1. China

2. China Reunifies

3. When the Han fell and China split apart this was known as the Period of Disunion

4. During this time many nomadic people settled in China
They adopted Chinese names, language and dress

5. The nomadic and Chinese cultures mixed
As a result new types of art, music, food and clothing became popular

6. The Sui Dynasty Yang Jian ended the Period of Disunion
He unified China and created the Sui dynasty
The Sui Dynasty

7. The dynasty didn’t last long but they restored order to China

8. They connected northern and southern China with the Grand Canal

9. Under the Tang dynasty China grew to include many parts of Asia

10. The Tang dynasty is viewed as the golden age of China
Taizhong is viewed as one of its greatest rulers

11. He unified China by: Reforming the military, Creating law codes and
Land reforms (equal field system)

12. After the Tang dynasty fell China became divided again
This period is known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

13. During this time a new religion, Buddhism, spread throughout China

14. Buddhism taught that people can escape suffering and achieve a state of peace

15. Many wealthy people donated land and money to help establish Buddhism in China
Chinese missionaries introduced Buddhism to Japan, Korea and the rest of Asia

16. Buddhism was so important to China that the period from 400-845 is called the Age of Buddhism

17. Later people began to blend elements of Buddhism with Confucianism & Daoism to create a new way of thinking

19. China was again reunified under the Song Dynasty

20. Tang and Song

21. Advances in Agriculture
During the Song dynasty farming improved with new irrigation techniques
Advances in Agriculture

22. They dug underground wells and used the dragon backbone pump

23. The amount of farmland under cultivation increased

24. A new fast-ripening rice allowed farmers to grow two or three crops in the amount of time they used to grow one

25. Food was abundant
So farmers started growing cotton and tea

26. Cities and Trade City Life
China’s capital and largest city was Chang’an
It was the largest city in the world
It was known as a religious and philosophical center
Cities and Trade

27. Trade in China and Beyond
Much trade took place within China through the use of its rivers
Trade in China and Beyond

28. The Grand Canal linked major cities
The Grand Canal allowed goods and crops to be moved from agricultural areas to cities

29. China traded with other lands and people too
Trade routes were on land
They exported tea, rice, spices, jade, silk

30. Arts and Inventions Cai Lun invented paper
Later wood block printing was created
Arts and Inventions

31. Gunpowder was created to be used in fireworks
It was later adapted for use in guns and bombs

32. The compass used Earth’s magnetic field to show direction

33. Moveable type was used to print books

34. Also invented paper money to replace the use of heavy coins

35. Confucianism and Government

36. The dominant philosophy in China was Confucianism

37. Confucius’ teachings focused on ethics

38. People should conduct their lives according to two basic principles
ren – concern for others
li – appropriate behavior
Confucius argued society would function best if everyone followed these

39. Confucianism was not widely accepted and was officially suppressed
Later became the official state philosophy

40. Neo-Confucianism was similar to the older philosophy
But also incorporated Buddhist and Daoist concepts

41. The Song dynasty ran their government under a large bureaucracy
Bureaucracy – body of unelected government officials
Scholar-Officials

42. They had to pass civil service exams
Passing the difficult exam made them a scholar official and an elite member of society
Benefits included respect, wealth and reduced penalties for breaking the law

43. The Yuan and Ming Dynasties

44. Genghis Khan organized the Mongols into a powerful army and conquered most of Asia and part of Eastern Europe
The Mongol Empire

45. By the time he died the Mongols ruled all of northern China

46. Genghis Khan’s grandson, Kublai Khan became ruler of the Mongol Empire and completed the conquest of China

47. Mongol Ascendancy He declared himself emperor of China
This was the beginning of the Yuan dynasty which some people call the Mongol Ascendancy
Mongol Ascendancy

48. The Mongol rulers belonged to a different ethnic group than the Chinese
They spoke a different language
Worshipped different gods
Wore different clothing and had
Different customs

49. The Chinese resented being ruled by foreigners
The Mongols didn’t force the Chinese to accept the Mongol way of life
Some Mongols did adopt Chinese culture

50. The Chinese had to pay heavy taxes
The tax money paid for public works like extending the Grand Canal, building new roads and a new capital, Dadu (Beijing)

51. Mongols also protected overland trade routes and sea trade

52. Italian merchant, Marco Polo provided much of what we know about the Yuan dynasty
He traveled around China for 25 years and served in Kublai Khan’s court
When he returned to Europe he wrote about his travels

53. After failed attacks against Japan, a weak economy, and Chinese resentment, a rebellions broke out

54. A former monk named Zhu Yuanzhang led an army to victory over the Mongols

55. Zhu Yuanzhang became the emperor of China establishing the Ming dynasty

56. The Ming dynasty was one of the most stable and prosperous times in Chinese history

57. The Forbidden City The Forbidden City was the imperial residence
It included hundreds of temples, residences and government buildings
Common people were forbidden from entering
The Forbidden City

58. Ming rulers also restored the Great Wall of China
They rebuilt collapsed portions of walls, connected existing walls and built new ones
The wall was 2,000 miles long
The Great Wall of China

62. Having rid China of the Mongols, the Ming worked to eliminate all foreign influence from China
China Under the Ming

63. They got rid of many powerful officials and controlled the government themselves

64. In the 1430s a new Ming emperor banned foreign trade and entered China into a period of isolationism
Isolationism – a policy of avoiding contact with other countries

65. The consequence was that the Ming dynasty was overthrown
China grew weak, and the Western world was able to gain influence in China