Final Digital Magazine

Ancient China

Digital Magazine

Created by Maggie, Dean, and Kaan

Political Map of Ancient China
Terrain Map of Ancient China

Famous Site Visits

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City has helped the Chinese
stabilize the emperor’s ruling over the country. It is
currently the only existing imperial architectural
complex in China. Its collections of artifacts are
from all ages and dynasties of the Chinese
civilization. The Forbidden City helps promote
cultural exchanges between China and other
countries.

The Summer Palace

The Summer Palace, otherwise known as Qingyi Yuan or
the Garden of Clear Ripples was made in 1750 by
Emperor Qianlong for his mother’s birthday. The name
Garden of Clear Ripples originated from the fact that ¾
of the palace is solely water. Emperors and empresses
like to spend their time here since it is very relaxing and
secluded from the modern day. The Summer Palace
shows great interconnectedness between nature and man made structures.

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is a sacred religious building
located in the southeastern part of central Beijing. It’s
architectural structure highlights cultural and religious
beliefs from that time. This temple was constructed from
1406 to 1420 (during the reign of Yongle Emperor). The
emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties went to the
Temple of Heaven to worship the god of heaven and to
pray for good harvests. The Temple of Heaven consists of

multiple buildings. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (the main building) and the
Circular Mound Altar are both important parts of the Temple of Heaven. Many of the
features of this temple symbolize the connection between Heaven and Earth. A square
represents Earth and a circle represents Heaven. Both the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
and the Circular Mound Altar are round. These structures stand on a square platform.
Therefore highlighting the symbolic importance of the two shapes.

ANCIENT CHINESE PHILOSOPHIES

Legalism:
I chose the philosophy of Legalism to be
portrayed in this way because it is the strictest
philosophy that China has ever adopted. The
paper with “Laws” written on it shows that
there were many laws they were to live by
throughout their life. If they were not to abide
by these laws they would be strictly punished.
The bottom picture shows the punishment for
a minor stealing crime which they would be
whipped in public streets. Legalism was
created by Han Feizi (top right) during the Q​ in
dynasty from 221–207 BCE.

D​ aoism:
In my drawing, I drew multiple symbols important to Daoism. I
drew the Yin and Yang symbol because it represents balance
and belief that everything in the world is made up of opposites,
which depend on each other. These beliefs are what Daoism is
centered around. Underneath this symbol, I drew a dragon and a
tiger. These are two common symbols that represent the Yin and
Yang. The tiger represents the yin, along with patience and light.
The dragon represents the Yang, along with power and
darkness. Lastly, I drew a person meditating. This highlights the
importance of meditation and mindfulness in Daoism.

Confucianism:
In my drawing, I drew three people; one helping
another, and one observing the helper’s good deeds and
becoming inspired to be like them. This directly is
related to Confucianism, as it is related to leading by
example, and this is exactly what Confucianism wants
people to do.

Mohism:
Portray this philosophy with the scientific method and
Mozi, the creator of Mohism. The scientific method
represents how they led because. Like the scientific
method they only believed or did something that was
proved to be true. For example, if someone proved that
attacking a certain group of people at an exact time
would be most efficient and they would definitely win,
then they would do as that person said. Conclusion is in
red because that was they got to the conclusion and followed its results. Mozi was added to
the picture because he is credited with the creation of Mohism during the fifth century BCE
and lasted until roughly the third century BCE.

Real Life Problems

Ancient Chinese Inventions

Silk Making

Seismograph
The Seismograph m​ easures and records earthquakes force and
duration. This invention is very important to us today, especially
in California. The seismograph in ancient china had a pendulum
that swung when the ground moved. There was a set of levers
that knocked balls from dragon mouths and into the toad’s mouth.
With this, the Chinese could see which way the earthquake came
from and pinpoint where the earthquake was by having multiple
seismographs.

