Ancient China (The 1st Dynasties and the Spring and Autumn Period) BEGINNINGS Ep. 8

Apart from those in the near eastern India, there was a fourth cradle of civilization. Here. Welcome to China. China had always been important in the old world, with a size three times that of India, and always home to the most people on the planet. Because of its great reach, China was filled with different climates and terrains. The north was beset by more extreme weather, and was much drier. Southern China was much warmer all year round, and much wetter, flooding regularly. In this area, the Pearl River, connected to the South China Sea, flowed to the west. Further north, was the Yangtze, or Chongjiong, meaning Long River. North of that, was the famous Hung He, or Yellow River. It was here that the first farming villages appeared, in the 5000s BCE, relying on rice and According to ancient historian Sima Qin, who recorded the Chinese dynasties in his famous chronology, the first Chinese dynasty was the Xia, around 2000 BCE. Once thought to be a mythical dynasty, like the period prior to it, there is now archaeological evidence that the Xia, might have indeed existed, perhaps as the early Tu culture. Another dynasty we once thought was mythical, was the Xiong. We've all but confirmed the existence of this dynasty, and it is the first most historians agree upon existing. They developed after the Xia, by around 1600 BCE, in the territory centered around the Yellow River. These kings would never be seen as supreme beings, but just as a warlord leader. They would claim legitimacy as descendants of Huang Di, or the Yellow Emperor, China's first emperor from the semi-mythical period, even before the Xia. The Xiong capital would move constantly over the years, after acquiring land through conquest or through landowners. They finally settled in Yin, around 1300 BCE. This brought about the Xiong's golden age. The Xiong were able to dominate opposition, because of their use of war chariots. They would also be a major factor in future Chinese battles of utmost importance. Bronze was also used early on, and possibly was used more extensively than any other civilization on earth at this point, and with more elaborate designs. This was possible because of the sheer amount of craftsmen in China at the time, taking part in every part of the bronze working process. One of the Xiong's practices, was the use of oracles. Before big decisions, the shoulder bone of an ox, or a turtle shell, was inscribed with script, most likely a question with specific answers, and then touched with heated materials, to induce cracks. These cracks created a path, which was then followed, read, and interpreted, to come up with an answer. While these are amazing finds themselves, the inscriptions also give us some clues into the ancient language of the Xiong. Remarkably, we find that the basic structure is similar to classical Chinese, meaning the foundations for written Chinese had been present at least since this period. While the Xiong continued their golden era, there were others to the west, who shared the Yellow River's life-giving waters. These people were known as the Zhou. It is uncertain whether they were independent, or merely a province of the Xiong, as their cultures were similar. Whichever the case, the Zhou viewed the Xiong king as self-indulgent, and immoral. In 1046 BCE, the Zhou princes would revolt, leading to the Battle of Muye. Though outnumbered, with the support of civilians, the Zhou would overcome the Xiong, putting an end to this pivotal dynasty. The last king of Xiong committed suicide. Now in control, the Zhou knew they had to govern with care. They would rely on religious ideology for this. While previous kings claimed legitimacy through their ancestors, the Zhou claimed it from the heavens themselves. This was known as the Mandate of Heaven, the right to rule, given from a higher power. If a dynasty was to collapse, like the Xiong, this was because they had lost the mandate. This meant governance wasn't unconditional, and needed to be moral and virtuous. This rise and fall of dynasties would become fundamental to all of Chinese history. With their command firmly established, the Zhou implemented much of the Xiong culture and traditions, and expanded on it. This wasn't the only expansion that took place. Zhou armies consolidated much of northern China, and expanded southwards into the Yangtze Valley. Though the Zhou were kings, this period of Chinese history was always fairly decentralized. Landowners were mostly loyal to the king, but controlled their own areas as they pleased. This way of life would come crashing down around 771 BCE. Out of the west, a deadly invasion would occur. These were the Xianrong barbarians. Though the Zhou defense was strong, the barbarians eventually broke it down, and sacked the capital at Haojing. The barbarian attacks eventually subsided, but King Yu, of the Zhou, was killed. In the wake of the invasion, the Zhou moved their capital eastwards, to Wangcheng, also called Luoyang. This period, beginning in 770 BCE, was one of even