Ancient China Chapter 8.1

Sui Dynasty The Sui dynasty did not last long (581-618) but it managed to unify China under one emperor. Sui Yangdi, the second emperor of the dynasty, completed the Grand Canal( built to link the two great rivers of China. The Yellow River and the Chang Jiang. Both rivers flowed from west to east. The new canal linked north and south, making it easier to ship rice from the south to the north.

The Sui Dynasty Sui Yangdi was a cruel ruler. He used forced labor to build the Grand Canal. This practice, together with high taxes, his extravagant and luxurious lifestyle, and military failures, caused a rebellion. The emperor was murdered, and his dynasty came to an end.

Sui Dynasty

TANG DYNASTY The Tang dynasty lasted from 618 to 907. Tang rulers began by instituting reforms, restoring the civil service examination for recruiting civilian bureaucrats, and trying to stabilize the economy by giving land to peasants and breaking up the power of large landowners. The Tang dynasty extended their control to the borders of Tibet.

TANG DYNASTY The Tang dynasty brought about its own destruction. There was plotting and government corruption. During the 8th century, the Tang dynasty weakened. Tang rulers hired Uighurs, a northern tribal group of Turkic-speaking people, to fight for the dynasty. Continued unrest led to the collapse of Tang rule in 907.

TANG DYNASTY

SONG DYNASTY The Song ruled from 960 to 1279, during a period of economic and cultural achievement. During the 1200s, the Mongols – built a vast empire. Within 70 years, the Mongols overthrew the Song dynasty and created a Mongol dynasty in China.

SONG DYNASTY It was 700 years from the beginning of the Sui to the end of the Song dynasties. China was a monarchy that had a large bureaucracy. Outside the capital, government had a structure of provinces, districts, and villages. Agriculture, manufacturing, and trade grew dramatically during those 700 years. China was still primarily a farming society. The majority of the peasants had become serfs or slaves for wealthy, large landowners.

Advancements during the Tang and Song Dynasty Began to make steel (swords and sickles) (Song) Cotton was introduced (Song) Gunpowder (Tang) Woodblock printing(mass production of books) (Tang)

SONG DYNASTY

Marco Polo In the 13th century, Marco Polo described the Song dynasty as , “so many pleasures may be found that one fancies himself to be in Paradise.”

Life in Chinese Society The status of women in Chinese society was low. As elsewhere in the world, female children were considered less desirable than male children. Female infants might even be killed if there was not enough food for all. Wives became part of their husbands’ families. Her parents provided a dowry (money and goods) to her husband when the woman married. Poor families often sold their daughters to wealthy villagers.