Gods of the Sun Trivia Quiz

The Mandate of Heaven is a Chinese political philosophy that was used by the ancient and the imperial Chinese as a means of legitimizing their rulers. It is based on Heaven being the embodiment of the will of the universe and, as such, the ruler was seen as the "Son of Heaven". The ruler did not need to be of noble birth, they only needed to be just. Accordingly, rulers were judged by the way they ruled, and should one be overthrown then it was assessed that they had lost the Mandate of Heaven.

The doctrine was established by King Wen who defeated the Shang dynasty and established the Zhou dynasty. King Di Xin was the last ruler of the Shang and his was an oppressive regime that punished those that spoke against it. At the same time, he squandered the country's resources. Wen declared that Di Xin had lost the Mandate of Heaven and, to prove his point, overthrew him.

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Confucius was a philosopher and politician who lived during the Spring and Autumn era in Chinese history. "Confucius" is a Latinization of his Mandarin name "Kong Fuzi" (Master Kong). He is thought to have been born in 551 B.C. to the scholar class of people in modern day Shandong province. He is descended from a line of dukes during the Shang Dynasty (ca 1500 - 1050 B.C.). He was schooled in the Six Arts, which are rites, music, archery, chariotry, calligraphy and mathematics. He served the government in the state of Lu and tried to reform the government into one that was worthy and noble but he later resigned his post as he was disappointed in the Duke of Lu's poor conduct. He left Lu and travelled to other states where he tried to expound his vision of a virtuous government but none were receptive. Confucius eventually returned to Lu at the invitation of a member of the ruling class and spent the remainder of his life advising the government and imparting his ideology to dozens of disciples.

Confucius's philosophy was largely based on cultural values passed down from the early Chinese dynasties of Xia, Shang and Zhou. He did not consider himself so much a teacher as a "transmitter who has invented nothing". He emphasized study as the way to improve oneself. Equally important were moral values, sincerity, righteousness and the concept of "li", which can be simplified as "doing the proper thing at the proper time". Confucius believed in cosmic harmony, that good moral character influenced the world in a positive manner. His philosophy was to have great impact on China's history. Confucianism was practiced in almost all of the Chinese dynasties since the Han Dynasty and remains a fundamental philosophy among Chinese people today the world over.

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Following the decline of the previous Zhou Dynasty, seven major states emerged and waged wars for some 250 years as their leaders contended to be the overall ruler. As the Qin state grew in power, alliances between rival states were resolved into two axes known as the vertical alliance and the horizontal alliance. The vertical (north-south) alliance consisted of allies that would oppose Qin. The horizontal alliance (east-west) supported Qin in her bid for supremacy. The Warring States period culminated when Qin vanquished her rivals and unified all of China.

There were advancements in the art of warfare during this period of Chinese history. State leaders made use of infantry drafted from peasants and relied less on chariots that were driven by noblemen. This diminished the power wielded by the noblemen and ensured an inexhaustible supply of expendable lives. Logistics became more efficient as governments organized their large armies. Bronze weapons were replaced with those made of iron. Various books on military strategy were written during this time, among them Sun Tzu's "The Art of War". Arithmetic also became more sophisticated with the introduction of a positional numeral system that used rod numerals to represent integers.

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Qin Shi Huang was born Ying Zheng (clan name Zhao Zheng), a prince of the State of Qin. He was crowned King at the age of thirteen when his father passed away. He seized full power from the regent prime minister at age 22 and began a series of war campaigns to conquer the other independent major states that existed during the Warring States period. In 221 B.C., he defeated the last remaining independent state, Qi, and for the first time, China was united under one rule. Thus, the Qin Dynasty was founded. Ying Zheng discarded the title of King ("wang") and bestowed upon himself a new title, that of Emperor ("huangdi"). As he envisioned his realm to perpetuate through the ages, he styled himself as the First Emperor (Shi Huangdi) while his successors would be named in sequential order. In reality, the new Qin Dynasty was short-lived, ending with his immediate heir, the Second Emperor (Er Huangdi). Following the collapse of the Qin Dynasty, the prefix "Qin" was added to the First Emperor's title.

