Inner and East Asia

Early Tang Empire Built by the Sui, Grand Canal links Yellow and Yangzi rivers. Li Shimin (Tang) expands westward = Turkic cultural, religious and military influence Inner Asian horses, camels and clothing from the Silk Road Horsemanship combined with armored infantry & crossbow. Mahayana Buddhism and emphasis on bodhisattva & combining of local gods.

Uighur and Tibetan Empires Turkic-speaking Uighurs and Tibetans built large rival states along the Silk Road (map 10.1). Religious art from N. India and mixture of East Asian and Islamic dress. Tibetans adopt architectural and artistic styles from India. Buddhist pilgrims connect India and China

Fall of the Tang Empire Fear of ‘barbarians’ = attacks on foreign residents. Oppressive landlords & dependence on warlords leads to rebellions. Destroyed Buddhism as a ‘foreign evil’ Belief that women in politics = danger to Confucianism Neo-Confucianism = new ‘religion’

Neo-Confucian Influence Challenge to Buddhism Scholarly and cosmic emphasis on‘sagehood’. Civil Service examinations Govt ‘Meritocracy’ Evidence in Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Role of Women

The Song Empire Song achievements: – Su Song’s Celestial Clock – Gunpowder in explosive shells – First seafaring compass. – Junks (stern rudder & watertight bulkheads). – Produced steel of unprecedented strength by using waterwheel-driven bellows to superheat iron. – Modern urban planning (waste removal, water diversion, fire prevention, leisure activities). – Moveable type and the resulting spread of knowledge – Pioneered paper money and credit (flying money). Song weaknesses: – They feared foreigners and barbarians, though most of achievements in technology, observation, math, astronomy & economics came from India & West Asia during the Tang. – Cut off from Inner & West Asia they relied on sea trade. – Needed an army four times as large (though they occupied half the area) as the Tang. – Treatment of women worsened as the loss of Buddhism was replaced by neo-Confucianism.

Trade and Exchange Chang’an = metropolitan ‘Mecca’ due to tributary system and roads/canals Exports (silk & ‘china’) for precious metals and luxury items. Sea trade connects China with Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Cosmopolitan empire due to ‘breadth and diversity’