I am postponing this until tomorrow.
Have a great evening.
Sunday, August 07, 2022
The Han Dynasty
At no point in time does any expansion of China include Taiwan. It wasn't until WWII that those in power of the settlement with Japan decided China can do what it wanted in Pacific Ocean and the seas surrounding China. It was NOT The West's right to do that. Taiwan was already a part of The West and developed culture from The East, but, also The West.
Just a little more about the Iron Age. It was not an isolated event. Societies globally invoked it over time with no contributing education from each other.
The decline of the Bronze Age (click here) led to the beginning of the Iron Age. Bronze was dependent on functioning trade networks: tin was only available in large quantities from mines in what is today Afghanistan, so the collapse of long-distance trade made bronze impossible to manufacture. Iron, however, is a useful metal by itself without the need of alloys (although early forms of steel - iron alloyed with carbon, which is readily available everywhere - were around almost from the start of the Iron Age itself). Without copper and tin available, some innovative smiths figured out that it was possible, through a complicated process of forging, to create iron implements that were hard and durable. Iron was available in various places throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, so it did not require long-distance trade as bronze had. The Iron Age thus began around 1100 BCE, right as the Bronze Age ended.
One cautionary note in discussing this shift: iron was very difficult to work with compared to bronze, and its use spread slowly. For example, while iron use became increasingly common starting in about 1100 BCE, the later Egyptian kingdoms did not use large amounts of iron tools until the seventh century BCE, a full five centuries after the Iron Age itself began. Likewise, it took a long time for “weaponized” iron to be available, since making iron weapons and armor that were hard enough to endure battle conditions took a long time. Once trade networks recovered, bronze weapons were still the norm in societies that used iron tools in other ways for many centuries.
Outside of Greece, which suffered its long “dark age” following the collapse of the Bronze Age, a number of prosperous societies and states emerged relatively quickly at the start of the Iron Age. They re-established trade routes and initiated a new phase of Middle Eastern politics that eventually led to the largest empires the world had yet seen.
One cautionary note in discussing this shift: iron was very difficult to work with compared to bronze, and its use spread slowly. For example, while iron use became increasingly common starting in about 1100 BCE, the later Egyptian kingdoms did not use large amounts of iron tools until the seventh century BCE, a full five centuries after the Iron Age itself began. Likewise, it took a long time for “weaponized” iron to be available, since making iron weapons and armor that were hard enough to endure battle conditions took a long time. Once trade networks recovered, bronze weapons were still the norm in societies that used iron tools in other ways for many centuries.
Outside of Greece, which suffered its long “dark age” following the collapse of the Bronze Age, a number of prosperous societies and states emerged relatively quickly at the start of the Iron Age. They re-established trade routes and initiated a new phase of Middle Eastern politics that eventually led to the largest empires the world had yet seen.
Making tools is a cognitive art of nature. One can find the innovation of tool use throughout history and among other species than just human beings. The issue of tools relates to the advancement of societies in offering greater convenience and power. Tools of any kind is definitely a power within any society. Even today, the washing machine is a tool. It is not going to conquer the Chinese dynasties, at least not in a war of men.
The Iron Age in China
Original uses for iron were in the making of knives, as blades of iron were frequently set into hilts made from bronze. As in other civilizations of the period iron use in China began in crude forms during their Bronze Age, as meteoric iron or iron found from meteors that crashed into Earth long ago. Early casts of iron have been found in China that date back to their Bronze Age.
As the Shang Dynasty lost its grip on power to the Zhou Dynasty (1046 through 256 BC), iron use became more advanced.
The Zhou came into power by way of force, and after establishing their dominance brought China into a period of advanced technology that included using more iron to create better and stronger weapons. These years were the beginning of the Iron Age in China, which officially began around 600 CE.
The Zhou Dynasty was able to hold absolute power until 776 BC when the Warring States Period began in China. As the name of the period describes, this period was exceptionally bloody as the Zhou struggled to hold on to power....
