Reunification and Renaissance in Chinese Civilization: The Era of Tang and Song Dynasties Mrs. Mills

Sui Dynasty 589-618 CE Led by Wendi- won widespread support by lowering taxes for most and establishing granaries throughout the land These bins stored grains in large cities and in each village of the empire to ensure that the people would be fed even if there was a drought or flood

Yangdi Yangdi- son of Wendi Murdered father to reach the throne Restored the examination system for regulating entry into the bureaucracy promoted scholar gentry in the imperial administration (must pass an exam to hold position in bureaucracy)

Demise of the Sui Yangdi is overly fond of luxury and extravagant construction projects Very hard on his people- literally worked them to death Comparable to the Qin (great wall of China) Led his people into series of unsuccessful wars Yangdi assassinated by his own administration in 618 – will China return to a period of warring states?

Emergence of Tang Empire 618-907 Li Yuan a former supporter of the Sui emerged as leader and kept China from falling into an era of warring states and disorganization Tang armies conquered deep into central Asia, as far as present day Afghanistan Tang emperors also completed repairs started on the Great Wall

Growth of Tang Tang dynasty extends to parts of Tibet in the west, the Red River valley homeland of the Vietnamese in the south, and Manchuria in the north In a matter of decades the Tang had built an empire that was far larger than even that of the early Han empire

Rebuilding the Bureaucracy Despeartely needed loyal and well educated officials to govern the many people under their control Revive scholar gentry elite From Tang era on power in China is split between imperial family and buractras of the civil service system.

Examination System continues to Grow Highest offices could only be gained by those who were able to pass exams on philosophical or legal classics and the even more difficult exams on Chinese literature. Those who passed Chinese literature exams earned the title jinshi. Earned special social status and names were announced throughout the empire

Religion during the Tang Increasing state patronage for Confucian learning threatened Buddhism However, members of the elite/educated classes seemed more attracted to Chan or ZEN Buddhism because of its emphasis on meditation and appreciation of natural and artistic beauty Tang promotes Buddhism while still trying to promote education on the Confucian Classics Empress Wu(690-705)- tried to elevate Buddhism to the official state religion

Daoism and Confucianism Daoism and Confucian scholar administration try to appeal to masses and weaken Buddhist following Eventually Confucianism emerges as central ideology of Chinese civilization for most of 9th century to 20th century China

End of the Tang Starts to decline under Xuanzong (713-756) Infatuated with women and one woman in particular- after passing of his wife Allows her to gain political power and even brings her family in who become arrogant and greedy Begin to neglect state affairs including the military and the Tang ultimately falls due to peasant uprisings and economic weakness

Song Dynasty 960-1279 Military commander emerges to reunite China under a single dynasty. Zhao Kuangyin Scholarly man Considered very honest and well liked Able general Renamed emperor Taizu, rules most of China, except one area

Early Problems The one rival Raizu could not defeat was the northern Liao Dynasty Founded in 907 by nomadic Khitan people from Manchuria Showed a weakness of the Song empire in dealing with nomadic peoples of the north Plagued dynasty from ealry years to its eventual destruction in late 13th century

Revival of Confucian Thought Even more people take and pass the cival service exams than under the Tang dynasty Government full of people who pass exams, but because there are so many, they do not have much to do Most prominent thinker of this era becomes Zhu Xi- stresses the importance of applying philosophical principles to everyday life Become known as Neo-Confucians- revivers of ancient Confucian teachings who believed that cultivating personal morality was the top goal for humans

Decline of Song Kingdoms to the north like the Xi Xia and Liao begin to demand tribute (pay) from the Song dynasty for protection of their northern borders Later kingdoms would invade and ultimately only the Southern Song dynasty remained (1167-1279)

Prosperity of Song and Tang Population shift in China- south surpasses the north in crop production and totall population Building of Grand Canal- Yangdi risked his throne to have this built, many died, and it was considered as much of an engineering feat as the Great Wall

Commercial Expansion Tang conquests in central Asia and creation of the canal promoted commercial expansion in the Tang and Song eras. This intensified contacts China and persia and reopened silk routes International contacts increased during post classical period

Technological Advancements Junks: Chinese ships that were considered the best ships in the world alongside the Arab dhows Gunpowder propelled rockets aboard these ships/ mostly used for trade First use of paper money during Tang dynasty Major accomplishments in science, literature, technology, and arts. Towns grew rapidly into cities/ population moved into urban areas

Family and Society in the Tang and Song Position of women improved slightly under the Tang and Song, but towards the end of the Song dynasty their position became to decline steadily Example: Footbinding- upperclass men during late Song had developed a preference for small feet on women Toes were turned under and bound with silk at age five or six. Their feet were kept this way and eventually grew in a shape that was considered acceptable by prospective husbands. This kept women close to the home at all times because they were not able to walk far

Multiple Choice Question #1 During the political crisis following the fall of the Han, the Great Wall… A) became ineffective as a barrier to invasion because it was held by many small kingdoms. B) was destroyed and replaced by the Great Canal as a defensive barrier to nomadic peoples. C) continued to serve as a barrier to the penetration of nomadic peoples. D) provided the materials from which many Buddhist temples were constructed. E) became a drain of Chinese resources as the government fought to keep it strong.

