Journal

• Page 286 (1-3)• Page 289 (1-2)

CHINESE REUNIFICATION UNDER THE TANG AND

SONG DYNASTIESStearns Chapter 12

POI: Chapter 12 Sec. 1

Era of Division

• No innovations from fall of Han (220) to the Sui (589)

• Buddhism• Confucian Gentry declined• Landed aristocracy grew in power• Political divisions opened China to

nomadic invaders

SUI (589-618)

• Wendi: – Used pol. marriage of daughter to seize control of

Northern Zhou and took over Chen.– Reduced taxes, created granaries, created political

alliances with nomadic generals– Began construction of the Grand Canal linking north and

south

• Yangdi:– Murdered Dad (Wendi) and drove northern invaders back– Promoted scholar gentry with exam system and bur. – Extravagant building (Grand Canal)– Alienated aristocracy and nomadic generals– Failed military campaigns in Korea and with Turkic

nomads led to widespread revolt and his assassination

TANG (618-907)

• Li Yuan:– Seized power with Tang Taizong.– Extended lands (Korea, Tibet, Vietnam, South

China)– Used nomadic generals as vassals

• Bureaucracy Rebuilt:– Continued promotion of educated gentry for upper

level positions.– Ministry of Rites: standardized exams became the

key to major social and political positions (jenshi)– Family and social status still played a role however

TANG (618-907)

• Impressive Transportation and Communications using roads, horses and even human runners

• Equal-field system: To avoid growing aristocratic land-holdings (worked for first century but declined due expanding population and corruption

• Buddhism promoted and attacked

Song Prosperity• Grand Canal: Connected the north/south agriculture

(population shifts as does economic power north/south)

• Commercial Expansion: Silk Road improved, junks, flying money, banks, fiscal anchor of the Asian world

• Cities: Hangzhou (2 million) more cities with >100,000 than any pre-industrial states

• Agriculture: Improved irrigation, fertilization, wheelbarrow, weeding. Aristocratic land was broken up.

• Technology: – Irrigation, Canals, Paper, Bridges, Gunpowder, Kites,

Compass, Movable Type (Bi Seng), Porcelain (China),• Art:

– Li Bo: Tang poet, Conf. gentry expected to write and create art.

– Song: Known for landscape paintings

Song Prosperity

• Family: Extended family is preferred but expensive– Marriages were arranged– Women’s roles were important in late Tang

and early Song (Wu, Wei, mutual consent divorce, complementary husbands)

– Neoconfucianism: Led to male dominance and the diminishing of female opportunities• Concubines and foot binding

Chinese Influence

• Korea• Vietnam• Japan