 | Term | Definition |
| |
Shang Dynasty |
the dynasty that ruled china from 18 BC to 12 BC |
| |
Dynasty |
a group of people that rules a specific piece of land for a long period of time |
| |
Ancestor Worship |
talking to the god you worship through your ancestors |
| |
Mandate of Heaven |
the ruler was given the right to rule from a divine source |
| |
Dynastic Cycle |
how dynasties come to power then fall from power |
| |
Feudalism |
the hierarchy controls everybody and then has specific lords control groups of people |
| |
Confucianism |
the system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Confucius and his disciples, stressing love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct |
| |
Analects |
selected passages from the writings of an author or of different authors |
| |
Yin and Yang |
two principles, one negative, dark, and feminine (yin), and one positive, bright, and masculine (yang), whose interaction influences the destinies of creatures and things. |
| |
Filial Piety |
n Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors |
| |
Daoism |
philosophical system developed by Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu advocating a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events |
| |
The Way of Virtue |
Either approach to the great mystery of God can lead to great compassion |
| |
Shi Huangdi |
the emperor that united China |
| |
Legalism |
strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, esp. to the letter rather than the spirit. |
| |
Great Wall of China |
built to protect China from invaders |
| |
Han Dynasty |
mperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time from 206 BC to AD 220) and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy; remembered as one of the great eras of Chinese civilization |
| |
Silk Road |
An ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea extending some 6,440 km (4,000 mi) and linking China with the Roman Empire. |
| |
Bureaucracy |
government by many bureaus, administrators, and petty officials. |
| |
Meritocracy |
an elite group of people whose progress is based on ability and talent rather than on class privilege or wealth. |
| |
Sui Dynasty |
followed the Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the Tang Dynasty in China |
| |
Warlords |
A military commander exercising civil power in a region, whether in nominal allegiance to the national government or in defiance of it. |
| |
Tang Dynasty |
the imperial dynasty of China from 618 to 907 |
| |
Empire |
a group of nations or peoples ruled over by an emperor, empress, or other powerful sovereign or government: usually a territory of greater extent than a kingdom, as the former British Empire, French Empire, Russian Empire, Byzantine Empire, or Roman Empire. |
| |
Tributary states |
one of the two main ways in which a pre-modern state might be subordinate to a more powerful neighbor |
| |
Song Dynasty |
the imperial dynasty of China from 960 to 1279; noted for art and literature and philosophy |
| |
Grand Canal |
a canal in E China, extending S from Tientsin to Hangchow |
| |
Mongols |
A member of any of the traditionally nomadic peoples of Mongolia |
| |
Genghis Khan |
Mongol conqueror of most of Asia and of Eastern Europe to the Dnieper River |
| |
Kublai Khan |
founder of the Mongol dynasty in China (grandson of Genghis Khan) |
| |
Pax Mongolica |
coined by Western scholars to describe the alleged stabilizing effects of the conquest of the Mongol Empire on the social, cultural and economic life of the inhabitants of the vast Eurasian territory |
| |
Marco Polo |
Venetian traveler who explored Asia from 1271 to 1295. |
| |
Ming Dynasty |
the imperial dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 |
| |
Zheng He |
Chinese mariner of Hui ethnic descent, explorer and diplomat |
| |
Manchus |
a member of a Tungusic people of Manchuria who conquered China in the 17th century and established a dynasty |
| |
Macao |
a Portuguese overseas territory in S China, in the delta of the Zhu Jiang River and including two small adjacent islands. |
| |
Qing Dynasty |
the last imperial dynasty of China (from 1644 to 1912) which was overthrown by revolutionaries; during the Qing dynasty China was ruled by the Manchu |
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace