Editing History of Asia (section)

====Classical China====

=====Zhou dynasty=====
{{main|Zhou dynasty}}
[[File:Zhou dynasty 1000 BC.png|thumb|Population concentration and boundaries of the [[Western Zhou]] dynasty in China]]
Since 1029 BC, the [[Zhou dynasty]] ({{zh|c=周朝|p=Zhōu Cháo|w=Chou Ch'ao}} {{IPA|cmn|tʂóʊ tʂʰɑ̌ʊ|}}), had existed in China and it would continue to until 258 BC.{{sfn|Stearns|2011|page=43}} The Zhou dynasty had been using a [[Feudalism|feudal system]] by giving power to local nobility and relying on their loyalty in order to control its large territory.{{sfn|Stearns|2011|page=43}} As a result, the Chinese government at this time tended to be very decentralized and weak, and there was often little the emperor could do to resolve national issues. Nonetheless, the government was able to retain its position with the creation of the [[Mandate of Heaven]], which could establish an emperor as divinely chosen to rule. The Zhou additionally discouraged the [[human sacrifice]] of the preceding eras and unified the [[Chinese language]]. Finally, the Zhou government encouraged settlers to move into the [[Yangtze|Yangtze River]] valley, thus creating the Chinese Middle Kingdom.

But by 500 BC, its political stability began to decline due to repeated nomadic incursions{{sfn|Stearns|2011|page=43}} and internal conflict derived from the fighting princes and families. This was lessened by the many philosophical movements, starting with the life of [[Confucius]]. His philosophical writings (called [[Confucianism]]) concerning the respect of elders and of the state would later be popularly used in the Han dynasty. Additionally, [[Laozi]]'s concepts of [[Taoism]], including [[yin and yang]] and the innate duality and balance of nature and the universe, became popular throughout this period. Nevertheless, the Zhou dynasty eventually disintegrated as the local nobles began to gain more power and their conflict devolved into the [[Warring States period]], from 402 to 201 BC.{{sfn|Stearns|2011|page=44}}

=====Qin dynasty=====
{{main|Qin dynasty}}
One leader eventually came on top, [[Qin Shi Huang]] ({{zh|c=始皇帝}}, ''Shǐ Huángdì''), who overthrew the last Zhou emperor and established the Qin dynasty.{{sfn|Stearns|2011|page=43}} The [[Qin dynasty]] (Chinese: 秦朝; pinyin: Qín Cháo) was the first ruling dynasty of Imperial China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC.{{sfn|Stearns|2011|page=42}} The new Emperor abolished the feudal system and directly appointed a bureaucracy that would rely on him for power. Huang's imperial forces crushed any regional resistance, and they furthered the Chinese empire by expanding down to the [[South China Sea]] and northern [[Vietnam]]. Greater organization brought a uniform tax system, a national census, regulated road building (and cart width), standard measurements, standard coinage, and an official written and spoken language.{{sfn|Stearns|2011|page=45}} Further reforms included new irrigation projects, the encouragement of [[silk]] manufacturing,{{sfn|Stearns|2011|page=45}} and (most famously) the beginning of the construction of the Great Wall of China—designed to keep out the nomadic raiders who'd constantly badger the Chinese people. However, Shi Huang was infamous for his tyranny, forcing laborers to build the Wall, ordering heavy taxes, and severely punishing all who opposed him. He oppressed Confucians and promoted [[Legalism (Chinese philosophy)|Legalism]], the idea that people were inherently evil, and that a strong, forceful government was needed to control them. Legalism was infused with realistic, logical views and rejected the pleasures of educated conversation as frivolous. All of this made Shi Huang extremely unpopular with the people. As the Qin began to weaken, various factions began to fight for control of China.

=====Han dynasty=====
{{main|Han dynasty}}
[[File:SeidenstrasseGMT.JPG|300px|thumb|The [[Silk Road]] in Asia]]
The [[Han dynasty]] ({{zh|s=汉朝|t=漢朝|p=Hàn Cháo}}; 206 BC – 220 AD) was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms (220–265 AD). Spanning over four centuries, the period of the Han dynasty is considered a golden age in Chinese history. One of the Han dynasty's greatest emperors, [[Emperor Wu of Han]], established a peace throughout China comparable to the [[Pax Romana]] seen in the Mediterranean a hundred years later.{{sfn|Stearns|2011|page=45}} To this day, China's majority ethnic group refers to itself as the "Han people". The Han dynasty was established when two peasants succeeded in rising up against Shi Huang's significantly weaker successor-son. The new Han government retained the centralization and bureaucracy of the Qin, but greatly reduced the repression seen before. They expanded their territory into [[Korea]], [[Vietnam]], and [[Central Asia]], creating an even larger empire than the Qin.

The Han developed contacts with the Persian Empire in the Middle East and the Romans, through the [[Silk Road]], with which they were able to trade many commodities—primarily silk. Many ancient civilizations were influenced by the [[Silk Road]], which connected China, [[India]], the Middle East and Europe. Han emperors like Wu also promoted Confucianism as the national "religion" (although it is debated by theologians as to whether it is defined as such or as a philosophy). Shrines devoted to Confucius were built and Confucian philosophy was taught to all scholars who entered the Chinese bureaucracy. The bureaucracy was further improved with the introduction of an examination system that selected scholars of high merit. These bureaucrats were often upper-class people educated in special schools, but whose power was often checked by the lower-class brought into the bureaucracy through their skill. The Chinese imperial bureaucracy was very effective and highly respected by all in the realm and would last over 2,000 years. The Han government was highly organized and it commanded the military, judicial law (which used a system of courts and strict laws), agricultural production, the economy, and the general lives of its people. The government also promoted intellectual philosophy, scientific research, and detailed historical records.
[[File:East-Hem 200bc.jpg|thumb|280px|The [[Han dynasty]] and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC]]
However, despite all of this impressive stability, central power began to lose control by the turn of the [[Common Era]]. As the Han dynasty declined, many factors continued to pummel it into submission until China was left in a state of chaos. By 100 AD, philosophical activity slowed, and corruption ran rampant in the bureaucracy. Local landlords began to take control as the scholars neglected their duties, and this resulted in heavy taxation of the peasantry. Taoists began to gain significant ground and protested the decline. They started to proclaim magical powers and promised to save China with them; the Taoist [[Yellow Turban Rebellion]] in 184 (led by rebels in yellow scarves) failed but was able to weaken the government. The aforementioned Huns combined with diseases killed up to half of the population and officially ended the Han dynasty by 220. The ensuing period of chaos was so terrible it lasted for three centuries, where many weak regional rulers and dynasties failed to establish order in China. This period of chaos and attempts at order is commonly known as that of the [[Six Dynasties]]. The first part of this included the [[Three Kingdoms]] which started in 220 and describes the brief and weak successor "dynasties" that followed the Han. In 265, the [[Jin dynasty (265–420)|Jin dynasty]] of China was started and this soon split into two different empires in control of northwestern and southeastern China. In 420, the conquest and abdication of those two dynasties resulted in the first of the [[Southern and Northern dynasties]]. The Northern and Southern dynasties passed through until finally, by 557, the [[Northern Zhou|Northern Zhou dynasty]] ruled the north and the [[Chen dynasty]] ruled the south.