Archive for the ‘Ancient Asia’ Category
By: The Scribe on March, 2011
In many ancient civilizations, your social position was set at birth. It was almost unheard of
for a commoner to ever achieve a position of importance in a royal court. When someone did, it usually sent ripples through society and was such a massive departure from what was normal that it often caused more problems than it solved. There have been some notable exceptions to this, such as Imhotep. This was a commoner who became so important in Ancient Egypt that not only was he depicted on artwork alongside a pharaoh, he was also deified in the years following his death in 2600 BCE.
In Ancient China, a similar situation arose in the form of Lu Buwei. He lived from 291 BCE to 235 BCE, during a period of time known as the Warring States Period. Although there were many states that were at war, the State of Qin managed to dominate the others and its ruler became the first Emperor of a unified China. Lu Buwei had started his life as a merchant but was able to attain the position of Chancellor of China, the highest ranking official in Imperial China. During the Qin Dynasty, which lasted from 221 BCE to 206 BCE, the Chancellor of China acted as the head of all of the civil service officials.
According to a biography of Lu Buwei, he had apparently managed to amass a lot of wealth as a travelling merchant. While travelling, he met Prince Yiren who had been sent to a rival state as a political hostage. It was Lu Buwei that managed to arrange for Yiren’s return to Qin where he was adopted as the heir of Lady Huayang, a concubine who had been promoted to the primary wife of the Kin of Qin. Yiren’s name was changed to Chu after his adoption as heir.
Lu Buwei had many people in his household. One was a dancing girl that was so beautiful that Chu became infatuated with her and took her as his courtesan. Her son Zheng would eventually become the first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
There were many rumors that surrounded Lu Buwei. One was that he was the father of Qin Shi Huang and not Chu. This rumor followed Lu Buwei for quite some time and is still being passed on today. Another rumor was that he plotted with the Queen Dowager in order to permit her to carry on many illicit sexual relationships including one with a man by the name of Lao Ai. She became pregnant by Lao Ai and bore a son. A revolt took place in 238 BCE. This failed but as a result, Lao Ai was executed and Lu was banished to Shu.
In 235 BCE, Lu committed suicide rather than be executed by the Emperor. While he had lived, his scholars and officials had attained a lot of power within the court but this was all destroyed when Lu was exiled.
Lu Buwei is regarded in several different ways depending on whether you are studying Chinese or Western historical accounts. To the Chinese he helped bring about one of the worst events possible: the unification of China. To the West, he is seen as a wise counselor and a patron of both literature and culture.
By: The Scribe on March, 2011
Visitors to the Helan Mountains in Yinchuan, China may have noticed strange, pyramid-shaped structures rising from the earth. These are some of the only remnants of the Tangut Empire that was exterminated by the Mongols in 1227 CE.
Although there are over 200 tombs of varying sizes, only nine of them belonged to members of the Imperial family. The tomb complexes were originally covered with glazed green tiles but in many cases, the tiles were pulled off and the tombs were cracked open. This was part of the campaign to exterminate the Tangut Empire that was carried out by Genghis Khan’s descendents.
The Tanguts were a fairly advanced people. The empire was founded in 982 CE, under the rulership of Li Deming. In 1038, Li Yuanhao (also known as Emperor Jingzong) commanded that a Tangut system of writing needed to be created and, after this was accomplished, then ordered that Chinese classics should be translated into that writing system. It took fifty years for the Chinese Buddhist canon to be translated into Tangut. Over time, the Empire developed an organized and efficient military and also became quite advanced in art, literature, architecture and music.
The Tanguts also had a strict legal system especially where religion was concerned. It was believed that the Tanguts were Buddhist, although there may have been some people who followed Confucianism as well. A person who wanted to teach was required to be screened by state officials and receive approval from local authorities before he was able to teach in the Tangut Empire. Charlatans and fortune-tellers in particular were persecuted by the authorities.
Women in the Tangut Empire were also allowed a role in the state’s religious practices. This was unusual in China at the time. They were permitted to be Buddhist nuns, but only if they were a virgin or had been widowed.
The Tangut people had been attacked by the Mongols six times between 1202 CE and 1226 CE. They were able to hold them back, but it wasn’t easy. This happened in spite of the fact that the Tanguts submitted to Genghis Khan in 1207 and that the leader, Xiangzong, gave his daughter to Genghis in marriage.
The Tanguts and the Mongols were allies for a time. Then, in 1216 CE, the Mongols approached the Tanguts and asked for their aid in a campaign that they were mounting against some Islamic countries. They refused. This was a disastrous decision that ultimately led to the downfall of the Tangut Empire as a whole.
Genghis died in 1227 CE. According to some historical records, one of his last commands was that the Mongols destroy the Tanguts and wipe their empire from the face of the earth. The Mongols overran the capital of the Tangut Empire, slaughtered the residents and destroyed not only the tombs of the rulers but their literature, art and other records of their achievements. Tens of thousands of Tangut civilians were killed by the Mongols and the military was absorbed into the Mongol army.
Although the Tanguts were destroyed as a civilization, some did escape and form small communities in the Anhui and Henan provinces of China. However, as a whole, their empire had been totally destroyed and, over time the Tanguts faded into history.