Multiple Choice Question #2 What made possible the rapid revival of the empire under the Tang? A) The abandonment of Confucianism in favor of the more widely practiced Buddhism B) The brevity of the period of political dislocation C) The willingness of the Tang to abandon traditional approaches to government D) The preservation in the many kingdoms of the Confucian traditions that had been central to Chinese civilization E) The government’s focus on using people with practical technical skills as opposed to the scholar-gentry

Multiple Choice Question #3 Wendi was the man responsible for the… A) banning of Confucianism. B) banning of Buddhism. C) establishment of the Sui dynasty. D) return to Legalist principles of government. E) building of an impressive Chinese navy.

Multiple Choice Question #4 Under the first Sui emperor… A) the Confucian scholar-gentry gained dominance. B) the Buddhists were persecuted. C) the merchant class gained much social prestige. D) the Grand Canal was constructed. E) ever-ready granaries were created to relieve the threat of famine.

Multiple Choice Question #5 Excessive military expenses and grandiose building projects led to… A) a widespread Buddhist rebellion. B) the downfall of the second Sui emperor and the collapse of the dynasty. C) the reunification of China under the Shang dynasty. D) massive rejection of the Confucian scholar-gentry. E) a successful peasant revolt.

Multiple Choice Question #6 Li Yuan was… A) a Buddhist monk who founded the Song dynasty. B) the most famous poet of the Tang-Song era. C) the Duke of Tang, founder of the new dynasty. D) the second Sui emperor who murdered his father to gain the throne. E) the most aggressive persecutor of Buddhism.

Multiple Choice Question #7 Which of the following statements concerning entry into the Chinese bureaucracy is most accurate? A) Although a higher percentage of candidates under the Tang received office through the examination system than during the Han dynasty, birth continued to be important in securing high office. B) Under the Tang, family connections ceased to be of significance. C) Although the examination system continued to be monitored, almost all officials received positions as a result of family connections. D) The examination system was eliminated during the Tang dynasty, and only members of the imperial family served in the bureaucracy. E) The government strove to allow fair access to all people who could demonstrate talent.

Multiple Choice Question #8 Pure Land Buddhism… A) appealed to the members of the Chinese elite. B) only allowed upper-class believers. C) was rejected by the Chinese peasantry. D) stressed meditation and the appreciation of natural and artistic beauty. E) stressed salvation.

Multiple Choice Question #9 Which of the following statements concerning the Tang dynasty’s attitude toward Buddhism is most accurate? A) Under the Tang, Buddhism became the official religion of the state. B) After initial attempts to suppress Buddhism, later Tang emperors actually resuscitated the Buddhist monasteries, particularly in southern China. C) Although Empress Wu attempted to have Buddhism recognized as the official religion of the state, later emperors persecuted Buddhism as an economic threat to the state. D) From the outset, Buddhism was persecuted under the Tang. E) Although Tang rulers disliked the practice of Buddhism, they adopted a policy of toleration.

Multiple Choice Question #10 As a result of imperial suppression, A) monastic orders continued to exert political influence and control landed wealth as they did in the first decades of Tang rule. B) Buddhism restored as the primary religion of the state during the Song dynasty. C) Buddhism gained much underground support, which eventually led to its becoming the prominent religion of China. D) Buddhism was eradicated in China. E) Buddhism survived in a reduced state without much political influence.

Introducing: THE DBQ http://www.slideshare.net/MrKeatley/how-to-nail-the-dbq http://www.slideshare.net/MrRoher/dbq-review-and-practice-2004-prompt

What is a DBQ? Document Based Essay

Where do I start? 1) READ and UNDERSTAND what the question is asking. 2) Read through the documents to get a thorough understanding of each document 3) Create 3 groupings for the documents: THINK SPRITE groupings 4) Begin planning out thesis based on groupings

Where do I go from there? NEXT… 5) Write your thesis (the roadmap of your essay)- make sure it includes three groupings 6) In each body paragraph make sure you include the SPECIFIC document and how it fits into the grouping- IDENTIFY AND ANALYZE EACH DOCUMENT Provide an additional document that may help you better understand the topic. Do this for every grouping.

AND FINALLY… Bring it all back together…. You should have incorporated every single document given and thoroughly analyzed each document You should have provided three additional documents that could have helped in your understanding and interpretation of the question You should have included the POV found in each document RESTATE the thesis in your conclusion