To facilitate the unification of China, Qin Shi Huang introduced a slew of reforms. Among them, he restructured geographical administrative divisions and instituted meritocracy for government appointments. He also standardized units of measurements, currency and language in addition to developing transportation networks. To suppress dissent, free thought was banned, books were destroyed and scholars were said to be executed. The only books that were spared were those relating to agriculture, divination, Qin history, medicine and astrology. Qin Shi Huang also constructed a wall to keep out the northern nomadic tribes. This wall was eventually expanded by later dynasties and became the Great Wall of China.

Qin Shi Huang feared death and early on in his reign had his mausoleum constructed with a 6000-strong terracotta army to protect him in the afterlife. As he aged, he became obsessed with immortality and searched for the elixir of life. However, he died in 210 B.C. at age 49, allegedly from mercury poisoning as a result of ingesting the so-called elixirs.

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The Han Dynasty is a golden age of Chinese history and is split into two sections - the Western Dynasty from 202 B.C. to 9 A.D. and the Eastern Dynasty from 25 to 220 A.D. It was briefly interrupted by the usurping regent Wang Mang who established the Xin Dynasty for 16 years. Modern China's main ethnic group refers to themselves as the "Han people", the Sinitic language is referred to as the "Han language", and written Chinese is done with "Han characters".

The emperor was the seat of power in the Han Dynasty but he shared power with the nobility and appointed ministers. The dynasty was economically prosperous and saw significant growth in the money economy first established in the Zhou dynasty (c. 1050-256 B.C.). The coinage minted remained the standard in China until the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.).

As mentioned, this was a golden era for China. The Han were responsible for creating a civil service structure within China and made great leaps forward in the field of science. Paper, one of history's most significant creations, was invented in this period, along with water clocks and sundials, and an early model of the seismograph.

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The Three Kingdoms era is defined academically as a period of sixty years lasting from 220 A.D. to 280 A.D., although the time of unrest, that was prevalent in this time, had begun much earlier in the last days of the preceding Eastern Han Dynasty. Though short, this section of Chinese history saw intense warfare and political intrigue. This period brought forth some of the most brilliant statesmen and military strategists in China's history. The Eastern Han Dynasty had splintered into three states, Wei, Shu and Wu. Cao Cao, a general of the Eastern Han, had taken control of the region north of the Yangtze River and established the Wei State. Liu Bei, a warlord of Eastern Han, ruled the area in the southwest and named it Shu. The north-eastern territory, Wu, was claimed by Sun Quan. Cao Cao tried to march south but was repelled by Liu Bei and Sun Quan in the Battle of Red Cliffs. This naval battle pitted Cao Cao against Liu Bei's chancellor, Zhuge Liang, and was remarkable for its stunning warfare. The war raged on as each state fought for supremacy. However, internal strife in Wei and the deaths of Zhuge Liang and Sun Quan of Shu and Wu, respectively, initiated the downfall of each of the Three Kingdoms. The Sima clan of Wei usurped the Cao clan's power and under their rule, Shu and Wu were defeated, reuniting China for a brief time under the newly declared Jin Dynasty.

The Three Kingdoms period saw devastating loss of life. A census taken by the Jin Dynasty indicated 2.5 million households and 16.1 million individuals, in contrast to the Han Dynasty's 10.7 million households and 56.5 million individuals. Even after taking into consideration inaccuracies that may have arisen due to several factors, the impact of the wars on population numbers was still staggering.

The events of the Three Kingdoms period form the basis of Luo Guanzhong's 14th-century historical novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

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The Tang Dynasty represented a high point in China's history and culture. Set up by the Li family in 618 A.D., they ruled the country until 907 A.D. The rulers of this era were seen as benevolent but strong. During this period China's culture blossomed, diplomatic relations flourished, and it was not uncommon to hear a wide variety of foreign languages in the streets of China's then capital city, Chang'an. This, in turn, led to great economic expansion and China emerging as one of the great Medieval empires in the world.

The Tangs provided safety along their trade routes, most notably the Silk Road. They recruited educated gentlemen into government positions to replace the old aristocracy. They recruited similar people from their southern regions into similar roles and, in doing so, bought a sense of unity into the nation.

