To Mr. Carleton:

Sorry that the posts are out of order.  I tried to repost and delete them, but it didn't work. :(  This is how the order should go;
Buddhism Comes to China
Confucius
Lao Zi and Taoism
Unification of China
Great Wall
Han Dynasty
T'ang Dynasty
Sung Dynasty
Mongols Take China
Zheng He
Hope you enjoy!

Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty is starting to bother me.  It started in 206 BC and now its 220 AD.  They've been ruling for as long as anyone can remember and I'm tired of it.  The Chin dynasty was overthrown by peasants and now the government they've created is crumbling down.  It is said that in the beginning of the empire, life was easy.  Taxes were lowered, extreme punishment ceased and merchants were given new freedoms.  China's borders expanded past the Yangtze and Yellow rivers.  The government made Confucianism the official state philosophy and used civil service tests to select government officials.  Unfortunatly, quick developement comes with a price.  Now we just want something better.  Our resources are becoming scarce and the governement knows the people are angry about him now foreseeing this.  He's replaced the army of peasants and transformed it into a trained military.  He knows rebellion is coming.  Everyone has been migrating recently.  18 million in the last millenium.  Ontop of all this, the Yellow river has once again flooded, threatening out way of life.  Maybe I will migrate, too.  Or should I join the rising rebellion?  I'm not sure what to do. 
http://homepages.stmartin.edu/Fac_Staff/rlangill/HIS%20217%20maps/Han%20dynasty%20map.JPG

T'ang Dynasty

This is the year 618 CE.  It is the time of the T'ang dynasty and it is the golden age of poetry.  Some refer to this time as the Sui Dynasty. China's most beloved poet is living at right now by the name of Li Po.  His writing is the product of the silk road.  "All weath and power is like clouds."  That is my favorite quote of his.  His writing is so beautiful.  The capitol of this dynasty is Chang-an, but I have a feeling in the future they'll call it Xi'an.  Sadly, the T'ang dynasty could decline due to revolution.  I've heard people planning one.
http://homepages.stmartin.edu/Fac_Staff/rlangill/HIS%20217%20maps/Tang%20dynasty%20map.JPG

Sung Dynasty

Many of my dear friends lived during the Sung Dynasty.  The Sung dynasty took place from 960 to 1279 AD.  After the T'ang dynasty there was a period of disunion from 907 to 960 AD.  After this period the Sung dynasty partially unified China.  The period called the Northern Sung took place from 960 to 1127 AD.  The capital was Kaifeng which meant "Yellow River".  This area helped ruled Northern Sung for 170 years and was the furthest outpost of Judaism.  In 1127, Northern Sung was conquered by the Chin dynasty.  For 150 more years the Sung ruled southern China.  (1127 to 1279)  The Mongols take China in 1279, conquering the Sung dynasty.  The Sung dynasty was the peak in Chinese civilization.  The Sung invented newspapers, movable type print, dictionary, compass, stern reuter and paper maps.  They also supported the widespread use of paper money which accelerated trade within China.  A large part of the way life was lived in the Sung dynasty was Neo-Confucianism.  This philosophy consisted of two schools; the School of Intuition and the School of Principle.  Both of these schools agreed that the mind consisted of two realms; the Realm of Principle and the Realm of Material force.  To live your life the neo-Confucius way, you had to give up material items and stick to principle.  My friend, Yi Bing, lived a happy life by this philosophy and encourages everyone to do the same. 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Sung_Dynasty_1141.png

Zheng He: Explorer!

I would like to say that Admiral Zheng He is my favorite explorer.  He had a total of seven voyages.  (Take that Christopher Columbus!)  Anyway, Admiral Zheng He wasn't always an explorer.  He started out as baby, like all of us, in 1371 CE.  His home town was conquered when he was the age of three.  He was brought to the emperor as a gift and was later castrated.  As he got older, he got closer to the emperor and became the chief lieutenant.  He set sail for the world in 1405.  In this amount of time, Admiral Zheng visited 37 countries and possibly America.  He sailed to ChoChin and the Persian Gulf.  These explorations brought new trade to China.  Zheng He's exploration could've opened many new doors for China had they chosen to pursue and map out the world, but exploration was abruptly put to a halt in 1433.  The Ming Dynasty had been conquered and the new emperor burned all ocean floats, ceasing any exploration or trade.  No one is sure of why this discussion was made, but some say it was to turn China's focus inward.  The new emperor wanted to improve China from the inside, as opposed to conquering or exploring other parts of the world.
http://www.whatdoyaknow.com/images/1421-ChinaZhengHeShip1405vsSantaMaria500pxw.jpg

