The Chinese education system relied upon a small number of texts to train scholars and civil servants, who tended to be dedicated and reliable. By using these books, the system emphasized respect for tradition. At the same time, the use of the same books created a common culture all across China.
The Five Classics. The texts used to train scholars and civil servants in ancient China were known as the Five Classics.We do not know who wrote these works or exactly when they were written. We do know, however, that they had started to become important in the time of the Zhou dynasty. The Book of Poemscontains more than 300 songs about domestic life, joy, love, and politics. For example, the second poem of the collection is about courtship.
“
Plop fall the plums; but there are still seven. Let those gentlemen who would court me Come while it is still lucky!Plop fall the plums; there are still three. Let any gentleman who would court me Come before it is too late!
Plop fall the plums; in shallow baskets we lay them. Any gentleman who would court me
Had better speak while there is time.
”
The Book of Poems,from An Anthology of Chinese Literature
The Book of Historycontains speeches and documents about government. The Book of Changesis about the art of predicting the future. The Spring and Autumn Annalsis a record of events in the city-state of Lu from 722 B.C. to 481 B.C.
The Book of Ritesdeals with manners and ceremonies. Study of the Five Classics became essential for every well-educated young man in China, along with the
Analectsof Confucius.
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Finding the Main Idea What does this poem reveal about ancient Chinese courtship practices?
Junks The early Chinese used sailboats called junks to trade throughout East Asia. The basic design of junks that sail China’s rivers and coastlines today has changed little from the design of ancient Chinese junks.
In what way does the junk pictured here reflect the importance of tradi- tion in Chinese culture?
Science and technology. Education was available only to a privileged few in ancient China. However, the Qin and Han periods still saw dramatic developments in science and technology. Early Chinese astronomers learned that the year was slightly longer than 365 days. Han dynasty astronomers further refined these calculations. In 28 B.C.
astronomers in China first observed sunspots; Europeans did not make similar obser- vations until the A.D. 1600s. Sometime before A.D. 100 Chinese astronomers built
instruments to track the movements of planets.
The Chinese invented a seismograph that registered even the faintest of earth- quakes. They also invented paper, which was first produced in about 150 B.C. The
earliest paper was made from fishing nets, hemp, old rags, and tree bark. By the mid- dle of the A.D. 700s, the use of paper had spread throughout Central Asia and the
Middle East, where it replaced papyrus as the main writing material. The Chinese also invented the sundial, the water clock, and the process of printing.
Chinese scholars, especially the Daoists, were very interested in chemistry. They dis- covered substances for dyeing cloth and glazing pottery. They also developed medicines based on herbs and minerals. Perhaps the most widely known Chinese contribution to medicine is the therapy known as acupuncture. Its development
stemmed from the Daoist belief that good health depends on the movement of a life-force energy through the body. Illness or pain results when something interferes with that movement.
In acupuncture the doctor inserts needles into certain points of the body to enable the life-force energy to move properly. Some modern researchers believe that these needle insertion points may have less electrical resistance than other parts of the body and thus may affect the nervous system. Today the Chinese use acupuncture as an anesthetic in many types of surgery. Many Americans use it to relieve pains from ailments such as arthritis or cancer.
READING CHECK: Contrasting In what areas did Chinese scientists of ancient times surpass their European
counterparts?
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1. Define and explain the significance: genealogy acupuncture
2. Identify and explain the significance: Five Classics
3. Making Generalizations Copy the chart below. Use it to illustrate the different roles of men, women, and children in the Chinese family.
4.
a. What effect did Chinese philosophy have on Chinese medicine?
b. How might the limited role of trade in ancient China have affected the development of Chinese culture?
5.
Evaluating Write a brief report that evaluates the different aspects of family life in ancient China.
Consider:
• the importance of family to the Chinese • respect paid to various family members
• the roles of men and women in the traditional families of ancient China keyword: SP3 HP4 Male Family Members Female Family Members
This device, developed in A.D. 132, warned of earthquakes. Ground tremors would cause metal balls to drop from the dragons’ mouths to the frogs below.