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In this unit we take a look one of the longest continuous cultures in the world. From the prehistoric Xia dynasty, through the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties, we study the amazing cultural advances of the Chinese. There is an emphasis on the Shang bronze culture, the philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism, and the unification of China under the ruthless first emperor Qin Shihuangdi. Amongst other things this emperor standardized coinage as seen by the artifacts representing the history of money; cowry shells, a spade coin, a knife coin , and finally a cash piece. Qin also consolidated the many walled fortifications into the Great Wall, inspiring the famous story of Meng Jiang Nyu, the embodiment of Confucian principles who searches for her poor husband's remains as one of the thousands of workers conscripted for the building of the Great Wall and buried in what has come to be known as the world's longest graveyard. The Silk Road and the arts of the Han dynasty complete this lively study. Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze is the literature selection for this unit. This is the story of a young boy's apprenticeship to a bronze maker in Chungking and of how he grows to be a man. |
