Dynastic Cycle

Dynastic cycle
is an important political theory in the Chinese history. According to this theory, every
dynasty goes through a culture cycle.
The dynastic cycle appears as it follows:
1. A new ruler unites China, founds a new dynasty, and gains the Mandate of
Heaven.[1]
2. China, under the new dynasty, achieves prosperity.[2]
3. The population increases.[2]
4. Corruption becomes rampant in the imperial court, and the empire begins to enter
decline and instability.[2]
5. A natural disaster wipes out farm land. The disaster normally would not have been
a problem; however, together with the corruption and overpopulation it causes
famine.[1]
6. The famine causes the population to rebel and starts a civil war.[1]
7. The ruler loses the Mandate of Heaven.[1][2]
8. The population decreases because of the violence.[3]
9. China goes through a warring states period.[3]
10. One state emerges victorious.[2]
11. The state starts a new empire.[1][2]
12. The empire gains the Mandate of Heaven.[1][2]
(The cycle repeats itself.)
The Mandate of Heaven was the idea that the Emperor was favored by Heaven to rule
over China. The Mandate of Heaven was created by the Chinese philosopher Mencius,
during the Period of Warring States.[1]
It has 3 main periods:
1. The first is the beginning of the dynasty.

2. The second is at the middle of the dynasty's life and is the peak of the dynasty.
3. The last period is the decline of the dynasty both politically and economically
until it's finally conquered.
This cycle applies to most of the river valley- classical civilizations as well, not only the
Chinese.
Qin Dynasty
I. Mandate of Heaven
- Mandate of Heaven are the divine right to rule was promoted by Zhou
dynasty in order to justify their rebellion against the Shang dynasty. It
was created by the Chinese philosopher Mencius, during the Period of
Warring States. Also, the Mandate of Heaven was used to explain the
dynastic cycle or the rise and the fall of the dynasties.
A. Dynastic cycle
The Chinese believed that dynasties could gain or lose the mandate
of Heaven, depending on how wisely the emperor ruled. As long as
the dynasty provided good governance, it enjoyed the mandate of
Heaven. On the other hand, if the government became weak or
corrupt, the Heaven would withdraw its support.
Floods, famine, or other catastrophes were signs that a dynasty had
lost the favor of Heaven. With these, an ambitious leader might
seize power and set up a new dynasty. His success and strong
government showed the people that the new dynasty had won the
mandate of Heaven. The dynastic cycle would begin again.
II. Rise of Qin Dynasty

- Originally a small, backwater state which bordered on the barbarian
lands to the west, the state of Qin expanded its territory, first to the west,
conquering the Rong barbarians, then east, to the Yellow river. At the same
time, the old Zhou Dynasty was fragmenting further and further, as lords
and generals who ruled their own fiefdoms broke from the Zhou and
formed their own states. In short, as the Zhou dynasty was losing its
power, the Qin dynasty was gaining theirs. The larger states proceeded to
swallow up the smaller, and by the reign of Duke Xiao of Qin (361 BC),
there were only a half dozen powerful states left: the Chu, Jin, Yan, Han,
Qi, Zhao, and Zhou. The state of Qin was mostly ignored by the others,
and was treated as if it was a barbarian country. But they would not ignore
it for long. Under Duke Xiao, the Qin began a slow process which is
referred to in Chinese as canshi, or 'like a silkworm devouring a mulberry
leaf,' conquering by taking one territory at a time, one city at a time, one
state at a time. The policies of Duke Xiao continued under Duke (later,
King) Huiwen, King Wu, and King Zhaoxiang.
- Shi Huangdi centralized power with the help of legalist advisers.
Using rewards for merit and punishment for failure, he built the strong
authoritarian government of the Qin dynasty.
III. Qin dynasty as a modern state

A. Unification of China
- Emperor Shi Huangdi abolished feudalism. He forced noble families to
live in his capital at Xianyang, where he could monitor them. He
distributed the lands of the displaced nobles to peasants. To promote
unity, Shi Huangdi standardized weights and measures and replaced
diversed coins of the Zhou states with Qin coins. He also had scholars
create uniformity in Chinese writing. Workers repaired and extended
roads and canals to strengthen the transportation system. He passed a
law that require cart axles to be the same width so that wheels could
run in the same ruts on all Chinese roads.
B. The great wall
- The great wall was the most remarkable and costly achievement of Qin
dyansty. Before, individual feudal states had built walls to defend their
lands. Shi Huangdi ordered the walls to be joined. It snaked for
thousands of miles across northern China. The wall did not keep
invaders out of China, however it did demonstrate the emperors
ability to mobilize the vast resources of China. The Great wall became
an important symbol to the Chinese people, dividing and protecting
their civilized world from the nomadic bands north of the wall.
IV. The First Emperor

- After the death of King Zhuangxiang, he was succeeded by his son
Zhou Zheng, who was only thirteen years old at that time. He became
King Zheng , and continued the policy of conquest set by his ancestors
so effectively that, in the 26th year of his reign (221 BC), he had
succeeded in uniting the empire, and proclaimed himself as Shi
Huangdi the First Emperor.
A. Family Background
- Lu Buwei was said to be the real father of Shi Huangdi. King
Zhuangxiang (Zichu) felt indebted to Lu Buwei because if not for the
latter, he would not be a king. They became friends, and one day Zichu
saw Lu Buweis favorite concubine, and asked for her as a wife. Lu
Buwei agreed eventhough she was already pregnant by him. They
concealed the pregnancy, and when she bore a son, King Zhuangxiang
believed it was his and named him Zhao Zheng.
B. Condition of China during his reign
- Shi Huangdi moved harshly against critics. He jailed, tortured, and
killed many who opposed his rule. Hardest hit were the feudal nobles
and Confucian scholars who despised his laws. To end dissent, Shi
Huangdi approved a ruthless campaign of book burning, ordering the
destruction of all works of literature and philosophy. Only books on
medicine and agriculture were spared.
C. Belief
- Shi Huangdi hated if anyone mentioned anything about death. He
became obsessed with imortality. He sent his ministers to the four
corners of the empire to discover the secrets of immortality.
V. Problems of the Qin Dynasty
- Shi Huangdi moved harshly against critics. He jailed tortured and
killed many who opposed his rule. Many of them were feudal nobles
and confucian scholars who despised his laws. He approved campaign
of book burning, ordering the destruction of all works of literature and
philosophy. Only books on medicine and agriculture were spared.
- Hundreds of thousands of laborers suffered through harsh conditions,
especially when he built the great wall.
VI. The fall of the Qin Dynasty
- When Shi Huangdi died in 210 BC, anger over heavy taxes, forced
labor, and cruel policies exploded into revolts.
A. The Rise of the Han Dynasty.
a. As Qin power collapsed, Liu Bang, an illiterate peasant leader,
defeated rival armies and founded a new Han Dynasty. He
claimed that his power was based on the mandate of Heaven.

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What is the dynastic cycle theory and how does it explain the rise and fall of dynasties in China?

How did Shi Huangdi unify China under the Qin dynasty?

Dynastic cycle

The dynastic cycle appears as it follows:

(The cycle repeats itself.)

It has 3 main periods:

1. The first is the beginning of the dynasty.

II. Rise of Qin Dynasty

III. Qin dynasty as a modern state

IV. The First Emperor

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