LEADERSHIP OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY

workers

peasants

bourgeoisie

Patriotic capitalists

• stars are evenly spread and all point back to the larger star

FACTS & FIGURES• CONTINENT? - Asia

• POPULATION? - 1,355,692,576 (most in the world) • U.S. is about 319,000,000

• GOV’T? – Communist (capital is Beijing)

• RELIGIONS? – Taoist, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim(officially atheist)

• HOW OLD? – One of the oldest civilizations in the world

GEOGRAPHY

WEST• Rugged, forbidding terrain

• Himalayas close the SW part of the country

EAST• Borders the Pacific Ocean

• Fertile river valleys and plains

• Good place for life to flourish, unlike the west

MOUNTAINS

Mts. Cover 1/3 of the country, mostly in the west – isolate China from other areas

RIVERS3 main rivers drain the eastern basin:

1. Huang He (Yellow River)

2. Chang Jiang (Yangtze)

3. Xi Jiang

--- they provide arable land for people to live

CLIMATE• Very diverse

climate ranging from tropical in the south to subarctic in the north

• Melting snow and monsoon seasons provide fertile farming areas

• Civilization dates back at least 4,000 years

• Lived in isolation from the rest of the world, called their homeland Zhong Guo (Middle Kingdom)

• Isolation created a unique culture and strong sense of “nationalism”

REST OF THE WORLD

CHINA

REASONS FOR ISOLATION …

1.Mountains in the South and West

2.Deserts

3. Ocean to the East

MTS.DESERTS

PHILOSOPHY

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

PHILOSOPHY IS….

the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE?

HOW DID WE GET HERE AND WHY ARE WE HERE?

WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT?

WHAT MORALS/VALUES SHOULD WE LIVE BY?

CHINESE PHILOSOPHIES• During the late Zhou period

scholars sought solutions to problems:

a. Political breakdownb. Social disorders

• Efforts led to new philosophies that focused on :

a. life in this world b. how this life should be lived (not

great emphasis on the afterlife)

CONFUCIANISMKONGFUZI (Confucius)

• Born in 551 b.c.• Taught that “social harmony”

and “good gov’t” would return to China if people lived according to ethics – good conduct and moral judgment

• Emphasized duty and humanity

• Golden rule “Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you”

CONFUCIANISM cont.5 RELATIONSHIPS

• Confucius stressed the importance of moral behavior in 5 basic relationships

5 RELATIONSHIPS1

RULER &

SUBJECT

5 RELATIONSHIPS2

Parent&

Child

5 RELATIONSHIPS3

Husband&

Wife

5 RELATIONSHIPS4

Old&

Young

5 RELATIONSHIPS5

Friend&

Friend

CONFUCIANISM cont.• He cared most about family relationships and a child’s respect for

parents (filial piety)

• Died in 479 b.c.

• Analects – teachings were written down into this book

• Greatly influenced Chinese society/politics

EFFECTS OF CONFUCIUS• During the Han Dynasty the ideas of Confucius influenced all aspects

of personal and social life

• The family became most important aspect of Chinese society

FAMILY• Every member knew

their place and role

• Hierarchy – organization based on separate levels of importance

FAMILY ORGANIZATIONOLDEST MALE (father)

Oldest Son

Mother

Oldest daughter

FAMILY RULES• Very strict rules governed the family

• Nobody wanted to bring shame on the family name

• Expected to pay respect to dead ancestors (ancestor worship)

“Let the ruler be a ruler and the subject a subject; let the father be a father and the son a son”

---- Confucius

DAOISMLAOZI

• Lived in the 500s b.c.

• Stressed living in harmony with nature

• Followers believed people should give up worldly ambitions and turn to nature and the Dao

DAOISM cont.• Dao – universal force that guides

all the things

• Focus on nature greatly emphasized in Chinese art

DAOISM cont.Yin and Yang

• two opposing forces present in all nature (everything has both)

• Yin – cool, dark, female

• Yang – warm, light, male

READ SECTION 4: ADVICE FROM THE DAO DE QING AND…

a. Define sage, complacency, counsel (in the context of this reading)

b. Describe, in your own words, the meaning of each numbered section

CHINESE PHILOSOPHIES

CONFUCIANISM• World needs to be improved,

looked to the past

• Emphasizes duty, rules, hierarchy, ethics (morality), filial piety,humanity

• People should be active

DAOISM• Emphasizes nature and theDao

• People should live in harmony with nature, not try to change the world

• Maintain balance of yin/yang

• People should be passive/inactive

Legalism• Confucius believed all people were

essentially good.

