Two Golden Ages of China A Map of China Today

China During the Tang Dynasty

China During the Song Dynasty

What do you know about China?

The Tang Dynasty 618 – 907 ce Founded by a father and son Li Shimin takes the throne and takes the name Tang Taizong – he is the most admired of all Chinese emperors

The Tang Empire is Built Tributary States: Vietnam, Tibet & Korea They had to pay tribute ($ or trade goods) & acknowledge the supremacy of China A Tang Dynasty Tower

Government and the Economy Bureaucracy was reestablished. Enlarged civil service exam Developed flexible law code Redistributed land to peasants System of canals, like the Grand Canal, encouraged trade.

Civil Service Exam A series of tests on the ideas of Confucius. Those who passed could get a job in the government. During the Song, this test was a form of upward mobility, leading to a Chinese emphasis on education as a way to improve your status.

The Decline of the Tang Dynasty Lost territory Government corruption Heavy taxes Drought Famine Rebellion Tang Warriors

The Song Dynasty 960 ce – 1279 ce Zhao Kuangyin, military leader, reunited much of China & founded the dynasty The land controlled by China shrunk, but it made advances in agriculture, arts, literature and economics. As you can see, China lost territory to the Mongolians in the north and retreated south to the Hwang He River.

The Song Dynasty 960 ce – 1279 ce Farming shifted from grains to rice (two rice crops were produced per year) Traded with India, Persia, & the Middle East Song Porcelain found in East Africa To improve trade, paper money was issued A Chinese Rice Paddy

Poetry Most respected literature Buddhist and Daoist themes Li Bo most respected Tang poet, wrote 2,000 poems mostly about nature or the passage of time Du Fu – wrote about the horrors of war or criticized the rich court culture Autumn dew like a white jade – Globules on the courtyard green. Walking, I suddenly catch that sight, And mourn early winter, the year’s hastening. Life is like a bird’s flight across the eye. Then why strangle it personally? Was the lord of Jing a fool? On Bull Mountain my tears stream. Sorrow is not knowing contentment. In Lung I gaze towards Shu. My heart is like waves tossed. The ways of the world twist and turn. On every one of three hundred hundred and six thousand days One ought to light an evening candle! Poet Li Bo

Landscapes A blend of painting and calligraphy Sought to capture the spiritual essence of the natural world Reflected Daoist belief in balance and harmony Topics included both realistic and imaginary subjects Ma Yuan (active ), On a Mountain Path in Spring

Sculpture and Architecture Buddhist themes dominated these art forms Statues of Buddha Pagodas were multistoried Buddhist temples

Porcelain Shiny, hard pottery that was prized as the finest in the world Decorated with glazes producing colors on the pottery

Describe how these three pictures relate to China.

Social Structure Royalty The Emperor and his family Gentry – Scholar Officials wealthy landowners who studied for the Civil Service Exam, a test of Confucian ideas. Most were government officials or advised the emperor. Peasantry largest social class. Did the farming and labor for Chinese society. Merchants They had the lowest social status.

The fact that the peasantry was given higher status than merchants in China reflects a Confucian value. What do you think this value is?

Since the peasant farmers did manual labor and fed the country this was valued over making profit off of the work that those peasants did. In other words, hard work was valued over making profit.