China

• China on the verge of political centralization after the fall of the Han and resulting 400 years of political chaos due to the unifying influences of Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism (Sui dynasty)

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After the fall of the Han Empire

• Beset by nomadic invasions; fell in the 3^rd century
• Fragmented into regional kingdoms; 400 years
• Era of Division saw bureaucracy collapse, position of scholar gentry decline, large landholders vied for power
• Non-Chinese nomadic warlords ruled much of China
• Buddhism gained popularity challenging Confucianism
• Great Wall poorly defended
• Trade and city life declined (similar to Warring States period)
• Sui Dynasty established by northern Chinese noble family and reunited China - Yang Jian
• Sui Yangdi - Harsh Large public work projects (Grand Canal & Great Wall)
• - MIlitary Exploits

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The Sui-Tang Era

• The Sui paved the way for the Tang Dynasty
• Sui emperor was murdered by a soldier

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• The Duke of Tang held the empire together and became the first of the Tang emperors
• Tang Taizong
• Descended from the Turks who had small states in China after the Han era
• Upheld Confucian values
• Influenced by cultures of central Asia, including Buddhism
• Strong military organization
• Capital at Chang’an
• One of the most brilliant epochs of China’s long history

Political Organization

• Extended borders
• Placated nomadic people; played groups off each other and took control
• Repairs to the Great Wall
• Made leaders of Turkic tribes vassals to Tang
• Defeated kingdoms on the Korean peninsula
• Tribute from Silla Kingdom
• Elaborate bureaucracy needed for the expansion of the empire
• Scholar gentry helped offset the power of the land-holding aristocrats; filled most govt positions
• Examination system expanded

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Political Organization (cont.)

• Established regional hegemony through establishment of tributary system
• Called empire “The Middle Kingdom”; central to the world around them
• Envoys delivered goods with a kowtow
• Chinese returned favors with gifs of their own
• Ceremonies established diplomatic contacts and encouraged trade and cultural exchanges

Economic Changes and Social Distinctions

• Equal field system restricted inheritance of land checking the power of the aristocrats and improving lot of average peasants
• Emphasis on scholar-gentry elevated status of bureaucrats
• Bright commoners could enter the university (usually with sponsorship)
• Birth and family connections continued to be important
• Chang’an grew in size
• Grand Canal built by Sui linked the Yellow and Yangzi as key component to internal trade
• Land use still an issue and several rebellions occur

Cultural Developments

• Shaped by confucian & Buddhist
• Continued Confucian exam system
• Valued horsemanship
• Massive statues of Buddha carved on cliff sides
• Tang artists and sculptors focused on horses and camels along the silk road
• Literature described foreign foods, music, and customs
• Buddhism is a popular religion by merchants & members of society disenfranchised with confucianism
• Gentlemen expected to write poetry
• Li Bo and Du Fu, famous poets, lived during Tang era

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Cultural Developments (cont.)

• Buddhism influential
• Buddhist monk Xuanzang brought hundreds of Buddhist texts from India he used to help people understand Buddhism in China
• Monasteries were established
• Chan(Zen) emphasized importance of meditation to reach nirvana
• Monasteries and temples often provided banking services
• Owned land and profited from wealthy patrons

Cultural Developments (cont.)

• Mid 9^th C Confucian and Daoist rivals attacked Buddhism
• Convinced Tang rulers that monasteries were an economic challenge to the government (also couldn’t be taxed)
• Under Emperor Wuzong thousands of monasteries and shrines destroyed; lands divided among landlords and peasants
• Buddhists never again had as much political influence and Confucianism emerged as the central ideology of Chinese civilization

The Decline of the Tang Empire

• Mid-700’s dynasty began to decline; neglectful emperor inspired a rebellion - An Lushan
• Troubles began along the northern borders; Uighurs sacked Chang’an and Luoyang
• Tang emperors gave more and more power to regional military commanders and gradually lost control of the empire by 907.
• China again fell into chaos with warlords competing for regional power. Three states competed to replace the Tang
• Liao Empire: pastoral nomads related to Mongols. NE frontier
• Xi Xia (Tanggut Empire) in Western China
• Song Empire – reunited much of China under central imperial rule.

Song Empire

• Constant pressure from northern and western empires
• -Emphasized bureaucracy and military
• Jurchens (northern people) destroyed Liao and exacted tribute from Song
• Song relocated capital
• Invasion of Jurchens marks division of Northern Song and Southern Song

Political Development of the Song Empire

• Never matched the Tang in political or military strength
• Subordinated the military to civilian administrators of the scholar gentry class to keep military from becoming too powerful
• Rotated military commanders from region to region to weaken power
• Scholar gentry filled bureaucracy; political power flowed from aristocrats and Buddhist rivals to Confucian scholar-gentry
• Large bureaucracy strained treasury; peasants rebelled when emperors tried to raise taxes
• Increased need for military action and increased the debt
• Scholar bureaucrats lead the armies with little military education; vulnerable to defeat

