Shang Dynasty Research Paper

Emperor Kangxi was the fourth and longest reigning emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty during the late 17th century until the early 18th century. Historians consider him one of the greatest emperors in history because his policies ultimately led the Qing Dynasty in becoming one of the most successful and flourishing societies globally and historically. Emperor Kangxi believed the role of the emperor was to be benevolent and respectful to all of his subjects, and to create harmony within the nation, with the hope of ultimately restoring and expanding the Qing dynasty into a prosperous and economic empire. Kangxi had strict criteria for state official prospects. He believed it was very important to look into a person's moral and spiritual values

Qin Shi Haungdi was one of the most important emperors in Chinese history; as the first emperor he needed to centralize the political economical and military power as one group, (theqin-dynasty-ag.weebly.com/government.html created by weebly )The unification of china meant that Shi haungdi would have to create a standardized measurement, weight and a system of law that would apply to every part of China. He made the banliang coin of the Qin state the single currency of the new Qin Empire. He made forms of bronze money, which came in a number of different shapes and sizes, became obsolete. The standardisation of coinage can be seen as both a symbol of the emperor’s political authority and as an important economic development.

The Qin dynasty of China changed the region by replacing the decentralized feudal kings with a central imperial administration, elements of which survive to the present day. First emperor Qin Shi Huang China unified the various feudal states through military might introducing a unified legal system. The Qin emperors would not long survive but the following Han dynasty chose to retain many of the Qin systems and traditions upon seizing power around 200 B.C.

The Hsia Dynasty considered the first dynasty in China. However this dynasty is legendary because there is little archeological evidence to support existence. It is dated from 2205 BCE to 1760 BCE. According to the legend Yu was the wise king who invented a way to control flooding of the Huang He River so that people could live there. Since there is very little evidence to support the story, the second dynasty, called the Shang Dynasty, is the first one recorded

China, up until the Qin Dynasty, consisted of independent states controlled by kings fighting each other for land and power. This time period was called The Era of Warring States, which lasted two hundred years. After this time, the Qin Dynasty rose to power. They conquered all other dynasties, and established a centralized government, unifying China for the first time. The dynasty that succeeded the Qin, the Han, continued the centralized government and they started a westward expansion that would encourage trade and cultural diffusion. The Qin and Han Dynasties were similar in that they both believed in a strong centralized government, which strengthened and unified their empires, but they differed in that the Qin followed the strict Legalism while the Han followed the more flexible Confucianism, and the way they interacted with outsiders; the Qin tended to be more defensive of outsiders while the Han were more interactive and wanted to build relationships with foreigners.

Many people have mistaken Confucianism as a religion. However, it is a system of belief, a philosophy. This belief emphasizes on respect and harmony of relationships. Moreover, it pushed for a well-ordered society by accentuating human relationships, a righteous leader and a good education. Confucius, a philosopher and a teacher, founded Confucianism. He grew up in the period of warring states, a time of chaos and internal hostilities during the Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, Confucius’ ultimate goal was to transform the Chinese society into a state of unity and righteous. However, Confucianism did not flourish until the Han Dynasty. It also played a different role in the Song Dynasty.

Although Qin Shi Huang-Di is sometimes seen as a fantastic leader and unifier, he was also paranoid, oppressive, and tyrannical. For example, he was constantly worried about people who opposed him and about keeping control of his country. When Confucian scholars talked behind his back or criticized him because his administration was built on Legalism, he decided to get rid of them and ordered the arrest and execution of over 400 scholars (Gracie). This dislike of opposition and debate has carried over to the communist party of China today, showing just how much of Qin’s legacy has lasted. Along with the arrest of the scholars, he also used other means to end intellectual opposition. In 213 BCE, he ordered that all books be burned, except for

The Shang dynasty began in 1600 BCE and ended around 1046 BCE. This dynasty marked the middle of the Chinese Bronze Age and left most of its impact on the area surrounding the Yellow River—otherwise known as “China’s Sorrow.” Shang dynasty is the very first Chinese dynasty to have a written record of their civilization and events; it is also the second of the Three Dynasties period. This dynasty brought with it a strong economy and a large focus on agriculture. The Shang society was ruled as that of a monarchy. The rulers were born into their roles and those below into theirs—much like that of India’s caste system today. Small portions of the regions were ruled by former ruling classes and aristocratic families. Warrior aristocrats were in charge of insuring there was enough food for the monarch and his court by way of collection agricultural crops from the farmer commoners. The agricultural crops—such as millet, wheat, beans, and rice—supported the king’s armies during war times. The warriors also served to keep peace between peasants and the townspeople, as justice was often challenged between the two.

