RESURGENCE OF EMPIRE IN EAST ASIA

CHINA UNDER THE SUI, TANG, AND SONG

ANARCHY IN CHINA• Three Kingdoms 220-280

– Shu Han 221 – 263– Wei 220 - 265

• Most powerful, eventually conquered Shu• Built an army of Chinese infantry and nomadic

cavalry as mounted bowmen• These assimilated nomads later overthrew Wei and

founded own dynasties– Wu 222 – 280

• Jin Dynasty 265-420– Western Jin 265 – 316 and Eastern Jin 317 – 420

• Only time during interregnum when China was united

• Intermixture of nomads and Chinese accelerated– Sixteen Kingdoms 304 – 420

• Southern and Northern Dynasties 420-589– Southern Dynasties

• Liu Song 420 – 479• Southern Qi 479 – 502• Liang 502 - 557 • Chen 557 ~589

– Northern Dynasties• Later [Northern] Wei 386 – 534• Eastern Wei 534 -550• Western Wei 535 – 556• Northern Qi 550 – 577• Northern Zhou 557 ~581

• Period Resembled Western European history after the collapse of the Romans– Disunity and civil war between nomads and Chinese

warlords• Rival states, dynasties, each controlling a part of the

old Han state• Aristocrats, provincial nobles held land and real

influence• Many of the northern dynasties were nomadic, both

Turkish and Mongol• Confucianism in decline, Buddhism in ascendancy

due to its relationship with the nomads• Confucian trained bureaucrats still held much

influence– Common Chinese subject to taxes, warfare, drafting into

army, frequent invasions, bandits

BUDDHISM ARRIVES IN CHINA• Foreign religions in China: Nestorian, Muslim,

Buddhist merchant communities – Oases on the Silk Road were very mixed– Became location for foreign settlements,

transmission of foreign faiths to China • Buddhism in China

– Attraction: moral standards, intellectual sophistication, salvation, appeal to women, poor

– Monasteries became large landowners, helped the poor and needy

– Posed a challenge to Chinese cultural traditions

• Hostility to Buddhism – Resistance from Daoists and Confucians – Popular criticism focused on celibacy, alien

origin, – Governmental criticism: unproductive land,

could not tax • Persecution

– Critics of Buddhism found allies in the imperial court

– Tang emperor ordered closure of monasteries in 840s

– Buddhism survived because of popular support

THE TANG DYNASTY• Founding of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 CE)

– A rebel leader seized Chang'an, proclaimed a new dynasty, the Tang

– Tang Taizong• 2nd Tang emperor, a ruthless but extremely

competent ruler • China enjoyed an era of unusual stability and

prosperity • Extensive networks of transportation and

communications • Adopted the equal-field system

• Bureaucracy of merit – Recruited government officials through civil

service examinations – Career bureaucrats relied on central

government, loyal to the dynasty– Restored Confucianism as state ideology,

training for bureaucrats

• Foreign relations – Political theory: China was the Middle

Kingdom, or the center of civilization – Tributary system became diplomatic policy

• Tang decline – Casual and careless leadership led to dynastic

crisis – Rebellion of An Lushan in 755, weakened the

dynasty – The Uighurs became de facto rulers – The equal-field system deteriorated – A large scale peasant rebellion led by Huang

Chao lasted from 875 to 884 – Regional commanders gained power, beyond

control of the emperor – The last Tang emperor abdicated his throne in

907

TANG CHINA

TANG ART

SONG DYNASTY (960-1279 C.E.)• Song Taizu

– Reigned 960-976 C.E.– Founder of the Song dynasty

• Song weaknesses– Song never had military, diplomatic strength of

Sui, Tang – Financial problems

• Enormous bureaucracy with high salary devoured surplus

• Forced to pay large tribute to nomads to avoid war

– Military problems• Civil bureaucrats in charge of military

forces• Military was largely foot soldiers at war with

cavalry nomads – External pressures

• Semi-nomadic Khitan, nomadic Jurchen attacked in north

• Constant drain on treasury to pay tribute to nomads

– The Song moved to the south, ruled south China until 1279• Nomads invaded, overran northern Song

lands• Song retreated to the South along Yangtze,

moved capital• After defeat, constantly forced to pay tribute

THE SONG WORLDNORTHERN AND SOUTHERN

DYNASTIES

THE SONG ARTISTIC WORLD

DEMOGRAPHIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENTS

• An agricultural revolution– Twice flowering, fast-ripening rice increased food

supplies – New agricultural techniques increased production – Population growth

• 45 to 115 million inhabitants• Between 600 and 1200 C.E.

