Transcript China

China
Tang & Song Dynasties
Yuan Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
Background
 Han Dynasty collapsed
in A.D. 220
 Fighting occurred for the
next 300 years
 Sui rulers reunified
China
Grand Canal
Route
 Short dynasty (581-618)
 Built the Grand Canal that
connected north and
south China
Grand Canal
Golden Ages of China
Tang & Song dynasties
 Extended influence into new lands
 Tried to end corruption
 Restored civil service system for government positions
 Applicants had to pass an exam based on Confucianism
 Candidates for the civil service exam became the scholargentry class which replaced the old landed aristocracy as the
political and economic elite of Chinese society
Inventions-Song & Tang
Dynasties
 Invention of printing in 700s w/wood blocks
 Song printers created movable type
 Gunpowder-first used in fireworks then in guns &
cannons
 Porcelain became important trade item
 Steel invented 900 years before Europeans,
used for swords and farm tools
Golden Ages of China
 Prosperity
 Limited power of the wealthy
 Took land to give to peasants
 Growing trade  more jobs for merchants &
craftspeople
 Population of cities grew
Tang Dynasty 618-907
 Expanded the area of
Chinese rule
 China’s influence
spread to Korea,
Japan & SE Asia
through trade
 Fall of the Dynasty
 Peasant unrest of high
taxes
 Emperor overthrown
907
 Civil wars followed
 960-a Song general
declared himself
emperor
Song Dynasty 960-1279
 Rebels within empire
 Mongols began invading in 1215
Yuan Dynasty
 1279, Kublai Khan overthrew the
Song Dynasty
 Declared himself ruler of China
 Called his dynasty Yuan
 Allowed conquered Chinese bureaucrats to
remain in place at the local level
 Top level jobs were filled by Mongols
 Chinese required to pay tribute to Mongol
rulers
 No Chinese could serve in the army
Kublai Khan
 Re-established law & order in China
 Roads were built & revived trade along the
Silk Road
 Marco Polo spent 20 years in China during
this period
 China prospered
 Was not satisfied with his empire
 Sent troops to Japan & SE Asia
 Only conquered Vietnam
Later Yuan Rulers
 Could not keep peace & order
 Later emperors were corrupt
 Peasants angry about high taxes for
military campaigns
 Fall of the Empire
 In 1368 a monk led an army of peasants
against the Mongols
 Ming Hong Wu established himself emperor
of China
 Started the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
 Yong Le took over in 1398
 Sent an army to retake Vietnam
 Great Wall strengthened
 Built the Imperial City
 Emperor’s palace & government offices
 Gardens, courtyards & waterways
 To show off China’s wealth & power
The Imperial City
Explorations by Zheng He
 Seven trips to explore
SE Asia, India & Arabian
Peninsula
 1st Voyage
 28,000 sailors, merchants
& soldiers
 62 ships
 Largest: 440 ft. long &
1500 tons
 Voyages ended after
Yong Le’s death
Why did voyages end?
 Possibly influence of Confucianism
 Honored tradition & exploration brought new
ideas
 New ideas would upset tradition
 Cost may have been too much
 Ships limited to how far they could travel
 Chinese decided their ways were best
Ming Dynasty Weakened
 Declined slowly
 Final blow
 Peasant revolt that overthrew the
government in 1644
 The Manchus
 Took the opportunity & conquered China
 Founded the Qing Dynasty
Japan & Korea
Japan
 Archipelago (chain of
many islands)
 People settled in Japan
in 3000 B.C.
 By A.D. 1st & 2nd c., they
were living in clans
 Farmers & small number
of wealthy aristocrats
 A.D. 500 one clan,
Yamato, gained power
Yamato Clan
 Leader became an emperor & high priest of
Shinto
 Claimed that the emperor descended from
the goddess of the sun
 Emperor worshipped as a god until 1945
 Other clans still powerful
 Yamato ruled only in name by 700s
 Fujiwara family held real power
Fujiwara Clan
 Gained power in 2 ways
 Filled government positions
 Married into the Imperial family
 Yamato & Fujiwara clans ignored what
was going on in the provinces
 Wealthy families resisted the government’s
centralization
 Weakened it however they could
 Resulted in civil wars by the 1100s
Shogunate Rule
 1192, Minamoto Yorimoto
 Ended civil war through alliances &
force
 Kept emperor as figurehead
 Took title of “shogun” or military
commander
 Real power lay with him
 New gov’t structure called
shogunate
 Yorimoto’s shogunate was
Kamakura
 Lasted about 140 years
 Ended after Mongol invasion in
1281
 In 1333, it was toppled by the
Ashikaga
Shogunate Rule
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Under the first 2 shogunates,
Japan adopted feudalism
(system in which nobles offer
protection & land in return for
service)
Connection between shogun &
daimyo
 Daimyos owed the shogun
loyalty & service in exchange for
land
 Below daimyos, were their
vassals & samurai
 Soldiers who fought for any
daimyo were called ronin
 Then peasants, farmers &
craftworkers
 At the bottom, merchants (why?)
Comparison of European &
Japanese Feudalism
Warrior Classes-Knights &
Samurai
 Similarities:
 Emphasized loyalty,
bravery, and honor
 Lord-vassal
relationship
 Family lineage
important
 Differences:
 Lord-vassal relationship based on moral
code in Japan and legal code in Europe
 Japanese women were encouraged to be
tough while the chivalry in Europe put women
on a pedestal as fragile, inferior
Korea
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Strongly influenced by Chinese ideas
Han took control in 109 B.C.
Ruled by China until 220
Silla Dynasty ruled from 668-918
1231-1350s, ruled over by Mongols
Korea under Chinese authority
 Peace
 Gained from Chinese culture
 Adapted Chinese culture to fit their own