Aim: What were the greatest achievements of the Tang & Song?

Don’t Forget the Previous Chinese Dynasties! Dynasty Known For… Shang Dynasty (1766 BCE – 1122 BCE) First form of writing on oracle bones. Polytheistic. Zhou Dynasty (1122 BCE – 221 BCE) Iron weapons and tools. Confucianism spread. Qin Dynasty (221 BCE – 206 BCE) Harsh policy of Legalism. Great Wall of China began. Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) Civil service exam based on Confucianism (the state philosophy). Acupuncture, invention of paper. Trade on the Silk Road. Sui Dynasty (589 CE – 618 CE) The Grand Canal was built to increase trade.

I Rise of the Tang! 618 – 907 CE A) Started by Tang Taizong in 618 (he assassinated the last Sui emperor). Expansion and contact with Japan led to increased foreign trade and economic prosperity. B) Strong central government. Early Tang supported Buddhism but Confucians in administration/ civil service supported taxing Buddhist monasteries. Tang kept the civil service exams. C) Made Vietnam, Tibet & Korea tributary states.

Rise of the Tang Continued B) Invented gunpowder, a mixture of saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur. It was first used to make fireworks. It was first used for the military in 919 CE. A Tang dynasty book (850 CE) included a warning about mixing gunpowder: "Some have heated together sulfur, and saltpeter with honey; smoke and flames result, so that their hands and faces have been burnt, and even the whole house where they were working burnt down.”

Achievements of the Tang Dynasty continued… C) Block Printing & Movable Type: Pre-cut characters that were combined to form a page. D) Invented process of making porcelain. Porcelain is a type of pottery made from clay, that is glazed and “baked” at extremely high temperatures. Chinese porcelain was traded along the Silk Road. It became so popular in Europe that the finest porcelain became known as “China”!

Empress Wu 624 – 705 CE Empress Wu expanded the borders of China by conquering new lands in Korea and Central Asia. Improved the lives of the peasants by lowering taxes, building new public works, and improving farming techniques. Because Confucianism didn't allow women to rule, Wu elevated the religion of Buddhism as the state religion in China. Three of Wu's sons ruled as emperor at some point. Some scholars believe that Wu killed her own daughter in order to frame the Empress Wang. “I, the ordinary restless child, the plain adolescent, the commoner who had been a nun twice, would prove to be a Daughter of Heaven.”

II Rise of the Song Dynasty 960 - 1279 A) China entered into a period of disorder after the collapse of the Tang (53 years). “The Period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms”. The Song Dynasty reunited China in 960 AD. Founded by Taizu. B) Merchant class increased. Large merchant ships were sent to India, Arabia and other regions to trade in Chinese silk, tea and other manufactured products. C) Like the Tang, civil service exams were used. 1st Chinese navy!

Achievements of the Song Dynasty D) Invented the world’s first paper currency (money). Paper currency was a by-product of Chinese block-printing. It helped business as it is easier to carry. Under the Song Dynasty, block printed playing cards became popular!

Achievements of the Song Dynasty E) Invented the mechanical clock: used wheels, shafts & pins, turning at a steady rate to tell exact time.

Achievements of the Song Dynasty continued… F) Invented a vaccine for smallpox. Smallpox is an airborne, contagious disease, caused by the variola virus. Symptoms appear 12–14 days after infection, and include fever, headache, back pain, abdominal pain and vomiting. After 2–3 days, the body temperature falls and a rash appears. Following a global WHO-led immunization campaign, smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980. – World Health Organization Which other civilization invented a smallpox vaccination?

Hangzhou, a Song Dynasty City

G) New Rice Farming Methods Song discovered a new fast ripening rice from Vietnam could be harvested 2-3 times a year. It was more drought resistant, so was able to grow on terraced mountains.  population and trade increased.

New Farming Methods  Population Increase!

III Tang & Song Social Hierarchy

IV Foot Binding A) Foot binding was a cultural practice that began during the Tang Dynasty. B) Wealthy girls would have their feet bound to make a small, lily shaped foot. It was a status symbol. Women with bound feet were disfigured & could not work in the fields. C) Confucianism was the dominant philosophy in the Tang and Song Dynasties; women were supposed to be subservient to their husbands.

V Decline of the Song A) Heavy dependence on growth of civilian government at expense of military B) By 1127, the Song were weakened by the Mongols. C) Conquered by the Mongols (Yuan Dynasty) 1279 under Kublai Khan.

Key Vocabulary Foot binding Mechanical Clock Porcelain Song Dynasty Smallpox Vaccine Taizu Tang Dynasty Tang Taizong