Imperial China's Development - Essay Example

IMPERIAL CHINA’S DEVELOPMENT Chinese Civilization The Chinese perception of civilization differs from that of the western world. The rise of the Chinese civilization was influenced by a series of turmoil arising from the Chinese people. The civilization periods of the Chinese were divided into dynasties which were ruled by kings. The Qin dynasty emerged in the 3rd B.C as the most powerful and ruthless kingdom. Their aim was to unite the Chinese as one and rule over them (Feng and Bodde,63). The Qin became more powerful due to their mastery of horsemanship, changing the war strategies and raising up the foot soldiers. They launched a defensive Kingdom as other kingdoms fell. They were led by Li Bing. His center plan was to control the floods and initiate irrigation. The builders used manual labor and natural forces for eight months until it was completed. After 18 years, a new emperor, Ying Jeng came to power and was faced by great opposition. Shi Huangdi succeeded him and with him came the most spectacular construction of all time, The Great Wall of China. This was unlike any other wall the world had ever seen(Zhang,85). It was created along the borders of China to keep the barbarians out and the Chinese within their walls. It stretched along 6000 miles and cost 1/5th of the Chinese population. This dynasty came to an end with the death of Shi Huangdi. This was followed by extreme chaos by the peasants, and the Han dynasty took over. It was led by Liu Bang. They extended the Great Wall of China even more, and the population grew to 15 million. Liu Bang took a ruthless hand to bring back peace to a chaotic China. However, the empire was brought to an end with the peasant rebel, and China was reduced to chaos. Yang di then took over. He led the Sui dynasty. He strengthened his empires within the borders but was overtook by chaos which evolved in the 1800’s, arising from the peasants, bringing the Sui dynasty to an end. The Ming dynasty which were believed to be China’s real rulers then took over. They were concerned even more with China’s developments, and connected the Northern and southern china through a grand canal. They used the existing water ways to build this canal. These were the yang sea and the yellow river. It took more than 1million work days to do so. Tens of thousands died in the process. 5 million workers were involved in the process, and it took six years to construct this 1200 mile canal(Zhang,54). The main aim of this canal was to transport goods and people. It also integrated the north and the south. It was ruled by emperor Zheng. He was made to lead a high fleet of ships. He ordered 337 ocean going ships an additional 138 were converted for ocean travel. Zheng set sail for the world. In his 28 year naval rule, he visited 38 countries. These voyages established china as a superpower. He died on his way to India and a new emperor rose burning Zhang’s fleets to the ground. All ocean vessels were consequently destroyed. Construction of the great walls reach its peak during this dynasty. Much enhancements such as small holes, an artillery and food storage were made to the wall. Chinese Spiritual Traditions The History of the Chinese people’s development does not just involve the rise and fall of dynasties, but is also greatly endowed by the presence of religion which played a primary role in the society. Religion played a key role in influencing their perception of the world, and of the people around them. These religions came into existence through their founders, who subscribed to a certain set of beliefs. The three most dominant religions in China include the Confucius wisdom, Budhism and the Taoist perception. Confucius, also known as Qong Kiu was the most influential of the Chinese history. His main idea was to create a moral upright behavior. His concern was for every government to build a just society. He believed in the respect for hierarchy, in which everyone should act according to his place in the hierarchy. This hierarchy did not only involve people in government, but also the family set up in which the fathers occupied the highest hierarchical position. This aspect of Qong Kiu’s wisdom is still largely embraced by the Chinese people who have a high respect for people in high hierarchical positions to date. This respect extends across the business field into the family set up. He believed that rulers had to rule justly so that people could not lose their faith in them(Wright,94). His vision was of a moral society bound together with morals and respect. The Taoism religion also influenced and still influences the Chinese religions. This perception is influenced by the belief that there is a source of and force behind everything that exists. The three attributes; patience, humility and compassion are emphasized on. This religion greatly influenced the nature of interactions between people in China, and has been widely embraced by the Chinese(Wright,37). The Buddhism religion is closely linked to Confucius wisdom. They complement each other, and one cannot exist without the other. Buddhism embraces the role of the natural environment in bringing harmony in people. It was pioneered by Buddha, who looked for peace in nature. This religion makes up the biggest percentage, not only in China, but in most Asian countries neighboring China as well. The above developments in China clearly reveal a pattern of power from one dynasty to another. At the end of each dynasty was chaos, before the succession into another dynasty, and History would repeat itself as far as the Chinese were concerned. The Chinese religions similarly, emerged, one after the other, with their founders belonging to different generations, and gaining a massive number of followers. Religion played an equally important role in governing the moral conducts of the armies who were to respect the people above them and do as they commanded without questioning as governed by the Confucius way of thinking(Feng and Bodde,41). The end of the Ming dynasty brought to an end the imperial era, and communism succeeded with the development of the people’s republic of China which resulted after the great civil war between the Chinese people. The Chinese at this point had begun interacting with the outside world. Their participation in the World War 1 further facilitated such interactions, and in the 1920’s with the assistance of the Soviet Union, the once fragmented Chinese nation was united under one leader. In 1972, the Chinese president at the moment, Mao met the US president Richard Nixon in Beijing with the intention of establishing a good relationship with the United States. In that year, the People’s Republic of China was admitted to the United Nations and given a permanent membership. This marked the beginning of a long lasting relationship between the Chinese and the western countries. The development of the China throughout the imperial era marked by the series of dynasties is a realpolitik interpretation, because it provides accurate facts, dates and events that ensued, involving the descriptions of the developments as they take place. The religious aspect is however weak, and does not provide tangible facts and descriptions on the events that led to the development of China to what it is today, nor the factors that contributed to this development. Works Cited Wright, Arthur F. Buddhism In Chinese History. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1959. Print. Zhang, Guiyong. Chinese History. Taipei: China Academy, 1977. Print. Feng, Youlan, and Derk Bodde. A History Of Chinese Philosophy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1952. Print. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjH9lsgkqR4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsd05kjnayM Read More