Tang and Song China

Sui Dynasty 589 C.E. - 619 C.E. Han Dynasty falls, 220 C.E. Era of Division 220 C.E.-589 C.E. Sui reunite China for the first time in 369 years Wendi: first Sui Emperor

Wendi's Rise Wendi organizes a marriage alliance between his daughter and the Zhou emperor. Wendi seizes power from his son-in-law; supported by nomadic forces. 589 C.E. Wendi conquers Chen kingdom. Secures popular support by lowering taxes and establishing granaries. Granaries=less chance of famine; less famine=less chance of peasant revolt. Introduces Frosty Dairy Desert… My bad, wrong Wendy.

Yangdi: Rise and Fall Rise Fall Yangdi murdered Wendi and succeeded him. Expanded border by pushing back nomadic powers along northern frontier. Milder legal code. Renewed emphasis on Confucianism and restoration of examination system. General expansion of public works projects Increased power of scholar gentry alienated aristocratic families and nomadic military commanders. Excessive spending on luxuries and construction projects. Did he really need to build a new capital city? Special “game park” was a bit much too. Started construction of the Grand Canal Led unsuccessful invasions of Korea (611 & 614) and lost to Turkic forces in Central Asia. Provincial governors declare independence; nomads seize northern China; own ministers assassinate Yangdi in 618.

Li Yuan Establishes the Tang Dynasty Only a brief period of disorder following Yangdi’s demise. Yangdi assassinated in 618, civil war over by 623. Li Yuan, Duke of Tang, (and former ally of Yangdi) seizes power and lays groundwork for China’s “Golden Age.” Li Yuan was a noble and of mixed Chinese and nomadic ethnicity—perhaps an element of his success? Also, Li Yuan abdicates in favor of his son, Tang Taizong in 626—he doesn’t have to worry the way Wendi should have.

Tang Expansion Sui Empire Tang Empire

The Tang Shore Up The Empire Armies conquer as far west as present-day Afghanistan and parts of Tibet, as far north as Manchuria, and as far south as Vietnam. Repairs made to the Great Wall. Frontier armies—partly recruited from Turkic peoples—established to keep nomadic forces in check. (Like Janissaries) Turkic allies’ sons sent to capital as hostages. But always remember the danger of employing foreigners in the business of defending your borders. Just ask the Romans… 688 C.E. Chinese take Korea. At its zenith, the Tang Empire dwarfed that of the Han.

Chinese Bureaucracy Tang emperors rely on Confucian scholars. Need for loyal and well-educated officials. Think of the SAT and ACT. Offsets power of the Aristocracy: compare to Europe. Do you know what a bureaucrat is? Examination system, patronized by Tang emperors, tried to ensure capable bureaucrats. Ministry of Rites in charge of Examinations. Think “Rites.” When have you heard this? The Examination provided a form of social mobility. See letter on p. 261. But birth was still an important factor, so the Aristocracy remained significant. Merit and ambition mattered, but so did the question of “Who’s your daddy?” If you’re in, so is your extended family. Sounds like a racket in the making!

Religion in Tang and Song China Buddhism becomes more important. Chinese Buddhism different from original, Indian form. Lower class Chinese attracted to “Pure Land” or Muahayana Buddhism, which promised salvation from a world torn by war and conflict. Upper class Chinese attracted to Chan Buddhism (similar to Japanese Zen Buddhism), which emphasized meditation and appreciation of natural and artistic beauty. Chan Buddhism’s goal: know the ultimate wisdom and find release from cycle of rebirth. Compare to Hinduism. Tang emperors supported Buddhism alongside Confucianism. How do they coexist? Imperial endowment of monasteries, emissaries to India collect sacred texts and relics, commission works of art. Empress Wu especially important. She tried to make Buddhism the official state religion.

Anti-Buddhist Backlash Confucians and Daoists envy Buddhist status. Daosists promote own magicall abilities, especially power to predict the future. Confucian scholars portray Buddhist monasteries-free status’ tax as an economic problem. Emperor Wuzong (841-847) targets Buddhists. Monasteries and shrines destroyed. Monks and nuns forced out and made liable to taxes. Monasteries’ lands redistributed. Buddhism survived, but it lost much political prestige.

The Cycle Continues: Tang Decline, Song Rise Empress Wei—daughter-in-law to Empress Wu, poisoned her husband and placed her young son, Xuanzong, on the throne. Xuanzong initially supported economic and political reforms, but he turned to the arts and personal pleasures. (Isn’t this the cycle?) His obsession with Yang Guifei will be his downfall. She eventually wields more power than he and alienates others in court. Economic problems create more unrest, and the military, led by An Lushan, revolts. Xuanzong puts down rebellion but is forced to execute Yang Guifei—he is never the same. Nomadic peoples in the frontier gain more powers; provincial governors become more independent. 907 C.E.: Last Tang emperor forced to resign.

Song Empire General Zhao Kuangyin prevents an era of civil war, becomes Emperor Taizu and founder of the Song Dynasty. Taizu unable to keep Manchuria—Liao dynasty of the Khitan peoples control northern China. Song emperors pay tribute to Khitans in order to ward off raids and invasion.

Song Borders

Song Politics Civil administrators dominate over military. Scholar-gentry ensures is monopoly over civil offices, especially governorships. Military commanders forced to rotate frequently to prevent anyone from building too much power (a la Julius Caesar). High salaries for those in the bureaucracy and frequent examinations—good and bad, but why?

Neo-Confucianism Neo=new Zhu Xi and other stress that Confucianism and Daoism were Chinese, but Buddhism was foreign. Emphasis on knowledge and wisdom from book learning, observation, and relationships with other wise folk—as opposed to meditation. Emphasis on rank, obligation, deference, and tradition. Harsh backlash against any non-Chinese ideas. Refusal to respect “foreign” ideas will stifle progress and cause future problems. Further decline of women’s rights and social position.

Song Decline Inability to check Khitans encourages other nomads on the frontier. Tibet’s Tangut tribes create the Xi Xia kingdom. Tribute to Khitans drains resources. Large army also costs too much. Song disdain for the military also means that less than able men were in charge of Song forces. Chief minister to Emperor, Wang Anshi, revives Legalist ideas, expands loans and public works projects (especially irrigation), and increases taxes on scholar-gentry and aristocracy. Stresses more analytical thinking over rote memorization of ancient texts. Too little, too late.

Reactionaries Neo-Confucians resist Wang’s reforms after the emperor’s death. Most of Wang’s reforms are overturned. Economic conditions worsen , and peasants get mad.

The Jurchen Problem Nomadic Jurchens overthrow Khitans, establish Jin kingdom. Invade Song heartland, annex most of Yellow River basin. Southern Song dynasty fairly powerless.