...A new form of iron replaced meteoric iron during the Chinese Iron Age called pig iron, which was easier to work with and malleable. It was also easier to cast, or set into shape. The Chinese would have used huge fire pits that would have heated pig iron into a melted form, and then hammered it into form allowing it to cool and set using water....
As the Shang Dynasty lost its grip on power to the Zhou Dynasty (1046 through 256 BC), iron use became more advanced.
The Zhou came into power by way of force, and after establishing their dominance brought China into a period of advanced technology that included using more iron to create better and stronger weapons. These years were the beginning of the Iron Age in China, which officially began around 600 CE.
The Zhou Dynasty was able to hold absolute power until 776 BC when the Warring States Period began in China. As the name of the period describes, this period was exceptionally bloody as the Zhou struggled to hold on to power....
...A new form of iron replaced meteoric iron during the Chinese Iron Age called pig iron, which was easier to work with and malleable. It was also easier to cast, or set into shape. The Chinese would have used huge fire pits that would have heated pig iron into a melted form, and then hammered it into form allowing it to cool and set using water....
So, we know now that the Chinese were on track with cultural advancements of war.
I want to enter a map of the dynasties at this point.
The Qin Dynasty (click here) established the first empire in China, starting with efforts in 230 B.C., during which the Qin leaders engulfed six Zhou Dynasty states. The empire existed only briefly from 221 to 206 B.C., but the Qin Dynasty had a lasting cultural impact on the dynasties that followed....
Cultural advances would be appreciated and mimicked as the societies of China would move through history.
Obviously, from this map it is clear to understand that the Qin Dynasty has absolutely nothing to do with Taiwan. It was a western dynasty within the regions of China.
Qin itself had been considered a backwards, (click here) barbarian state by the ruling Zhou Dynasty. This distinction had to do with its slow pace in embracing Chinese culture, for instance, lagging behind the Zhou in doing away with human sacrifice.The ruling class of Qin nonetheless believed themselves to be legitimate heirs to the Zhou states, and through the centuries they strengthened their diplomatic and political standing through a variety of means, including marriage....
...Shang Yang was a vigorous reformer, systematically reworking the social order of Qin society, eventually creating a massive, complicated bureaucratic state and advocating for the unification of Chinese states....
...Following Duke Xiao’s death, Shang Yang was charged with treason by the old aristocrats in the state. He attempted to fight and create his own territory but was defeated and executed in 338 B.C. with five chariots pulling him apart for spectators in a market. But Shang Yang’s ideas had already laid the foundation for the Qin Empire.
The Qin Dynasty only lasted from 221 B.C. to 207 B.C. This is not a time of great sophistication so much as survival. There was no centralized government really, except for what warlords could accumulate to make their lives easier with taxes of agricultural products. Capturing feudal rewards as Lords and Kings, be it a Chinese Dynasty or a Roman Empire meant the "soldier class" didn't do the farming but would take a piece of the harvesting.
I raised the issue of chronic flooding in China that caused the rise and fall of societies.
The Yellow River runs into the Yellow Sea. There is a known history of this area of the Pacific. The Yellow Sea at times has dried up enough to allow people to wade across to Japan. There are similar ancient rice found in both countries by people that migrated. The reason the Yellow Sea would literally become shallow was due to ice ages advancing.
The Yellow Sea is a sea and not an ocean. At it's current shallowest state is 60 meters or 197 feet, but, at it's deepest it is 80 meters or 262 feet. That is not much more than some of the Great Lakes in the USA. So, when the ice ages advanced it pulled waters out of these seas, hence, shallow enough for the Chinese to migrate to Japan. Being the Yellow River is north they would migrate north and not south. The southern ocean would prevent that migration.
China has had a particularly long and terrible history of flooding. In the last 2000 years, the Yangtze River has flooded more than 1000 times. But it is the Hwang Ho or "Yellow River" that has been responsible for China's most catastrophic floods. Three thousand miles long, it begins high above sea level in the northern mountain province of Qinghai and ends at the Yellow Sea. Westerners have dubbed it "China's Sorrow," because over the centuries it has killed more people than any other river in the world. In 1887 flooding killed nearly two million people, in 1931 the death toll was almost four million, and in 1938 it was almost one million.
