1. The Chinese Golden Age
Ms. Carmelitano

2. End of the Han
In 220 AD The Han Dynasty collapsed, splitting into three rival kingdoms
Over the next 350 years 30 dynasties that rose and fell
In 589 AD Wendi unified northern China and restored a central government
Sui Dynasty (581AD-618AD)
Built the Grand Canal
Connects the Huang He and Chang Jiang

3. The Tang Dynasty 618AD the peasants revolted
Overworked and overtaxed
The Tang family took control
618AD- 907 AD (300 years)
Most important emperor: Tang Taizong AD
He seized the throne after killing his brothers
Military campaigns expanded China from Manchuria to Vietnam to the Aral Sea
He created a unified code of laws for all of eastern Asia

4. Empress Wu Zhao By 668 AD China defeated Korea in military campaigns,
The ruler at the time was Empress Wu Zhao
She held power as Regent from 660AD until 705AD
In 690 she declared herself the official emperor
She was the only woman to ever be emperor in Chinese history

5. Tang Government Re-instituted civil service positions
This restored a functional bureaucracy
Although the positions were opened to all men, only the wealthy could afford the schooling necessary to perform well

6. Tang Loses power
Tang emperors had to raise taxes during the 700’s to cover the costs of expansion
751 Muslim armies defeated the Chinese at the Battle of Talas
907 AD the last Tang child emperor was murdered

7. The Song Empire AD
China was again divided into separate kingdoms
960 AD General Taizu reunited China and became the first Song Emperor
Paid tributes of silver, silk and tea to northern invaders to keep peace
In1127:
The Jurchen people conquered northern China establishing the Jin in North and Song in South

8. Golden Age Population doubled, to 100 million people
Science and Technology
Moveable type
Printers could arrange blocks of individual characters to make a page for printing
Gunpowder
Used for fireworks later for guns and bombs
Paper Money, Porcelain, mechanical clocks, magnetic compass
Agriculture
Imported a new type of rice that could be harvested twice a year
Production of more food to feed population

9. Golden Age Art: Paintings reflected beauty and balance and nature
Poetry
Li Bo who wrote about life’s pleasure
Tu Fu who praised Confucian virtues and was critical about hardships of war

10. Changes in Society
People moved to cities and had more social mobility (Urbanization)
Aristocratic power faded
A new class of scholar officials called gentry emerged
Attained status through education and civil service rather than land ownership
Middleclass under them – merchants, shopkeepers, artisans
Lowest class: laborers, soldiers, servants
Countryside- peasants

11. Women Women were subservient to Men Peasant women worked in the fields
Especially among upper-class
Peasant women worked in the fields
Foot binding:
A sign of wealth for women
As a child, girls feet were bound in tight cloth
This resulted in the bones breaking, and the toes being forced under the foot
Women were immobile for life

12. The Mongols
Nomads living on the Asian Steppe – North of China and Asia
It is very dry and has harsh temperature changes
The Nomads were pastoralists: nomadic herders
Genghis Kahn
United the Mongols (One of the nomadic ethnic groups)
For 21 years he lead them to conquer much of Asia
1211 conquered the Jin Empire, and then went into the Muslim world

13. The Mongols Kublai Khan Genghis Khan’s grandson
1279 invaded and took over China
Established the Yuan Dynasty
United China after 300 years of separation
Considered one of China’s Great Emperors