») Key Ideas BEFORE, YOU LEARNED NOW YOU WILL LEARN Despite facing many challenges, the Han Dynasty Chinese philosophies had a lasting influence established a strong Chinese empire that lasted ‘on East Asia, as did advances in technology, for four centuries. agriculture, and trade made during Han times. >) Vocabulary TERMS & NAMES REVIEW Silk Roads overland trade routes along Buddhism religion that began in India and is which sik and other Chinese goods passed to _based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama Mesopotamia and Europe é trans-Eurasian involving the continents of Europe and Asia cultural diffusion spread of cultural practices, and customs to other areas of the world BACKGROUND VOCABULARY luxury object or service that is not really needed, but gives enjoyment standards ules or practices that ate accepted ssi vocabulary sik Roads as models » needing Strategy UUVLELV Re-create the web diagram shown at right. As} CATEGORIZE you read and respond to the KEY QUESTIONS, 7 use the diagram to categorize details about ancient China's legacy. BY. sce skiltbultder Handbook, page R6. GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS Go to Interactive Review @ClassZone.comThe Legacy of Ancient China Connect to What You Know ‘rade formed a part of Chinese Coin Coins Chinese life. Despite the geographic barriers that separated like this one from the Fi Han Dynasty, were used China from the lands to the west, trade caused Chinese contacts ~ throughout the eastern with other lands to increase. part of central Asia until the A. 6005. Along what trade routes The Silk Roads might these coins have spread? a W) KEY QUESTION Why were the Silk Roads important to Chinese civilization? Duting the time of the Han Dynasty, only the Chinese knew how to make silk: It was much desired as a luxury fabric both by the Chinese and by people outside of China. Chinese silk was important in opening trading routes to the west. uibraidetad Si Tapestry This Chinese A Trans-Eurasian Link Overland trade routes were called Silk apesty shows the Roads because traders carried silk and other goods on caravan _uddha preaching at trails, The trails stretched westward from China through central te caledVuture Peak. Asia to Mesopotamia and Europe, covering about 5,000 miles of territory. (See the map n pages 166-167.) Because these trails stretched across two continents, Europe and Asia, they were called trans- i Eurasian. China was part of a huge global trade network. By 100 n.c,, the Silk Roads were. well established. Traders made fortunes carrying goods back and forth across the harsh terrain in camel caravans. The trip could take several years. Cities along, the Silk Roads provided food, water, and shelter, as well as goods for trade, Goods leaving China included silk, paper, jade, and pottery, Exchange goods coming from the west included sesame seeds and oil, metals, arid precious stones. One trade item the Chinese especially valued was Central Asian horses.ae ee ee. /pisiiateat Geocrapny SHS OEE SUSE pele LD Gek ere to travel along the ‘Sik Roads @ lassZone-com {: Be Poe > | h CONNECT Geography & History Movement What explains the split in the main route of the Silk Roads between Duniuang and Kashgar? Cultural Diffusion ‘Trade goods were not the only things that moved on the Silk Roads. Ideas and cultural customs traveled along the Silk Roads, too. This spread of ideas and customs is called cultural diffusion. Cultural diffusion can occur whenever one group of people comes in contact with another group of people. ‘As you learned in Section 1, geographic barriers isolated China, which meant that its culture developed with little outside influence. ‘The Silk Roads, however, skirted the Taklimakan Desert and crossed the Pamirs, allowing new goods, ideas, and customs to enter China, For example, such things as Central Asian military techniques, Buddhist teachings, and western cultural styles reached China. In turn, Chinese att, silks, and pottery influenced the cultures to the west. The Spread of Buddhism In Chapter 5, you learned about the beginnings of Buddhism in India, During the Han Dynasty, Buddhist missionaries entered China along the Silk Roads and introduced the religion to the Chinese people. At first, the foreign ideas attracted few followers, However, in the turbulent years after the fall of the Han Dynasty, Buddhism’s promise of an escape from suffering became attractive to many Chinese people. Chinese Buddhists modified Buddhism to make it fit better with their own traditions. Buddhism spread to Japan and Korea from China, (A) ANALYZE EFFECTS Explain why the Silk Roads were important to Chinese civilization. 