sui, tang, song dynasties
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Sui, Tang, Song Dynasties. Period of Disunion. 220-589 CE Period of disunion: the time of disorder that followed the collapse of the Han dynasty. Sui Dynasty. 589-618 Conquered the south and unified China Known for harsh rule : forced peasants who owed taxes to fight in the army - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Sui, Tang, Song Dynasties
Period of Disunion• 220-589 CE
• Period of disunion: the time of disorder that followed the collapse of the Han dynasty
Sui Dynasty• 589-618 • Conquered the south and unified
China• Known for harsh rule: forced
peasants who owed taxes to fight in the army
• Created a centralized and unified state and laid the foundation for the golden age that followed
Sui Dynasty-Achievements• Repaired and lengthened the Great Wall
• Provided security from Northern invaders which allowed cultural and economic growth
• Many died while building the wall
• Those who died were often buried among the walls bricks: giving the nickname “The world’s longest cemetery”
Tang Dynasty-Government• 618-907 CE: Golden Age of culture
• China was the richest most powerful country in the world
• Conquered Vietnam, Tibet, and Korea as tributary states
• Rebuilt bureaucracy
• Civil Service exams: ability not rank
Tang Dynasty-Government• Only dynasty to have a female emperor:
Empress Wu Chao
• After her husband died she decided her sons were not capable of ruling
• Ruled with an iron fist: if anyone threatened her, they risked being
killed
• Chose advisors based on ability
not rank
Tang Dynasty-Economics• After conquering the west, the Tang were
able to reopen the silk road- a system for trade, travel, communication, exchange of ideas
• Connected China to central Asia and the middle east• From China to west: silk, porcelain, jade, tea, paper,
printing, farming methods, weapons• From West to China: glass rugs, horses, silver, medicine, spices, Christianity, Islam
Tang Dynasty-Economics• Equal Field System- redistributed land to peasants• Citizens paid taxes on how much land they
received• Central Government strengthened: benefited from
increased number of taxpayers, limited power of wealthy landowners
• Benefited commoners and peasants by giving them a chance to gain wealth
Tang Dynasty-Achievements• Built the Grand Canal, which connected the
Yellow river in the north and the Yangzi river in the south
• Connected northern and southern China• Farmers and merchants in the south (rice)
used the canal • Government and military officials could travel and watch over citizens• Many died while building the canal
Song Dynasty-Government• 960-1279 CE• Song China was limited to
provinces south of the Great Wall
• Strengthened the system of meritocracy-jobs based on ability
• Stricter civil service exams
Song Dynasty-Economy• Chinese farming reached new
heights• Irrigation techniques• Dug underground wells• Dragon Backbone pump-light
portable pump that allowed farmers to scoop up water and pour it into a canal
• Amount of land under cultivation increased
• Discovery of fast ripening rice= 2 or 3 harvests a year
Tang and Song-Technology
• Mechanical Clock (700s)
• Gunpowder (850)
• Block Printing (700s)
• Moveable Type (1040s)
Tang and Song-Culture• Landscape paintings-
influenced by daoism• Pagodas: Temples• Porcelain• Li Bo and Du Fu- famous
Chinese poets and Wu Daozi- famous artist lived at this time
Ming (Brilliant) Dyansty• Tired of foreign
rule
• Reassert Chinese Greatness-restored civil service, Confucian learning, and bureaucracy Zhy Yuanzong: Peasant leader that
founded Ming dynasty
Ming-Economics
• Better fertilization=more crops
• Many new industries and technologies-led to increased output
• Created blue and white porcelain
• Better printing methods-led to more books
Zheng He 1405-1433• Chinese Admiral
• Led 7 expeditions: fleet had 62 ships and 25,000 sailors. One ship was 400 feet long
• Goal: Promote trade, collect tribute, show strength and power of China
Zheng He’s Travels
• Impressed the
Zheng He
• Brought back goods, exotic plants and animals, and prisoners of war (people that wouldn’t pay tribute)
• China opened Imperial Zoo where they kept all of the animals Zheng He brought back to China