Tang and Song China

Chapter 12 Section 1

Topic / Description/Notes
China /

The Sui Dynasty lasted through only two emperors
Their greatest accomplishment was the completion of the Grand Canal
Endless labor on state projects turned the people against the Sui Dynasty. Overworked and overtaxed the people finally revolted.

Tang
Dynasty /

The Tang Dynasty ruled for nearly 300 years
Under the Tang rulers, the empire expanded
China had extended its influence over Korea as well
Tang rulers further strengthened the central government of China and expended the network of roads and canals which helped to pull the empire together
They also prompted foreign trade and improvements in agriculture

Government /

The Tang rulers needed to restore China’s vast bureaucracy.
They did this by expanding the civil service examination system
People who passed the tough exams became part of an elite group of scholar-officials
As the examination system grew in importance, talent and education became more important than noble birth in winning power.
As a result, many moderately wealthy families shared in China’s government

Tang
Decline /

To meet the rising costs of government, Tang rulers imposed crushing taxes
These brought hardship to the people
The Tang also struggled to control the vast empire they had built
Border attacks and internal rebellions steadily chipped away at the power of the imperial government
Chinese rebels sacked and burned the Tang capital and murdered the last Tang emperor

Song Dynasty /

After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, China was divided into separate kingdoms
The Song Dynasty, though smaller and did not have as strong a military than the Tang Dynasty, lasted about three centuries
Song emperors tried to buy peace with their northern enemies. They paid annual tributes of silver, silk and tea. This policy didn’t work
Despite its military troubles, the dynast of the Southern Song saw repaid economic growth.

Science & Technology /

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, China’s population doubled
China had become the most populous country in the world
There were many important technological advances during the Tang and Song eras. Some of the advances were movable type, the development of gunpowder which led to the creation of explosive weapons
Other important inventions of this period include porcelain, the mechanical clock, paper money and the use of the magnetic compass for sailing
The Chinese made advances in arithmetic and algebra and the idea of using negative numbers

Agriculture /

Trade /

Under the Tang and Song emperors, foreign trade flourished
The great Silk Road continued to grow which linked China to the West
Chinese advances in sailing technology made it possible for sea trade to expand
Religion spread. One major cultural export was Buddhism. This religion spread from China to Vietnam, Korea and Japan

Art /

The Tang period produced great poetry
Painting of this era shows Daoist influence. Artists emphasized the beauty of natural landscapes and objects.
The artists did not use bright colors. Black ink was their favorite paint

Social Class/Society

During the Tang and Song times, the power of the old aristocratic families began to fade
A new larger upper class emerged, made up of scholar-officials and their families. This class of powerful, well-to-do people is called the gentry
The gentry attained their status through education and civil service positions rather than through land ownership
Below the gentry was an urban middle class which included merchants, shopkeepers, skilled artisans, minor officials and others
At the bottom of urban society were laborers, soldiers and servants
In the countryside lived the largest class by far, the peasants

The Status of Women

Women had always been subservient to men in Chinese society
Their status further declined especially true among the upper classes in cities
One sign of the changing status of women was the new custom of binding the feet of upper-class girls