This was also the time of Emperor Xuanzong (ruled from 712 to 756 A.D.), the "Brilliant Monarch", who brought forth the age of expressionism, setting high standards in Chinese art, poetry and literature. These were the times of the outstanding poets Li Bo and Du Fu and the painting geniuses that were Wu Daozi and Wang Wei.

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Buddhism is believed to have been introduced into China during the Han period (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.) and it would go on to play an important role in the shaping of its civilization. An enormous amount of resource, both financial and human, would be expended in spreading its word, the erection of impressive temples and the creation of elaborate artworks to celebrate the religion.

Xuanzang was born, before the rise of the Tang Dynasty, in 600 A.D., would become a Buddhist monk by the age of twenty and developed an insatiable thirst for the knowledge of Buddhism. To appease this desire, he ventured to India at age thirty. He roamed through that country extensively, visiting holy sites, conversing with religious leaders and scholars, drawing knowledge, and absorbing the culture of the nation.

He soon came to the attention of India's Emperor Harshavardhana (Harsha) who was, at first, an admirer of the monk and then a friend. Harsha was saddened when, after fourteen years in India, the monk decided he needed to return home.

He would leave with the Emperor's blessing, elaborate arrangements for his safety and a host of Buddha's images in gold, silver and sandalwood. But, the two most important items he would return to China with were 657 volumes of manuscripts, which would be of immense importance to his people and an ambassadorship between India and China that would initiate one of history's greatest cultural exchanges.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who always wanted to be a Gregorian monk but he never got the chants.

The Song Dynasty would last for three centuries (960 A.D. to 1279 A.D.) and their reign is seen by some as the "Age of Invention", while other historians describe it as the "Pre-modern Economic Revolution".

Unprecedented growth in technology and agriculture saw China experiencing sustained growth during this time. When you add to this the introduction of a unified tax system and trade routes that were made much more efficient, it was little wonder that China was starting to emerge as a global leader under Song guidance.

The Song government became the first economy to issue paper bank notes. They established the world's first permanent standing navy. This age of invention saw the introduction of the magnetic mariner's compass, the astronomic clock tower that was erected in Kaifeng (at the time the country's capital city), movable type printing was created, which led to the mass production of books which, in turn, led to significant improvements in education standards.

Architecture reached new heights (pun not intended) during this period, thanks to the works of Yu Hao and Li Jie. Great examples include the amazing Iron Pagoda and the Liaodi Pagoda. Great strides were also made in mathematics, Song Ci provided the first documented account of forensic science being used to solve a criminal case and, lets not forget, the first scientific formula being produced for gunpowder and their adaptation of a little game that would become known as soccer.

Despite being well known for his dance skills, not his song skills, this question was ably composed by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19.

The Yuan Dynasty was proclaimed by Kublai Khan, the grandson of Ghengis Khan, and ran from 1271 to 1368 A.D. Although Ghengis Khan had been enthroned with the Chinese title Emperor, he never controlled China proper. That did not happen until Kublai finished the conquest of the Southern Song Dynasty in 1279 A.D. Kublai's dynasty was the first non-Han dynasty to rule all of China proper. In addition to Emperor of China, Kublai Khan claimed the title of Great Khan and ruler over the Mongol Empire. But this claim was only partially acknowledged by the other parts of the Mongol Empire and was tenuous at best. Where Ghengis controlled all of the Mongol Empire and only partially China, Kublai ruled all of China and only partially the Mongol Empire.

Kublai's reign became a more sedentary rule and did not follow in the tradition of the Golden Horde that swept across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He ruled in line with the Chinese dynasties that came before his reign and not in the tradition of Ghengis.

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The Ming dynasty ran from 1368 to 1644 A.D. The dynasty came about after the collapse of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. It was the last orthodox dynasty of the Han people, the major ethnic group in China. The Hongwu Emperor established the dynasty and ruled for 30 years. The dynasty was set up to support a large standing army and navy. The dockyards in Nanjing were among the largest in the world at that time.

The Yongle Emperor had been a commander fighting against the Mongols and when he came to power he established Yan (modern day Beijing) as his capital and built the Forbidden City. This became an "Age of Exploration" in China, as admiral Zheng He led seven voyages with enormous fleets throughout the Indian Ocean as far as the Persian Gulf and the east coast of Africa.