It was under their rule that people remained happy and the country also prospered. Things went fine until the ninth emperor, after which came the downfall of the Shang dynasty. Family members of the tenth emperor made several attempts to overthrow him and take charge of the throne. However this led to social issues and gradually the emperor’s power declined. The Shang dynasty was no more.

Yet, the developing culture of the Han Dynasty and its period of disunity, such as technology, paintings, pottery, history recording, and literature will resonate in Chinese culture. The most important aspect during the time period of 100 CE - 300 CE was the changes. The changes include the corruption of the civil service exams, the change in the political structure that lead to the Three Kingdoms Period, and the changes in cultural achievements. The shift in power that correlated with the shift in power between the classes had created instability, which ripped apart society and led to its fall. If this had not have happened, the Han Dynasty would not have fallen as

Wu Zhao was the first ever female to become an Emperor in ancient china. She was born on the 17th of February 624 AD and grew up in a very wealthy family and being well educated by her father. By the time she was 14 she moved into a imperial palace to help serve emperor Taizong as a concubine. Wu Zhao continued to be educated while living at the imperial palace, learning languages and English, which certainly gave her the background knowledge and skills to be a good Emperor. While some believe she manipulated her way to power, Wu Zhao was a good leader for all people in ancient china as she set a positive example for others, particularly women, and introduced many improvements which made the lives of those under her leadership better.

The Shang Dynasty was located in the Ruins of Yin near the Yellow River, formerly Anyang in China. Although this was the definitive site, they moved six times while its 500 years of existence. The Shang persisted throughout 1050 BC-1600 BC, during the Bronze Age. A way archaeologists determined its chronology was by two ancient texts known as The Bamboo Annals and Records of the Grand Historian (1).

- Emperor Wuzong, a Taoist, persecuted other religions for economic reasons, espeically Buddhists, and had some of their property destroyed and some their members executed.

The Daodejing, sometimes referred to simply as the Laozi after its author, is a classic Chinese text, fundamental for the study and practice of Daoism (Taoism). Daoism is heavily based on the concept of Yin Yang, a symbol which represents the two basic principles which govern the entire universe, i.e., the Yin and the Yang. The Yin and the Yang do not hold fixed definitions, but instead they are described as complete opposites which continuously transform into each other in order to keep the world in perfect equilibrium. Laozi explains this concept of absolute balance as he writes, “If you would shrink it,/You must first cause it to be expanded;/If you would weaken it,/You must first cause it to be strengthened...This is called the subtly illumined./The

Wu surprisingly did not fully get rid of the Shang Dynasty. But, the Shang did become much weaker. Unfortunately, Wu died young when he returned to Haojing. Wu had a son who took his spot on the throne. King Cheng was the new ruler while he was still a child. The Zhou had a goal to conquer the eastern plain left by the Shang Dynasty. But, King Wu never made a plan to conquer the leftovers of the Shang. Luckily, King Wu had a brother. He was known as the Duke of Zhou and he found out how the Zhou dynasty will use their power to move across North China. The Duke of Zhou was now the chief with his nephew, King Cheng. But, just because they are family doesn’t mean you like them or are automatically friends with them. When the Duke of Zhou told everybody that he was regent over King Cheng, his brothers in Youli joined the Shang dynasty. There, they started a rebellion to get the old Shang order back. The Duke of Zhou was furious! So furious, that he essentially stole the throne from his young nephew! The Duke of Zhou won’t let anything stop him so he can demolish that rebellion made by his brothers. He immediately set out a plan to organize his military strength to take down the rebellion. He even produced many plans to move eastwards to take the entire Yellow River plain! In the process, he was destroying small states and trying to gain as much power as he can! You would think that the Duke of Zhou