​The Great Wall

Qin Dynasty
The Great Wall started being built during the Qin Dynasty under the rule of Emperor Qin
Shi Huang. The Great Wall was built along the country’s northern border. Before the Qin
Dynasty, only parts of the wall were built and they were scattered around the border.
During Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s reign, he ordered the parts of the wall to be connected to
form The Great Wall. This Wall was mostly built by soldiers and convicts. It was originally
built to protect China from northern invaders. The Great Wall of the Qin Dynasty started at
Lintao and ended at the east of Liaoning Province. It stretched over ​3,107 miles.
Ming Dynasty
The Great Wall was mostly built during the Ming Dynasty from 1368 to 1644 BCE. In the
beginning the dynasty did not really want to build the wall but as the emperor Yongle came
into rule in 1421 the economy flourished and the Great Wall was added on to around 50
years after the initial build from the Qin Dynasty. The necessity of the wall came from the
popularity of land expansion at the time so the defensive wall was built to keep their
control over their land. ​The Ming Dynasty built from the Yalu River, to the Taolai River, and
squiggled west through Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and Gansu.

On the west of Yujong Pass, the wall split into north and south or Inner and Outer Walls.
The Three Inner Passes are located at Juyong, Daoma, and Zijing while the Three Outer
Passes are located at Yanmen, Piantou, and Ningwu.

Han Dynasty
During the Han Dynasty, the Great Wall of China was mostly built in 121 BCE, in order to
defend against harassment from the Xiongnu (also called the Mongal empire at the time)
empire. The soldiers and peasants who built the Great Wall made the wall out of sand and
gravel. To construct the wall, they first wove out basic frames using a rose willow and
reeds, then filled the frames with gravel. Later on, they adopted three types of construction:
loess (which was yellow Gobi desert soil) that was put in layers, sand and stone in the rose
willow frames, and reed adobe that bound to clay soil when putting together.

Leaders

Confucius:

Confucius, originally named Kongqiu, was born into poverty in 551 BCE. With his father
having died when he was a young child, life was tough for his mother to raise him and his

brother Meng Pi. Confucius started out doing
typical jobs such as being a shepherd and then he
gradually worked his way up to being a governor.
Once he came up with his philosophy Confucianism,
he started to teach it to his friends and the idea
became a lifestyle for China. All of his glory did not
come mostly until after his death in 479 BCE. While
one might think that his job in the government was
the reason his philosophy caught on so well, it is
not. In fact, he quit his job at the age of 51 because
he was mad the government would not accept his ideas as a way to rule China. What he did

was he journeyed around China teaching his philosophy to common folk until it caught on.
The Analects of Confucius w​ ere his teachings on how to live the philosophy of Confucianism
which were written by the people that listened to him while he traveled China. His
philosophy is now studied today as the main philosophy adapted by the Han Dynasty that
changed China’s governing until the 20th century.

Qin Shi Huangdi
Qin Shi Huang was born in 259 BC. He was the son of King Zhuangxiang, who was the King
of Qin. In 246 BC, his father passed away, making his ruling a short time period.

However, the Qin was the most powerful; and they
were successful in conquering neighboring states.
This was due to the Qin’s high caliber military and a
disciplined army. Between 230 and 222 BCE, Qin
Shi Huang overthrew the power of other Chinese
states, for example, the Han state, and the northern
country of Yan. Due to this, Qin Shi Huang declared
himself the Emperor of China, due to the Mandate
of Heaven. Qin Shi Huangdi was a very important
leader to China’s society. He helped maintain
political power through the use of his strategic
military forces.

Wu Di

Wu Di was Born on June 30, 156 BC. Wudi was the Emperor of the Han Dynasty and ruled
for over 50 years. He was the longest reigning monarch. Wu di’s original name was Liu Che.

After he died, his name was changed to Wu
Di, which means “Martial Emperor”. Before
the Han Dynasty, China followed a Taoist
ideology. Wu Di broke away from Taoism
and instituted Confucius’ ideas. While Wu
Di was in power, he expanded the Chinese
military and their territory by attacking
nations around them. For example, in 133
BC, he attacked the Xiongnu people to the

north of the empire. This war was fought for years until he conquered them in 89 BC. In
addition, Wu Di expanded their trade along the Silk Road. Another accomplishment was
building the first national university in China. Finally, during his reign, advances in refining
iron were made and people started to use steel to make weapons and tools. Emperor Wu’s
success is shown through the growth of China's trade and military, and the new
technologies of that time. He died on March 29, 87 BC .

