History one Response and 2 reply
Discussion: Power and Conflict in Ancient China: Zhou Dynasty
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As you review the events of Ancient China this week, you’ll hear about the Zhou dynasty’s development of the Mandate of Heaven to legitimize their overthrow of the Shang dynasty. The concept of the Mandate of Heaven both legitimized the Zhou’s reign but also could cause conflict and an opening to challenge their authority. This occurred several times during the long Zhou dynasty. Towards the end of the Zhou, many nobles began to challenge the Zhou’s leadership. Ultimately this resulted in the Warring States Period. Territorial nobles clashed with one another and with the Zhou. By 200 BCE, the Qin emerged victorious.
This week’s course documents include a
Zhou poem
Download Zhou poem
or ode which discusses the Mandate of Heaven as well as sections of
Sunzi’s Art of War
Download Sunzi’s Art of War
. Consider the rise and fall of the Zhou dynasty. How do these pieces of literature serve as bookends to the Zhou?
Initial response instructions:
Construct an interpretation about the rise OR fall of the Zhou. If you would like to look at the beginning of the Zhou, use the ode about the Mandate of Heaven. If you’d prefer to look at the collapse of the Zhou consider Sunzi and the Warring States Period.
Your initial post must:
· include material from one of the primary sources
· incorporate evidence from our textbook
· provide some interpretation of how the primary source helps us better understand the historical event
· include a question about the primary source document for your classmates to respond to
Responses to classmates:
If you tackle the rise of the Zhou, find a classmate who looked at the Warring States Period to respond to and vice-versa. You should be sure to circle back to your initial post and reply to classmates’ responses to your post.
Note: Pt 1 is due by Feb 18 and Pt 2 by Feb 20.
P r i m a r y S o u r c e D o c u m e n t
w i t h Q u e s t i o n s ( D B Q s )
S E L E C T I O N F R O M T H E C L A S S I C O F O D E S :
K I N G W E N ( O D E 2 3 5 )
I n t r o d u c t i o n
The Classic of Odes (also known as the “Book of Songs”) was compiled around 600 BCE from an oral tradition going
back perhaps as long as four centuries earlier. The Odes include court poetry and popular songs and poems. The Ode
entitled “King Wen” celebrates the founding king of the Zhou dynasty and the Zhou’s subsequent conquest of the
territory of the Shang dynasty in about 1045/40 BCE. The poem refers to a Zhou deity (tian, translated here as
“Heaven”) and a Shang deity (di or Shangdi, translated here as “God”).
S e l e c t e d D o c u m e n t E x c e r p t s w i t h Q u e s t i o n s
From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1999), 38. © 1999 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights
reserved.
Selection
from
the
Classic
of
Odes:
King
Wen
(Ode
235)
1
King
Wen
is
on
high,
Oh,
he
shines
in
Heaven!
Zhou
is
an
old
people,
but
its
Mandate
is
new.
The
leaders
of
Zhou
became
illustrious,
was
not
God’s
Mandate
timely
given?
King
Wen
ascends
and
descends
on
the
left
and
right
of
God.
4
August
was
King
Wen,
continuously
bright
and
reverent.
Great,
indeed,
was
the
Mandate
of
Heaven.
There
were
Shang’s
grandsons
and
sons,
Shang’s
grandsons
and
sons.
Was
their
number
not
a
hundred
thousand?
P r i m a r y S o u r c e D o c u m e n t , w i t h Q u e s t i o n s ( D B Q s ) o n
S E L E C T I O N F R O M T H E C L A S S I C O F O D E S : K I N G W E N ( O D E 2 3 5 )
A s i a f o r E d u c a t o r s | C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y | h t t p : / / a f e . e a s i a . c o l u m b i a . e d u P a g e 2 o f 2
But
the
High
God
gave
his
Mandate,
and
they
bowed
down
to
Zhou.
7
The
Mandate
is
not
easy
to
keep;
may
it
not
end
in
your
persons.
Display
and
make
bright
your
good
fame,
and
consider
what
Yin
had
received
from
Heaven.
The
doings
of
high
Heaven
have
no
sound,
no
smell.
Make
King
Wen
your
pattern,
and
all
the
states
will
trust
in
you.
Q u e s t i o n s :
1. Whom is the poet speaking to, and why?
2. According to the poet, why were the Zhou able to take over from the Shang
as rulers?
3. What implications does the idea of the “Mandate” expressed here have for
future rulers?
