CRISIS IN CHINA - SAVE OUR EMPIRE!

Due:  Thursday, November 2

The Task:  The Han Emperor has summoned his advisors to discuss China's current crises.  Each student will be assigned a delegate role for the purpose of advising the Emperor based upon an accurate understanding of your role.

Crisis Background:  It is the early 3d century C.E. and the last Han Emperor, Han Xiandi, is in danger of losing his mandate of heaven. After nearly 400 years of effective rule, the Han dynasty is near collapse.  Chinese people really value maintenance of traditions, veneration of ancestors, social harmony and self restraint.  Several problems have afflicted China, which threaten to undermine Chinese values, raising the imminent possibility that China will slip once again into civil war.  The major problems are:

1. Corruption among local officials is rampant due to the disarray at the imperial capital.  Local officials, and other powerful landlords, have been abusing the peasants through excessive taxation and rents.  They can get away with this because the imperial government has been consumed by palace in-fighting and rivalries.  Imperial government officials are more concerned with acquiring personal power rather than governing their many distant rural provinces, thereby leading to the emergence of some very powerful local warlords, who are now poised to fight against each other for control of the Han throne.
2. Secret societies in the east have emerged and drawn significant peasant support.  One such society, with religious Daoist overtones, is the Yellow Turbans.  The Yellow Turbans have great appeal to peasants and urge them to rise up against their landlords by looting and killing "corrupt" officials.  These uprisings are spreading rapidly toward the Han capital at Loyang.  Many local lords and magistrates have fled in fear of their lives.
3. Buddhist missionaries are rapidly spreading throughout China from the west.  They have been rapidly acquiring land to construct their temples and to rent out to tenant farmers, making them very rich and powerful landowners in competition with traditional Confucian gentry.  It is estimated that up to 90% of all peasants have converted to this "foreign" religion.  Since Confucianism is the official state philosophy, Buddhism presents a significant threat to China's elites.
4. Wars of expansion have severely drained the treasury.  Emperor Wudi's conquests in western China, Korea and northern Vietnam have created a need for massive military funding to maintain its borders.  This has resulted in extremely burdensome peasant taxes.
5. The economy is declining.  As peasant taxes increase, many peasants were forced off their land due to bankruptcy.  Many other peasants could not afford to buy new farm tools.  Greedy landlords become lenders, forcing peasants to borrow from them in the spring at high interest rates, then selling their rice crops at low prices.  Because of this, many peasants have been forced into either slavery or banditry.  Government monopolies on salt and iron have resulted in high prices and wastefulness.
6. Border skirmishes are increasing, particularly in Korea.  If Korea breaks away, might Vietnam follow, as well?

Delegate Roles:

Confucianists

Legalists

Daoists

Buddhists

Task:  Using documents that we have read, and McKay, create a word-processed graphic organizer that, for each problem above, lists 3 specific actions that you believe should be implemented in order to prevent China from plunging into civil war and chaos. You will use your graphic organizer to help you debate effectively.  Concluding the debate, you will write a 2-page reflection, word processed and double-spaced.

Grading:

Graphic Organizer Worksheet - 25%

Oral Participation - 50%

Reflection - 25%