Much of the problem stems from the high silt content of the river—in some stretches as much as 60% by weight. Millions of tons of yellow mud choke the channel, causing the river to overflow and change course. In its lower reaches, the river bed has actually become higher than the level of the surrounding countryside. Water is held in by dikes of ever increasing height, some reaching 30 feet and more.
Attempts at controlling the Yellow River were begun as early as the third century B.C. An engineer named Yu came up with the idea of dredging the river to encourage the water to flow in its proper channel. Yu was made Emperor of China for his contribution, but managing the river's silt would continue to be an ongoing challenge....
This is to understand the idea of feudal systems in China.
Yes, Taiwan is in this picture, but, it was not part of the Zhou Dynasty. This comes much later. Kindly keep in mind that Europe when it had a sailing fleet discovered the "West Indies" by going around the "Horn of Africa." I think it was Magellan much later than the Zhou Empire that would be the first to circumnavigate the world.
The Bronze Age approximately 3300 BC to 1200 BC,
The Shang and Zhou Dynasties are The Bronze Age of China from around 2000 B.C. and sustained in its essential aspects for another 2,000 years. To be more accurate it is believed this was the period that saw the end of the Xi Dynasty and the rise of Shang in 1600 continuing through the Zhou dyansty of 256 before Christ. One has to remember in measuring time before Christ, it is backward. The less the numbers the closer to the birth of Jesus Christ (BC).
The Shang ruled from 1600 to 1046 B. C. heralding in the Chinese Bronze Age. The brown land on the map to the left is the Shang dynasty. Taiwan is not even a part of this dynasty that ended in 1046 B.C..
The Zhou Dynasty (click here) started as a small town and the point of the Wei River Valley. These people must have thought nothing of their small town at the time. But little did they know that this was the beginning of the world's longest standing dynasty. Soon enough, this little town was transformed into the center for their rapidly growing influence and power. This steady rise to power and control eventually climaxed with the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty.
The Doctrine Mandate of Heaven was a set of beliefs thought by the people of the Zhou Dynasty. Overall, the Mandate of Heaven mainly says that whoever is leader of the empire was placed in that position by the will of God. They also believed that there is only one God and Heaven and the kings were his sons.
The Mandate of Heaven is based of four key parts:
1. The only right to rule must be granted by heaven.
2. There may only be one ruler because there is only one heaven.
3. The right to rule is not limited by one dynasty only.
4. The right to rule is base on the virtue of the ruler.
These key parts give the leader supreme power. This also gives the ruler prestige and religious importance. But, the rulers' power must always be kept in check by virtue, or their moral standards.
This is why this empire was call the Celestial Empire. It was protected by the Mandate of Heaven and it has been the only Chinese dynasty to last longer than 800 years.
Zhou king was compelled to sometimes make the military leader of another state the military leader of the Zhou alliance. These commanders were given the honorary title of ba or Hegemon, although they and the leaders of other states in the alliance had to swear loyalty to the Zhou feudal system.
The Shang were known for their advances in math, astronomy, artwork and military technology.
Much of the history of the Shang Dynasty has been deciphered from oracle bones found in Anyang, which present a kingdom at war, with narratives of shifting alliances with other powers.
Prisoners of war were used as slaves or sometimes slaughtered for sacrifice. Within the religion, sacrifice was practiced, sometimes in large groups.
Within Shang culture, the king also functioned as a priest. It was believed that ancestors communicated through the god Di, and the Shang king led in the worship of Shangdi, considered the supreme ancestor, as well as communicating with the other ancestors.
So, here is the complete theological empire of Shang. The king was not only the ultimate governing authority, but, also the authority on the religion of the day. These people thought nothing of shedding their quite benevolence to carry out war because they no longer used sticks and stones. They had the high tech solution of casting bronze into metal.
The casting was crude at that time, but, it was a mixture or alloy is you will, of copper and tin. There were also other metals and sometimes non-metals blended in to fashion weapons.
