Unit 3: the Post-Classical World 600 – 1450 CE Post-Classical China Before the Mongol Invasions: Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties Unit 3: the Post-Classical World 600 – 1450 CE

After the fall of the Han Dynasty Era of Disunity Technological advances continued Gunpowder, wheelbarrow Buddhism displaced Confucianism Trade continued, but central government and bureaucracy declined Chinese worried about foreign invaders and influence of their cultures

Sui Dynasty 581-618 CE Sui China Silla Parhae Yamoto Japan Harsha’ Empire Chalukya Frankish Kingdoms Ghana Axum Sassanid Empire Byzantine Empire

Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE) Goal: Rebuild and reorganize China after the fall of the Han Dynasty Methods of Change “Land Equalization” System Reorganize Confucianism and civil service Drive out nomadic invaders Established army of professional soldiers Conscripted labor for lavish projects Fall: People were overworked and overtaxed Assassinate emperor to start Tang dynasty

Grand Canal South: majority population, rice production North: millet production; less populated than the South Rivers ran east to west Built Grand Canal to connect North and South Oldest and largest canal in the World People migrate to the North, make trade easier

States and Empires in 800 CE Ghana Carolingian Byzantine Abbasid Caliphate Axum Gurjara-Pratihara Tang China Parhae Silla Cordoba Caliphate Heian Japan States and Empires in 800 CE Tang Dynasty 618-906 CE

Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) Efforts to Improve Chinese Government: GOAL: Conquest and Expansion Uses armies to unite China Extends borders to Afghanistan Efforts to Improve Chinese Government: Imperial examination system perfected Tolerant attitude toward all religions (in the beginning) Golden Age of foreign relations with other countries

Rebuilding the Chinese Bureaucracy Aristocracy weakened Scholar-gentry elite re-established Educated civil servants 5% could become officials; rest stayed local as social leaders Performed Confucian rituals, helped collect taxes, keep paperwork Created meritocracy with best students running country The Growing Importance of the Examination System Birth, connections important for office

Foot Binding Under influence of Buddhism, women enjoy relatively higher status Rise of neo-Confucianism stops this trend Began in Tang, but not common until Song

Culture and Economy in the Tang Dynasty New technologies More cosmopolitan culture Cities growing Some have population as large as 2 million Reestablish safety and importance of Silk Road Imported tea, wood and spices Exported manufactured goods

Tang Decline by 9th Century High taxation Peasant rebellions led to more independent local rule around 907 CE For 50 years, regional war lords ruled By 960, Song Dynasty centralized but not able to unify due to outside groups challenging power

States and Empires in 1237 CE Scandanavian Kingdoms Russia England Poland H.R.E. Mongol Empire France Spain Hungary Rum Koryo Portugal Almohad Caliphate Song China Kamakura Japan Ayyubid Caliphate Delhi Sultanate Mali Angkor Ethiopia Oyo Benin States and Empires in 1237 CE Zimbabwe Song China 960 – 1279 CE

Song Dynasty (960 – 1279 CE) Strengthen Confucianism and civil service Not able to unite as much as Tang Dynasty Strengthen Confucianism and civil service Established gov’t monopoly on tea trade Become sea power Create middle/merchant class Merchants gain a bit more esteem in Chinese society Deemphasize military and reestablished tribute system

The Revival of Confucian Thought (Neo-Confucianism) Libraries established; old texts recovered Neo-Confucians reduce role of women Promote arranged marriage and foot-binding Stress on personal morality, rational and secular thought Importance of philosophy in everyday life Hostility to foreign ideas Gender, class, age distinctions reinforced

Decline of the Song Dynasty Never that strong to begin with Never able to unify all parts Warlords control large parts in the north Military and economic weakness Scholar-gentry given control of army; ineffective Paper money caused inflation Mongol invasion Establish the Yuan Dynasty