Yellow River (Huanghe) III. Routes The “Silk Road” I.Rivers Yangzi / Yangtze River Yellow River (Huanghe) III. Routes The “Silk Road” The route along which Mahayana Buddhism entered China the Grand Canal before 1250 IV. Other Features Gobi Desert The North China Plain Tibetan Plateau Sichuan Basin Korean Peninsula Xiongnu territory II.Cities Luoyang / Loyang Jiankang (modern Nanjing / Nanking) Chang’an (modern Xi’an) Kaifeng/K’ai-feng

The transformation of society 750 and 1050 compared

Tang 618-907 Song 960-1279 The An Lushan rebellion 755-757 Five Dynasties (in the north) 907-960 Ten Kingdoms (in the south) 907-980 Liao (the Khitans) 915-1125 Song 960-1279

Telling Time 12 hours per day beginning in the Warring States period 10 day weeks 12 months of 30 days. Beginning in Eastern Han named by number, 1st moon, 2nd moon, etc. four seasons (defined by the solstices and equinoxes) year (beginning and ending at the winter solstice) 12 animals (rat, ox, etc.) already by the Qin dynasty 60 year cycles (10 “heavenly stems” and 12 “earthly branches”) beginning in the Western Han (a1, b2… a11, b12, c 1… i11, j12) counting years: from the first year of a ruler’s accession (Shang, Zhou, early Han) by the “reign period” within the reign of a ruler (beginning in 110 BC)

the emperor (posthumously known as) Xuan-zong (Mysterious-Ancestor) example When was January 1, 755 in Tang terms? In Chinese it was 大唐 玄宗天寶13年(甲午)閏11月14日 Which translates as: Great Tang the emperor (posthumously known as) Xuan-zong (Mysterious-Ancestor) his reign period named Tianbao (Heavenly Treasure) the 13th year (the jiawu year ) intercalary 11th month 14th day

Song and surrounding states, ca. 1100 Liao Song and surrounding states, ca. 1100

Transport networks, Tang and Song compared

Huai River as the dividing line between north and south

Scroll of Kaifeng in the 11th century: Website: tutorials, slide shows, and scrolls View the scroll “Qingming shanghe tu” (Going up the River during the Qingming Festival)