• Urbanization: China most urbanized country in period – Chang'an had about 2 million residents – Hangzhou had about 1 million residents – Many cities boasted population of 100,000 or more

• Commercialized agriculture– Some regions depended on other regions for food– Extreme surplus of southern rice allowed cities to

flourish– Necessitate vast grain shipments to cities

CH’ANG-AN & HANGZHOU

NEO-CONFUCIANISM• Taoist, Buddhist Synthesis with Confucianism

– Early Confucianism focused on practical issues• Politics, Public Morality, Social

Relationships – Confucians drew inspiration

• From Buddhism Spirituality– Logical thought– Argumentation of Buddhism

• From Taoism Cosmology– Metaphysical issues: nature of soul– Man's relation with cosmos

• Xenophobia Contributes, too– Invasions by nomads, Turks and Mongols

threatened state– Foreign ideas began to circulate– Too many threats to society, traditions

• Zhu Xi (1130-1200 C.E.), most prominent Neo-Confucian scholar

• Neo-Confucian influence – Adapted Buddhist, Taoist themes, reasoning to

Confucian interests– Made Buddhism Chinese but stressed Chinese

roots, values – Influenced East Asian thought

• In China, it was an officially recognized creed

• Influenced Korea, Vietnam, and Japan for half a millennium

PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY• Developments reinforced patriarchal society

– Chinese reaction to foreign ideas• Reaction to Buddhist’s gender equality• Neo-Confucianism emphasized patriarchy• Ancestor worship revived

– Preserving of family– Family wealth became paramount

• Results– Tightening of patriarchal structure– Reinforcing of male domination

• Foot binding gained popularity during the Song– Emphasized dependence of women on men, home

• Wealthy, aristocrats could afford practice, hire servants to do work

• Feet of women broken, reformed around stilts• Women could not walk without pain but had to

shuffle• Forced women to remain at home, dependent on

others– Male sense of beauty at women’s expense

• Poor, peasant women not subject to footbinding– Women had to work with men to support family– Men could not afford to have women at home, idle

TECHNOLOGY & INDUSTRY• Porcelain

– High quality porcelain since the Tang, known as chinaware

– Technology diffused to other societies, especially to Abbasid Arabia

– Exported vast quantities to southeast Asia, India, Persia, and Africa

• Metallurgy – Improvement: used coke instead of coal in

furnaces to make iron, steel – Iron production increased tenfold between the

early 9th and 12th century

• Gunpowder – Discovered by Daoist alchemists during the

Tang – Bamboo "fire lances," a kind of flame

thrower, and primitive bombs – Gunpowder chemistry diffused throughout

Eurasia • Printing

– Became common during the Tang – From block-printing to movable type – Books became widespread

• Naval technology– "South-pointing needle" - the magnetic

compass– Double hulled junks with rudder, water-tight

compartments

SONG LIFE

A MARKET ECONOMY• Merchants in Charge

– Only period in China where merchants socially superior to aristocrats

– Merchants attempted to intermarry with aristocrats, become landowners

– Merchants attempted to have sons admitted as Confucian bureaucrats

– Merchants tended to espouse Confucianism as way into traditional elites

– Most large cities had large merchant communities

• Financial instruments– Banking and credit institution– “Flying money " were letters of credit– Paper money backed by state, treasury

• A cosmopolitan society– Foreign merchants in large cities of China– Mostly Arab (Muslim), Indian, S.E. Asian– Chinese merchants journeyed throughout

region

• Economic surge in China – An economic revolution in China– Made China the wealthiest nation in the

world at time– Promoted economic growth in the eastern

hemisphere