Society, philosophy, warfare and agriculture during the Warring States Period: Lotus chart

Political map of China during the Warring States period, circa 260 BCE by Philg88 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Activity

This activity uses the concept a Lotus Chart to analyse key topic areas relevant to the Warring States Period. The topic areas are: society, philosophy, warfare and agriculture. The class will be divided into four groups and the room will be set up with four conversation stations; each station represents one of the four topic areas.

Each group will be given a topic area and a set of prompt questions (listed below) designed to assist you in your research. This will be provided to you in the form of a smaller Lotus Chart, derived from the main/original Lotus Chart:

Each group will attempt to answer the prompt questions. You will fill in the areas of the Lotus Chart related to the topic with keywords that represent the research and answers you have uncovered.

Then groups will swap ‘stations’ and move to the next conversation station which represents the next topic area. The process repeats until each group has visited all four stations.

At the end of the activity, each group will have collectively explored and discussed the key concepts and significance of all four topic areas. We will then engage in a class discussion to compare and contrast our findings, solidify our learning and bridge gaps in understanding.

Possible topic questions and suggested websites to visit for research:

1. Society

• What cultural developments were a result of the wars during this time?
• How did infrastructure and cities develop and change throughout this time?
• How did the class system change throughout this period?
• When money was introduced, what did this mean for society?
• How might the above developments have impacted everyday people?

Warring States Period: World History Encyclopedia

2. Philosophy

(All questions are from the Khan Academy website)

• What role does shame, as Confucius terms it, play in motivating behaviour? What does it have to do with running a city, or a country?
• How is Legalism different from Confucianism?
• What different effects do you think Legalism might have had on government and social structures?
• How do you think Daoism affected Chinese society and government differently from Confucianism and Legalism?

The Philosophers of the Warring States

Ancient Chinese Philosophy

3. Warfare

• Were there any new developments regarding weaponry? What were they and how were these developments significant?
• Were there any new developments regarding military strategies? How did this affect the outcome of warfare?
• What were the effects of war on every day people?

Warring States Period: World History Encyclopedia

Warfare

4.  Agriculture

• What were the developments in agriculture during this period?
• How did agricultural developments effect every day people?
• What impact did the development of waterways have on every day people?

Agricultural practices of the Qin people from the Warring States period to the Qin Dynasty

Technological change in Warring States China