Transcript 4-2 Notes - WordPress.com

4-2 Notes: Chinese Society
Tang rebuild China
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Collapse of Han dynasty was
disastrous for Chinese economy
618 A.C.E. – Tang reforms –
Tang give more land to farmers
Farmers improved irrigation, new
farming methods, and began to
grow rice that grew well in poor
soil
Increase in food production
supported large population
growth
Tang rulers also rebuilt roads
and waterways to make travel
easier
Silk Road was under Tang
control and trade flourished
China began to grow famous for
trading porcelain, a fine clay
baked at high temperatures and
formed into pots, vases etc.
Coal & Steel
• At first, people burned
wood to heat homes and
cook food, however,
forests depleted
• Chinese discovered that
coal could be used to heat
things, coal mining
industry booms
• Chinese used coal to heat
furnaces – discovered that
by mixing iron with carbon
from coal, a new, stronger
metal was formed – steel
• Chinese used steel to
make armor, swords,
helmets, as well as stoves,
farm tools, drills, steel
chains, nails, and even
sewing needles
Paper & Printing
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Paper invented during Han
dynasty – Tang dynasty boosts
paper production (500,000
sheets a year just to assess
taxes!)
Everything copied by hand
600 A.C.E. – Chinese begin
printing using carved blocks of
wood, ink sheets, and a press
to imprint images onto paper
Chinese also invented paper
currency (paper money)
As the Chinese economy grew,
demand for money grew as
well
1024 A.C.E. - Chinese officials
began to print paper money
instead of creating copper
coins
Other Chinese inventions
• 1000s A.C.E. – Pi Sheng
invented movable type for
printing (each character was
separate piece which could
be combined to create new
sentences
• Gunpowder – A mixture of
sulfur, coal, and potassium
nitrate – Was developed
first to propel fireworks, then
as a weapon (fire lance)
• 1150 A.C.E. – Chinese
sailors begin using the
compass, a device used to
measure directions in a
frame of reference –
Chinese sailors used the
compass to find their way
and sail to faraway places
Chinese Art, Literature, & Porcelain
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Poetry popular in China – Li Bo
(nature) and Du Fu (serious
poetry about intense suffering)
were among the Tang dynasty’s
most popular poets
Painting of landscapes popular
in Song dynasty China, but
painters did not realistically
portray the landscapes – tried to
capture “the idea” of the
countryside
Chinese calligraphy also popular
– calligraphy is the art of writing
beautiful letters
Porcelain was perfected during
this time – Westerners often
called porcelain “China” because
of its origin
Technology to make porcelain
finally spread Europe in 1700s
A.C.E.