Transcript Lesson 8.01 - Florida Virtual School

Lesson 8.01
Aftermath of the fall of
the Han Dynasty
After the fall of the Han Dynasty----chaos:
1) The empire split into three parts.
2) Invaders swarmed over northern China.
581 CE—Sui dynasty restored and reunited the empire.
40 years later and beyond, the Tang and Song
dynasties restored China’s political and cultural
strength.
Tang Dynasty
• Li Yuan led a rebellion and became the first Tang
emperor.
• The era of the Tang dynasty was considered the
golden age for the arts.
• Capital city: Changan---great walled city with
palaces, temples and markets.
• Empress Wu—The only female Tang rulers (all
others were men) that was considered ruthless.
• The empire stretched from Vietnam in the
southeast to the Taklamakan Desert (which the
Silk Road ran along the edge) in the far west.
• Trade increased---wealth—foreign ideas
• In the 800s—flood & drought—ruined crops
• Fall ---Rebel army destroyed Changan—Tang lost
the Mandate of Heavem
Song Dynasty
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960 CE—Song Dynasty restored the empire.
T’ai-tsu---First Song emperor.
Kaifeng- Dynasty’s capital and commercial center, sat in the Huang
River Valley in northern China.
Commercial Center—Area where the buying and selling of good
occurred.
Downfalls: Were not as dominant as the Tang dynasty—(1) Never able
to take control of former Chinese lands to the north (2) Struggled to
keep the empire united (3) Sent huge amounts of silver and silk each
year to the Liao people (enemy) to pay tribute in return for peace.
1126--northern people, the Jurchens, invaded--captured the Song
emperor and took him away. The emperor’s brother escaped and
headed south. There he set up the Southern Song dynasty. All of China
north of the Huang River fell to the invaders.----Many Song people
moved south of the Chang River—urbanization---settled in cities along
rivers and the southeast coast.
Economy grew—farmers harvested oranges, sugar, tea, cotton and
silk. Crafters produced pottery, silk, cloth, paper and jewelry for sale in
other lands.---traded for silver, gems, cotton cloth, perfumes, horses
and camels..
Gained wealth-taxed all their goods.
Arts in the Tang and Song
Dynasties
• Both dynasties supported the arts.
• Tang—golden age for the arts----painting, poetry,
music, dance, pottery.
• Invented Porcelain and calligraphy.
Innovations
Inventions:
(1) Gunpowder: mixed saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur near
a flame.
(2) Fireworks.
(3) Moveable type: made books cheaper and helped
spread learning.
(4) First to issue paper money .
(5) Improved the design of seagoing ships.
(6) Magnetic compass.
(7) New farming techniques: Began growing Vietnam rice
and found new ways to control the rain waters and new
irrigation methods—This helped farmers to grow rice in the
summer and winter----Rice trade was very profitable for the
Song dynasty.
Ruling the Empire
• Made sure the central government chose the officials and not
elites.
• Tang dynasty– was the first to use an examination system to
find out who was the best person for the job---educated men
staffed the bureaucracy.
• Tang officials came from upper classes--• Song officials created a true civil service system—Confucian
ideals—merit system
• Merit system: To deserve a position in government, a person
had to pass a challenging series of exams. The system backed
public service. It also showed great respect for learning. Only
the virtuous and able became officials.
• ***Review lesson 8.01, page 5 of 6--- STEPS TO BECOMING A
SCHOLAR-OFFICIAL
• *****Review lesson 8.01, page 6 of 6—Review.
Important words to
know…
• Urbanization: Rapid Growth of cities
• Commercial: having to do with the buying and selling of
goods center.
• Porcelain: a hard, white, translucent ceramic
• Calligraphy: the art of handwriting, often with brush and
ink
• Innovations: new inventions or ways of doing something
added to the world’s basic knowledge.
• Bureaucracy: a system of appointed officials who
handle the day-to-day work of a government
• Civil service system: a system, based on examinations, by
which civilians serve in government posts