Mongols Take China

In about 1200 A.D. the Mongols came out of central Asia.  While doing this, they also overran the Song China and imposed Mongol rule on its people.  The tribes in the area were constantly at war.  In the early 1200's, a Mongol Chief united these warring tribes.  His name was Temujin, but the world knows him as Genghis Kahn.

I'm glad I never met Genghis Kahn.  From what I've heard of him, he was ruthless.  Although I've meant many legendary folk by chance, Genghis Kahn isn't someone that I'd hope to come across.  Most troubled adults are the result of a hard childhood.  Genghis Kahn wasn't exactly a "troubled" adult, but he was responsible for a few events that I'm sure he wouldn't be too proud of.  The Mongols were destroyers.  The conquered people were usually harshly treated and ridiculed if they pay taxes for their heritage.  Anyways, Genghis Kahn had reason for his less-than honorable perspective on life.  His father was poisoned by a rival tribe when he was nine.  By the age of fifteen he was taken prisoner.  He wasn't exactly a well-treated prisoner either.  Genghis Kahn was paraded around the enemy’s camp and humiliated.  They locked his inside of a cell.  At age fifteen being locked in a cell isn't exactly ideal.  (Although at any age being locked in a cell probably isn't ideal.  My point is that he was very young to be in prison.)  When he finally regained his freedom, he didn't forget his inhospitable treatment and seeked revenged.  My grandfather was alive during this time and he tells me stories of the Mongols' glory days as though they were the high-point in civilization.  (Maybe for some it was, but for most conditions weren't too appealing.) Genghis Kahn imposed strict military discipline and demanded absolute loyalty from his people.  This is probably why he was able to conquer northern China.  His army was mobile, highly skilled and had the best horsemen in the world.  He taught his followers how to use cannons.  Genghis Kahn ended up dying in conquest.  He lived from 1162 A.D. to 1227A.D. 

The Mongols in general were not oppressive rulers.  They were tolerant and just.  The Mongols believed in letting conquered people live so long as they paid a tribute to Mongols.  They listened to the beliefs of other religions and religious peoples such as; Confucians, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Jews and Zoroastrians.
Genghis Kahn's son, who is the ruler now, established peace and order with in his domain.  With this advance cultural trade increased.  Food, tools, inventions, and ideas spread along the protected trade routes. 

The Song Empire in China was conquered by the Mongols in 1279.  Under Mongol rule, China's capitol was made Beijing which was renamed Khanbaliq.  Kublai Kahn tried to prevent the Mongols from being absorbed into Chinese civilization.  He made a law saying only Mongols could enter the military and reserved the highest government jobs for Mongols.  But there was one problem with Kublai's new rules; China was a big country and there weren't enough Mongolians.  Despite Kublai's best efforts, Chinese and foreign traditions began to blend.  Eventually Kublai himself adopted a new Chinese name for his empire; Yuan.  The Yuan Empire lasted from 1279 to 1294 A.D.  It decline after Kublai's death and eventually became conquered by the Ming Dynasty in 1368. 

Genghis Kahn’s actions led to a new empire, even though all of his actions weren’t exactly honorable. 

Buddhism Comes to China

It is said that when he was born, the world flooded with light.  That the lame walked, the blind saw, that criminals were freed from their chains.  It is said that at the birth of this great prodigy, the fires of hell were quenched and that everyone rejoiced except one; Mara the evil one. 

