China+-+P.E.R.S.I.A

=Introduction =

China was and is a culture with a diverse set of qualities unique to the country. Here, the politics, economics, religions, societal standards, intellect, and arts of both ancient and modern China will be described.

__Ancient China__
Proceeding the collapse of the Han dynasty, the political and social state of China languished with disruption from countless invaders. These invaders eventually settled in China, set up their kingdoms, and adopted Chinese customs and traditions. Eventually, in 589, China was united under a single rule: the Sui dynasty. The Sui built the Grand Canal and managed to link Northern and Southern China, which brought about stability and peace. New policies were introduced to foster a healthy economy, which included administration on equal division of fields and tax moderation. This dynasty did not last, however, due to the tyrannical Emperor Yang. A peasant uprising in 618 ended the Sui dynasty and ushered in the Tang dynasty.

The Tang rulers extended China's control further west and made contact with India and the Muslim empire. They made Xi'an their capital city, which became not only the largest city in the world at the time, but an international hot spot as well. They also had a very comprehensive legal system that was comprised of four basic forms: criminal law, administrative rules, institutional regulations, and formulas of official documents. Feudal laws included criminal law, law of marriage, law of safeguard and defense, law for census registers, and law for imperial officers.

The Sung dynasty began in 960 by the hands of Zhao Kuangyin. The emperors were able to keep China from diminishing, but still did not have complete control of the entire country. They were still threatened by foreign invasions and civil wars, such as when the Qidan invaded and forced the Sung into a treaty. However, during this time the civil service system was improved upon: there was no longer a need for sponsorship, which allowed those born in "unimportant" families a chance at taking the exam; cheating, corruption, and bias during the exams were put to a stop by not writing names on the exams and having clerks copy the answers in their own handwriting. Furthermore, social welfare programs were developed and a permanent navy was established in 1132. An invasion by the Mongol Empire in 1279 ended this dynasty.

__Modern China__
The Chinese political system is a single party socialist republic controlled by the communist party.The government is also limited by the Chinese constitution which gives the citizens certain unalienable rights like freedom of speech, press, assembly, religious freedom, freedom from insult, and a lot of other rights, but the constitution also gives the role of government and it's powers. The current Constitution is the PRC's 4th promulgation which was finished on December 4, 1982. The head of the Chinese government is the National People's congress and they are in charge of legislative powers, enforcing and amending the constitution and are in charge of electing presidents, vice presidents, The Chairman of central military commission, President of supreme people's courts, and the Procurator-General of the supreme people's Procuratorate. The president is the head of the state and he nominates the Premier of the state council but must be approved by congress. The Premier is in charge of the State council which acts as the chief of administration. The Military commission is in charge of the peoples liberation army or PLA (military) and the Chairman is the commander in chief. The Supreme people's court is highest court in the judicial system. The supreme people's Procuratorate is in charge of national level persecution and investigation and finally you have the local government.
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/State_organs_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg/800px-State_organs_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg.png width="768" height="463" align="center" caption="File:State organs of the People's Republic of China.svg"]] ||

The Chinese constitution

__Ancient China__
When the Sui dynasty began, the reunification of the nation introduced a climate of peace and stability, which affected the economy positively. The agricultural acreage increased greatly which, in turn, created a larger crop yield; the equal-land system was implemented which allowed the Chinese government to distribute land equally amongst the peasantry; and state granaries were established all across the country. Likewise, shipbuilding methods were improved and refined. A tax system was also introduced that taxed textiles, grain, and military service. These taxes were, however, unchanging with the income of the household, causing much grief among peasants who couldn't afford it. The production of salt, iron, and liquors were privatized (rather than monopolized by the government like during the Han Dynasty) and the taxes on them were raised. Divisions of handcrafts such as weapon production, iron casting, weaving and dyeing, and cart production were controlled by the ministry of finance.

