Transcript document

Section 1: China
Reunified
The BIG Idea
After centuries of chaos and
civil war three dynasties
unified China, bringing
peace, stability and
technological progress.
THE SUI DYNASTY
• The Han Dynasty (from Chapter 3)
ended in the year 220 A.D., and China
fell into three hundred years of civil war
and disorder.
• In 581 the Sui Dynasty was
established.
• The Sui Dynasty did not last long but
was able to unify China under a single
emperor for the first time since the Han
Dynasty
• Sui Yangdi, the second
emperor of the Sui
Dynasty, was a cruel
leader. He used forced
labor to create the
Grand Canal which
connects the Yellow
River and the Yangtze
River.
• The Grand Canal made
shipping easier.
The Grand Canal Today
• The Grand Canal was Sui
Yangdi’s greatest accomplishment
as emperor, but it was also part of
his downfall.
• Because of his use of forced labor
to build the Canal, as well as high
taxes and the emperors
extravagant lifestyle, a rebellion
started and Sui Yangdi was
murdered.
THE TANG DYNASTY
• After Sui Yangdi was
murdered, the Sui Dynasty
ended.
• In 618 the Tang Dynasty
emerged, and once they
gained power they started
making many reforms.
• The Tang Emperors tried to
stabilize the economy by giving
land to the peasants and
breaking up the power of land
owners.
• Tang Emperors also looked to
stabilize the economy by
restoring the civil service exam.
• Studying for the exam took many
years and students needed to know
all of the Confucian classics.
• During their studies, students were
forbidden to participate in any
strenuous activities, and could not
use their hands for anything but
painting or writing.
• Still only one in five students passed
the exam and received jobs.
• Tang rulers were unable to
prevent government corruption
military revolts which lead to the
end of the Tang Dynasty.
• Tang leaders even tried to hire
Uighurs, a Northern tribal group,
to help them fight for the dynasty
but the Tang Dynasty still
collapsed in 907.
THE SONG DYNASTY
• In 960 a new dynasty known as
the Song Dynasty came to power.
• Even as they came to power the
Song Dynasty experienced threats
from the north. The Imperial Court
was moved south to Hangzhou
and land was lost in Tibet.
• The Song Dynasty could not
overcome the challenge from the
north.
• During the 1200’s the Mongols, a
nomadic people from the Gobi
desert, began to conquer all of
China.
• We will cover the Mongols more in
in Chapter 8, Section 2.
• During the period of the Sui,
Tang and Song dynasties the
Chinese made important
technological developments.
• During the Tang Dynasty the
Chinese made Steel by mixing
cast iron and wrought iron.
Steel Sickles
were made to
Improve
farming.
Steel Swords
and Sabers
were also
made in China.
• The Chinese also introduced
cotton, which allowed them to
make new kinds of clothing.
• The Chinese also created Gun
Powder during the Tang Dynasty.
• During the years after the Han
Dynasty and the Roman Empire had
declined Chinese Trade declined as
well, but began to grow again under
the Tang Dynasty.
• The Silk Road was revived and trade
with countries such as Japan and
Korea also flourished.
• China exported tea, silk and
porcelain to the countries
and received items like
precious stones, exotic
woods and tropical foods
and goods.
• Trade made Changan the
wealthiest city in the world.
• The Tang and Song eras were an
age of prosperity for the Chinese
who lived in the cities.
• Marco Polo described
the city of Hangzhou as
one of the wealthiest
cities on earth saying “So
Many Pleasures may be
found, that one fancies
himself to be in Paradise”
• Despite the wealth in the cities,
most Chinese people lived in
farming villages and rarely visited
the cities.
• After the Tang leaders redistributed
land to peasants a scholarly
gentry arose as the new political
elite. This group controlled much of
the land and were the best
candidates for civil service jobs.
• Like other parts of the world, female
children were seen as less
desirable than male children, and
were killed in times of famine if
there was not enough food for the
family.
• In China the dowry was paid to the
husbands family, and peasant
families would even sell their
daughters to wealthy villagers.
• Despite the way
that women were
viewed in China
during this time
period, Wu Zhao
became the true
ruler of China in
690 and ruled for
half a century.
• Wu Zhao became the Tang
Emperor’s Mistress in 649. She
was so hungry for power that she
accused the Emperor’s wife of a
crime and when Emperor
deposed his wife, he married Wu
Zhao as his new empress. After
he died, she gained supreme
power.
• Wu Zhao was thought of as
ruthless because of the way she
became Empress, but she was
also a strong leader.
• She gave graduates of the Civil
Service examination the highest
government positions, she
lowered taxes and she formed an
alliance with Korea.
Section 2: The
Mongols and China
The BIG Idea
Shifts in religious beliefs
caused major changes in the
organization of Chinese
society, which were
intensified when the Mongol
Empire conquered China.
THE MONGOLS
• The Mongols rose to become a
great power because of their
military prowess.
• Temüjin, born in the 1160’s, united
many of the Mongol tribes and was
eventually elected Genghis Khan
in 1206.
• The name Genghis Khan translates
to strong ruler.
• Genghis Khan’s
military leadership is
known for both its
fierceness and
strategy.
• Under the military
leadership of Genghis
Khan conquered
much of the Eurasian
landmass.
• After Genghis Khan’s death in 1227
the empire began to change.
• Eventually, following Mongol
custom, the territory of a ruling
khan, was divided amongst his
heirs.
• The separate territories were called
khanates.
• Each khanate was ruled by a son of
Genghis Khan.
• By 1279 Kublai Khan, the
grandson of Ghenghis Khan
completed the conquest China and
established his own dynasty.
• Kublai Khan ruled
China for another 15
years and created a
new capital at
Khanbalik, later
known as Beijing.
• The Mongols under the leadership
of Kublai Khan attempted to
conquer Vietnam, but were
ultimately unsuccessful.
• The Mongols had more success in
ruling China, appointing Mongols to
the highest positions in the
bureaucracy.
• The Chinese people eventually
grew to respect the Mongol rule.
• Under the Mongols China was stable.
• Marco Polo described the capital of
Khanbalik this way:
–“The Streets are so straight and wide
that you can see right along them from
and to end and from one gate to the
other. And up and down the city there
are beautiful palaces, and many great
and fine hostelries, and fine houses in
great numbers.” - Marco Polo