Post-Han Chinese Dynasties Unit Two: 600-1450
Dec 16, 2015
Post-Han Chinese Dynasties
Unit Two: 600-1450
Chinese Chinese DynastiesDynasties
Sui Sui (“sway”)(“sway”)
TangTangSongSong
Post-Han China
Period of the Six Dynasties (220-589CE) Bureaucracy collapsed Buddhism gained strength, replacing Confucianism Non-Chinese nomads rule much Chinese territory
Sui Dynasty (589-618CE)
Established by Wendi
Followed by Yangdi
Reunification under the Sui and Tang• Sui Empire reunified China
• Established a government based on Confucianism but heavily influenced by Buddhism
• Sui’s rapid decline and fall may have been due to its having spent large amounts of resources on a number of ambitious construction, canal, irrigation, and military projects
• The Tang Empire: 618 CE
• Tang state carried out a program of territorial expansion, avoided over-centralization
• Tang emphasized Confucian tradition
Tang Dynasty (618-907CE)
Li Yuan Tang armies extend to
Afghanistan, parts of Tibet, Red River Valley in present-day Vietnam, and Manchuria dominating nomads on borders
Xuanzang returning to Chang'anBuddhism in Tang
Xuanzang returning to Chang'an
Buddhism and the Tang Empire• Tang emperors legitimized their rule with
Buddhist ideas -Monasteries were important allies of
early Tang emperors
• Mahayana Buddhism -More flexible, adaptable
• Buddhism spread through Central and East Asia -Followed trade routes -Chang’an central to trade routes -Chang’an = cosmopolitan city
Chang’an
Tang Dynasty (618-907CE) Rebuilt Bureaucracy
Confucian (restored) Political authority shared Examination System—Ministry of Rites
Training Some commoners Granted them special social status
Exam Cells
Tang Dynasty (618-907CE)—Decline
Tang Dynasty Gossip…
Empress Wu
Empress Wei
Females in general
East Asia After Fall of Han
After the fall of the Tang, a number of new states emerged in the former Tang territory: the Liao, the Jin, and the Chinese Song. As the Liao and Jin cut the Chinese off from Central Asia, the Song developed seafaring and strengthened contacts with Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia.
East Asia in 1000 East Asia in 1000
Industrial Revolution
Many mathematic and navigation advancements during the Song dynasty:
1. Song inventors improved the previously invented compass, making it suitable for seafaring.
2. Shipbuilding, the Song introduced the sternpost rudder and watertight bulkheads• Ship innovations were later adopted in the Persian Gulf.
3. Standing, professionally trained, regularly paid military. • Iron and coal = important strategic resources for military.
• large amounts of high-grade iron and steel for weapons, armor, and defensive works
• GUNPOWDER!
Cities during the Song
Example:
Hangzhou
•Crowded but well-managed
•Scholars, monks, shopkeepers
•Restaurants, parks
Song Dynasty (969-1279CE)
DeclineNomads on the bordersNeo-Confucianism weakens the military
Poor leadership—Wang Anshi’s reforms of the 11th Century
Mongols – eventually invade Song China
Legacies – Tang and Song
Grand Canal Commercial Expansion (Silk Road, Urban
Centers) Agricultural Production Family (male-dominated households Technology (compass, junk, printing) Art (poetry!) Bureaucracy was re-established
Flaming Arrows
Women vs. Men: Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism
Roles of women and men (Neo-Confucians)Advocated confining women
Men—permitted far more sexual freedom
Women: less educated, “homemakers”
Laws favored men
Foot-binding
Counterpart to veiling in Islam? Small feet preferred At the age of 5-6, a girl’s toes were turned under and
bound with silk. It was wound more tightly as she grew. Greatly impaired a woman’s ability to walk. Easier to confine.
Question
As part of the Tang ___________ system, participating countries sent embassies to the Tang capital to acknowledge the Chinese emperor’s supremacy.
A.examinationB.exchangeC.tributaryD.colonization
Answer
As part of the Tang ___________ system, participating countries sent embassies to the Tang capital to acknowledge the Chinese emperor’s supremacy.
A. examinationB. exchangeC. tributary (correct) D. colonization
Hint: See page 314.
Question
The most dramatic change in the status of Chinese women during the Song dynasty was manifested by
A. footbinding.B.admittance of women into the military.C.veiling.D.the introduction of education for
women.
Answer
The most dramatic change in the status of Chinese women during the Song dynasty was manifested by
A.footbinding. (correct)B.admittance of women into the military.C.veiling.D.the introduction of education for
women.
Hint: See page 327.
Question
The hostility of Tang elites to ___________ resulted in an incalculable cultural loss to China.
A.ConfucianismB.educated womenC.BuddhismD.Islam
Answer
The hostility of Tang elites to ___________ resulted in an incalculable cultural loss to China.
A.ConfucianismB.educated womenC.Buddhism (correct)D.Islam
Hint: See page 319.