166 © Chapter 6 iThe Silk Roads skirted the 4/\ Gobi Desert, but traders still {faced heat, cold sandstorms, 12] bandits, and sometimes wars, | Around Kashgar, Chinese traders gave thelr goods, such as tis pottery dog, to traders who took them west. Influential Ideas and Beliefs Y) KEY QUESTION How important were Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism? ‘The philosophies of ancient China continue to influence the country and the world, The standards set by Confucianism remained significant in Chinese government and education. Today, Confucius’s ideas about social duty ate still important in Chinese villages. Confucianism also became a very influential philosophy in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Daoism had a lasting influence in China. By the 500s, it had become a religion with priests, rituals, and volumes of collected writings. Unlike Confucianism, however, Daoism remained primarily a Chinese belief system. ‘Together, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism make up the three major religions or ethical systems that have influenced Chinese life. Most people's beliefs included elements of all three. Daoist and Buddhist temples can be seen all over China. Today, these three belief systems have followers around the world, Buddhism is the most widespread, with almost 379 million followers in 130 countries. In addition, there are almost 6.5 million Confucianists and about 2.7 million Daoists worldwide. (A) SUNIMARIZE Explain the lasting importance of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism Ancient China ® a)C168 « chapter 6 Silk Roads Trade Cities along the Silk Roads Materials provided trade goods for the caravans + books on the sik Roads traveling the route. + paper and markers or colored pencils Make a Silk Roads Market Research some of the goods available along the Silk Roads. Use the map of the Sik Roads on pages 166-167 in this chapter to help you. @ Break into pairs. Identify one trade good that caravans would have encountered on the Sik Roads, Find or draw an image to represent your ‘rade good, @ Think about how much your trade good! is worth. ‘What would you be willing to trade it for? © Gather together with thie other pairs in a Silk Roads market. Set up a “stall” to trade from, @ While one partner stays at the stall to greet buyers the other should travel tothe other stalls to trade. Try to trade for atleast one of 8 each good at the market. Chinese Inventions and Discoveries Y) KEY QUESTION In which aspects of Chinese life did the Han make great advances? China had a large and growing population to feed. The Chinese considered farming the most important and honored profession. Because agriculture was so significant in China, many new agricultural inventions came about during this period. Agricultural Improvements Chinese inventions made life easier for farmers and made more grain available for trade. For example, the Chinese perfected a plow that was more efficient because it had two blades. The improved plow, along with better iron farm tools, helped increase crop production, Another technological advance was a collar harness for horses. This invention allowed horses to pull much heavier loads than did the harness being used in Europe at the time. “The Chinese also invented the wheelbarrow, which made it easier for farmers to move heavy loads by hand. The Chinese began to use water mills, which used river power to grind grain, In a land of mostly farmers, these inventions were valuable.Paper In .p. 105, paper was invented in China. Before that time, books were made of cosily silk. The inexpensive paper was made from a mixture of old rags, mulberry tree bark, and fibers from the hemp plant. Tiexpensive paper made books available in a country that placed a high value on earning. The invention of paper also affected the Chinese government. Previously, all government documents had been recorded on strips of wood. Using paper for record keeping was much more convenient. Paper was an important invention for a bureaucratic government that kept many records. Silk Silk is beautiful and long lasting. It can be dyed brilliant colors. For about 3,000 years, only the Chinese knew the sectet to making silk, Because it was rare, it became an excellent trade product. Silk allowed the Chinese to get silver and gold from lands to the west of China, At one time, Sill Amodern-day ‘one pound of silk-was worth one pound of gold. Getting gold nema a and silver was important to China because the country did not Roads nahet at Kass have rich deposits of either mineral, in China, Ay) CATEGORIZE List the aspects of Chinese life in which the Han made the greatest advances. [AB onuine quiz fortest paces goto Interactive Review @classzonecom Terms & Names Key Ideas 1. Explain the importance of 3. What economic changes did the Sik Roads bring Sik Roads — trans-Eurasian cultural diffusion to China? . 4, How did the Silk Roads aid in the spread of Use Your Reading Notes Buddhism? 2. Categorize Use your completed web diagram to answer the following question: ‘What ideas or goods did China give the ancient world? 5. Why were most of the early Chinese inventions ‘elated to agriculture? Critical Thinking 6. Analyze Causes and Effects Why were the Silk Roads important to ancient China? 7. @AMESREREEND Why might Confucianism continue to influence fife in Chinese villages? Internet Activity Use the Internet to research hoy the process, Clearly label al the steps, INTERNET KEYWORD: Silk making Ww sik is made, Create a diagram showing