The Great Wall of Qin and Han China
W orld H is to ry M r. M attk e N am e: The Great W all of China: Did the Benefits Outweigh the Costs? (Use the documents to find out) Document A Source: map compiled from various sources 1. Examine the map and list the thr ee bodies of water , two deserts, and t hr ee major trading centers. G obi D ese rt, T ak lim ak an D ese rt. E ast C hin a S ea, S outh C hin a S ea. T urp an , C han g’e n , D onhuan g 2. Many Chinese merchants traveled only as far as Dunhuang on the Silk Road. What are two possible reasons why? L ong w ay t o a n y o th er t r a d in g c en te rs 3. Judging from the map, how might China have benefitted from building the Great W all? What costs were associated with it?Document B Source: excerpts of a letter written by Chao Cuo, Imperial Secretary of the Han Dynasty , to Emperor W en, 169 B.C. THe recommendations made in this letter were adopted. 1. The Chinese notion of “barbarian” was anyone who wasn’ t Chinese. What characteristics of the Xiongnu made them seem barbarian to Chao Cuo? 2. What does Chao Cuo r ecommend to keep the Xiongnu from invading? 3. What do you think would be more ef fective in discouraging a Xiongnu invasion, walls or a lar ge Chinese population on the border? Explain. 4. What benefits to the Great W all are suggested by the document? Costs ?
Document C Source: chart compiled from various sources. 1. According to the chart, who was giving what to whom? H an w as g iv in g S ilk F lo ss ( in c attle s) & S ilk F ab ric ( in b ale s) t o X io ngnu M ongols 2. Between 51 BCE and 1 BCE, what happened to the amount of silk that was given, and why might this have been the case? T he a m ount k ep t i n cre asin g T his m ig ht h av e b een t h e c ase b ecau se H an k ep t e x pan din g a n d g ettin g r ic h er & r ic h er 3. Judging from the chart, how can you ar gue that building a Great W all was worth the cost? Not worth the cost? B ecau se H an w as a b le t o g iv e m ore B ecau se i t c o st a l o t t o p ro duce t h e G re at W all o f C hin a Document D Source 1 Source: chart created from various sources. Source 2 Source: T im McNeese, The Gr eat W all of CHina , Lucent Books, 1997. 1. The most important export from Han China was silk. According to Source 1 ,, what trade items might the Han have received in return? R hin ocero s h orn f o r m ed ic in es. M usic . I rrig atio n S yste m 2. How far did Han emperor W u Di extend the wall, and why ? 3 00 m ile s. T o a id i n i n e x pan din g C hin a’s i n flu en ce i n t h e w orld t h ro ugh t r a d e w ith o th er n atio ns 3. How would you describe W u Di’ s attitude about China’ s relationship with the rest of the world, as inferr ed in Source 2 ? 4. How can you use Source 1 and Source 2 to show the benefits of building the Great W all? How can you use it to ar gue that it was not worth the cost?
Document E Source: compiled from various sources, including legends and folks songs, as well as historical documents. 1. Identify two categories of people who worked on the Great W all.
2. According to the document, what evidenc e is there that conditions were harsh for Qin soldiers sent to the Great W all? 3. According to the document, what difficultie s were faced by Han soldiers sent to the Great W all? 4. How can you use this document to ar gue that building the Great W all was worth the cost? Not w orth t h e c o st? Document F Source: Chinese poem describing the life of a Han cavalry soldier , author and date are unknown. 1. What would cause Han cavalry soldiers to die north of the wall? 2. What might explain why the rice in China is not being harvested? 3. Explain the line, “W e sally forth at dawn, but do not return at dusk?” 4. How can you use this poem to ar gue that the Great W all was not worth the cost?
