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Summary In the historical documentary, “Engineering an Empire-China”, on the History Channel, the video explored the emperors, dynasties, and achievements of China. Politics of China included emperors and two of the most important emperors were Li Bing, and Shi Huangdi. Li Bing was the first emperor of China and one of the best hydraulic engineers in China and he used his knowledge to make a path through a mountain to let water pass through. Shi Huangdi was the son of Li Bing and became emperor at 13. Shi Huangdi was the name given to him after he conquered all of China. China had many dynasties and they were all important in their own way but the one I found most interesting was the Qin. During the Qin there were two important emperors and it was the beginning of China. The Qin dynasty was when China changed strategy of war and gained much of its land. The Great Wall of China was built during the Qin dynasty also. China had lots of achievements and two of the biggest were the Great Wall of China and the Grand Canal. The Great Wall of China was built 4,800 feet and was meant to keep out intruders and it was expanded by the emperor Liu Bang during the Han dynasty. The Grand Canal was built to link together the northern and southern China and it was built by Yang Di during the Sui dynasty. I thought the video was very helpful and teaches a lot. But I am curious about Zheng He death. I would like to learn more about the Ming dynasty.

3 Ways of Thought: ** 3 Ways of Thought **
 * || ** Confucianism ** || ** Daoism ** || ** Buddhism ** ||
 * What is it? || A social code of behavior || A Easter religion/philosophy || A major global religion with a complex history and a system of beliefs. ||
 * How did it begin? || It begin when Confucius started to teach people his ideas. || Taoism was formally established in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Northern and Southern Dynasties. They saw it become the legitimacy religion like Buddhism in China, because it was supported by some emperors for political reasons. || Buddha met a monk and saw how calm and peaceful he was in a world filled with sufferings and decided to join the monk and leave his wealth. ||
 * Who is the main Person? || Confucius || Laozi || Siddhartha Gautama ||
 * What was their story? || Confucius was born in 551 BCE in Lu province during Chou Times. At the age of 15 he became interested in learning and he went to work for a nobleman so he can learn. He studied and learned until he was able to teach others and that is when he begin to teach Confucianism || Loazi was born in 604 BCE. Laozi was searching for a way to stop the feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted society. Laozi made Taoism a combination of psychology and philosophy and it became a religious faith after Loazi died in 440 CE. || Siddhartha was born in 566 BC. Siddhartha was the son of a king but after he saw an ill man, the corpse of a man and a ascetic he left the throne and became a monk. Siddhartha learned how to be free from suffering and became known as the monk and begin to teach others his belief. ||
 * What the big ideas of the philosophy? || Focused on proper conduct, respect for elders, education, and hard work. Also it taught that life would be harmonious if everyone was loyal, courteous, honest, and faithful. || People should live a simple life. The opposites should balance each other out. || The truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. Karma and the circle of rebirth are big ideas too. ||
 * How did it affect China’s government? || It made China’s government become the welfare of the people and made the government a meritocracy government. || It made the laws change so that people could live simple lives. || It affected politicians and neutralized right mindfulness in there decisions and people in the government had to have the right view and right intention ||
 * Which dynasty followed the dynasty? || Confucianism was created in Zhou dynasty and the spring and autumn period came after. ||  || Buddhism was created in the Han dynasty and the three kingdoms came after. ||
 * A Quote || “Ability will never catch up with the demand for it.” || **A clever mind is not a heart.** || Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace. ||
 * Symbols/images ||  ||