The Zhou Dynasty is in the picture to the right. It swallowed whole the Xia Dynasties and also the Shang Dynasty. It grew with it's then advanced use of bronze into lands further east that had not been tamed before.
The theological basis of the Zhou Dynasty.
The Mandate of Heaven is based of four key parts:
1. The only right to rule must be granted by heaven.
2. There may only be one ruler because there is only one heaven.
3. The right to rule is not limited by one dynasty only.
4. The right to rule is base on the virtue of the ruler.
These key parts give the leader supreme power. This also gives the ruler prestige and religious importance. But, the rulers' power must always be kept in check by virtue, or their moral standards.
This is why this empire was call the Celestial Empire. It was protected by the Mandate of Heaven and it has been the only Chinese dynasty to last longer than 800 years.
The organization of battle lines was through a feudal system. While European history provides for this type of organization, the Chinese were organizing in the same way and separately. This rise of battle would be similar in it's organization but not in it's origins. The duplicity of the European feudal system and the Chinese feudal systems would state something about the quality of human advancement and it's discoveries in metals and their uses. Intelligence was not only isolated in Europe, it was also engaged in China.
The picture to the left is that of a Bronze Age battle helmet of the later Zhou Dynasty of 481-221 BCE.
The feudal system of any major power at the time was more or less an alliance of all the feudal lords with a consolidated leader aligned with the king (emperor). I find the word Hegemon aligning with the definition of hegemony. It all fits into origins of language.
The Zhou Dynasty existed in growing dynamics until 221 B.C. They were not sea faring people and Taiwan was a very distant shore no one in this dynasty ever entertained as a place to invade.
The earliest known emperors in China began in 2698.
He began his rule as emperor in 2697. His legendary reign is credited with the introduction of wooden houses, carts, boats, the bow and arrow, and writing. Huangdi himself is credited with defeating “barbarians” in a great battle somewhere in what is now Shanxi—the victory winning him the leadership of tribes throughout the Huang He (Yellow River) plain.
These guys were awesome. They loved the people and were considered highly ethical and unselfish. They also were decedents from Huan Di, the Yellow Emperor.
Yao (r. 2357–2256 b.c.e.) and Shun (r. 2255–2205 b.c.e.) are revered figures because they epitomized wisdom, humility, and unselfishness.
The canon of Yao in the Book of History cites Yao as a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and credits him with devising a calendar of 356 days to regulate agriculture, encouraging morality, establishing a rudimentary government, and above all selecting a successor unselfishly.
Okay, so this is interesting. Yao was the first to devise a calendar of 356 days. Why is that interesting? This was more than 2000 years before Christ. AND. Yao wanted a morally decided successor. He is stated to be 70 years when entered into a journey to decide on a successor.
70 years in a 365 day calendar is a very old man in the time of 2000 before Christ.
After ruling for 70 years he set about choosing a worthy successor because he thought his own son unfit and found a humble man called Shun, who was admired as a dutiful son to undeserving parents. Shun did not think himself worthy, but Yao insisted and married his two daughters to Shun to observe his behavior. Yao shared his rule with Shun for 28 years and then abdicated in favor of Shun.
After ruling for 70 years he set about choosing a worthy successor because he thought his own son unfit and found a humble man called Shun, who was admired as a dutiful son to undeserving parents. Shun did not think himself worthy, but Yao insisted and married his two daughters to Shun to observe his behavior. Yao shared his rule with Shun for 28 years and then abdicated in favor of Shun.
Women of this age are definitely chattel. So at the age of 70 Yao set out to find a successor. He found Shun and the two reigned together for 28 years. That means Yao was 98 years old when he decided to abdicate. I don't really think he abdicated, so much as retired.
Shun, according to legend, also descended from the Yellow Emperor and was a virtuous and benevolent ruler. Both Yao’s and Shun’s reigns were troubled by great floods and attempts to build dikes that did not work.
Shun then appointed an official named Yu to deal with the problem. Yu traveled the land and worked on flood control for more than a decade, succeeding because he dredged the riverbeds and channeled the water to the sea.
