The Classical Period, c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE: Content Summary 2.1: Classical Empires in East Asia

Under emperor Shihuangdi, the Qin established the first centralized imperial state in China (221–210 BCE). (2.1.A)

The Qin unified warring and fragmented feudal states into a single centralized empire through both conquest and forceful diplomacy. (2.1.A)

There was also a transition in warfare from skilled aristocratic chariots to large infantries; this both weakened the power of aristocrats and deskilled warfare. (2.1.A)

As articulated in Sun Tsu’s The Art of War (c. 500 BCE), battlefield strategies and management of military resources were what increasingly decided battles, not the skills of elite warriors. (2.1.A)

The Qin armies also deftly utilized iron weapons. (2.1.A)

The Qin state maintained unified political authority by creating and implementing harsh, authoritarian law codes informed by Legalism. (2.1.A)

The Qin state maintained unified political authority by creating and implementing harsh, authoritarian law codes informed by Legalism. (2.1.A)

The peasantry under the Qin were mostly free and paid taxes in the form of a military levy. (2.1.A)

The Qin Dynasty was highly centralized and organized into 40 provinces, each with numerous local administrative districts overseen by a governor directly appointed by the emperor. (2.1.A)

Han emperors abandoned the authoritarian principles of Legalism and instead associated themselves with Confucianism. (2.1.B)

Confucianism became closely associated with the Chinese state and its governing class of imperial appointees, which established the model of rule by scholar-bureaucrats. (2.1.B)

This system rewarded merit as opposed to aristocratic lineage. (2.1.B)

Large armies expanded the Han Dynasty’s territorial borders significantly beyond those of the Qin. (2.1.B)

China commanded the largest and most innovative economy in the world during the classical period. (2.1.C)

China commanded the largest and most innovative economy in the world during the classical period. (2.1.C)

Silk, porcelain, paper, cast-iron commodities, and other sophisticated handicraft were produced mostly by free laborers. (2.1.C)

The quality and portability of these goods made them ideal for long-distance trade. (2.1.C)

During the Han Dynasty, significant urbanization took place in response to local expansions of commerce and consumer demand and the long-distance trade along the Silk Roads. (2.1.C)

During the Han Dynasty, significant urbanization took place in response to local expansions of commerce and consumer demand and the long-distance trade along the Silk Roads. (2.1.C)

The principal religion of the Han was Daoism, which emanated from complex ideas and practices. (2.1.C)

The principal religion of the Han was Daoism, which emanated from complex ideas and practices. (2.1.C)

Daoist traditions relating to detachment and meditation would eventually ease the transition to Buddhism in China. (2.1.C)

There was often a commingling by practitioners of Confucianism, the predominant social philosophy in Han China, with Daoism. (2.1.C)

There was often a commingling by practitioners of Confucianism, the predominant social philosophy in Han China, with Daoism. (2.1.C)

There was often a commingling by practitioners of Confucianism, the predominant social philosophy in Han China, with Daoism. (2.1.C)