HIS 111
Unit 6: Classical China
![Terra Cotta Army](../../Photos/China/Terracottaarmy.jpg)
This is the famed terra cotta army of warriors, over 8,000 of them, dating to the first Qin emperor,
Qin Shi Huang, circa 210 BCE, when these became part of his burial process; photo source is from Wikipedia Commons by Richard Chambers.
What you
must do in this unit
- Read chapters 4 and 9 and the section on China in chapter 12 in the textbook.
- Read my short notes on Classical China and on Wu Zetian.
- Watch my short video.
- So that you don't get confused with all the Chinese dynasties and dates, and everyone gets confused about the early dynasties, it is a good idea for you to have a look at this Timeline of Chinese History and Dynasties.
- Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the unit.
- Post (or respond) with your thoughts/ideas/comments in the discussion forum: What were some of the characteristics of government in classical China (5 points)?
What you can do in this unit
Some videos that you can watch for this unit
Extra Credit Options
- For up to 50 points of extra credit, read Confucius, The Analects and submit the Confucius paper.
- For up to 25 points of extra credit, in a one-page paper, consider a comparison of the
Analects of Confucius with the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus of Nazareth
or the Sermon at Benares of Siddhartha Buddha. Please cite your
sources.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the short excerpt on the idea of the Mandate of
Heaven and write a paragraph in which you explain this Chinese conception of political authority. (If the link does not work, and it probably won't, then use this copy.)
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the Chinese Accounts of Rome, Byzantium, and the Middle East, c.
91BCE - 1643ce, and in a long paragraph assess the ancient Chinese understanding of the world.
- For up to 5 points of extra credit,
you can submit the answers to the Confucius study questions. Please write in formal, complete sentences.
- For extra credit, please suggest a
relevant website for this unit of the course. Send your instructor the title of the site, the URL and a brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to the material being studied this unit.
Unit Learning Objectives
- Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) describe the characteristics of the historical development of early China, (2) compare and contrast the origin, development and characteristics of Buddhism and Confucianism and (3) identify some of the important individuals involved in the formation of classical Chinese civilization.
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