• Because of the Warring States Period (400 B.C. – 200 B.C.),some came to believe the opposite – Legalists:• All humans are evil.• Harsh leadership is needed to preserve

peace/order.

Legalism

• Confucius thought that “superior men” (think civil service exams) could solve society’s problems; Legalists disagreed and thought that harsh laws and stiff punishments were needed to maintain social order and service to the ruler (“School of Law)

• Not concerned with the purpose of life or nature

• Concerned with:• Fa: clearly stated rule of law• Shu: some ideas must be kept secret by ruler – WHY?• Shi: the position of the ruler, not the actual ruler, is what holds

the power

Legalism• Used very effectively by

Qin Dynasty but was later abandoned.• I wonder why?• What tends to happen to

leaders who are just to strict?

Shinto & Buddhism• Many Japanese follow a

mixture of these religions.• Shinto deals with life (means

“The Sacred Way”, or “They Way of the Gods”).• Births• Weddings

• Buddhism deals with death.• Funerals• Remember: Enlightenment &

Nirvana

Buddhist deity with Shinto Torii on its head

Shinto• No organization, founder, holy texts• Gives few details of afterlife

• Japanese follow Buddhism when dealing with death.• All human life/nature is sacred.

• HARMONY (works well with Zen Buddhism)• True Heart The way of the Kami

Shinto:Kami• Kami means “god” or “deity”

• NOT in the way Christians think of God

• Kami are thought to be spirits that manifest themselves in locations/objects• It’s all about NATURE• EX: Mt. Fuji is thought to

house a spirit

Shinto: 4 Affirmations• Tradition and the family: The family is seen as the main

mechanism by which traditions are preserved. Their main celebrations relate to birth and marriage.

• Love of nature: Nature is sacred; to be in contact with nature is to be close to the Gods. Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits.

• Physical cleanliness: Followers of Shinto take baths, wash their hands, and rinse out their mouth often.

• "Matsuri": The worship and honor given to the Kami and ancestral spirits.

Shinto:Shrines & Torii• Shinto shrines and Torii celebrate the kami spirits

• Each shrine is dedicated to a single kami• Torii act as gates to the shrines

Ise Grand Shrine

Izumo Taisha Shrine

Torii leading to Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

Land of the Rising Sun - this is not on the flag

Japanese Geography

Japan: Physical Characteristics

• Japan’s four major islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku• Japan actually consists of

1000s of islands (it’s an archipelago)• The capital of Japan is

Tokyo

Japan: Physical Characteristics• Japan is a little smaller than California• Japan’s climate varies greatly….Why?• Land is distributed North to South• Northern areas have climates similar to Portland• Southern areas have climates similar to the Bahamas

Physical Characteristics• Much of Japan is covered in

mountains or volcanoes.• Population: 125 million• Most people live crowded along

cities on the coast.

Japan: Land of Earthquakes• Japan suffers through frequent

earthquakes because of its position along the intersection of tectonic plates.

TSUNAMIS

an unusually large sea wave produced by a seaquake or undersea volcanic eruption

MT. FUJI

WARRIOR CULTURE

SHOGUN

• Means “General”

• Title given by the emperor in late 1100s

• Had military and political power

• “Shogunate” – military government

DAIMYO

• Land-owning warriors & highest ranking samurai (medieval lords)

• Daimyo offered protection to peasants who worked their land, in return the peasants paid taxes (feudalism)

• Samurai pledged their loyalty to a daimyo

SAMURAI• Loyal to a daimyo

• Fought on horseback

• Loose fitting clothes/armor

• Bows, arrows, swords

• Honor, Honor, Honor (code of Bushido)

BUSHIDO

• Shoguns, daimyo, and samurai all followed the code of Bushido

• “The way of the warrior” – bravery, self-discipline, loyalty

• Dishonor or defeat led to ritual suicide (seppuku)