Shun, according to legend, also descended from the Yellow Emperor and was a virtuous and benevolent ruler. Both Yao’s and Shun’s reigns were troubled by great floods and attempts to build dikes that did not work.
Shun then appointed an official named Yu to deal with the problem. Yu traveled the land and worked on flood control for more than a decade, succeeding because he dredged the riverbeds and channeled the water to the sea.
China then and now has an enormous heritage of rivers. Some of the people in China lived in wetlands and needless to say, those Chinese cultures were eradicated because of the rise and fall of those waters during ice ages and retreats.
He worked so hard that on three occasions he passed his own house and heard his wife and children weeping in loneliness but did not go in. Such was his dedication that Shun set aside his son, made Yu his co-ruler for 17 years, and then abdicated in his favor.
Yu was also a humane and wise ruler (r. 2205– 2198 b.c.e.). Together Yao, Shun, and Yu are called the Three Sage Rulers. Yu also attempted to bypass his son and appoint the best man his successor. The people were so grateful to him that they insisted on putting his son Qi (Chi) on the throne.
Thus began the first Chinese dynasty, the Xia (Hsia) dynasty. The territory under these three rulers was centered on modern Shanxi (Shansi) Province in northern China. Later, Chinese historians idealized Yao, Shun, and Yu, extolling their reign as the golden age.
Their moral conduct became the grand themes of historical and literary writings for posterity. As a result of modern scientific methods of investigating history they have been assigned to the position of legendary figures.
He worked so hard that on three occasions he passed his own house and heard his wife and children weeping in loneliness but did not go in. Such was his dedication that Shun set aside his son, made Yu his co-ruler for 17 years, and then abdicated in his favor.
Yu was also a humane and wise ruler (r. 2205– 2198 b.c.e.). Together Yao, Shun, and Yu are called the Three Sage Rulers. Yu also attempted to bypass his son and appoint the best man his successor. The people were so grateful to him that they insisted on putting his son Qi (Chi) on the throne.
Thus began the first Chinese dynasty, the Xia (Hsia) dynasty. The territory under these three rulers was centered on modern Shanxi (Shansi) Province in northern China. Later, Chinese historians idealized Yao, Shun, and Yu, extolling their reign as the golden age.
Their moral conduct became the grand themes of historical and literary writings for posterity. As a result of modern scientific methods of investigating history they have been assigned to the position of legendary figures.
Xia dynasty was real or a myth? Xia dynasty is the first dynasty of China. It was founded in 2100 BC and ended in 1600 BC.
The map above is of the Huan Di - Yao Shun Yu the Great dynasty in yellow. The black color is an outline of China today.
All this information is to create an understanding of how China is NOT the owner of Taiwan.
So, this was the first recognizable form of governance in China which resulted in the ideology of dynasty. For every king or Emperor was a land to rule and see to benevolent intent with the people. That is very early tradition.
These guys did not sail the seven seas looking for wealth and conquest. That ideology was not a concept by these three kings/emperors.
Merriam Webster definition of dynasty.
1 : a succession of rulers of the same line of descent
a dynasty that ruled China for nearly 300 years
2: a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time born into a powerful political dynasty baseball dynast
a dynasty that ruled China for nearly 300 years
2: a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time born into a powerful political dynasty baseball dynast
Nearly every time a person says the word dynasty, immediately comes to mind China. Why? Because dynasties were the governance of China for a very long time.
China is no different than Russia, it has had dictators in it's rise to economic powers. In any dynasty the ruler is an "Emperor."
Marco Rubio is trying to scare voters.
Marco Rubio lied. He said the Democrats are passing a law in the Inflation Reduction Act that demands the IRS to audit working people in the Middle Class.
Marco Rubio is ashamed he isn’t voting for the Inflation Reduction, Climate Change and Health Act so he has to lie about it’s components.
Val Demings should let Florida Voters know why Marco Rubio is lying. He doesn’t think voters are smart enough to know the truth.
Marco Rubio is not trustworthy!!!
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