China in the Middle Ages

Part 1 China Reunites

Rebuilding China’s Empire After the Han empire ended in A.D. 220, China broke into 17 KINGDOMS and became very CHAOTIC. WARLORDS, military people who run a government, fought each other for CONTROL of the empire. China lost control of some of its conquered people, such as the people of KOREA.

Rebuilding China’s Empire (cont.) China was REUNITED in A.D. 581 by a general named WENDI who declared himself emperor. He founded the SUI dynasty. Wendi’s son Yangdi took the throne after his father’s death. Yangdi made important IMPROVEMENTS to China.

Rebuilding China’s Empire (cont.) His greatest achievement was the GRAND CANAL, which links the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) and the Huang He (Yellow River). SHIPPING products on the Grand Canal helped unite China’s ECONOMY.

Rebuilding China’s Empire (cont.) Yangdi’s improvements placed HARDSHIPS on the Chinese people. They rebelled and KILLED Yangdi. The TANG dynasty was established by one of Yangdi’s GENERALS. The Tang dynasty ruled for about 300 years, from A.D. 618 to A.D. 907. The Tang dynasty brought about many REFORMS to improve GOVERNMENT.

Rebuilding China’s Empire (cont.) One of the most powerful Tang emperors was TAIZONG. He reinstated the CIVIL service EXAMINATION. Empress WU was a ruler in the Tang dynasty who strengthened China’s MILITARY.

Rebuilding China’s Empire (cont.) The Tang dynasty EXPANDED China’s empire and regained much of its power in ASIA. By the mid-A.D. 700s, the Turks began to threaten the Tang dynasty’s hold in Asia. They took control of central Asia and the SILK Road, damaging China’s ECONOMY.

Rebuilding China’s Empire (cont.) The Tang dynasty weakened and FELL. A Chinese GENERAL established the SONG dynasty, which ruled for about 300 years, from A.D. 960 to A.D. 1279.

Buddhism Spreads to China Buddhism was brought to China by TRADERS & MISSIONARIES during the Han dynasty (c. 150). The Tang dynasty allowed people to practice Buddhism and SUPPORTED the building of Buddhist temples. Chinese were looking for peace & calm during this time of civil war. Chinese Buddhist monks and nuns lived in palaces called MONASTERIES where they lived and worshiped. In China, monasteries provided SERVICES for people. Ran schools, provided rooms for travelers, and medical care

The Four Noble Truths Life is full of SUFFERING. People suffer because they desire WORLDLY things and self-satisfaction. The way to end SUFFERING is to stop DESIRING things. The only way to stop desiring things is to follow the EIGHTFOLD PATH.

The Eightfold Path Know and understand the Four Noble Truths. Give up worldly things and don’t HARM others. Tell the TRUTH, don’t GOSSIP, and don’t speak badly of others. Don’t commit EVIL acts, like killing, stealing, or living an UNCLEAN life. Do REWARDING work. Work for GOOD and oppose EVIL. Make sure your MIND keeps your senses under control. Practice MEDITATION as a way of understanding reality.

Buddhism Spreads to China (cont.) As Buddhism became more POPULAR, the Tang dynasty began to fell THREATENED. The rulers ordered many Buddhist monasteries and temples DESTROYED in A.D. 845. 4,600 monasteries and 40,000 temples Buddhism spread from China to KOREA, and the Korean government supported the religion. Buddhism spread to the nearby islands of JAPAN.

New Confucian Ideas CONFUCIUS and his followers believed government officials should be WISE. The Han empire reinstated civil service examinations. These challenging EXAMINATIONS tested job seekers about their knowledge of CONFUCIAN writings.

New Confucian Ideas (cont.) The examination system created a WEALTHY CLASS of scholar-officials. The Tang dynasty SUPPORTED neo-Confucianism to REDUCE Buddhism’s popularity. Neo-Confucianism taught that people should take part in life and help each other. The Song dynasty adopted neo-Confucianism as their official PHILOSOPHY, or belief system.

Civil Service Exams Both Tang and Song rulers used civil service exams to hire officials. They based the bureaucracy on a MERIT system, what people can or not do based on their WEALTH or SOCIAL STATUS. Students began preparing at age 4 by learning to write the CHARACTERS of the Chinese LANGUAGE. Later they had to MEMORIZE all of Confucius’ writings. Still only 1 in 5 PASSED the test. One rule was students could NEVER do PHYSICAL work.

Part 2 The Mongols in China

The Mongols The Mongols lived in an area NORTH of China called MONGOLIA. They lived in tribes, or groups of related FAMILIES.

