Wu Zhao Chapter Summary

Everything is revolved around religion. Politicians were strict religious people. Priests usually had high political power because of this. Laozi also says to not interfere in order to win an empire basically stating that if you want to become a good empire you should not be doing everything and getting up in people's business. He is trying to say that they should not over extend and become something that they were not meant to be. It seems as if the main idea was to not stress yourself and be content with what you were supposed to be. This religion was only really known by Chinese government officials and strong believers in Laozi until modern China. Each government has a set of principles to live by and the religion of choice usually set the parameters on the government and gave the officials a set of standards to live and govern

The history of the ancient China is filled with explorations and reforms of the most suitable, effective, and adaptable state ideology for different empires and the society ruled. Up till Tang dynasty, since the early emperors themselves had little idea what would be ideal and what would not, different ideologies were endorsed in a much experimental way, among which three major ideologies played important roles in shaping the Chinese empires that advocated them and affecting the values and behaviors of the society under the rule of these empires. These three ideologies are Legalism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, and were adopted by Qin, Han, and Tang dynasty

Every civilization has a prominent figure. That person the civilization looks up to in felicity and pride and follows to the end. That person that provides all of the people of the civilization with hope and a sense of victory. That person that does everything they can in order to assist their civilization in improving anything that could possibly be improved. A certain man or woman that contributes a large quantity to his or her civilization. During the Han dynasty, Liu Bang was one of those prominent figures. Liu Bang was that significant person that provided the Han dynasty with numerous developments that changed the lives of that civilization in such an effective way.

Zhu Yuanzhang led a very strong and powerful army to take control of the Yuan Dynasty and they were successful. That led them to gain power. They consolidated by trading and it was even more beneficial to them since they were in Asia and near the water so it was easy for them to use boats to travel and trade. They also secured their borders from their enemies by building the Great Wall of China. They managed to maintain power by allowing everyone in the empire freedom of religion and fair rules and they had good economic income from trading.

The Tang dynasty was first run by the emperor Tang Taizong he was a great ruler and brought the empire to success in it’s early days ranging from 626 649. was the next to take power. She ruled from behind the scenes for a while, until 660 when she declared herself empress being the first to ever do so in china. Along with these strong rulers the Tang had a strong central bureaucracy. Through this bureaucracy you could enter by taking a test or if you were very high class you could just automatically be given a position.Ironically even though the empress was female, only males could apply for positions. While this system was both sexist and classist it still run rather well. Most of the people who held office were quite competent. This was all true until their decline in 907.

“The reason why China suffers bitterly from endless wars is because of the existence of feudal lords and kings.” -Qin Shi Huang.

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

In the mountains of Shaanxi, China, farmers came across one of the most significant archeological findings of all time. Hidden under what was thought a mountain, was the discovery of Emperor Qin Shihuangdi’s tomb. The significance of the tomb shows Qin’s power he possessed over his people. Inside were over 8,000 Terra Cotta clay soldiers along with horses, carts, merchants, weapons and chariots made from different medal. In all, over 700,000 people were used to build the tomb and it was built in just 38 years. This discovery reveals an immense amount of information about early Chinese civilization.

The different schools of thoughts have seen to prosper during the Warring State Period. The Warring State period witnessed intensive warfare. Some of the ambitious king fought with the aim of gaining more territory and power, while some were fighting to survive and retain their power. Consequently, many states were not only competing with their military power but also with the philosophy they adapted in court and the state. Some of the notable schools of thought included Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism and Mohism. However, in this paper, I will be highlighting on Confucianism and Legalism as these two philosophies differ vastly in their perception on whether human nature is kind or evil.

The author of Lives of the Nuns name is Shi Baochang and he constructed this article during the Tang Dynasty (618-906 CE). Shi Baochang was a Buddhist himself, his intention of writing these pieces is to spread the belief of Buddhism throughout the world. Lives of the Nuns is not the only Buddhist piece he has constructed , he has written many more to prevent the belief of Buddhism from going extinct. His theme in his writings is not to just spread the idea of the religion, but also to show the people what Buddhism really is about. Shi Baochang, writing pieces were so influential, they made the people of the empire have more of an open minded thinking of the idea Buddhism and saw it differently.

Few historical figures can stand alongside legends such as Napoleon and Alexander the Great but in his book, Heavenly Khan, Victor Cunrui Xiong Ph.D. tries to make a case for Tang Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin. Xiong attempts to write a historical fiction that appeals to a wide variety of readers. Heavenly Khan tells the story of Emperor Taizong who grew up in a period of devastation for the Chinese people. Taizong would grow to become a military commander, military genius, and emperor of the Tang Dynasty

The final section returns back to the mother as narrators. An-Mei discovered her mother was abused by Wu Tsing. She learned that her mother was forced into her position. The second wife of Wu Tsing arranged for An-Mei’s mother to be raped and shamed. An-Mei’s mother poisons

Wudi ruled from 141 B.C. to 87 B.C., and during his reign he improved China. He expanded the Han dynasty to southern China and Vietnam and later recovered Korea. He also established Confucianism as China state’s religi. “ His administrative reforms left an enduring mark on the Chinese state, and his exclusive recognition of Confucianism had a permanent effect on subsequent East Asian history.” (Encyclopedia Britannica ,“Wudi”). In comparison to Wudi, Wang Mang ruled from A.D. 8 to A.D. 23. although he made a wide range of reforms, his efforts only caused problems with strong

The early Ming Dynasty was a period of cultural restoration and expansion. Under a series of strong rulers, China extended its rule into Mongolia and Central Asia. The Ming even briefly conquered Vietnam, which after a thousand years of Chinese rule had reclaimed its independence following the collapse of the Tang dynasty in the tenth century”(Duiker 336) .The Ming dynasty also known as the Empire of the Great Ming was described as of the greatest and famous eras that bought stability in human history. Emperor Hongwu born Zhu Yuanzhang (1368 -1398) was the founder and first emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China despite his lowly birth as the son of a hired laborer from one of the poorest parts of China”(Menzies 45). In the middle of the 14th century, with famine, plagues, and peasant revolts sweeping across China, Zhu Yuanzhang rose to command the force

Although, in her case, there was a struggle to gain and maintain supreme power. Her leadership resulted in effects such as the social class in Chinese society and relation to state support for Buddhism. Unlike most women, Wu Zetian was seen as ruthless and power hungry. Which shows that women who are able to abandon their “womanly” traits are the ones who are able to gain and maintain the most power. She seems to follow a similar route of other women in power who have all started out as concubines or consorts to