China Cyberhunt: [|Discovery of Tea] 1. For how many years have the Chinese been drinking tea? For 4,000 years. 2. How was tea first used in China? It was used for an herbal medicine. 3. In what dynasty did drinking tea become popular? Zhao Dynasty. [|Chinese Inventions]4. What year was the new invention of paper presented to the emperor? 105 AD 5. What did the Chinese use to make paper? Bamboo fiber. 6. When did the Chinese invent moveable type? 1045 AD 7. How many characters does the Chinese have in it? 3000 to 5000 characters. 8. When did the Chinese invent gun powder? Eighth century AD 9. What did the Chinese use to make gun powder? Sulfur, charcoal, and salepeter. 10. What weapons did the Chinese use gun powder for? Rockets and other things that were launched from a bamboo tube. 11. When were the first magnetic compasses used by Chinese ships? Third century AD. [|The Tang Dynasty]12. What year did the golden age of the Tang Dynasty begin? Around 600 CE. 13. How could a poor person in the Tang Dynasty get a job working for the government? They could take the government exams. 14. How many people lived in the capital of the Tang? Over one million 15. How did Buddhism get to China? It came from India through the Silk Road. 16. What were the Three Doctrines of the Tang Dynasty? Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. [|The Song Dynasty]17. What is the period of the Song Dynasty sometimes referred to as? China S Age of Invention. 18. Who visited China during the Song Dynasty? Marco Polo 19. [|When did the Song Dynasty rule China?]20. What was the Song Dynasty the first government to do? It was the first government to issue paper money. [|Confucianism]21. What does Confucianism stress? It stressed the need to develop responsibility and moral character through rigid rules of behavior. 22. What is Confucianism? Confucianism is a way of behaving, so you’ll do the right things. 23. What is a social code of behavior? A very set and rigid code of behavior, that honored ancestors and ancient rituals. 24. What did the social code of Confucianism honor? It honors ancestors and ancient rituals. [|Buddhism] 25. What did Siddhartha want to understand? He wanted to understand what caused human suffering. 26. What does "the Buddha" mean? “the Enlightened One” 27. Why do Buddhists look within themselves? To find peace. 28. What is karma? The rewards or punishments a person faces because of their thoughts, words, and actions. 29. How many Buddhists are there in the world today? Over three hundred million [|The Four Noble Truths]30. Describe the Four Noble Truths in your own words. The first noble truth is Life means Suffering. It means that ever life has emotional and physical suffering, we suffer from sadness, fear, stress, etc and we have to go through sickness, pain, old age, death, etc. The second noble truth is The Origin of Suffering is Attachment. It means that the origin of suffering is desire and that losing what you desire has suffering with it. The third noble truth is Cessation of Suffering is Attainable. It means that suffering can be stopped by dispassion. The fourth noble truth is The Path to the Cessation of Suffering. This noble truth is the end of suffering itself. [|The Great Wall of China] 31. When was the Great Wall of China built? Between 220-200 BC. 32. What was the purpose of the Great Wall? To protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire during the rule of successive dynasties. 33. How long is the Great Wall? Approximately 6,400 km 34. About how many men died working on the wall? 2 to 3 million Chinese workers. 35. What happened to the peasants who died while working on the wall? (You'll have to scroll down a bit to find this one.) They were buried in the wall [|Genghis Khan] 36. What other names has Genghis Khan been called? World conqueror, Emperor of all men, the Scourge of God. 37. What empire did Genghis Khan establish? Genghis Khan established the Mongol Empire. [|Kublai Khan] 38. Why was Kublai Khan different than other Chinese rulers? He challenged the stereotypes of other Mongolian rulers by investing his newly acquired people and providing the foundations of a grand empire. 39. Who was Kublai Khan related to? Genghis Khan 40. What famous explorer did Kublai Khan know? Marco Polo [|Marco Polo] 41. When was Marco Polo born and when did he die? He was born in the year 1254 and died in the year 1324. 42. How long did Marco Polo spend in Asia? 24 years 43. In what city did Marco meet Kublai Khan at? Mongolia Scroll down to Years Serviced in Khan's Court. 44. What skill did Marco have that made him valuable to Kublai Khan? He was a gifted linguist and master of four languages. Scroll down to Coming Home. 45. For how many years did the Polo brothers serve Kublai Khan? 17 years. 46. How long did the sea journey home take? 2 years. 47. Where was Marco when he wrote the story of his travels in Asia? Genoa 48. What was the book called? // ll Milione // 49. Why do you think people did not believe Marco? I think it’s because he was captured and put in jail. Also he could not prove anything he said. 50. What did Marco say on his deathbed? “I have only told the half of what I saw”