Chapter 45: Han dynasty, (206 BCE-220 ACE)

• The Context for the Han ascendancy
• A brief Political Overview
• Specifics of the Former Han

Chapter 46: Confucianism on the rise

• The rise of the imperial bureaucracy
• Tung Chung-shu (179->104 BCE)
• Interpreter of Confucius for his age
• Confucian advantage
• Confucian Classics
• Written during the Chou edited by the Han
• Why were they chosen?
• The Ju, Confucius and the I Ching
• Classic of Rituals and women
• Orthopraxy vs. Orthodoxy
• The influence of Confucius on China
• Transformation and influence of the ju class

Chapter 47: The Emergence of Taoism

• Ssu-ma Ch'ien: Confucius meets Lao Tzu
• Confucian and Taoist opposites
• First evidence of Taoism, 3rd century BC
• Taoism under the Han Dynasty
• Literary beginnings of Alchemical Taoism
• How do you know when you are ready?
• Duke of Chou’s Mandate of Heaven and the Tao
• Taoist Classics
• The Continuing Diversity of Taoism

Chapter 48: The Period of Disunity (221-589 AD)

• Transitional Politics & the conquests of Emperor Wu
• Wang Mang & the Hsin dynasty (9 to 23 CE)
• Dominance of Confucianism further polarizes the classes
• Continuing Chinese political mechanism: clan vs. state
• Peasant Revolt and Suppression
• Period of Disunity and the Fall of Confucianism
• Chaos and Taoism move hand-in-hand
• Buddhism's entrance into China
• Taoist response to Buddhism

Chapter 49: Wang Pi (226-249)

• Wang Pi?s Interpretation of the Tao Te Ching
• Why the distortion?
• Tao Te Ching Song-poem 38
• Some practical examples
• Wang Pi on Song-poem 38
• Some more of Wang Pi?s flowers
• I Ching Song-Poem 51 ? Thunder

Chapter 50: Sui (581-618) & T’ang (618-907) dynasty

• Remembering the Period of Disunity
• Mandala Government based on capital city, not boundaries
• Factors that led to the Sui ascendancy
• Three T?o-pa Innovations
• Military garrisons on the borders
• Chronology of the Sui & T?ang Emperors
• A few generalities about the Sui
• Influence of the peasantry
• Typical warrior kings
• Return of the shih

Chapter 51: Rise & Fall of Buddhism during the T’ang

• Another unsuccessful attempt at imperial Taoism
• The Spread of Buddhism into China through writings
• Chinese preference for ?Utterances of the Original Master?
• In the West: the Bible, utterances of the Original Master, God
• Importance of sutras due to difficulties of cross-cultural communications
• Difference of the Void in China and India
• Distortions of Chinese translations
• Taoism &Confucianism join forces
• The Death of T?ang Tolerance
• The Death of Institutional Buddhism
• Buddhism + Taoism = Ch?an [Zen] Buddhism