Ancient China
Culture & Society - Overview
•	Family
•	Politics
•	War & Martial Arts
•	Trade 
•	Art & Literature
•	Religions
Confucian Values
•	Ideas
•	Hierarchy is basic order of universe
•	Human society should harmonize with nature
•	Principles
–	Social order
–	Ceremonial behaviour
–	Education, role models
–	Government exists to serve people
–	Ruler respected for fairness, integrity

Family
•	Ancestor worship
•	Family hierarchy
–	Male centred
–	Confucian values
•	filial piety
•	humaneness
•	ritual 
•	Marriages
–	Arranged by parents
–	Tension between wives & in-laws

Government
•	Values of Confucianist bureaucracy
–	Benevolence, nonviolence, justice, rationalism, loyalty, decorum
•	Examination system
–	Han to Qing Dynasties
–	Civil service recruitment, education
•	Provincial exams on classic Confucian texts
–	Meritocracy:  rule by men of virtue and ability

The Art of War
•	Sun Tzu
–	“Art of War”:  oldest military text
–	Army’s vital importance to the State
•	Imperial Armies
–	Support by taxation, road/canal networks
–	Walled towns meant long sieges
–	Use of archers, cavalry, gunpowder

Chinese Martial Arts
•	Role of Philosophy
–	Training in Buddhist temples, monasteries
•	e.g. Shaolin Temple, Henan Province
–	Physical related to mental discipline
•	Weapons fighting
–	Bo stick, kwan do, staff solid or sectional.
•	Empty Hand fighting
–	Kung Fu
–	Tai Chi
•	Related to Daoism

Trade
•	Silk Road
–	Westbound:  silk, jade, tea, technology
–	Eastbound:  wool, gold, silver, Buddhism
•	Grand Canal
–	Connected Yellow and Yangtze drainages
•	Ports and Shipping
–	Tianjin, Shanghai, Hong Kong

Classic Porcelain
Painting
•	Song period to present
•	Styles
–	Landscape painting
•	Trees, mountains express ideas, feelings
–	Bird-and-flower painting
•	Painters
–	Mu Qi (Chan Buddhist)
–	Xia Gui
Literature
•	Five Confucian Classics
–	Book of Changes (I Ching:  divination)
–	Book of Documents (history, Shang & Zhou periods)
–	Book of Songs (poems)
–	Spring & Autumn Annals
–	Book of Rites (Liji: rituals)

Belief
•	Nature worship
–	Shrines to gods of wind, rain, rivers, mountains
–	Animal sacrifice
•	Balance of forces
–	Yin (female) & yang (male)
–	Geomancy: earth divination
•	Location & orientation of buildings, graves

Confucius
•	Life
–	Born 551 BC d. 479 BC
–	Teacher, administrator
–	Exiled, taught disciples
•	Analects
–	Collected memoirs of teachings
•	Moral influence
–	Ai Ren:  Love Others
–	Yi:  Right Conduct
–	Lï:  Manners, Ceremony
–	Lì:  Profit (bad)
•	Political influence
–	Han Dynasty:  rules of governing
–	Still felt today
Daoism
•	Founded by Lao Zi
–	6th cent BC
–	Wrote “Tao Te Ching”
•	The Dao:  the path or way
–	Perceived only by experience
–	Power flowing through all life
–	Dynamic balance of universe
•	Harmony of opposites
–	Goal is to become one with the Dao
•	State religion in China
–	5th cent BC to 20th cent AD
Buddhism
•	History
–	along Silk Road from India
•	Han Dynasty 206 BC
–	Mahayana (“Greater Vehicle”) tradition
•	Buddhist scriptures (sutras)
–	Tripitika
–	Lotus & Diamond Sutras (oldest known paper books)
•	Chinese Buddhist Schools
–	Pure Land (White Lotus sect)
•	Oldest, from India
–	Huayan (Flower Garden)
–	Chan (Zen)
•	Emphasized meditation
–	Tientai (Celestial Terrace)