Economic Developments of the Song Empire: Industry and Production

• Paper-making/book production
• Salt and tea processing
• Ceramics
• Iron industry (military equipment) and tools, nails, etc
• Gunpowder
• Printing (re-usable, movable type)

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Economic Developments of the Song Empire: Commerce

• Built off the Sui and Tang
• Capital city, Kaifeng, center of trade, guilds
• Paper money facilitated trade
• Large oceangoing ships
• Flying Cash = checks
• Paper money-Used poorly-but a good idea
• Compass/Junks/Lateen sails
• In the south Hangzhou largest trading city and capital of Southern Song
• Silk, copper coins, ceramics, porcelain

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Economic Developments of the Song Empire: Agriculture

• Harvests increase during the Song/Southern Song
• New strains of rice
• Fertilizers
• Improved farm tools
• Advanced water control
• In the south – not disturbed by Jurchen invasion of the north
• Contrast to coal and iron industries in the north

Cultural Change in Song China

• Appeal of Buddhism led to Neo-Confucianism
• Emphasis on the importance of social life and rejection of withdrawal through meditation
• Formal education in morals and arts and sciences
• Traditions reinforced class, age, gender

Cultural Change in Song China

• During Tang and early Song women had more rights
• Empress Wu Zhao only woman to rule in her own name in Chinese history
• Turned to Buddhism for legitimacy (claimed to be an incarnation)
• Over time Confucian writings expressed contempt for powerful women
• Created laws that favored men
• Late Song the practice of foot binding
• Ensured that women would not venture far from home
• Lives managed by husbands or male guardians

Other East Asian Societies: Korea, Vietnam, and Japan

• All involved in world trade patterns influenced by Chinese political, economic, and cultural developments
• Chinese armies invaded Korea and Vietnam
• Merchants traded with all three
• Buddhism spread
• These societies emphasized links to China more than to the wider world
• Tended to isolate Korea and Japan
• Vietnam had strategic location in the Indian Ocean Trade Basin

Influence Over Surrounding States

• China under the Tang Dynasty called itself the “The Middle Kingdom” =

viewed itself as the center of civilization & its role to bring order to “lesser”

neighboring states.

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• Hegemony - Leadership/dominance/influence of one group over another/others
• Massive Military expansion: forced to Korea/Japan/Vietnam to participate in Trade, show fealty (kow tows), & pay taxes
• Silla: Built a new capital modeled after Tang capital; adopted neo-Confucianism & Chan Buddhism
• Vietnam:Adopted farming, education, & philosophical practices - consistently rebelled
• Nara :Modeled capital after Chang’an, farming practices, Beliefs, Single all-powerful ruler with a bureaucracy.

New methods of Agricultural production

Champa Rice: New strain from Vietnam in 1012 (Song Dynasty) that cut cultivation time from 180 days to 90 days. Could grow more rice throughout the year.

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Terracing: Used to create arable lands on mountainsides, more space/options to farm and avoided erosion. Practice was used throughout the world. (Philippines to Peru)

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Result: More Food, Longer LIfe Expectancy,

Massive Increase In Population,

More Powerful/Complicated State To Administer

New labor systems/Forms of Management

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Peasant Uprisings

These forms of labor often put great pressure on the peasantry and similar to the frustrations that lead up to the rebellions in the Byzantine empire (Nika Rebellions) the Red Turban Rebellion led to the overthrow of the YUAN DYNASTY (Mongols)

-Rebellion lead by violent monks from the White Lotus Sect

View Graphic Organizers

From Unit 3 Packet

Major Technological Innovations

Porcelain - “China Ware”, lighter and more aesthetically pleasing than pottery

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Metallurgy - New mineral:coke / Stronger & more useful = increased steel

production

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Gunpowder -Charcoal, saltpeter, arsenic, & Sulphur “Fire lances”

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Printing - Split between Print-block & moveable Type

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Naval Technology - Used to help expand hemispheric trade especially during the Song dynasty

-Compass

- Lateen sails

- Rudders

• Waterproof nails & watertight bulkheads

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Buddhism - Introduced through merchants on trade routes, massive alternative in focus away from confucianism which at the time was seen as an ideological failure by the peasants. Large monasteries and family participation became popular. Emphasized metaphysics and appealed to intellectuals during the Tang dynasty.

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Chan Buddhism - Syncretic faith of Confucianism & Daoism. Wuwei = Nirvana & Dao = Dharma Embraced aspects of both belief systems to a create a more widely practiced version of each. Particularly deemphasized lack of written text & embraced nature & sudden flashes of enlightenment

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Neo-Confucianism - Creative reinterpretation of the traditional Confucian core to meet new intellectual and spiritual expectations (Tang Dynasty & Buddhism). Preached social order and internal enlightenment, rather than just self-discipline

Zhi Xi - most prominent Neo-Confucianist scholar

How are cultures influencing the role of women?

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Buddhism?

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Christianity?

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Neo-Confucianism?

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Islam/Persia?