I was walking past a Bo tree when I saw him.  I would’ve just passed by, but he seemed so deep in meditation.  I had seen people meditate before, but never had I seen someone so immersed and concentrated that I wondered what he was thinking.  Then something extraordinary happened.  A woman appeared and I began to feel uneasy about spying.  She seemed so intent on disrupting his concentration, but he was so deep in concentration he didn’t even acknowledge her.  Then another woman appeared.  They were both extremely beautiful, god-like.  The one seemed to have karma about her.  She seemed so dark, evil.  The other one brought with her three voluptuous women.  They all danced trying to distract the man sitting by the tree.  She said her name was Kama to the other one.  The evil one, said her name was Mara.  Mara began forming hurricanes and I took shelter, but only seemed to affect the man.  He stayed as still as a rock.    Then the hurricanes ceased and turned to flower petals.  She roared one question.  “Who are you to become the Buddha?  What makes you so special to be the enlightened one?”  But her cries were in vain because he just stayed in meditation.  Then it was as though the whole world had altered.  Lotuses bloomed from every tree.  What is now called The Great Awakening had taken place.  The man sitting under the tree had become the Buddha.  Mara the sneered and said, “Why bother?  No one will understand.”  Then, for the first time, the man spoke.  He said simply, “There will be some that will understand.”  Then the woman vanished

It’s said that he wondered for 49 days in rapture.  Buddha found an order of monks and challenged the Brahmin society.  He trained monks, comforted and counseled people.  I ran into him once, when I went back to the Bo Tree.  I asked him, “What are you?”  He then replied, “I am awake.”  I walked away, confused and unsure of what that meant.  Then, something stopped me.  I wasn’t sure what it was.  I turned and asked who he was before he became the Buddha.  He then went on to tell me of his former life.  He was born 563 B.C, Nepal.  His name was Siddhartha Gautama of the Sakyas.  His father, the king of the Sakyas, took him to a fortune teller at his birth.  He had everything in life one could want.  He lived in luxury and high-quality from the day he was born.  The fortune tellers foretold two paths.  If he stayed with the world he would unify India and become a great conqueror.  If he forsook the world he would not become a world conqueror but a world redeemer; a savior.  His father wanted him to be a conquerer as opposed to a savior.  He was given 3 palaces and 40,000 dancing women.  When he went out runners went ahead of him and cleared the roads of ugliness.  But one day, the runners made a mistake.  They passed a man with grayed hair, crooked teeth and wrinkles.  Siddhartha then learned of old age.  Then he saw a body racked with disease and a corpse.  Siddhartha learned of disease and death.  His reality had been so different from those of the rest of the world that he resent his father for trying to hide the world from him.  The fourth thing Siddhartha saw was a monk with a shaven head, ochre robe, and bowl. On this occasion he learned the life of withdrawal from the world.  These sights became known as the four passing sights.  He began to question his way of life.  He asked himself, "Where is the realm of life in which there is neither age nor death?”  When he turned 29 he left his life of luxury in search of enlightenment.  He wondered the forest for 6 years.  He sought out the two foremost Hindu masters and learned a great deal about Raja Yoga.  He joined a group of Ascetics and ate 6 grains of rice a day.  The Buddha came across a revelation; the four noble truths.  The first truth is Dukka, or the conclusion that life is dislocated.  The second was Tanha, or desire.  The third noble truth is overcoming the first two.  The fourth and final noble truth is to follw the eight-fold path.  He died at the age of 80 in the house of Cunda the smith.  The cause of death was dysentery from eating dried boar.  He thanks Cunda because know he could now go to Nirvana. 

The Great Wall

After I was approached by the assistant, he eventually told me his name was Ying Bei.  He offered me a job after I explained my most recent use of my time.  He said I work as a builder.  A builder of what was is now the Great Wall of China.  The Great Wall of China was built in 220 BCE by the first emperor Qin Shi Huangdi of the Qin Dynasty.  The purpose of this masterpiece was to keep Barbarians and invaders out, as well as keeping the Chinese people in.  It was built on the border of China by one fifth of China’s workforce.  One fourth of the laborers died while working on the wall and were buried inside of it.  This was the reasoning for the Great Walls other name, the long graveyard.  I’m pretty glad that I turned down the offer now knowing the reality and brutality of the position.  The wall was constructed by placing wood panels on the sides and then filling the middle with earth, stone and sticks.  When the clay dried the panels were removed and there was a large block of cement-like wall.  Later, in 206 the Han Dynasty extended the wall to the west.  Codes and signals were devised to defend and protect the wall.  There were smoke towers at different intervals where there was a constant supply of fuel to burn in case of an invasion.  When an invader was spotted or there was trouble, a smoke tower would be ignited and then when the watchmen saw a lit tower they would ignite the next smoke tower letting the whole wall know there was a problem that needed to be attended to.  The codes were kept a secret from the public so only the government knew what was going on.  The reason I know all of this information is because after I turned down the position as builder, I moved on to learn and help architect parts of the wall. 