By: The Scribe on February, 2011
During the Warring States Period, life in Ancient China was somewhat chaotic. You had many different warlords trying annex land onto their own kingdom and life in general was very chaotic. The people of China followed the tenets of Confucianism, which first appeared around 500 BCE. . Under Confucianism, you paid your parents and ancestors respect, were expected to live a humane and decent life, and be good to the people around you. Confucius was a social philosopher who lived from 551 BCE to 479 BCE. He basically taught people that they were good at heart. If they made mistakes it was simply because the system of social laws had let them down.
But all of that changed during the Warring States Period. Suddenly, it was important for one strong ruler to be followed by the common people. Three individuals, Shang Yang, Han Feizi and Li Si wanted to make sure that the people followed a philosophy that would strengthen the government that was in power and cause people to follow the laws much more closely. The school of Legalism began to develop. It taught that people were, at their most basic level, evil instead of good. Under Legalism, one of the worst crimes that a person could commit was to be disloyal to their rulers. In order to curb the urge to do wrong, a rigid system of punishments were put into place. If someone were to exhibit behavior that was evil or selfish, they would be punished.
Under Legalism, it was the state or country that had to come first instead of individual wants or needs. The country was divided up into a number of administrative provinces, and the system of writing was standardized throughout the country. Family units were divided up into groups of ten. It was thought that many of these activities would make it easier to control the Chinese population and prevent someone from sowing dissent in the country.
Under Legalism, many important books were burned. It was believed that people did not need to read, and that the only guidance they needed was the series of laws that governed the country. Not all of the books were burned, however. Those that had been written on the topics of farming, weaving and divination were spared as they were believed to have some merit. Many scholars were also burned alive if they refused to give up their libraries.
There were some people who prospered under the Legalist system. Under older systems, it was difficult for someone to advance in social rank. Under the Legalist system, it was possible for someone to advance if they performed well at their job. Soldiers who fought well in battle could gain higher ranks, and it was also possible for someone to advance politically under the Legalist system. One example of a commoner who was able to advance under Legalism was Lu Buwei (291 to 235 BCE). He began life as a merchant but, under the Legalist system, was able to advance politically and become the Chancellor of China.
Legalism declined but there are some elements that are still used by the Chinese government today.
By: The Scribe on February, 2011
Although modern China is a unified place that is governed by one legal system, it was not always this way. Ancient China was divided into a collection of seven states which, from 475 BCE to 221 BCE, were constantly at war. In fact, the conflict was so constant that the period was actually known as the Era of Warring States or the Warring States Period. Although there was a single sovereign, he was simply a figurehead who did not have any real power.
One of the states was the Qin state, which was located in the western part of the country. It was able to trace its origins to a man named Zhuanxu, one of five monarchs who ruled ancient China from 2514 BCE to 2436 BCE. Each of the seven states was ruled by a warlord who tried to expand their territory by annexing the land around them, carving it out from the neighboring states. These men were ruthless and used infantry and cavalry forces in a long serious of bloody conflicts.
Among these warlords was the leader of the Qin state, Qin Shi Huangdi. Born in 259 BCE, he became the ruler of the Qin state in 246 BCE. While all of the warlords were ruthless, Qin Shi Huangdi was particularly brutal. Although he took the throne at the young age of 13, he was able to thwart a series of coups and assassination attempts.
Qin Shi Huangdi was able to annex all of the seven states and bring them under his control by 221 BCE. While he ruled, Qin Shi Huangdi was able to standardize the system of units and measures used in the country. He also standardized Chinese currency as well as the length of cart axles. This made it easier to transport goods. He also worked at standardizing the Chinese script as well.
During his lifetime, Qin Shi Huangdi was constantly at war with nomadic tribes located in the north and northwest of the country. In order to keep them from invading the country, he ordered the Great Wall of China to be constructed. He used his fellow countrymen to build the wall. Many people were worked to death in order to create the wall. Today, the Great Wall of China can be seen from space.
Under Qin Shi Huangdi’s rule, many existing books were burned. He saved books dealing with topics such as astrology, medicine and divination. However, owning a copy of any outlawed texts was a serious crime. Qin Shi Huang had many scholars buried alive simply for owning copies of books he had burned. Qin Shi Huangdi was also known for brutally punishing anyone who broke the law. They were buried alive or enslaved in order to build the Great Wall or his tomb.
It is this tomb that has given Qin Shi Huangdi some of the fame that he still enjoys today. The tomb was started in 215 BCE and, according to some sources, as many as 720,000 unpaid laborers worked on its construction. Part of the tomb has been discovered and excavated. Inside, archaeologists found more than 8,000 terracotta figurines in the shape of soldiers, chariots, horses and cavalry horses. Qin Shi Huangdi died in 210 BCE at the age of 49.
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for a commoner to ever achieve a position of importance in a royal court. When someone did, it usually sent ripples through society and was such a massive departure from what was normal that it often caused more problems than it solved. There have been some notable exceptions to this, such as Imhotep. This was a commoner who became so important in Ancient Egypt that not only was he depicted on artwork alongside a pharaoh, he was also deified in the years following his death in 2600 BCE.
There were many rumors that surrounded Lu Buwei. One was that he was the father of Qin Shi Huang and not Chu. This rumor followed Lu Buwei for quite some time and is still being passed on today. Another rumor was that he plotted with the Queen Dowager in order to permit her to carry on many illicit sexual relationships including one with a man by the name of Lao Ai. She became pregnant by Lao Ai and bore a son. A revolt took place in 238 BCE. This failed but as a result, Lao Ai was executed and Lu was banished to Shu.
