Exploring Ancient China!

Yes, I know what you're thinking: why am I back so soon? You guys don't deserve this much of my awesome self all in one day! And you know, I absolutely agree with you. But unfortunately, I am a teacher and it is my job to teach. I mean, it's literally in the name. Plus, I am the ONLY teacher in the entire school. We used to have others but then I realized how much I disliked the idea of not being the only one in power so I terminated them all. Some went into the pool of acid, others went into the lake of sea monsters, and I could go on listing all the several ways I got rid of them, but that's a story for another day. So! Who wants to take a wild guess at what we'll be learning about TODAY?! Don't answer, it was rhetorical. YES, WE WILL BE DELVING DEEP INTO ANCIENT CHINA! We will explore all the ancient secrets and amazing facts about this incredible massive empire that extended over a large area of land and was one of the most innovative civilizations in the ancient world before it became a crowded over-populated bustling city in the modern times full of smoke and---well, overpopulation. Whip out your papers and pens, kids. Taking notes is going to be an essential part of history, otherwise your ass will never remember anything and I'LL FAIL YOU! Now, with that wonderful fact in mind, can anyone tell me why China was called an empire?

Absolutely and unequivocally right, Ginger! I hope you all took note of that: like Ginger said, China was known as an empire because it was all under the control of one ruler, who was known as the emperor of China. Now, as I'm sure you're all well aware of, the time of ancient China was divided into different dynasties. The term dynasty is defined as a line of hereditary rulers of a country. Historians consider the following dynasties to have unified China proper: the Qin dynasty, the Western Han, the Xin dynasty, the Eastern Han, the Western Jin, the Sui dynasty, the Tang dynasty, the Wu Zhou, the Northern Song, the Yuan dynasty, the Ming dynasty, and the Qing dynasty. As you may conclude from my earlier statement of the definition of dynasty, when a new family takes control, then a new dynasty begins. The Mandate of Heaven is what the Chinese people believed gave their rulers the right to be king or emperor. It meant that the gods had blessed that person with the right to rule. A ruler had to be a good and just ruler to keep the Mandate of Heaven. Kind of like me, right? I'm good and just. Anyways, in Chinese the Mandate of Heaven was called Tianming. Does anyone know which dynasty was the most powerful, lasted the longest, and marked the Golden Age of ancient China?

Absolutely, Elizabeth. Absolutely. Did you all hear her? The Tang dynasty, that is spelled T-A-N-G. It is considered a golden age of Chinese arts and culture. In power from 618 to 906 A.D., Tang China attracted an international reputation that spilled out of its cities and, through the practice of Buddhism, spread its culture across much of Asia. Emperors had a lot of power, so whoever was in charge and depending on how much they chose to exert this power, the empire would either suffer or flourish. Let's take Hagrid, for example. If he was emperor of China, everything would collapse into ruin within less than a week. However, if someone strong and brave and clever like Sergio was emperor of China, his empire would flourish and his legacy would live on in a line of emperors that would leave a golden age in China to go on for centuries.

Yeah, you stupid pile of dung. I just said that, and you know it's true. You would make an awful emperor; everything would be in complete ruin because of you. Anyways, moving on! Among the most famous emperors were Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty, the Emperors Gaozu and Wu of the Han dynasty, Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty, Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty, the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty, and the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing dynasty. Now, as you all probably know, a system like imperialism is bound to have very distinguishable pros and cons. Can anyone tell me a con of imperialism? Why can it be bad?

Correct, babe! UH, I mean Che! Hah, look at me with my blabbing mouth. Anyways, Che is right, but let's put his answer into more formal terms. Imperialism has its own positive aspects, but in the longer run when greed takes over the reason for helping another nation, it leads to destruction of a nation, and generations to come are severely impacted by the actions of few. I mean, think about it: if one person has all this power over a large empire and the person isn't good or just as the Mandate of Heaven requires, imagine what they will do with all that power. If you're not prepared for such a massive responsibility and you don't know how to handle it, it could destroy you as a person. The power might get to your head, and you will start making decisions based on your own greedy and selfish reasons, leading you to become---as Che put it---a "beast". Let me give you an example: Emperor Yang. Write his name down, guys. You'll need to remember him for future reference. Despite his accomplishments, Emperor Yang is generally considered by traditional historians to be one of the worst tyrants in Chinese history and the reason for the Sui Dynasty's relatively short rule. Ruling from 604 to 618, he committed to several large construction projects, most notably the completion of the Grand Canal, and the reconstruction of the Great Wall. Now, this is where the controversy comes in. You'd think such accomplishments are great, and they are in a sense, but they are also not. The reconstruction of the Great Wall was a project which took the lives of nearly six million workers. Now pair that with the good of the project and try to balance it out. You can't, can you? You just can't stop thinking about how many lives were taken, so how could you possibly view it as a good thing? And you are absolutely right, it wasn't. But see? That's why he was controversial. When you have something that's both a good thing and a bad thing, conflict begins to arise as arguments form between people. Some will say that lives need to be lost in order for an empire to flourish and become powerful, and others will say that nothing can justify taking innocent lives. But the most important thing about history is that you can't ever start viewing it as something to be opiniated about. History is for the purpose of teaching us about the past so we can learn from both the good things and the bad things, and learn from the mistakes of our predecessors so we can become better people and be informed. I mean, you can't live in a country and not know anything about its history. That's just not acceptable. Being informed is one of the most important parts of history. Now, let's move on to the topic of religion. Can anyone tell me what religion was practiced in imperial China?