Lao Tzu and Taoism

Today I was walking in the forest and I came across a man walking aimlessly looking at a large tree that looked foreign to me.  He was smiling unconsciously as he ran his palm over the leaves.  Why was he so giddy?  He seemed completely engrossed in the beauty of the tree when he abruptly sat down and closed his eyes.  He crossed his arms over his lower belly and fell into deep meditation.  He looked as though he was sleeping and he seemed completely content and tranquil leaning against the tree.  I was extremely curious as to what was so appealing to the tree, but I didn’t want to disturb him.  He then opened one eye and said, “May I help you?”  I was suddenly embarrassed at my spying and struggle to clear my voice. 

“Um…I was just curious as to what type of tree that was.”

“Ah…well that is a question I do not know the answer to.  Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

“What?”

“The key concept of Taoism is to live in harmony with nature.”

“What is Taoism?”

“Tao is The Way.”

“The way to what?”

“Those who speak the Tao do not know it, those who know the Tao do not speak of it.”

“Oh,” I was very confused at this point.  What is Tao?  How does it coincide with nature?

He then went on to explain that Taoism teaches that you should reject conflict and have little or no government.  “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

The key to Taoism is to coincide with nature.  He used a term I wasn’t familiar with; he told me to go with the flow.  I smiled crookedly and began to think he was a bit of a loon.  He laughed easily and explained that water doesn't resist but yields to outside pressure and is also unstoppable.  Another key concept of Taoism is ying and yang, or good and bad.  There must be a balance of ying and yang to have a good atmosphere according to Taoists.  He told me he was going to write a book and call it "Te Ching", meaning book of wisdom.  He said it would be about wisdom of the ancestors control of the past. 

Before I left, I asked for his name.  He told me that he was Lao Tzu meaning “Old Master”.  I told him I was planning to travel towards the Great Wall.  He told me that a good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.  I then felt a little lighter and walked north towards my destination, wondering whether I would even get there.

Confucius

Confucius: The Man behind the Legend

Confucius was born in 551 BCE during the Chou dynasty in northwest China.  His father died when he was the age of three and he was left to live in poverty with his mother.  Confucius grew up in a harsh time when rival warlords were fighting.  Everything was focused on war.  Mass executions took place and people were consumed by war being used as soldiers, growing food for soldiers or making goods for soldiers.  Where was the meaning?  What were they fighting to preserve?  It was in this time of hardship and despair that Confucius had an epiphany.  He realized that society could be held together by goodness and only goodness. 

Confucius Philosophy is a Way of Life

Confucius then developed some basic principles of a good society by blending his ideas with those of traditional Chinese.  The first was that society would be in harmony as long as everyone performs their duties.  The second principle was that if the ruler is good, then people will follow his example.  The third is that humanity is the center of Heaven and Earth.  The fourth was that family is the foundation of society.  The fifth was that respect and authority are keys to goodness.  And lastly; Confucius believed you should not ask more from people than they can give.  Confucius eventually goes to work in the government; he hopes that in this position he can use his ideas in fostering a better way of life for the Chinese people.  Another of his philosophies was for a subordinate to point out his or hers superior's mistakes.  When he does this in his job, his superior's feel insulted and he is fired.  He then spends the remainder of his life as a wandering teacher dying in 479 BCE.

            At this point in time the Qin Dynasty had been conquered.  I had managed to stay in the government business, but not in architecture.  I was now working in the Han Dynasty and had been put in charge of society structure and relationships.  I had been doing some research on philosophy; traveling around the region, listening to people’s personal guidelines on how to have a good society.  Times were hard and we needed some structure on how to treat one another.  I eventually came across the concept of Confucianism.  I had never met Confucius himself, but his ideas and philosophies seemed valid and a good foundation for our new society.

