the chinese golden age
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The Chinese Golden Age . Ms. Carmelitano. End of the Han. In 220 AD The Han Dynasty collapsed, splitting into three rival kingdoms Over the next 350 years 30 dynasties that rose and fell In 589 AD Wendi unified northern China and restored a central government Sui Dynasty (581AD-618AD ) - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The Chinese Golden Age Ms. Carmelitano
End of the HanIn 220 AD The Han Dynasty collapsed,
splitting into three rival kingdoms◦Over the next 350 years 30 dynasties that
rose and fellIn 589 AD Wendi unified northern
China and restored a central government◦Sui Dynasty (581AD-618AD)◦Built the Grand Canal
Connects the Huang He and Chang Jiang
The Tang Dynasty618AD the peasants revolted
◦Overworked and overtaxedThe Tang family took control
◦618AD- 907 AD (300 years)Most important emperor: Tang Taizong
626-649 AD◦He seized the throne after killing his brothers◦Military campaigns expanded China from
Manchuria to Vietnam to the Aral Sea◦He created a unified code of laws for all of
eastern Asia
Empress Wu ZhaoBy 668 AD China defeated Korea in
military campaigns, The ruler at the time was Empress
Wu ZhaoShe held power as Regent from
660AD until 705ADIn 690 she declared herself the
official emperor◦She was the only woman to ever be
emperor in Chinese history
Tang GovernmentRe-instituted civil service
positions◦This restored a functional
bureaucracy Although the positions were
opened to all men, only the wealthy could afford the schooling necessary to perform well
Tang Loses powerTang emperors had to raise taxes
during the 700’s to cover the costs of expansion
751 Muslim armies defeated the Chinese at the Battle of Talas
907 AD the last Tang child emperor was murdered
The Song Empire 960-1279 ADChina was again divided into
separate kingdoms960 AD General Taizu reunited China
and became the first Song Emperor◦Paid tributes of silver, silk and tea to
northern invaders to keep peaceIn1127:
◦The Jurchen people conquered northern China establishing the Jin in North and Song in South
Golden AgePopulation doubled, to 100 million peopleScience and Technology
◦ Moveable type Printers could arrange blocks of individual characters to
make a page for printing◦ Gunpowder
Used for fireworks later for guns and bombsPaper Money, Porcelain, mechanical clocks,
magnetic compassAgriculture
◦ Imported a new type of rice that could be harvested twice a year
◦ Production of more food to feed population
Golden AgeArt: Paintings reflected beauty
and balance and nature Poetry
◦Li Bo who wrote about life’s pleasure◦Tu Fu who praised Confucian virtues
and was critical about hardships of war
Changes in SocietyPeople moved to cities and had more
social mobility (Urbanization)Aristocratic power fadedA new class of scholar officials called
gentry emerged ◦Attained status through education and civil
service rather than land ownership◦Middleclass under them – merchants,
shopkeepers, artisans◦Lowest class: laborers, soldiers, servants◦Countryside- peasants
WomenWomen were subservient to Men
◦Especially among upper-classPeasant women worked in the fieldsFoot binding:
◦A sign of wealth for women◦As a child, girls feet were bound in tight
cloth◦This resulted in the bones breaking, and
the toes being forced under the foot◦Women were immobile for life
The MongolsNomads living on the Asian Steppe – North
of China and Asia◦It is very dry and has harsh temperature
changes◦The Nomads were pastoralists: nomadic herders
Genghis Kahn◦United the Mongols (One of the nomadic ethnic
groups)◦For 21 years he lead them to conquer much of
Asia◦1211 conquered the Jin Empire, and then went
into the Muslim world
The MongolsKublai Khan
◦Genghis Khan’s grandson◦1279 invaded and took over China◦Established the Yuan Dynasty
United China after 300 years of separation
Considered one of China’s Great Emperors