Correctamundo, Linda! Ancient China had not one, but THREE religions! These three were Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism and were widely practiced in ancient China. Followers of Confucianism believe, among other things, in filial piety, which means respecting your elders. Taoism is where the symbol for Yin and Yang comes from. And of course, we all know about Buddhism; the teachings of the Buddha are aimed solely at liberating sentient beings from suffering. These three religions are considered the “three pillars” of ancient Chinese society. As philosophies and religions, they not only influenced spirituality, but also government, science, the arts, and social structure. We are going to discuss each religion individually so we can go a little deeper into them and you can learn more instead of just grazing the surface and learning the general themes. Starting with Confucianism, of course. Confucianism was a philosophy developed in 6th-century BCE China, which is considered by some a secular-humanist belief system, by some a religion, and by others a social code. The broad range of subjects touched on by Confucianism lends itself to all three of these interpretations depending on which aspects one focuses on. The philosophy is based on the belief that human beings are essentially good, that they engage in immoral behavior through lack of a strong moral standard, and that adherence to an ethical code, and rituals which encourage it, enabled one to live a productive and tranquil life of peace which would translate to a strong, ethical, and prosperous state. It was founded by Confucius (551-479 BCE), a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period (c. 772-476 BCE). Confucius is considered among the greatest philosophers of the Hundred Schools of Thought (also given as the Contention of the Hundred Schools of Thought) which references the time during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period (c. 481-221 BCE) when various philosophical schools contended with each other for adherents. He is, without a doubt, the most influential philosopher in China’s history whose views, precepts, and concepts have informed Chinese culture for over 2,000 years. Confucius himself claimed to have written nothing and offered nothing new, insisting his views were taken from older works (known as the Five Classics) he was just popularizing through his school. The later Confucian philosopher and scholar Mencius, however, attributed the Five Classics to Confucius, a view that continued to be held until the mid-20th century CE. These works, three others on Confucian thought, and one by Mencius make up The Four Books and Five Classics which have been the foundational texts of Chinese culture since the time of the Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE) when Confucianism was made the state philosophy. The Four Books and Five Classics are: The Book of Rites (also given as The Book of Great Learning), The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius, The Works of Mencius, The I-Ching, The Classics of Poetry, The Classics of Rites, The Classics of History, and The Spring and Autumn Annals. Does anyone have any questions or would like me to repeat something you missed? Wait, what the hell am I saying? Whoever needs me to repeat is a brainless piece of crap who was clearly not listening to a word I was saying and needs hearing aids, because those of you who know me well know that I do not repeat ANYTHING. LISTEN TO ME FOR CHRIST'S SAKE AND TAKE NOTES!

What's that? You didn't catch the last classic in the Four Books and Five Classics! Oh, of course I can repeat that for you. No big deal. I understand it may be hard sometimes to catch what I'm saying, I am conveying a lot of information after all. Don't ever be afraid to ask if you need me to repeat anything, okay? That would be the Spring and Autumn Annals. Just let me know if there's anything else you need me to repeat. Everyone good?

You . . . want . . . me . . . to . . . REPEAAAAATTTTT???!!!!! WHAT THE HELL DID I TELL YOU ABOUT MY NO-REPETITION POLICY, YOU FOOLISH IMBECILE?! WERE YOU NOT LISTENING TO ME?! ARE MY WORDS AND MY CLASS THAT UNIMPORTANT TO YOU THAT YOU CANNOT REMEMBER ONE MEASLY FACT BECAUSE YOU WERE NOT WRITING IT DOWN IN YOUR STUPID NOTES?! YOU IDIOT, YOU COMPLETE IDIOT! STUDENTS LIKE YOU ARE THE REASON THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY DEATHS AT THIS SCHOOL! SHAME ON YOU, SHAME ON YOUUUUUU!!!!! DETENTION, RIGHT NOW! ASSISTANT, TAKE HIM DOWN TO THE DUNGEONS AND TEACH HIM A PROPER LESSON ABOUT REPETITIONS! AND NOT THE PAINLESS KIND! Phew, Holy God. All this screaming has stressed me out unbelievably. Will someone please bring me a Ruby Flamingo Frappuccino, ice-ICE cold? My throat is painfully sore from all the yelling. Sometimes I honestly feel so bad for myself with the things I have to go through every day. I'm such a victim here, all my students are so mean to me for no good reason. 

Mmmm, thank you! That is so much better. So soothing, I can feel the sweetness running down my throat and the little icy bits cooling me down and relieving my soreness. Hallelujah! Now, where were we? Ah, yes. On the subject of Taoism. To start off, I'm sure you're all very familiar with this symbol.