Goa Zu
Throughout his ruling, he received control of the Kingdom of Han in Western China, which
was one of his biggest accomplishments. In addition to receiving control of the kingdom, in

202 BCE, he also emerged with important and
essential victories from the Battle of Gaixia in
China. After his death in 195 BCE, he was
succeeded and replaced by his son. Goa Zu was
born on December 28th, 256 BCE. Goa Zu began
his career as a police officer, early in the Qin
Dynasty. He was a very coarse mannered man,
that often disrespected others. In 206, he
founded the Han dynasty and became the
Emperor. Founding the Han Dynasty was his
biggest accomplishment.

Daily Life

Shang Dynasty
JOBS:​ Jobs depended on your class and your personality. For example, if you were creative,
you would be an artist. If you were confident, or a leader of your friends, you would be a
king or some sort of a leader.
FOOD:​ They had a stable food supply. Millet was a staple food during the Shang, which was
farmed by using stone and wooden tools.
NOBILITY:​ The power of the Chinese Emperor varied differently during different dynasties.
Some dynasties had the Emperor a complete dictator, and some were role models of the
people
EDUCATION:​ Schools were called Xiang during the Shang dynasty. State schools were
established for children of the nobility and consisted of elementary schools and higher
education.
ART:​ A popular material for art used during the Shang dynasty was Jade. Jade was special
because jade cannot be carved to shape. So, jade must be shaped by sawing, filing and
grinding. Another material that was used was bronze. The use of bronze was for carving
shapes and patterns in tough material.

Zhou Dynasty
JOBS:​ Zhou dynasty's jobs were government officials, scholars, warriors, artists, farmers,
craftsmen, merchants, and traders. Almost 90% of people were farmers

FOOD:​ During the Zhou Dynasty, many advances in food production were made, therefore,
most of the food agricultural products. In addition, the majority of the society were
farmers. China began growing soybeans, rice, wheat, proso millet, and foxtail millet.

NOBILITY:​ Nobility in the Zhou Dynasty was hereditary. The power was kept within the
family until their dynasty was over. The Zhou dynasty was the longest dynasty in ancient
Chinese history. This dynasty had a strict social structure, known as the Zhou dynasty
social hierarchy. According to this system, the king or the emperor was at the top of the

social classes and was the most powerful man in the dynasty. He was followed by the other
members of the royal blood. Then came the nobles and other classes. The nobles were
wealthy people who were expected to serve the king throughout their life. They were given
special powers or responsibilities, such as giving some of their profit to the emperor. Even
among the nobles, there was a certain social hierarchical system. The rest of the people
were part of the working class or slaves.

EDUCATION​: Schools were divided into state schools and village schools. State schools
were established just for children of the nobility and the village schools were local schools
for children who were in lower classes. Only boys went to school. During the Zhou dynasty,
they followed Confucius ideas, which said all boys should go to school. Girls would stay
home with their mother to learn how to take care of a family.

ART:​ Art from this dynasty included bronze sculptures and jade carving.

Han Dynasty
FOOD:​ Most commonly eaten foods were wheat, barley, rice, f​ oxtai​l, ​broomcorn millet​, and
beans​. The fruits and vegetables were really whatever they could grow with examples of
pears, peaches, plums, and apricots. The Han Dynasty was very resourceful and made
meals out of the majority of their surroundings including the livestock they had like cows,
chicken, camels, and dogs.

JOBS:​ The most common jobs during the Han Dynasty were skilled workers along with
merchants, nobles, soldiers, and slaves, since those were the easiest job fields to work in.

SOCIAL HIERARCHY:​ The Han Dynasty used a similar social hierarchy system like the
Hindus do, with the emperor in the highest class and the slaves at the bottom class. In the
middle class were the high ranking military leaders, the government officials, nobles,
scholars, and the skilled workers. Social mobility was more relevant during the Han
Dynasty that the previous Zhou Dynasty so the pheasants had a chance to gain higher
status but the government officials were more based on their heritage than their abilities.

