Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties

Sui Dynasty -Achievements Used strict control and military conquest to reunite China Repaired and lengthened the Great Wall Many died while building the wall, and buried among the bricks: giving it the nickname “The world’s longest cemetery”

Achievements – Sui Dynasty Built the Grand Canal, which connected the Yellow River in the north and the Yangzi River in the south Farmers and merchants in the south (rice) used the canal to connect to the North

Tang Dynasty 618-907 CE: Golden Age of culture China was the richest most powerful country in the world

Tang Dynasty-Government: Aristocracy Used civil service exams but….. The aristocrats (gentry) – the wealthy landowning class – got most jobs Civil Service Exams favored aristocrats

Tang Dynasty-Government Only dynasty to have a female emperor: Empress Wu Zhao Equal-Field System

Tang Dynasty-Military One of the biggest empires in Chinese history Stretched from inner Mongolia in the north, to Vietnam in the south to Korea in the east, to Kashmir in the west

Tang Dynasty-Economics Reopened the silk road- a system for trade, travel, communication, exchange of ideas From China to the West: silk, porcelain, jade, tea, paper, printing, farming methods, weapons From the West to China: glass, rugs, horses, silver, medicine, spices, Christianity, Islam

Tang Dynasty-Economics Equal Field System- redistributed land Citizens were classified into ranks and land was given equally to members of various ranks Citizens paid taxes on how much land they received Government benefited from increased number of taxpayers, limited power of rural aristocrats, and loyalty of peasants who got land Benefited commoners and peasants by giving them a chance to gain wealth

Tang Dynasty-Religion Buddhism very popular in beginning but Tang leaders based their government on Confucian ideals and feared the growing power of Buddhists Repressed Buddhism He burned texts, took lands from Buddhist temples, destroyed many temples and turned others into schools.

Tang Dynasty-Culture Chinese culture flourished during this period Tang artists and poets were influenced by Daoism and stressed the beauty, power, harmony, and peace of nature Li Bo and Du Fu- very famous Chinese poets and Wu Daozi- famous artist lived at this time Made amazing objects in clay Even government officials painted, wrote, studied poetry, and made pottery

Song Dynasty 960-1279 CE Song China was limited to provinces south of the Great Wall

Song Dynasty -Government Strengthened the system of meritocracy Started ruling according to Confucian beliefs: 1. Scholarly class of civil servants 2.Stablility and harmony in social order can only result from respecting hierarchies People joined the bureaucracy by passing civil service examinations-this ensured only intelligent and talented people became civil servants

Song Dynasty-Government Tests very difficult - though rare, people from lower classes could become officials Only 2-10% of test takers would reach the final test and receive a position in govt. If you passed you became a scholar official- an educated member of the government Scholar officials were considered elite members of society and were highly respected and admired for their knowledge and ethics

Song Dynasty-FARMING Chinese farming excelled New Irrigation techniques, Dug underground wells, Dragon Backbone pump-light portable pump that allowed farmers to scoop up water and pour it into a canal Discovery of fast ripening rice= 2 or 3 harvests a year Began growing tea, cotton

Song Dynasty-Economy Merchants also became wealthy by selling the surplus crops to cities and neighboring areas such as Korea, Japan, Persia, Arab world and East Africa Invented paper money-first time in history merchants didn’t have to carry bags of coins Power of merchant class and importance of cities rose