Social Science Study Guide
Class discussion 10/24
The middle kingdom – an idea that china was at the center of the world, therefore they were the most civilized
Everything started from the chinese
Very ethnocentric (an idea that elevates your own groups opposed to others)
This was true about the efficient beaurcratic system political unity for over 2,000 years engineering accomplishments (great wall, grand canal) agriculture was efficient confucious philosophical concepts art and its functions the people majority were the Han in “china proper” china proper like right in the middle of china
Order of people in terms of respect
Scholars
Peasants 80-90% of population (produced all the food)
Artisans (produced clothes and shit)
Merchants
Soldiers were not considered in the ranks
Actors and prostitutes weren’t either
Irrigation was needed for the north
South was all rice so they needed mad people to help
So the group was more emphasized
Family was huge and so important
Family relationship was patriarchal – over women and children
Injury + insult – women had shitty lives
Foot binding – crush their feet so they look like flowers or some shit
To be a person in the govt. you had to be able to pass certain exams
1st level of exams meant you could be in local govt.
2nd level of exams = regional govt.
3rd level = national govt. this gave the wealthy class an advantage because they have money to pay for education system was not entirely closed meaning you could rise in the ranks and become a scholar dynastic cycle – eventually with every dynasty they stopped doing well and corruption took over and shit would hit the fan. The people then had the right to overthrow the dynasty once it lost its mandate of heaven mandate of heaven- the dynasty that was ruling had support of the gods but only if he ruled the people well confusious – the two fundamentals social harmony good govt.
Class Discussion 10/28
Qin dynasty
Unified china but did it through brutal methods
Han
The middle kingdom – an idea that china was at the center of the world, therefore they were the most civilized
Everything started from the chinese
Very ethnocentric (an idea that elevates your own groups opposed to others)
This was true about the efficient beaurcratic system political unity for over 2,000 years engineering accomplishments (great wall, grand canal) agriculture was efficient confucious philosophical concepts art and its functions the people majority were the Han in “china proper” china proper like right in the middle of china
Order of people in terms of respect
Scholars
Peasants 80-90% of population (produced all the food)
Artisans (produced clothes and shit)
Merchants
Soldiers were not considered in the ranks
Actors and prostitutes weren’t either
Irrigation was needed for the north
South was all rice so they needed mad people to help
So the group was more emphasized
Family was huge and so important
Family relationship was patriarchal – over women and children
Injury + insult – women had shitty lives
Foot binding – crush their feet so they look like flowers or some shit
To be a person in the govt. you had to be able to pass certain exams
1st level of exams meant you could be in local govt.
2nd level of exams = regional govt.
3rd level = national govt. this gave the wealthy class an advantage because they have money to pay for education system was not entirely closed meaning you could rise in the ranks and become a scholar dynastic cycle – eventually with every dynasty they stopped doing well and corruption took over and shit would hit the fan. The people then had the right to overthrow the dynasty once it lost its mandate of heaven mandate of heaven- the dynasty that was ruling had support of the gods but only if he ruled the people well confusious – the two fundamentals social harmony good govt.
Class Discussion 10/28
Qin dynasty
Unified china but did it through brutal methods
Han