SCHOOLING:​ It was during the Han Dynasty
public schools were created so the poorer
people could go to school and get an education
in hope to increase their social status and/or for
a better future. With Confucianism being a key
philosophy for the Han Dynasty at the time, the
first civil service exam was created with one of
the main subjects in it being Confucianism. As
the idea of the public school spread, so did the
philosophy of Confucianism which helped the
philosophy spread on a bigger scale.

ART:​ The Han Dynasty was very good with their ceramics. The main event that would call
for ceramics to be made would be funerals. The Han Dynasty is also credited with one of
the earliest man made pigments known to mankind. This pigment is called Han purple
which archeologists found while digging up artifacts from the Han Dynasty. They also used
many other materials in their work such as bronze, jade, paint, stone, and wood.

INVENTIONS:​ One of the Han Dynasty’s biggest accomplishments was the invention of
paper. This invention allowed ideas to be saved and spread, documents to be stored,
today’s scientists to uncover knowledge of their lifestyle and fighting tactics, and much
more. One of China’s government officials Ts'ai Lun was the first person ever to start a
paper making industry.

The Silk Road

Xi’an
The first stop, or point of departure, on the Silk Road in Xi’an, China. This historical capital
used to be spelled Chang’ an and the main area in Xi’an today is called the Shaanxi Province.
Chang’an started to be built during the Han Dynasty right around the time the Silk Road
was started. Emperor Wu Di from the Han Dynasty (141-87 BCE) began the Silk Road by
sending Chinese missionaries to Southeastern Asia, then to Central Asia, and then to Rome
to form the beginning paths. The capital was then destroyed by the falling of the dynasty
but then was revived in the fourth century CE and it flourished in culture since it became
the center of Buddhist learning and teachings. Chang’ an grew the most under the rule of
the Tang Dynasty from 618 to 904 CE when roughly one million people lived there.
Western products were the Tang Dynasty’s specialty with busy markets spreading the
western goods. This was in thanks to the Sogdian merchants who were from Central Asia
and were huge in trading and transporting goods to China.

Samarkand
Samarkand, Uzbekistan was the first place where the invention of paper was traded to on
the Silk Road. Arriving there in about 700 CE, this product was mainly transported and
traded through the ports of Sicily and Spain which at the time were still Islamic. This new
invention of paper created a huge industrial change which would not have become possible
without the help of the Silk Road. The paper made in China was known for its high quality
which was seeked for when trading on the Silk Road. Today one of the only handmade
paper workshops is located in Central Asia where one can learn the 1,000 year-old process
of making paper.

Taxila
Taxila is located in Northern Pakistan. Taxila connected the Indian subcontinent to the Silk
Road. Taxila was a Buddhist city in the Kushan Empire. In this city, sandalwood, spices, silk,
jade and silver were traded. Taxila made money for the Kushan Empire by taxing Silk Road
trade throughout the city.

Antioch

Antioch, an ancient Greek city, was the last stop on the Silk Road. It was founded near the
end of the fourth century BC. Antioch was located on the eastern side of the Orontes River.
Antioch was a big trading area, because it was at the intersection of two trading routes, the
North-South and East-West routes. Gold, Christianity, and military strategies were traded
in Antioch.

Merv, Turkmenistan
The first stop, Merv, Turkmenistan, was situated by an oasis near modern-day
Turkmenistan. In its early days, it was ruled by the Arabs, Turks, and the Safavid Persians.
During the 12th and the 13th centuries, it became one of the largest cities in the world,
with over 500,000 people residing. It was conquered by a succession of empires that tried
to control the center of the Silk Road. Merv was described as the “mother of the world,” by
a 10th-century geographer. Later on, in the bloodiest episodes in Central Asian history, the
empire lost its power and fell to the Mongols in 1221 and Gengis Khan’s son ordered the
execution of all of the population inside Merv. In 1505, the Uzbekistanians conquered Merv,
and five years later, the Uzbekistaniams were overthrown by the Safavid Persians.

Constantinople, Turkey
The second to the last stop of the Silk Road. Luxury goods made their way across from
ancient Asia to Constantinople. The wealth of Constantinople was very great.
Constantinople played a crucial role in the late Antique and the Early Middle Ages, by both
important and exporting many different types of goods. Constantinople was especially
known for its merchants and markets.

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