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The Qing Dynasty from 1644 to 1911 A.D. was the last dynasty in China. It was led by the Manchu for whom Manchuria is named. The Manchus were a new ethnic identity that came into being in the early 1600s when the Khanate of Later Jin united other Jurchen tribes into the new ethnicity. They ruled in Manchuria and by 1644 A.D. had seized control over Beijing. Theirs was a dynasty of conquest and after seizing Beijing they took control of the rest of China proper, parts of Taiwan, and even expanded into Inner Asia.

Nurhaci began the organization of Manchu, Han, and Mongol elements into new military-social units called "Banners". These formed the new ethnic identity that became the Manchus of the Qing Dynasty. The Kangxi Emperor (1661-1722 A.D.) was the third Qing emperor and the first to rule over all of China proper. He embraced the role of a Confucian ruler, patronized Tibetan Buddhism, and consolidated the new Manchu ethnicity. The Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796 A.D.) was the height of the power of the Qing Dynasty and he led the Ten Great Campaigns that extended Qing rule into Inner Asia. By the end of his conquest the dynasty had over 400 million citizens.

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The First Opium War (1839-42 A.D.) resulted from increasing tensions between China and Britain over the trade balance between the two countries. The sale of exotic and luxury items such as porcelain and tea to the European market increased the value of Chinese exports and the British acted to counter this by selling opium grown in India to the Chinese market. Chinese officials objected to this influx of illegal narcotics and sparked military conflict when they seized goods and blocked further trade. Britain's Royal Navy overwhelmed Chinese forces and inflicted a series of painful and costly defeats over the next three years, which finally culminated in a peace agreement known as the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. The terms of this treaty opened up the Chinese market by designating five ports for open foreign trade (Shanghai, Canton, Fuchow, Ningpo and Amoy) but also forced the Chinese to pay large sums in compensation and reparations and cede the island of Hong Kong to Britain.

As a result, the First Opium War is often quoted as the start of the period of Chinese history referred to as the "century of humiliation". The phrase was coined by historians in the early 20th century and encompassed numerous further military defeats and territorial losses that China suffered throughout the remainder of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. These included the Second Opium War, First Sino-Japanese War, Russian and Japanese invasions of Manchuria, and the defeat of the Boxer Rebellion.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81, with the help of a large mugful of not-so-exotic-anymore tea.

The Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901 A.D.) pitched Chinese nationalists (known as Boxers) fighting for the removal of foreign colonial influence in the country and government forces against an alliance of eight nations (Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States) who were seeking to protect both their interests and that influence. It ended in an Allied victory and the signing of the "unequal treaty" known as the Boxer Protocol that forced China to pay a large indemnity equal to about 18,000 tonnes of silver and demanded the execution of Chinese Boxer leaders.

In the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion the Qing leader, the Empress Dowager Cixi, instituted a series of political and social reforms known as the "New Policies". However, the Qing dynasty was substantially weakened by her death and that of the puppet Guangxu Emperor in November 1908, which transferred power to the regents of the new child emperor Puyi. The final straw for both the Qing dynasty and the long history of the Chinese empire came three years later with the Wuchang Uprising of 1911 by revolutionary forces. This led to the declaration of a Republic of China on January 1st 1912 and, just over a month later, the forced abdication of the young emperor.

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On October 1, 1949, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Mao Zedong, declared the establishment of the People's Republic of China. This completed a long process of governmental changes that had begun with the Chinese Revolution of 1911 and brought to a close a bloody (and costly) civil war that had erupted between the CCP and the Kuomintang, immediately after World War II.

The new Republic would begin its journey with a new-found optimism, but it would be dealt with an immediate blow by the Great Famine of the 1950s. This was followed by Mao's disastrous Cultural Revolution of 1966. What started out as an attempt to cleanse the party and re-invigorate the idealism of the Communist Revolution plunged the country into chaos that took it decades to work through.

Despite these trials the party endured, survived the crisis that was Tiananmen Square in 1989 and shifted the country toward becoming a global economic powerhouse into the new millennium.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19.