Much like the Sui dynasty, the Tang dynasty continued to flourish---at least, following the stint in productivity and the collapsing of the economy that occurred shortly after the fall of the Sui. After the reunification of the country, Emperor Kao Tsu made sure to improve agriculture by introducing new reforms that made the peasants' life easier and increased productivity. New irrigation works were also built, which further improved agriculture. The drinking of tea was introduced, as was the use of stools and chairs; the Silk Road was re-opened and utilized for trade amongst traveling merchants; the curved iron plough was invented; and foreign trade via ship was greatly expanded.

Under the Sung dynasty the economy continued to grow. People who were able to reclaim barren lands and cultivate them were awarded with permanent ownership. Even more irrigation projects were launched, with bamboo water wheels assisting in river irrigation; farm tools (ex. steel plough), fertilizers (ex. night soil) were improved with new types of crops and seeds introduced. Tea plantation increased dramatically as well. Additionally, the merchant class gained more power and wealth due to the flourishing economy; a black market existed; sulfur was extracted to make gunpowder; and paper tribute and state-issued paper money was used.

__Modern China__
The people's republic of china has the world's second biggest economy after the United States with a GDP (nominal) of 5.8 trillion dollars, China is also the fastest growing major economy with a 10% growing rate over the last 30 years and the largest exporter and second largest importer after the United states.

China's GDP (nominal)

**Religion**

__Under the Tang Dynasty - Buddhism__
Though Buddhism was first introduced in China during the reign of the Han dynasty, it was during the Tang dynasty that Buddhism truly flourished and became a powerful force. Xuanzang, a monk, went on a pilgrimage to India in order to learn more about this religion, and returned with countless Buddhist books for translation; he translated all 75 of the Buddhist Sutras throughout his lifetime. Empress Wu, who was a strong leader and a capable administrator, was a huge supporter of Buddhism, partly because her enemies were Daoists. She justified her rule through Buddhist scriptures and ordered the construction of countless Buddhist temples. Through her endorsement she assisted in the rise of Buddhism's power and the spreading of its teachings. Monasteries gained great wealth from donations of land, food, and precious metals, and were exempt from paying taxes. However, by the end of the Tang dynasty, Buddhism dwindled and was persecuted. The land and art of the monasteries were seized by government officials who felt that the monasteries were becoming too powerful and influential. Thousands of shrines and monasteries were destroyed; more than 250,000 nuns and monks were forced to abjure from their duties and return to civilian life. Buddhism continued to exist in China, but it would never reach its former glory. Instead, a movement called Neo-Confucianism formed during the Tang dynasty, became prominent in the Sung dynasty, and remained the primary religion of China all the way up to the early 1990's.

__Neo-Confucianism__
The scholars Han Yu, Li Ao, and Liu Zongyuan were the earliest "Neo-Confucians" who paved the way for a later Tang emperor to attack Buddhism in favor of this new version of Confucianism. This form of Confucianism sought to discard the mystical ideals of Buddhism and Daoism in favor of rational thought and ethics, even if concepts from both religions were borrowed. Han Yu called for a resurgence of //guwen,// or ancient prose movement, in order to allow himself a proper means of communicating his ideas. Zhu Xi compiled the canon.

__**Modern China**__
Under the current Chinese government, the official religion of Gov. is Atheism and has frowned upon religion in the past and considered it emblematic of feudalism. In 1966 - 1967 during the cultural revolution a massive amount of places of worship were destroyed and a policy of elimination of religion started. Later after the cultural revolution the Chinese constitution was written in 1978 which guaranteed freedom from religion in article 46 " // No state organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens because they do, or do not believe in religion. The state protects normal religious activities" //, and continues with the statement that: // "nobody can make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt social order, impair the health of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the state." // similar to our constitution. Later in the 1980's the government has given Buddhists a helping hand by creating a program of rebuilding their destroyed religious institutions and organizing a few Buddhists events. Although there is freedom from religion in the constitution the government has recently banned a few religious movements and is known for suppressing religions and shows intolerance and oppression. Although the government is officially atheist most people in China are Daoist Buddhists or non religious, and the rest are Christian, Muslim, Catholic

