Scholars ran the bureaucracy. There was even a civil service exam that had to be taken to make sure that people got jobs based on merit, rather than status. They were also used for making sure that Confucian scholars were in an important position. Any man could take these tests, which shows an equitable system in place. The Han expanded the powers of bureaucracy because that was what was deemed necessary to rule over such a large amount of land.…
Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Qin emperor, envisioned a central bureaucratic structure headed by royalty to rule China under his name. Though it came at the severe cost of public sentiment, Qin was an extremely proactive emperor who implemented much of what he had envisioned before. It’s agreed upon that the Qin Dynasty laid the foundation for the massive cultural and economic development of China that took place during the Han Dynasty. Although the Qin Dynasty is easily considered among the most influential time periods in Chinese history, it actually failed to achieve many of its ideological goals. In fact, socioeconomic disparity was not eliminated and despite the ideal of enriching the lives of the common people, it was under Qin rule in which public resentment of the authoritarian government was at its peak as there were countless peasant revolts against the bureaucratic rule of China.…
Many Chinese peoples originally accepted Buddhism and defended its policies (docs 2, 1, 3, 5). Between 220 C.E. and 570 C.E, after the collapse of the Han Dynasty, China experienced a period of political instability and disunity which resulted in the gradual increase in Buddhist converts. Consequently, Buddhism served as a shelter for Chinese citizens during a politically uncertain and chaotic time. Zhi Dun's argument supporting Buddhism was justified by the current political leaders’ inability to be trusted to provide security (doc 2). This led many Chinese citizens to turn to other worldly practices, especially ones that make sense of meaningless suffering and provide a reward in an afterlife.…
Throughout history, many countries have solely focused on power and nothing else. That enduring issue has the ability to influence or control people. It affects the relationship between the superior and its followers that can either be positive or negative. Shi Huangdi, Qin Dynasty's tyrant, was a power hungry man. Augustus, on the other hand, used his power to benefit the country.…
Each empire had their own form of government. In the Han Dynasty, legalism was used. Legalism was a strict form of government, but it wasn’t used as strictly as it was used in the previous dynasty. The Han also used confucianism for education and government. The goals for their empires government were to have one centralized government and to continue expansion.…
From 205 BC to 220 AD China was ruled by the Han dynasty. The Han dynasty was a time of great innovation with both positive and negative impacts. Innovations like the development and popularization of the silk road had several positive impacts on China. However, these innovations would eventually cause the fall of the Han dynasty. The Civil Service Exam is one of these innovations.…
The emperors didn't favor the Buddhism religion because it was a contradiction to historical Chinese teachings and laws. As the people of the Chinese dynasty practiced Buddhism the very essence of the emperor's control over the people was at risk which created a state of uncertainty for the Chinese rulers. A Sudra in the Han Dynasty wrote in his journal about whether to convert to Buddhism or stay where he was. He stated, "I am thinking on whether to switch to Buddhism or not because of my families well being. On one hand the religion offers a peaceful state but doesn't teach about the Chinese principles which I would like my children to know and understand.…
Laws will end civil war and restore harmony Rewards to good subjects and punish disobedient Rulers must control ideas and actions of people Favored by Shi Huangdi duirng Qin dynasty All in all, Confucian, Buddhist, and Legalist sought to answer societal problems and improve living conditions during a time of disorder and conflict. Although Confucianism promoted education and social relationships through their bureaucratic form of government while Buddhism emphasized living in harmony with nature by letting go of desires that caused suffering, all three traditions arose in times of disorder and corruption to return stability and peace.…
Classical China was composed of several major schools of philosophy that generally associated with life on earth rather than spiritual values. These philosophies emphasized a good life on earth and focused on the virtues of obedience to the state rather than speculations about God and heaven. Confucius, or King Fuzi, preached Confucianism, which was a system of ethics stressing virtue and reverence throughout society. Additionally, during the Qin and Han dynasties, an alternate system of political thought arose called Legalism. This philosophical belief was centered around the notion that human nature was naturally evil and required restraint and discipline.…
China Philosophy Essay The characteristics of the ideal ruler according to Confucius is to lead the people with governmental measures, laws, Virtue and rules of propriety. There is proof that this thesis is correct in document 2 of our DBQ. The document says that the ruler can avoid wrongdoing in the people and they will have no sense of honor and shame and set themselves right. If a ruler knows what is right and wrong and is a good person his people will follow him and do what he wants before asking them to do it.…
There are many different accounts on the fall of the Qin dynasty. The different accounts are either secondary or primary sources. Some are reliable and others not so trustworthy. There are many aspects that make it easier to decipher which sources are not realistic and which really tell the story of the Qin dynasty. Three documents were given to piece together the fall of the Qin dynasty.…
This should have been an easy job considering Legalism, Taoism, and Confucianism were found in the dynasty for centuries before Buddhism comes around. One anonymous Chinese scholar wrote “The Disposition of Error” during 500 C.E. It is a question and answer document, the questions are from a person who is against the spread of Buddhism into China (Doc 3). The first question is about if Buddhism if such a great thing, then why did Confucius and the great sages not practice it? And the answer is that “the records and teachings of the Confucian classics do not contain everything” (Doc 3). This means that just because Confucius is the “greatest” it does not mean that he knew or wrote down everything.…
However, religions have impacted the way dynasties ruled and these religious influences have lasted longer than dynasties. Confucianism prepared the rise of Communism and its success in China through beliefs, practices, and common themes. In order to compare both, first it is important to get a short understanding of both. Confucianism arose…
At this time some of the lords had gained so much power that they had near the same level as the king. Groups of lords would start to join together and these groups would fight for power causing an immense amount of chaos. Because of this the Chinese started to wonder the best way to rule an empire. There were so many ways that came about that they were called the “Hundred Schools of Thought.” The three most popular philosophies were Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.…
Qin Shihuangdi, the emperor of the Qin Dynasty, was described by Jacqueline Morley as an “all-seeing eyes, the nose of a hornet, the voice of a jackal, and the heart of a wolf.” Shihuangdi ruled his dynasty for approximately 15 years from 221 BC through 206 BC, throughout those long 15 years Shihuangdi changed many laws and duties. He changed China’s currency, writing style, weights, measures, and distance. Shihuangdi changed all these things because he thought there was room for improvement. Other than just changing the way people had to to communicate with other countries, he also changed old duties into new laws that had to be followed unless his advisors wanted to live in prison for the rest of their lives.…