Transcript Sui, Tang, and Song

Sui, Tang, and Song
Sui
 Wendi unites N and S China
 Restores strong central gov’t
 China enters Golden Age
Sui Dynasty (581-618)
 Wendi = 1st Emporer
 Completed Grand
Canal
 Connects Huang He
and Chang Jiang
 Trade b/w N and S
 1 million peasants
worked on 1/2 died
Sui
 Continued work on Great Wall
 These labor projects  Make peasants
mad  Overworked, overtaxed 
 Revolted
Tang Dynasty (618-907)
 Tang Taizong
 Empire expanded
 Reconquered Lands
 N and W (Lands they lost)
 Extended to Korea
Wu Zhao (Tang)
 After Taizong
 Empress that held
real power
 Took title of Emperor
 Only woman to do so
in China
Tang
 Extend roads
 Promoted foreign trade
 Improved agriculture
Tang restore Bureaucracy
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Expanded civil service testing system
Few who passed became elites
Only wealthy could afford education
If connected politically  Didn’t need to
take tests
 Despite that…Still good governing class
 Edu  Even more important
Tang Lose Power
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Raised taxes in mid 700’s
Struggle to control huge empire
Muslims defeat in West
China loses Central Asia
907- Chinese rebels sacked and burned
Tang capital
Song Dynasty (960-1279)
 Taizu reunites China
 Remained powerful, stable and
prosperous
 Try to buy peace with neighbors
 1100’s – Manchurians (Jurchen) establish
Jin Empire in North
 Force Song to retreat south across Huang
He
Song (Economic Growth)
 Trade with Chinese in North
 Trade with Central Asia
 Trade with Western Asia and Europe
Prosperity and Innovation
(Tang and Song)
 Pop = 100 million
 10 cities with 1 million
 Now, about 1.3 Billion
 Now, USA has 9 cities over 1 million
Science (Tang and Song)
 Movable Type
 Leads to…
 More EDUCATION
Other Inventions (Tang
and Song)
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Gunpowder
Porcelain
Mechanical Clocks
Paper Money
Magnetic Compasses
Math
Trade Improves (Tang and
Song)
 Ocean Trade
 Sailing technology
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Up and down Chinese Coast
India
Persian Gulf
Africa
Culture (Religions)
Spreads
 Buddhism
 Islam
 Christianity
Changes in Society
 More Mobile
 Moved to cities
 Civil Service System increases even more
Levels of Society
 Larger Upper Class emerges
 Scholar officials
 Gentry – Well to do people attained
status through education and civil service
positions
 Below Gentry Urban Middle Class
 Merchants, Artisans, Shopkeepers
Society (Cont’d)
 Below Urban Middle Class Bottom of
Society
 Laborers, Soldiers, servants
 Countryside = Peasants
Women (Tang and Song)
 Status further declined
 Ex. Binding feet of upper-class girls
 Crippled for life, but beautiful
 “Lily-foot”