1. Compare the PERSIA factors for China & India (BEFORE 600) (CHART form)
Political
China: they were ruled by emperors and the kings. The first emperor was Shi Huangdi. The emperors/kings beliefs and rules depended on what dynasty they were in, such as the Qin, Shang, Zhou and Han Dynasties. Their government system were based on Bureaucracy, in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials.
India: the political state in India was solely based off of the Caste System - Brahmins, the priests and teachers, Kshatriyas, the warriors and rulers, Vaishyas, the farmers, traders and merchants, and Shudras, the servants. The Dalits, or the untouchables, were left out of the caste system, since they were the street sweepers. There were three dynasties that adjusted the political stability time to time, which are the Mauryan, Kushan, and Gupta.
Economic
China: Mostly through trade, including the trade of salt, iron, fish, cattle, and notably silk. The trade of silk eventually led trading through the famous route - the Silk road. Their form of money was shells.
India: Solely through trade, consisting the trade of wheat, rice, as well as building ships for different purposes.
Religious
China: most Chinese people believed in Buddhism, confucianism, and Daoism. Buddhism came to China from India, where it’s originated.
India: nearly all of Indians believed in Hinduism and Buddhism, however, majority followed Hinduism. Both religions differed from each other, however,
| * Trade was very international. * Silk roads linked Eurasia, and goods traded hands many times along the roads.
Han China and Imperial Rome both started out with a monarch. This monarch was normally a king who decided what to do with the land he ruled over. He made decisions for war, land, trade, etc. Monarchs are very much like dictators, but the
Han China and Mauryan/Guptan India at the time of the Classical Period, developed similar, but also very different methods of political control. Both Han China and the Mauryan/Gupta Empire used social hierarchy as a means to keep political control. They also used bureaucracy and religion, China was more centralized where India was not. Another method was the geographical location, India was closer to other classical civilizations as opposed to China. All of these factors and more were used by both classical civilizations as a way to maintain political control.
The Greek religion encompassed a myriad of gods who were present in their daily life. They appear in stories like the Iliad and they could influence human affairs, welcomed, and responded to acts of piety and worship. Acts of piety are the fulfillment of their religious obligations. In other words, Greeks had a polytheistic belief system. In Han China they believed in finding enlightenment through Buddhism, and excepting opposites through Taoism. Confucius taught kindness, wisdom, and trustworthiness. In other words, the Chinese were very omnist, and open to many religions.
China has been the home to various religions. At different times different dynasties endorsed certain religions while repressing others. While Buddhism flourished during the Sui and Tang dynasty, it faced opposition from the government during the Song dynasty. Confucianism lost government endorsement during the Sui and Tang but gained momentum during the Song as Neo-Confucianism. Yuan dynasty promoted Islam and Tibet Buddhism but ignored Confucianism. Different rulers sponsored and protected different religions but Confucianism and some form of Buddhism have always been alive in Chinese society from 600 to 1450.
DBQ: Buddhism in China After the fall of the Han dynasty, many Chinese people converted to Buddhism. They seeked a simpler way of life among all of the chaos and political instability going on at the time. This led to a drop in productivity in China, as many Buddhists spent their time meditating. The rise in Buddhism among the lower class led to a hate for the religion by the upper-class. While some people saw Buddhism as a new form of thinking in China’s evolving social landscape, many others saw it as a threat to the traditional Chinese way of life, as they were reluctant to change.
Buddhism originated in India in the 5th century B.C.E. It then spread to China in the 1st century B.C.E. In the period of disunity as well as political instability, most Chinese peasants accepted Buddhism because it provided shelter and certainty. Scholars showed that Buddhism beliefs were not a threat opposed to Confucianism and Daoism, hoping the people could see how they all can coexist. As the imperial structure improved and grew over time, many authorities and high powers rejected its teachings because it saw Buddhism as a threat to their powers.
3. In addition to horses, China imported alfalfa, grapes, and a variety of other new crops as well as medicinal products, metals, and precious stones. China exported peaches and apricots, spices, and manufactured goods including silk, pottery, and paper.
Most businesses in China are run by man. China has many religions like Taoism, Confucianism, but mainly Buddhism. Recently, China has excelled in having many more religions including Christian. Chinese philosophy comes from Confucianism, which is a collection of teachings from ancient history. Many other philosophies were later taught like Daoism, Legalism, Mohism and many more. China still uses many of these philosophies today.
The region of China is extensive and profound. “In China lay people did not belong to an institutionalized sect, nor did their religious life have anything to do with signing articles of faint. Religion in China was so woven into the broad fabric of family and social life that there was not even a special word for it until modern times, when one was coined to match the Western term” (Thompson, 1). In China, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism are all blended. In the earliest period, Shang Dynasty (2000 BC), people in China had worshipped a lot of different gods (polytheism) such as weather god, river god. People in the Shang Dynasty believed that their ancestors become like gods after they died, so people worshipped their
Middle East via trade routes, like the Silk Road (Trueman). Goods, such as camels, woolen
Generally, there were a large amount of peasants and laborers at the bottom, and ultimately few people could hold power. India was governed more strictly than China through the caste system, where one would be born into a strict socioeconomic level, and there was no room for movement. Marriage and interactions were restricted to people in one’s class. On the other hand, China’s social hierarchy was more forgiving, as even peasants had the opportunity to move to higher classes through civil service examinations. Furthermore, the religions and philosophies of each region reflected differently on how some groups were organized.
Furthermore, the economy in both civilizations was important to their survival. India and China’s populations were made up of mainly farmers. Their main cash crops were millet and rice. India and China traded via the Silk Road. Because of the geography and different weather patterns of each ancient society, China grew crops that required little moisture while India was not as restricted. India grew wheat and barley in addition to the millet and rice mentioned above. Ancient India and China imported and exported goods differently, too. India traded by camel caravans and by sea. China mainly traded via the Silk Road.
When Indian caste system became stable it suddenly became rigid, and people stayed where they were born. Although hierarchy was rigid in both classical societies, they developed stable social classes that produced various kinds of people: the most important being the farmers.
Buddhism was founded in India in the sixth century B.C.E. and gradually moved to China after the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 C.E. For several centuries Buddhism influenced China greatly. During that time to 570 C.E., China experienced an era of political instability and disunity, afterwards which the imperial structure was restored. During the 1st century C.E. the spread of Buddhism from India to China was met with mixed results, in which many Chinese people accepted Buddhism and advocated its principles such as the philosophy and promise of afterlife over the Confucian ideals that were previously instituted, but the truth was that Chinese masses turned to Buddhism for its promises of eternal enlightenment during times of struggle and invasion