__Ancient China__
Like most societies of the past a class system with two opposing extremes existed. Naturally, there was a huge divide between the rich and important upper class (such as the royal family or high-ranking government officials) and the poor peasant class. Most of the poor could not read or write and worked on farms; they usually owned small plots of land or worked for rich landowners. During the Sui dynasty, the peasants were heavily taxed and did hard labor. However, the poor did have a way to succeed and climb the social ladder during the Tang dynasty: all they had to do was prove their worth by taking an imperial exam. In this way your social standing didn't matter; only your intelligence and abilities did. However, those in the lower ranks were still considered less than those higher up. Sumptuary laws existed that forced those of a particular class to wear the appropriate clothing and live in the appropriate homes of their class. The emperor and the royal family were at the top of the class pyramid, followed by the aristocracy, the bureaucracy, the eunuchs, the clergy, the peasants, and then the traders.

As for women, they were generally considered inferior to the men. A woman was expected to be subservient and serve the family. Marriages were arranged and the father had the final say in whom his daughter married. Women would gain more respect if they gave birth to a boy rather than a girl; baby boys were held in a higher regard. Women were not educated and weren't allowed to take imperial exams. Foot binding began in the Tang dynasty in around 900 AD; it confined the growth of a girl's feet so that they would stay small (small feet were considered beautiful).

__Modern China__
In modern China there is still a social class system but a very basic one, it is composed of a upper class, middle class, and lower class. The upper class has the wealthiest, or most famous class of citizens, and usually the upper class always has the most political power. The upper class is the most elite social class with only about 1-2% of the citizens being considered upper class. The next social class is the middle class but it is basically the class you fall under when you aren't considered either upper class or lower class, and it is considered a little borderline or contemporary. The final social class is the lower class which consists of the poor and those who have a low income job with very little economic security, some are also homeless and or unemployed. =Intellect =



__Ancient China__
Imperial Examination was a method of finding the most talented individuals and setting them up for future civil service and was used predominantly through tout the entire history of ancient China. There were two parts to the exam: the arts exam and the //wushu// exam. The art version had categories such as composition, laws, calligraphy, study of books, paintings, etc. The //wushu// exam was used to find skilled military officials but was not considered quite as important as the art exam. Initially only the wealthy and important would ever get the chance to take these exams and achieve rank, but once the //keju//evaluation system was introduced, poor children could take the exams and possibly bring honor to their families. There was also an exam made specifically for gifted children called //tongziju.// As for school, only boys were allowed to go to school, and it was free; young girls were taught at home.

__Modern China__
The modern Chinese education system is controlled by the Ministry of education and is public, government run, and requires everyone to attend school for nine years. The system works by giving primary and secondary education, primary education is given when you are about six or seven years old and lasts six years and is followed by secondary education for people 12-18 years old for another six years.

=The Arts =

__Ancient China __
The beginnings of porcelain originated in the Sui dynasty; white clay was molded into simple shapes and then coated with a clear glaze. Many Buddhist statues found around China were built during this time period. The Tang dynasty, which followed afterwards, was considered the Golden Age of art and literature. Their creativity was influenced by their contact with India and the Middle East. Most paintings were landscape, or //shanshui//, and focused on capturing the essence of nature. As for literature, Li Bo and Du Fu were the best known poets; one wrote of the pleasures of life while the other focused on the somber. Ceramics were prevalent during the Sung dynasty. The shapes of the pottery were simple and the glaze colors monochromatic. Landscape paintings improved as well; artists used blurry lines to show distance and create foggy mountain ranges. Nature was still the predominate theme of these paintings.

__Modern China __
In the 1950s when the government had full control they would heavily promote artists that favored the government and vice versa, if someone presented art that gave the communist party a bed reputation would have to become a farmer through a process called re-education. The peak of this government control in art was during the cultural revolution where many pieces of art, architecture, literature, and religious customs were destroyed, torn, and even burnt. After the cultural revolution in the 80's lots of contemporary art began to pop up and it incorporated paintings, videos, photography, and performance.

Four olds, a sculpture destroyed during the cultural revolution