4. What implications does the idea of the “Mandate” have for future rebels?
P r i m a r y S o u r c e D o c u m e n t
w i t h Q u e s t i o n s ( D B Q s )
S E L E C T I O N S F R O M T H E S U N Z I ( A R T O F W A R )
I n t r o d u c t i o n
During the Eastern Zhou period (770-221 BCE) the Zhou kings exercised little real power. The feudal lords of the
various constituent parts of the Zhou set themselves up as the kings of independent states and fought innumerable
battles against each other in a constantly shifting pattern of alliances and enmities. It was in this context that men
like Confucius, Mencius, Lord Shang, Han Fei and others offered their advice and services to the various feudal lords
as civilian officials and political advisers. At the same time, other men offered their expertise in the arts of war. The
most famous of the military strategists of the Eastern Zhou period is Sunzi (also called Sun Wu), the putative author
of a collection of teachings entitled Sunzi’s Art of War. As in the case of Laozi, there is no firm evidence that Sunzi
existed. He is supposed to have been a contemporary of Confucius, but the book bearing his name was compiled a
hundred years later, sometime in the second half of the fourth century BCE. Whatever the identity of the author or
authors, the Art of War has had tremendous influence in China over the ages. It has also been read in military schools
and corporate boardrooms around the world by men and women hoping to gain an advantage in the “dog-eat-dog”
worlds of war and business.
D o c u m e n t E x c e r p t s w i t h Q u e s t i o n s (Longer selection follows this section)
From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1999), 216-219. © 1999 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights
reserved.
Selections
from
the
Sunzi
(Art
of
War)
The
military
is
a
great
matter
of
the
state.
It
is
the
ground
of
life
and
death,
the
Way
(dao)
of
survival
or
extinction.
One
cannot
but
investigate
it.
Thus
base
it
in
the
five.
Compare
by
means
of
the
appraisals,
and
so
seek
out
its
nature.
The
first
is
the
way
(dao),
the
second
is
Heaven,
the
third
is
Earth,
the
fourth
is
the
general,
the
fifth
is
method.
The
Way
is
what
orders
the
people
to
have
the
same
purpose
as
their
superior.
Thus
they
can
die
with
him,
live
with
him,
and
not
harbor
deceit.
…
The
military
is
a
way
(dao)
of
deception.
Thus
when
able,
manifest
inability.
When
active,
manifest
inactivity.
When
near,
manifest
as
far.
When
far,
manifest
as
near.
When
he
seeks
advantage,
lure
him.
When
he
is
in
chaos,
take
him.
P r i m a r y S o u r c e D o c u m e n t , w i t h Q u e s t i o n s ( D B Q ) o n S E L E C T I O N S F R O M T H E S U N Z I ( A R T O F W A R )
A s i a f o r E d u c a t o r s | C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y | h t t p : / / a f e . e a s i a . c o l u m b i a . e d u P a g e 2 o f 4
When
he
is
substantial,
prepare
against
him.
When
he
is
strong,
avoid
him.
Attack
where
he
is
unprepared.
Emerge
where
he
does
not
expect.
These
are
the
victories
of
the
military
lineage.
They
cannot
be
transmitted
in
advance.
…
What
is
meant
by
skilled
is
to
be
victorious
over
the
easily
defeated.
Thus
the
battles
of
the
skilled
are
without
extraordinary
victory,
without
reputation
for
wisdom,
and
without
merit
for
courage.
Thus
one’s
victories
are
without
error.
Being
without
error,
what
one
arranges
is
necessarily
victorious,
since
one
is
victorious
over
the
already
defeated.
One
skilled
at
battle
takes
a
stand
in
the
ground
of
no‑defeat
and
so
does
not
lose
the
enemy’s
defeat.
Therefore,
the
victorious
military
is
first
victorious
and
after
that
does
battle.
The
defeated
military
first
does
battle
and
after
that
seeks
victory.
Q u e s t i o n s :
1. Compare Sunzi’s thinking on war with the understanding of the Dao
articulated in the Daodejing (The Classic of the Way and its Power). Are there
similarities between the two?
2. What would a Confucian scholar think of the ideas expressed here? Is
Confucius’ understanding of “the Way” the same as that of Sunzi?
3. What does Sunzi mean when he says that “the victorious military is first
victorious and after that does battle”?
L o n g e r S e l e c t i o n
From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1999), 216-219. © 1999 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights
reserved.
Selections
from
the
Sunzi
(Art
of
War)
Fundamental
Definitions
The
military
is
a
great
matter
of
the
state.
It
is
the
ground
of
life
and
death,
the
Way
(dao)
of
survival
or
extinction.
One
cannot
but
investigate
it.
Thus
base
it
in
the
five.
Compare
by
means
of
the
appraisals,
and
so
seek
out
its
nature.
The
first
is
the
way
(dao),
the
second
is
Heaven,
the
third
is
Earth,
the
fourth
is
the
general,
the
fifth
is
method.
The
Way
is
what
orders
the
people
to
have
the
same
purpose
as
their
superior.
Thus
they
can
die
with
him,
live
with
him,
and
not
harbor
deceit.
P r i m a r y S o u r c e D o c u m e n t , w i t h Q u e s t i o n s ( D B Q ) o n S E L E C T I O N S F R O M T H E S U N Z I ( A R T O F W A R )
A s i a f o r E d u c a t o r s | C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y | h t t p : / / a f e . e a s i a . c o l u m b i a . e d u P a g e 3 o f 4
Heaven
is
yin
and
yang,
cold
and
hot,
the
order
of
the
seasons.
