CORNELL OR T-READING OUTLINE

(Sui and Tang China)

(Pg. 276-281)

QUESTIONS, KEY TERMS, IMPORTANT DATES, AND IDENTIFICATIONS
Intro:
  • After the fall of the former Han Empire in 220 CE Han territories were divided among smaller kingdoms often at war with each other.
The Sui and Tang Empires:
Reunification Under the Sui and Tang:
  • Chang’an – Sui capitol near the Wei river valley.
  • Grand Canal – built by the Sui to connect the yellow river with the Yangzi River.
  • Tang Empire – in 618 the Li Family established the Tang.
  • Li Shimin – Tang Emperor
Buddhism and The Tang Empire:
To Chang’an by Land and Sea:
  • Tributary System –a practice in which independent countries send regular embassies to the capitol to pay tribute.
  • Bubonic Plague – transmitted by the sea route between west Asia and Canton in the 5th century but first detected in the 600
  • By 1000 Tang had the most ships in Asia. They traded with Europe, west Asia, and South Asia. China remained a source of Superior Skills.
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READING NOTES

Intro:
  • Infectious diseases were transmitted from one army to the next.
The Sui and Tang Empires:
  • The fall of the Han Empire left a power vacuum which was filled with smaller kingdoms.
Reunification Under the Sui and Tang:
  • China reunifies 4 years later with Confucianism as their main philosophy. The Sui period is distinctive for their strong political influence of Buddhism and the presence of a variety of Beliefs.
  • They led military expositions but they probably led to their downfall.
  • Overextension weakened the Sui authority and prompted the Tang dynasty.
  • The Tang was not very centralized in government aspects.
  • The Tang nobility was heavily influenced by central Asian culture but also had knowledge of Chinese traditions.
Buddhism and The Tang Empire:
  • The central Asian heritage of tang rulers was evident in their political use of Buddhism.
  • In central Asia, China, and East Asia, the most important Buddhist school of teaching was the Mahayana.
  • Being open to local deities and local languages and practices made Mahayana Buddhism adaptable to many different societies and appealing to all classes. Manyhistorians characterized the Tang Empire as “cosmopolitan” because of itsdepth and diversity.
To Chang’an by Land and Sea:
  • The Hub of Tang Communication was Chang’an.
  • Chang’an functioned as the cultural and economic capitol of Eastern Asia. Chang’an had over 1 million people.
  • Market roads, major long-distance roads, caravan routes, sea routes, and canals all brought people and commerce toward Chang’an.
Tang Integration:
  • During the Tang period, influences from central Asia and the Islamic World vividly affected the Material Culture of china.
  • Tang infrastructure of Roads, dredged rivers, and Canals facilitated the Movement of Goods. Factories became more and more common as to keep up with competition from abroad. The dramatic growth of long distance Trade also created special needs for a new monetary system.

SUMMARY

The Tang Empire put into place a solid system of Travel, trade, and communications that allowed cultural and economic influences to move quickly from central Asia to Japan. The diversity within the empire produced great wealth and new ideas. But tensions among rival groups also weakened the political structure and led to great violence and misery.