Sure, everyone's familiar with it and have probably seen it everywhere, but does anyone know what it actually means or symbolizes? Well, your good-hearted teacher is about to tell you. The ubiquitous Yin-Yang symbol, also known as the Tai Chi symbol, holds its roots in Taoism/Daoism. The yin, the dark swirl, is associated with shadows, femininity, and the trough of a wave; the yang, the light swirl, represents brightness, passion and growth. They are opposites; the very first polar opposites in the beginning of time, according to whoever follows those beliefs. Taoism or Daoism, is a philosophical tradition of Chinese origin which emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao. The Tao is a fundamental idea in most Chinese philosophical schools; in Taoism, however, it denotes the principle that is the source, pattern and substance of everything that exists. Taoist thought focuses on genuineness, longevity, health, immortality, vitality, wu wei (non-action, a natural action, a perfect equilibrium with tao), detachment, refinement (emptiness), spontaneity, transformation and omni-potentiality. The philosophy grew from an observance of the natural world, and the religion developed out of a belief in cosmic balance maintained and regulated by the Tao. The original belief may or may not have included practices such as ancestor and spirit worship but both of these principles are observed by many Taoists today and have been for centuries. Taoism exerted a great influence during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) and the emperor Xuanzong (reigned 712-756 CE) decreed it a state religion, mandating that people keep Taoist writings in their home. It fell out of favor as the Tang Dynasty declined and was replaced by Confucianism and Buddhism but the religion is still practiced throughout China and other countries today. The founder of this religion was a philosopher named Laozi. So, the historian Sima Qian (145-86 BCE) tells the story of Lao-Tzu, a curator at the Royal Library in the state of Chu, who was a natural philosopher. Lao-Tzu believed in the harmony of all things and that people could live easily together if they only considered each other's feelings once in a while and recognized that their self-interest was not always in the interest of others. Lao-Tzu grew impatient with people and with the corruption he saw in government, which caused the people so much pain and misery. He was so frustrated by his inability to change people's behavior that he decided to go into exile. As he was leaving China through the western pass, the gatekeeper Yin Hsi stopped him because he recognized him as a philosopher. Yin Hsi asked Lao-Tzu to write a book for him before he left civilization forever and Lao-Tzu agreed. He sat down on a rock beside the gatekeeper and wrote the Tao-Te-Ching (The Book of the Way). He stopped writing when he felt he was finished, handed the book to Yin Hsi, and walked through the western pass to vanish into the mist beyond. Sima Qian does not continue the story after this but, presumably (if the story is true) Yin Hsi would have then had the Tao-Te-Ching copied and distributed. And last but definitely not least, I will talk about Buddhism. I know you all have definitely seen this statue before.

Look familiar? Well, that's because it is! This statue is the Buddha, the basis of Buddhism as a religion. The Buddha, or Gautama Buddha as he was also called, was a philosopher, mendicant, meditator, spiritual teacher, and religious leader who lived in Ancient India. He is revered as the founder of the world religion of Buddhism, and worshiped by most Buddhist schools as the Enlightened One who has transcended Karma and escaped the cycle of birth and rebirth. The Basic Teachings of the Buddha which are core to Buddhism are: The Three Universal Truths, The Four Noble Truths, and The Noble Eightfold Path. The Three Universal Truths are: 1. Everything is impermanent and changing 2. Impermanence leads to suffering, making life imperfect, and 3. The self is not personal and unchanging. The Four Noble Truths comprise the essence of Buddha's teachings, though they leave much left unexplained. They are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. The Fourth Noble Truths chart the method for attaining the end of suffering, known to Buddhists as the Noble Eightfold Path. The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Buddhists believe following the Noble Eightfold Path will lead them to achieve enlightenment. In Buddhism, enlightenment (called bodhi in Indian Buddhism, or satori in Zen Buddhism) is when a Buddhist finds the truth about life and stops being reborn because they have reached Nirvana. Once you get to Nirvana you are not born again into samsara (which is suffering). So basically, before that, you continue being reborn or reincarnated, as it is also called, until you reach enlightenment and you no longer have to go through that crap. No questions, obviously, and no one who would like me to repeat unless they want to end up like that deadbeat Batman. He should be called Bat-loser in my opinion. What a waste of society, what a human stain. Yeah, Gotham's hero MY ASS. He shouldn't be called the Dark Knight, he should be called the Dark Loser. It's no wonder Gotham is such a failure of a city, it's all his fault. Anyways, guys, that is it for today on the subject of ancient China! I hope you all learned a lot and are extremely fascinated by what I taught you, and I hope you all took a hell of a lot of notes to prepare for the 100-question test that is worth 20 grades next class. Also, do additional research on ancient China because only like 10% of what's on the test will be actually be what we learned, and the other 90% will be random information that I never taught you guys! How fun, right? The test is only one take, and definitely NOT open-note. If you pass, GREAT! If you fail, torture time, which is also great but only for me! As I said before, no questions and no repetitions. I won't answer anything. I was very clear about everything and that is that. Teacher OUT!