Transcript AP World History POD 8 – The Middle Kingdom

AP World History
POD 8 – The Middle
Kingdom
Tang & Song Empires
Class Discussion Notes
Bulliet et. al. –
“The Sui and Tang Empires, 581-755”
pp. 284-290
“The Emergence of East Asia, to 1200”
pp. 291-297
Sui Dynasty
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“After the fall of the Han dynasty, China was fragmented for
several centuries. It was reunified under the Sui (sway)
dynasty, father and son rulers who held power from 581
until Turks from Inner Asia (the part of the Eurasian steppe
east of the Pamir Mountains) defeated the son in 615. He
was assassinated three years later and the Tang filled the
political vacuum.” (Bulliet, p. 284)
Grand Canal – built by the Sui, this 1100 mile canal was
built to link together and facilitate trade between the Yellow
and Yangtze Rivers
Great Wall – made improvements to the defensive structure
The heavy burdens of military ambition and overreaching
public works projects weakened the dynasty
Tang Dynasty
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In 618 the powerful Li family took advantage of
the Sui disorder to carve out an empire of similar
scale and ambition. They adopted the dynastic
name Tang. The brilliant emperor Li Shimin (lee
shir-meen) extended his power primarily
westward into Inner Asia. Though he and
succeeding rulers of the Tang Empire retained
many Sui governing practices, and avoided
overcentralization by allowing local nobles, gentry
officials, and religious establishments to exercise
significant power.” (Bulliet, pp. 284-285)
Tributary System
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“A system in which, from time to time of the Han
Empire, countries in East and Southeast Asia not
under the direct control of empires based in
China nevertheless enrolled as tributary states,
acknowledging the superiority of the emperors in
China in exchange for trading rights or strategic
alliances.” (Bulliet, p. 287)
This system was also used by the Tang
Each tributary sent regular embassies to the
capital Chang’an to pay tribute
Often times these embassies were more
important than the payments because they
signified access to the trading system.
Buddhism in the Tang Empire
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Tang Emperors used the Buddhist idea that kings are
spiritual agents as a means to consolidate and legitimize
their control
Buddhism spread along the trade routes of Asia. It was
especially centered around the Tang capital of Chang’an –
the massive interaction of world merchants made this a
cosmopolitan city
Tang princes in their quest for greater political influence
sought the support of monastic leaders who would pray for
them, preach for them and counsel aristocrats to support
them
Monastic leaders contributed money to the war chests of
these princes from the monastery treasury in exchange for
tax exemptions, land privileges and gifts
Mahayana “Great Vehicle” Buddhism
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Fostered faith in enlightened beings –
bodhisattvas – who postpone nirvana in order to
help others achieve nirvana
Allowed for the introduction of local gods and
goddesses into sainthood making conversion
more attractive to the common man
Encouraged the translation of Buddhist scripture
into the vernacular (local languages)
Accepted religious practices not based on
religious texts
Proved to be a very adaptable belief system for
people of different societies and classes of
people, invigorated travel, language, learning and
cultural exchange
Opposition to Buddhism
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Tang elites saw Buddhism as undermining the Confucianism
ideal of the family as the mode for the state
Buddhism was also criticized for the practice of allowing
women in politics
By 840 the government moved to crush the monasteries
whose tax exemption had allowed them to accumulate land,
serfs and precious objects often times as gifts (4,600
temples were destroyed / 150,000 workers were returned
to the tax rolls)
Wu Zhao – a woman who married into the imperial family
seized control of the government from 690 to 705 and
declared herself emperor claiming legitimacy due to her
alleged status as a bohisattva – and ruled in a way that
favored Buddhism and Daoism over Confucianism
A Historical Interpretation …
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“Serious historians dismiss the stories about Wu
Zhao as stereotypical characterizations of “evil”
rulers. Eunch (castrated palace servants)
charged by historians with controlling Chang’an
and the Tang court and publicly executing rival
bureaucrats represent a similar stereotype. In
fact Wu seems to have ruled effectively and was
not deposed until 705, when extreme old age
(eighty-plus) incapacitated her. Nevertheless,
traditional Chinese historians commonly describe
unorthodox rulers and all-powerful women as
evil, and the truth about Wu will never be
known.” (Bulliet, p. 290)
Tang Dynasty Collapse
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The campaigns of expansion in the 7th century had left the
empire dependent on local military commanders and a
complex tax collection system
755 - An Lushan, a Tang general on the northeast frontier,
led about 200,000 soldiers in rebellion
879-881 – Huang Chao (wang show), a disgruntled
member of the gentry led the most devastating rebellion –
he was supported by poor farmers and tenants who could
not protect themselves from local bosses
A new hatred of “barbarians” led the rebels to slaughter
thousands of foreign residents in Canton and Beijing
Local warlords defeated the rebels, but Tang society never
found peace – refugees, migrant workers and homeless
people roamed the land
907 Tang control of Chang’an was eliminated
China after the Tang
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3 states emerged in China after the fall of the
Tang
Liao (lee-OW) Empire of the Khitan – pastoral
nomads related to the Mongols living on the
northeastern frontier ruled the north
Minyak – cousins of the Tibetans established a
state called Tanggut (TAHNG-gut) on the Inner
Asia frontier in northwestern China
Song – controlled central China starting in 960
Song Industry
The Southern Song came closer to
initiating an industrial revolution than any
other pre-modern state
 A great deal of technology came to China
during the reign of the Tang Dynasty and
Song officials, scholars, and businessmen
had the vision to adapt these innovations
to meet their military, agricultural, and
administrative needs.
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Technology & Innovation
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Fractions – first employed in describing the phases of the
moon
Lunar observations allowed the creation of a precise
calendar
Compass design – magnetic compass
Junk – main ocean going ship
Iron and steel weapons – fought northern rivals for control
of mines – production of coal and iron
High temperature metallurgy driven by water wheels
Mass produced body armor
Experimented with gunpowder – first launching clusters of
flaming arrows and later exploding shells
Moveable Type – made printing cheaper and information
more widely available – and education a great equalizer
Song Culture
Despite their warrior ways, Song culture
idealized civil pursuits
 Civilians outranked soldiers
 Private academies designed to train young
men for the official civil service
examination flourished
 Civil Service system helped improve the
bureaucracy – social class and rank no
longer mattered in jobs and promotions
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Neo-Confucianism
Neo-Confucianism – new interpretations of
Confucian teachings became influential
 Zhu Xi – argued that human nature is
moral, rational, and essentially good
 The ideal person was the sage, a person
who could preserve mental stability and
serenity while dealing conscientiously with
troubling social problems
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Song Economics
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The empire experienced rapid population growth
Credit was widely used throughout long distance trade
routes
“Flying Money” – intercity or interregional credit depended
on the acceptance of guarantees that the paper could be
redeemed for coinage
Paper money was created to help the state respond to
increasing financial demands
Tax farmers made a profit by collecting the maximum
amount and sending and agreed upon smaller sum to the
government leading to extreme rates for taxable services
such as tolls and heavier tax burdens on the common
people
Fortune was open to all – land was no longer the only
source of wealth – agricultural life was on the decline and
urban life was on the rise