Confucianism Makes Leaves a Mark in History

I then began to pursue my new goal; to make Confucianism the official state philosophy of the Han Dynasty.  Eventually, after a lot of debates and discussion, my goal was reached.  Confucianism was now the way of life in China.  This includes using a civil service test to select the most suited government officials.  There are two branches of Confucianism; Mohism and Legalism.  Mozi or Mo Di was the first to spread Mohism.  The main concept of Mohism is universal love.  They believe that forgiveness and equality are key to a good society.  Mohist are against campaigns of conquest and obedient to superiors.  Legalism on the other hand consists of standardized laws and considers human nature to be inherently evil.  Legalists believe that when you are born you are born evil and must be shown what is right and good.  They severely punish bad behavior as well as reward behavior that is good for the state.  I personally was a Mohist believing that forgiveness and nonviolence is best, but there are many other opinions to consider when building a government.

Unification of China

Ying Zheng was born in 259 BC.  He was brought into a harsh world where he had many enemies plotting his demise hoping to steal his thrown.  His mother, the most dangerous of these foes, plotted to kill her son.  He found this out and had her banished from his kingdom.  This was when he decided that his ultimate goal would be to conquer China.  Over the next few years, he accomplished this goal and became Qin Shi Huangdi, or first emperor of the Qin Dynasty.

I was parched.  I had been walking for a few miles when I saw him.  He looked majestic on horseback where he had a look of intense concentration.  I hadn’t seen a person for a while and setting my eyes upon this fellow made me realize how not only was I thirsty, but I was also fatigued.  I slow my pace to a stop and looked up at the man.  His gaze veered sharply towards me, assessing my appearance (which I imagine would’ve been a bit shabby).  He then gestured to his assistant who approached me in a sort of timid way, almost as though I were diseased.  I smiled in an inviting way so that he wouldn’t be as nervous.  He then began moving towards me in a brisk fashion. 

“State your purpose,” he demanded.
“I’m just passing through.”
“Not through here you’re not.  This area is under protection by the Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi.”
“Who,” I felt embarrassed to not be keeping up on politics.
“Are you not familiar with the leader of our society?”
“I guess not.  The last news I heard was during the Warring States.”
“Well, all of the states are in control of the Qin Dynasty.”

He then almost took pity on my ignorance and explained what I had been missing while I was out wandering in the forest.  Now, looking back on the experience, I know what I didn’t then.  The Qin Dynasty was ruthless.  It started out as one of the western states during the Period of the Warring states which took place in 475-221 BCE.  Their objective was conquering and unifying China. They were revolutionary in warfare due to two great advantages in war.  One of these was their abundance of foot soldiers and another was their use of horsemen.  They also knew how to mass produce weapons.  With these strengths they defeated the other six warring states and achieved their goal.  The Qin dynasty was the first to unify China.  Although it only lasted from 221-207 BCE, the dynasty was very significant to China's history. 

Accomplishments of the Qin Dynasty

Aside from being one of the most technologically advanced civilizations in history, the Qin also managed to standardize the language and writing of China.  The new region had a need for consistent communication and so they established a common language.  Another accomplishment was the work of Li Bing.  Li Bing was a hydraulic engineer who built a channel through Mount Qian.  The rivers of this region were treacherous to townspeople when there were overflows and conversely during droughts lack of water threatened their way of life.  Li Bing wanted to control the water so it would be of abundance when needed and contained during heavy rains.  He had one obstacle while creating this channel; Mount Qian.  Mount Qian was directly in the way of his water system.  He couldn't move the mountain out of the way and to make heavy lifting easier he devised an ingenious plan.  He put sticks in the cracks of boulders and then filled them with water.  The wood would absorb the water causing it to expand and crack the boulders into movable sizes.  With this method, Li Bing managed to make a channel through the mountain for water to pass.  When the channel was built, the region became highly populated with more agriculture.  This region was where I eventually decided to move my home to. 

http://www.crystalinks.com/qinemperor.jpg