors.

21. Who //painted Seeking the Tao in the Autumn// Mountains? a. Guo Xi b. Zhu Jan c. Liang Kai d. Takayoshi

22. Whereas China stressed the elements of Buddhism, Japan stressed its __ elements. a. patriotic; cultural b. cultural; patriotic c. philosophical; religious d. religious; philosophical

23. The earliest Japanese sculpture and architecture, that of the Asuka period, is closely identified with a. Taoism. b. Hinduism. c. Buddhism. d. Confucianism.

24. What is Horyu-ji? a. tea ceremony b. the achievement of enlightenment c. narrative handscroll d. the oldest wodden temple in the world

25. Who //wrote The Tale of// Genji? a. Du Fu b. Li Bai c. Murasaki Shikibu d. Confucius

26. What was considered the first important novel in world literature? a//. The Analects// b. //The Tale of Genji// c. //The Book of Songs// d. //Early Spring//

27. What period saw a movement away from religious subjects to more secular concerns in art? a. Heian period b. Asuka period c. Ashikaga period d. Kamakura period

28. What artist is attributed with narrative handscrolls, or //emaki-mano//? a. Guo Xi b. Liang Kai c. Zhu Jan d. Takayoshi

29. Some of the most celebrated Heian handscrolls are associated with a. //The Book of Songs// b. //Early Spring// c. //The Tale of Genji// d. //The Analects//

30. One aspect of Zen thought is that by drinking tea in a smallhut, with only a few companions, an individual could experience "lonely seclusion," or a. wabi b. //we-wei// c. satori d. yin and yang