Confucianism- Confucius was born in 551 BC was China’s most influential thinker. Believed that older people were superior to younger. His ideas were people are naturally good, and education was the road to advancement.
Taoism- Taoist believed in balance between yin and yang. Wanted people to live in harmony with nature and acceptance of the universe.
Zhou- emperor rules by the mandate of heaven or the belief that dynasties rise and fall according to the will or the ancestors. Emperors housed in the forbidden city separate from all others. Political authority controlled by Confucian values with emperor on full control but bounded by duty. Political power centralized under Shi Huangdi-often seen as the first real emperor. Han-strong centralized government, supported by educated scholars who obtained positions through civil service tests
Created ivory and jade carvings. Created porcelain glass. Worked with bronze and silk. They were interested in nature: animals, trees, flowers, rocks, water. Chinese artists wanted to express the relationship between people and nature. Artists also cast bronze jars in molds with designs of dragons, elephants, and other creatures. paintings, influenced by Taoism and Confucianism, often show tiny people dwarfed by nature. Artists became concerned with economy of line: one simple line makes us see the whole cliff, or flowers, or birds. They began to draw just one flower, or one bird. Most people in ancient China could not