Going
with
it,
going
against
it
‑‑
this
is
military
victory.
Earth
is
high
and
low,
broad
and
narrow,
far
and
near,
steep
and
level,
death
and
life.
The
general
is
wisdom,
trustworthiness,
courage,
and
strictness.
Method
is
ordering
divisions,
the
way
of
ranking,
and
principal
supply.
Deception
and
Reversal
The
military
is
a
way
(dao)
of
deception.
Thus
when
able,
manifest
inability.
When
active,
manifest
inactivity.
When
near,
manifest
as
far.
When
far,
manifest
as
near.
When
he
seeks
advantage,
lure
him.
When
he
is
in
chaos,
take
him.
When
he
is
substantial,
prepare
against
him.
When
he
is
strong,
avoid
him.
Attack
where
he
is
unprepared.
Emerge
where
he
does
not
expect.
These
are
the
victories
of
the
military
lineage.
They
cannot
be
transmitted
in
advance.
On
Victory
In
general,
the
method
of
employing
the
military
‑‑
Taking
a
state
whole
is
superior.
Destroying
it
is
inferior
to
this.
Taking
a
division
whole
is
superior.
Destroying
it
is
inferior
to
this.
Taking
a
battalion
whole
is
superior.
Destroying
it
is
inferior
to
this.
Taking
a
company
whole
is
superior.
Destroying
it
is
inferior
to
this.
Taking
a
squad
whole
is
superior.
Destroying
it
is
inferior
to
this.
Therefore,
one
hundred
victories
in
one
hundred
battles
is
not
skillful.
Subduing
the
other’s
military
without
battle
is
skillful.
Thus
the
superior
military
cuts
down
strategy.
Its
inferior
cuts
down
alliances.
Its
inferior
cuts
down
the
military.
The
worst
attacks
cities.
Knowing
victory
has
five
aspects.
Knowing
when
one
can
and
cannot
do
battle
is
victory.
Discerning
the
use
of
the
many
and
the
few
is
victory.
Superior
and
inferior
desiring
the
same
is
victory.
Using
preparation
to
await
the
unprepared
is
victory.
The
general
being
capable
and
the
ruler
not
interfering
is
victory.
These
five
are
a
way
(dao)
of
knowing
victory.
Thus
it
is
said
‑‑
Knowing
the
other
and
knowing
oneself,
In
one
hundred
battles
no
danger.
Not
knowing
the
other
and
knowing
oneself,
P r i m a r y S o u r c e D o c u m e n t , w i t h Q u e s t i o n s ( D B Q ) o n S E L E C T I O N S F R O M T H E S U N Z I ( A R T O F W A R )
A s i a f o r E d u c a t o r s | C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y | h t t p : / / a f e . e a s i a . c o l u m b i a . e d u P a g e 4 o f 4
One
victory
for
one
defeat.
Not
knowing
the
other
and
not
knowing
oneself,
In
every
battle
certain
danger.
In
the
past
the
skillful
first
made
themselves
invincible
to
await
the
enemy’s
vincibility.
Invincibility
lies
in
oneself.
Vincibility
lies
in
the
enemy.
Thus
the
skilled
can
make
themselves
invincible.
They
cannot
cause
the
enemy’s
vincibility.
Thus
it
is
said,
“Victory
can
be
known
but
cannot
be
made.”
Invincibility
is
defense.
Vincibility
is
attack.
Defend
and
one
has
a
surplus.
Attack
and
one
is
insufficient.
One
skilled
at
defense
hides
below
the
nine
earths
and
moves
above
the
nine
heavens.
Thus
one
can
preserve
oneself
and
be
all‑victorious.
In
seeing
victory,
not
going
beyond
what
everyone
knows
is
not
skilled.
Victory
in
battle
that
all‑under‑Heaven
calls
skilled
is
not
skilled.
Thus
lifting
the
down
of
an
autumn
leaf
does
not
make
great
strength.
Seeing
the
sun
and
the
moon
does
not
make
a
clear
eye.
Hearing
thunder
does
not
make
a
keen
ear.
What
is
meant
by
skilled
is
to
be
victorious
over
the
easily
defeated.
Thus
the
battles
of
the
skilled
are
without
extraordinary
victory,
without
reputation
for
wisdom,
and
without
merit
for
courage.
Thus
one’s
victories
are
without
error.
Being
without
error,
what
one
arranges
is
necessarily
victorious,
since
one
is
victorious
over
the
already
defeated.
One
skilled
at
battle
takes
a
stand
in
the
ground
of
no‑defeat
and
so
does
not
lose
the
enemy’s
defeat.
Therefore,
the
victorious
military
is
first
victorious
and
after
that
does
battle.
The
defeated
military
first
does
battle
and
after
that
seeks
victory.