Golden Age Dynasties of China

Sui – Ming Dynasties

Sui Dynasty 589 - 618 CE

Important Because: Last of the Pre Golden Age Dynasties, Many public works projects

• After a long period of disunion the empire was again reunified

• Equaled Qin dynasty in amount of public works – Rebuilt Great Wall

– Grand Canal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:China,_610.svg

Grand Canal

• Construction started during Wu Dynasty, ended during Sui

• Largest Canal in the world

• Constructed for North South Transportation

Goguryeo-Sui Wars (598-614 C.E.)

• Started as small border conflicts between Sui and Goguryeo

– 4 wars in total

• Was a humiliating defeat for Sui forces

The Second Goguryeo-Sui War

• Sui led by Yangdi – Mobalized up to 5

million soldiers

• Most of army tried attacking Sui forces in Manchuria – A small group attacked

Pyongyang – Ambushed on way

home (Battle of Salsu) – Both failed, only 2700

survived

• Hampered by…

– Supply problems

– No autonomy of Generals

Impacts of the Goguryeo-Sui War

• Millions of dead in Sui lands

• Discontent with Regime across empire

– Led to overthrow of Empire and assassination of emperor

• Sui Defeated by…

– Disease

– Weather

– Ambushes

Tang Dynasty 618 – 907 CE

Important Because: Start of Golden Age

• Construction of canals allowed for economic advancements

• Land distribution – Based on family size and potential taxation

• Expanded Administration

• Military advances – Cavalry in North

– Infantry in South

Tang Dynasty

Goguryeo-Tang Wars (645-668 C.E.)

• First Goguryeo-Tang War – Tang Forces invaded and initially has success

– Had to retreat because of winter and supply issues

• Second Goguryeo-Tang War – Revenge for First, Tang defeated in almost every

battle

• Third Goguryeo-Tang War – Goguryeo defeated by combined Tang and Silla

Army

Gunpowder

• Mentioned in 850 CE in Taoist book (earlier forms mentioned)

• Made by combination of Saltpeter, Charcoal, and Sulfur

Chinese Golden Age 710 – 755 CE

• Economics and Government stabilized

• Census taken

• Development of poetry

• Rising importance of alcohol, tea, and salt

• Ended by military uprising

Song Dynasty 960 - 1279 CE

Important Because: End of Aristocratic domination in Government

• Song Confucian Revival

• Northern China Conquered (Jin), South remains under song control

• Economic Growth based on Trade

• Renaissance of China

Chinese Printing Press • Developed around 1000 C.E. (439 years before

Gutenberg)

• Allowed printers to arrange letters on frames to create pages to be reproduced

• Prior forms include scrolls

The Two Songs

• Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) – Centered at Kaifeng

• Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) – Centered at Hangzhou

Foot Binding • Considered to be very attractive

• Lasted from 950 ce to 1949 ce

• Bound the toes and effectively broke arches

• Golden Lotus (3-3 ½ inches)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/A_HIGH_CASTE_LADYS_DAINTY_LILY_FEET.jpg

Central Question

Would you compare foot binding to any modern day afflictions in the pursuit of beauty?

Yuan Dynasty 1279 – 1368 C.E. Important Because: Beginning

of the break up of China

• Established under Kublai Khan

• Sought to expand empire built by Grandfather Ghengis Khan

• Once done with China sought to expand to Japan and South of Himalayas

Yuan China

Mongol Empire

Policies of the Yuan

• Four Social Classes – Mongolians

– Semu – Allies and Inner-Asians

– Han – Northern Chinese

– Nan – Southern Chinese

• Less strict taxation and penal codes the higher up you were

Marco Polo

• Venetian Trader

• 1271 – Traveled with Father and Uncle to Cathay (China)

• Invited to participate in Yuan Court

• Polo worked as semi-official ambassador for Khan

– Traveled all over the Kingdom

The Travels of Marco Polo

Ming Dynasty 1368 – 1644 C.E. Important Because: Re-

establishment of Chinese rule

• Rapid population growth

• Considered one of the most prosperous of the Chinese Dynasties

• Fell after string of weak rulers and Mongolian and Japanese attacks

Hung Wu • Born as a commoner

– Zhu Yuanzhang

• Exploited Yuan weakness

• Gifted military leader

• Very Paranoid

• Advancements in administration and public works

• First Ming Emperor

The Building of the Forbidden City

• Home of the Emperors

• Constructed from 1406-1420 – Anywhere between

200,000-1 million workers

• Opened with grand celebration – Followed by fire that

destroyed half

– And again in 1644

Eunuchs and Concubines

Eunuchs

• Served as royal servants

• Could be executed on a whim

Concubines/Wives

• Emperors had many

• Served as…different sort of servant

• The more she was chosen to be with the emperor the higher her standing

Ocean Exploration

• Zheng He – Led massive treasure fleet

to western Asia….and beyond? (1421)

– First person recorded to use a compass (they had been around since 850 C.E.)

• Expeditions stopped in 1433 – China took isolationist stand – Thought China was perfect