greater decentralization. The Zhou possessed little power. Classical Chinese literature refers to the first part of this time, as the spring and autumn period, which lasted from the barbarian invasion of 771 to 476 BCE. In a rapid loss of power, the Zhou became irrelevant. While their dynasty would encompass a total of almost 800 years, longer than any other dynasty, their rule was almost entirely ceremonial by this point. Various smaller states would emerge, each with their own warlord ruler, or lord. It's possible up to 170 different states were present during this period, most vying for more territory in a cluttered China. Over time, five of these states would become the most prominent. These were known as the Five Hegemons. At the end of this spring and autumn period, one of these hegemons, the Jin, would face a devastating civil war, lasting 50 years. This resulted in the Jin kingdom becoming partitioned into three separate states. By the mid-400s BCE, the smaller states of the spring and autumn period were consolidated, and there were seven main states left in the battle for China. By this point, the Zhou, surrounded by powerful states on all sides, were powerless. These seven states were the Chu, Qi, Qin, Yang, and the former Jin territories of Han, Wei, and Zhao. This era of warring states would last around 180 years, and out of these seven, one would eventually emerge victorious, finally deposing the Zhou, and consolidating the other kingdoms to finally unify China under its first emperor. We'll get to this in a later episode, so be sure to subscribe. During the spring and autumn period, China wasn't just divided politically, but intellectually as well. This era saw the emergence of various schools of thought, and philosophy, which dubbed this, the time of a hundred schools of thought. Some took influence from the strife around them, and were militaristic ideologies, some were merely hierarchical and traditional, and some forewent the physical world completely. One of these was born in the mid-500s BCE, named Sun Wu, the Grandmaster. He would grow up to become a Chinese strategist and philosopher, taking the name Sun Tzu. His most famous work is The Art of War. Despite its title, The Art of War is meant to offer strategies to win battles, with as little actual fighting or warfare as possible. This was done with different tactics, often involving deception. It also explored the various non-violent aspects of war, like the economy, preparation, and environment. Around the same time as Sun Tzu, there was another. Born Kung Chu, this man would grow up to become Kung Fuzi, or Master Kung. Growing up in the small state of Lu, Kung acted as a junior minister, practicing the court ceremonies and rituals. After traveling China to seek out rulers who would put his philosophy into government, he returned to Lu and began writing and teaching ordinary people. His philosophy was based in the idea that in centuries past, every person knew their duty and place in society. Master Kung wanted to bring those ideals back. Order should be the way to govern, and hierarchies respected. This meant wives were to obey their husbands, sons their fathers, and townspeople their local rulers. He believed that if everyone did their duty and obeyed, that the world would be harmonious. While it seems overly reverential to authority, those in power also had to give back to their societies, and act in virtuous ways. Master Kung's teachings were generally well-received, with his students gaining positions of prominence within different courts. His philosophy would be deeply embedded into Chinese ideology and society for hundreds of years to come. In the early 16th century, after the arrival of Jesuit missionaries, Master Kung, or Kung Fuzi's name was Latinized, to Confucius. While Confucianism satisfied human beings' nature on earth, giving them purpose and their place in society, it lacked in one area. Despite an almost religious adoption of Confucian ideals, there was nothing supernatural or spiritual in the teachings. The part of human yearning for spiritual fulfillment came with another philosophy, preached by Lao Tzu. This name is an honorific title, meaning old master. Born in the 500s BCE, the same time as Confucius, he was a semi-legendary figure, and there isn't much known about him. His teachings focused on the Tao, or the Way. It was the source of all that there is, and the ultimate underlying principle to everything in reality. Submission to the Way meant embracing simplicity and the natural order of things. Confucianism and Taoism seemed opposed at first, but were later both adopted, complementing each other. One was the basis for societal life, the other for personal and inner spirituality. These would later be joined by Buddhism. China didn't stay in its warring states period forever. It was neither Confucianism, Taoism, or Buddhism that brought the kingdoms together. Adopting an even more strict and brutal philosophy, one of these seven states would overcome the others, and unify China under its first emperor. A story, we'll get to, in a later chapter.