Transcript Chapter 12: Tang & Song Dynasties

Chapter 12: Tang &
Song Dynasties
Reunification and
Renaissance
220 CE.—Han dynasty
ends
220-589—Era of
Division
589-618—Sui dynasty
618-907—Tang dynasty
960-1279—Song
dynasty
1279-1368—Mongol
(Yuan) dynasty
Rebuilding the Imperial Edifice
6th century—Sui
dynasty comes to
power under the
rule of Wendi
Wins widespread
support by
Lowering taxes
Establishing
granaries (wards off
famine)
Sui Excesses and Collapse
Yangdi expands on his father’s
foundations
Milder legal code
Restoration of exam system
(Confucianism)
Promotion of scholar-gentry
Excess, waste and wars lead to
collapse
Yangdi assassinated in 618 by his own
ministers
Emergence of the Tang
Li Yuan saves
imperial order
and lays the
foundation for
the Tang
Extends
borders of the
empire and
attempts to
assimilate
nomads of the
C. Asian
frontier
Rebuilding the Bureaucracy
Continues revival of Confucian
thought and promotion of scholargentry
Scholar-gentry staffs the bureaucracy,
offsetting power of the nobility
Bureaucracy
Imperial level—executive department
District level—regional and provincial
offices
The Examination System
Emphasis on Confucian thought (taught
moral & organizational principles needed
for good gov’t)
Exams administered by the Ministry of
Rites
Jinshi --receive top gov’t jobs and elite
social status
Meritocracy exists, but birth/family
connections still most important for gaining
jobs
State and Religion in Tang/Song
Era
Confucian revival threatens Buddhism
Variants—Pure Land, Zen (Chan)
Tang emperors support Buddhism.
Empress Wu
Buddhism is a powerful and influential
force
Anti-Buddhist Backlash
Buddhism poses various challenges
to Taoists and Buddhists
Restriction & persecution under
Wuzong
Confucianism emerges as the
central ideology from the 9th
century until the 20th century.
Rise of the Song
Rivalries and assassinations weaken
Tang
Xuangong and Yang Guifei’s
relationship signals end of the
dynasty
Collapse in 9th c. brought about by:
Nomadic groups
powerful provincial governors
Worsening economic conditions
Founding of the Song
Zhao Kuangyin
establishes the
Song dynasty
Unable to
conquer Liao
dynasty to the
north (inherent
weakness of
Song over
nomadic groups)
Tribute paid to
Liao in
exchange for
Sinification
Song Politics
Smaller & less powerful than Tang
Weakened military while
strengthening scholar-gentry
Lax exam rules quickly bloat the
bureaucracy with too many less
qualified bureaucrats
Confucian Revival
Neo-Confucians= revivers of
Confucian thinking
Stressed rank, obligation, ritual, class,
age and gender distinctions (highly
patriarchal)
Answers to future problems found in
past examples
Decline and Reform
Variety of reasons:
Inability to fight off nomadic groups
High costs of maintaining an army
Elite disdain for military
Efforts at reform (Wang Anshi) fail to
carry on through successive
emperors
Reaction & Disaster
Neo-Confucians
reverse Wang’s
reforms
Nomads
(Jurchens) annex
territory
Southern Song
dynasty rules from
1167 to 1279
politically weak;
culturally achieved
new heights of
glory
Golden Age: Tang & Song
Prosperity
Major shift in population balance
Public works (Grand Canal) help
counter the shift and solidify control
over southern regions
Commercial
Expansion
Naval
technology
(junks)= growth
of overseas
trade
Huge markets,
expansion of
commerce leads
to innovation
(flying money)
Rapid urban
growth
Chinese junk vs. Santa Maria
Expansion of Agriculture
Rulers encouraged migration to
uncultivated areas
State regulated irrigation, canal
systems
New seeds, better fertilizer, inventions
(wheelbarrow) increase crop yields
Smaller estates give more power to
peasants and not elite landlords
Extended family structure
Family & Society
Position of women
initially climbs,
then rapidly falls
during late Song
Stressed:
Authority of elders
Subordination of
women
Marriage alliances
Neo-Confucianism
Movement allows for freedom for men
and confinement for women
Women lose:
Legal rights
Access to education
Status within society and the home
Best exemplified by footbinding
Footbinding
•Originates in the
palace of the last king
of the Tang Dynasty
• continued even when
it was banned by the
Manchurian Qing
Dynasty (1644-1911).
•In remote
mountainous areas,
women still had their
feet bound even when
the New China was
founded in 1949.
Although foot-binding is
no longer practiced, many
women with bound feet
are still alive. Author
Beverley Jackson
photographed this woman
in Yunan Province in
1997.
Invention, Scholarship
& Artistic Creativity
Technological
breakthroughs
Buddhist art &
architecture
Confucian
literature
Art reflects
themes of
nature, order,
balance and
simplicity
China’s World Role
No major changes, instead, a
consolidation of Chinese civilization
Major technological innovations and
most advanced economy in the world
Extends influence over East Asia
Chinese technology will soon change
the world