The Mongols They were NOMADIC herders who grazed their animals on the STEPPES, wide, rolling grassy plains. The Mongols were well known for their ability to ride HORSES well and WAGE war.

Genghis Khan At a meeting of Mongol LEADERS in 1206, a man named TEMUJIN was elected Genghis KHAN, which means strong RULER.

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan built the Mongol Empire using a well- trained ARMY to invade major CIVILIZATIONS. Mongol warriors were known for their CRUELTY and use of TERROR, or violent acts used to SCARE people.

The Mongol Empire Grows After Genghis Khan’s DEATH, the empire was DIVIDED among his FOUR sons and continued to expand.

The Mongol Empire Grows At the height of the Mongol rule, the empire stretched from the PACIFIC Ocean in the EAST to Eastern Europe in the west and from Siberia in the north to the HIMALAYAS in the south. The Mongols eventually brought PEACE to the lands they conquered, which encouraged TRADE.

The Taxmen Commeth The Mongols TAXED the traded goods and became WEALTHY. The Mongols learned about GUNPOWDER and WEAPONS from the Chinese people.

Mongol Rule in China Kublai Khan was Genghis Khan’s GRANDSON. He became the Mongol EMPEROR in 1260. Kublai Kahn moved the capital of the empire from Karakorum in Mongolia to KHANBALIQ in China. Today, the city of BEIJING stands where Khanbaliq was.

Kublai Khan Under Kublai Khan, the Mongols CONQUERED China and ended the SONG dynasty.

Kublai Khan He founded the YUAN dynasty, which ruled for about 100 years. The Mongols differed from the Chinese by their CUSTOMS, laws, and LANGUAGE.

Kublai Khan Though the Mongols were BUDDHISTS, they tolerated other RELIGIONS.

Marco… Polo Marco Polo was a TRAVELER from VENICE who visited Kublai Kahn. Kahn sent Polo on FACT-FINDING adventures. Because China belonged to the large Mongol empire, TRADE in China INCREASED.

Mongols on a Land Grab China’s empire GREW during this time. The Mongols conquered Vietnam and northern Korea and then used Korean-made ships to invade JAPAN.

Part 3 The Ming Dynasty

The Rise of the Ming 1368, MONGOLS are driven out, ZHU Yuanzhang became EMPEROR and found the Ming dynasty. Zhu takes the name Hong Wu = MILITARY emperor, rules very cruelly, KILLING anyone he suspects of TREASON. Yong Le, moves capital to BEIJING and builds the IMPERIAL CITY. In the center was the Forbidden City, only top gov’t officials could enter the Forbidden City because it was the HOME of China’s EMPERORS.

Ming Reforms From time to time the Ming OFFICIALS would conduct a CENSUS to help them collect taxes more accurately. Restored the civil SERVICE exams, but made them HARDER. Rebuilt CANALS and farms destroyed by the MONGOLS. COTTON became the most worn CLOTH by Chinese people.

Ming Reforms (cont.) Ming rulers import a new type of RICE from southeast Asia that grew FASTER. In addition, repairs were made to CANALS so rice could be SHIPPED from SOUTHERN to NORTHERN China. What would be the result of having a type of rice that grew faster and could be shipped to more areas? FEED MORE PEOPLE.

Yong Le REBUILDS what the Mongols DESTROYED. Forbidden City, Beijing, China REBUILDS what the Mongols DESTROYED. Built new FARMS, roads, and ordered FORESTS to be planted. REPAIRED & expanded the Grand CANAL. Supported the silk industry and started growing COTTON for CLOTHING for the 1st time.

Chinese Culture As the ECONOMY improved, Chinese WRITERS produced novels, or long FICTIONAL stories.

Zheng He Chinese MUSLIM and COURT official who SAILED to Southeast Asia and INDIA.

Zheng He (cont.) Confucian officials wanted to end the VOYAGES b/c they brought new IDEAS to China, they COST too much, and they made MERCHANTS rich. After Zhen He’s death, the officials convinced the EMPEROR to stop the VOYAGES, the ships were DISMANTLED, ship building knowledge was lost in 50 years. Trade sharply DECLINED.

Portuguese Arrive in China 1514, 1st time EUROPEANS arrive off the coast of China wanting to set up trade since the journeys of MARCO POLO. They also were interested in CHRISTIANIZING the Chinese. The JESUITS, a special group of Roman Catholic priests impressed the Chinese as a highly INTELLIGENT group & were fascinated by the items they brought with them, clocks, EYEGLASSES & scientific instruments.

The End!!