Chinese Hegemony: Chinese Hegemony: The Tang & Song “Golden Age”The Tang & Song “Golden Age”

Re-cap: Important Dates

I.I. Early DynastiesEarly DynastiesXia? (2200 B.C.E.)

1. Shang (1766-1122 B.C.E.)

2. Zhou (1122-221 B.C.E)

3. Qin (221 -206 B.C.E.)

-first Emperor, coins

4. Han (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.)

-Confucianism, scholar-gentry, paper & porcelain

II.II. Post-Han ChinaPost-Han China

1. “Period of the Six Dynasties” (220-589 C.E.):

− bureaucracy collapsed− Buddhism gained strength,

replacing Confucianism for a time− nomads ruled much of Chinese

territory

III.III. Sui Dynasty (589-Sui Dynasty (589-618CE)618CE)

– lowered taxes

– established granaries

– reconstruction of bureaucracy

– reconstruction of Confucian scholar-gentry

– extension of Grand Canal

Sui Grand CanalSui Grand Canal

IV.IV.Tang Dynasty Tang Dynasty (618-918)(618-918)

1. Capital city: Chang’an

2. Imperial power & “moral restraint”

3. Cosmopolitan attitude towards religions

“Three DoctrinesThree Doctrines”:

Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism

4. Tang armies extend West

– used Turkic nomads in military (Uighurs)

– Great Wall is repaired– loss to Arabs at Battle of Talas (751)

A.A. Empress Wu (625-Empress Wu (625-705)705)

1. ruled for 50 years (only female empress)

– began as imperial concubine

2. Imperial civil exam systemImperial civil exam system

– blow to noble class– social mobility of scholar-gentry

3. Neo-Confucianism official philosophy

– increased literacy uniting China

4. BACKLASH AGAINST BUDDHISM

Tang Government Tang Government OrganizationOrganization

B.B. New Technologies:New Technologies:

1. re-established the safety of the Silk Road (tea from S.E. Asia)

2. Inventions:

– moveable typeset printing– porcelain– GUNPOWDERGUNPOWDER– mechanical clocks

C.C. East Asian Cultural East Asian Cultural SphereSphere

1. Chinese cultural diffusion throughout East Asia

– “sinification”

2.Korea, Japan, & Vietnam assimilate Chinese culture

– Confucianism– Buddhism– writing system

D. Tang Decline: Losing the D. Tang Decline: Losing the MandateMandate

1. Xuanzong

– Empress Wu’s grandson

– lack of morality?– executed

favorite consort during a rebellion

2. Causes for decline:

– land distribution breaks down

– poor attention to canal & irrigation systems

– NOMADIC INVASIONS

Tang Xuanzong (“Tang Xuanzong (“The Profound The Profound Emperor”Emperor”) )

& & Consort YangConsort Yang

V. Song Dynasty (960-V. Song Dynasty (960-1279)1279)

A. BeginningsA. Beginnings

1.followed the chaos of the “Five Dynasty Period”

2.based on Neo-Neo-ConfucianismConfucianism

3.civil examination system

B. GovernmentB. Government

1. “flying” paper money (increased commerce)

2. government schools

3. Imperial civil service exams

4. replaced corvée labour with paid labor from taxes

5. trained militia & supplied arms

6. paid Mongols in silk for protection

C. Increasing C. Increasing populationpopulation

1.new developments in rice cultivation

-champachampa (wet rice) production from Vietnam

2.Population grew from 60 to 100 million

3.Rice also used to brew wine

Champa “wet rice” production

D. Role of womenD. Role of women1.new ideal of the "willow-waisted woman“

2.against widow remarriage

3.ability to inherit property & control of family/budgets

4.upper-class female foot-bindingfoot-binding

Size 5 ½ shoe on the right

Foot-Binding in Tang & Song

China

• Broken toes by 3 years of age

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=122772

E. CultureE. Culture1.Literature: popularization

of vernacular language

2.Poetry: used to spark political reform

3.Paintings: landscapes (harmony between humans and nature)

“Poem of Farewell to Liu Man” by Yelu Chucai (1190-1244)

"Despotic officials and shyster underofficials, may they feel ashamed!"

“Travelers Among Mountains & Streams” by

Fan Kuan (ca. 1000)

“A Chinese scholar in a meadow”

“12 Views from a Thatched Hut” by Xia Gui, early 13th century

“Spring Festival Along the River” by

Zhang Zeduan

(1085-1145)

Henan jar, Song Dynasty

Jun ware – Song Dynasty

F. TechnologyF. Technology

1. irrigation & fertilizer

2. large ships called junksjunks

3. compass

4. waterwheels & canal locks

5. gunpowdergunpowder & “crouching tiger” catapults

6. printing & paper money

Junks & the CompassJunks & the Compass

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sultan/media/expl_01q.html

Astronomical ClockAstronomical Clock

Paper Paper CurrencyCurrency

Military TechnologyMilitary Technology

First case of gun & grenade First case of gun & grenade (950 C.E.)(950 C.E.)

G. Commercial GrowthG. Commercial Growth

1.production of silksilk & cash crops (teatea)

2.Commerce improved farming cause: Urbanization

H. Split of North & H. Split of North & South SongSouth Song

1. Weak military dependent on bureaucrats

– Song invaded by northern nomads (Jurchin)

2. Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) allied w/ Mongols for protection…

I. Collapse of Southern I. Collapse of Southern SongSong

1. Invasion by Mongols (1279)

– start of YuanYuan Dynasty (Mongol Dynasty)