A.) Study Source A below. What can you infer about the Tang Dynasty in ancient China?

The Tang Dynasty (618-907), with its capital at Chang'an (present-day Xi'an), is generally regarded as a high point in Chinese civilization—a golden age of culture.

Its territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivalled that of the Han Dynasty. Various kingdoms and states paid tribute to the Tang court, while the Tang also conquered or subdued several regions, which it indirectly controlled through a protectorate system. The Tang also exerted a powerful cultural influence over neighbouring states such as those in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

The Tang Dynasty was largely a period of progress and stability. Like the previous Sui Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty maintained a civil service system by recruiting officials through standardized examinations and recommendations to office. Chinese culture flourished and further matured during the Tang era; it is considered the greatest age for Chinese poetry. Two of China's most famous poets, Li Bai and Du Fu, belonged to this age, as did many famous painters such as Han Gan, Zhang Xuan, and Zhou Fang. There was a rich variety of historical literature compiled by scholars, as well as encyclopaedias and geographical works.

There were many notable innovations during the Tang, including the development of woodblock printing.. Buddhism became a major influence in Chinese culture, with native Chinese sects gaining prominence.

Source A: An article from a history textbook depicting The Tang Dynasty

Study Source B below. What does Source B tell you about the Khmer Period in ancient Southeast Asia?

The Khmer civilisation that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries CE was a significant high point in the cultural history of ancient Southeast Asia.

Angkor is a region of Cambodia that served as the seat of the Khmer Empire which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. In the 11th century CE, Angkor was a vast city of temples and had a population of at least one million people. The power and cultural influence of Angkor was spread over much of modern day Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Southern Vietnam.

The temples of the Angkor area number over one thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument. Many of the temples at Angkor have been restored, and together, they comprise the most significant site of Khmer architecture.

The Khmer people were geniuses at designing and building structures. In addition to the remarkable temples, they also built large reservoirs and dykes, which were important in agriculture. The two largest reservoirs in the kingdom were East Baray and the West Baray. These reservoirs collected the water from the nearby rivers through dykes and helped to prevent floods by collecting water from heavy rainfall during the monsoon season. There was also a well-designed system of small reservoirs, ponds and moats, which were constructed near the various temples for storing water. No other civilisation in ancient Southeast Asia had seen such a fine system of water storage.

Source B: An article from the Internet depicting the Khmer civilisation in Southeast Asia.

China and Southeast Asia

Sculpture

ChinaSculpture• From the sculptures unearthed from

the tombs of nobles and emperors, we have evidence that the ancient Chinese were skilled in making the sculptures from bronze, clay and stone.

• One of the most amazing discoveries of the 20th century CE was the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. In his tomb, 7,500 life-sized warriors, horsemen and chariots were found. All were made of baked clay and each was different from the other.

Purpose

• The arrangement of a tomb was not only an important life event but also a religious rite. Qin Shih Huang believed that some people could escape from death, either by living for a very long time or by being reborn in a new form. Therefore, he sent people to find drugs that would grant him longevity. He also prepared replicas of worldly goods to help him in his new life. People believed that if the spirit of the deceased were happy, it would intercede in the spirit world on behalf of its descendants and they would do well.

Modern world

• Currently it is used as a study of how highly skilled in sculpture the people of ancient China was. No two statues are alike.

Southeast Asia

Purpose

• Religious use. The Buddhist sculptures were for worship.

Modern

Compare the sculptures in the pictures. How are they different?

Modern• The sculptor of the sculptures in fig 1 was from the Gupta Dynasty.

• The sculptors of figures 2 and 3 were from Southeast Asia. They might have initially adopted the style of foreign artisans, but later developed their own styles. The sculptures in fig 2 and 3 look distinctly Southeast Asian.

• Studying the sculptures, one can infer that many of the artistic ideas in Southeast Asia were inspired by Buddhism and Hinduism. But artistic ideas from India and China were reworked to produce unique Southeast Asian temples, sculpture and pottery. From this we can see that the Southeast Asians were very creative and not just copying other cultures.

China and SEA

Pottery

China vs SEA

• ‘China’ in China

• Purpose: as utensils

• Modern impact: The word ‘china’ is now used to refer to all such types of pottery

Ban Chiang Ceramic Tradition

Purpose: as utensils and also as burial jars

Modern impact: There is now a modern day museum dedicated to archaeological digs unearthing pottery and metalworks.

The significance is that such pottery prove that the Southeast Asians had their own distinctive style of pottery.

China and SEA

Scientific inventions

Technological inventions

China• Compass, gunpowder,

paper, printing

• Purpose: various purposes

• Modern impact: used widely throughout the world

SEA• Hydraulic engineering

• Purpose: to control water supply to their rice farms in the dry months

• Modern impact: used to study the innovativeness of the Southeast Asians (for e.g.: Angkor Wat)

Angkor Wat

Metallurgy• China

Purpose: Metal used to make bronze tools, weapons, decorative containers

Modern impact: Metal is still used for the same purposes in this day and age.

• SEA

Purpose: Bronze spearheads(weapons) and iron bangles (jewelry)

Modern impact: The discovery of metalworks in BanChiang, Thailand, showed that these ancient people already knew how to use iron about 2,000 years ago.

In summaryKey point India China SEA

1.) Religion was an inspiration for works of art by ancient people

Carvings and sculptures in temples depicted the gods

2.) The people of ancient India and China were great inventors

Plastic surgery, astronomy, and mathematics were developed in India

The magnetic compass, seismograph, mechanical clock, gunpowder, paper and printing were invented in China

3.) The people of ancient SEA were innovative

Artistic ideas from India and China were reworked to produce unique Southeast Asian temples, sculpture, and pottery.

In summaryIndia China SEA

4.) The scientific and artistic achievements of ancient people are part of our rich cultural heritage that we must preserve

The Sri Mariamman Temple, Thian Hock Keng temple, and Sultan Mosque in Singapore

HWK: Why are these places of worship so significant?