1. Chapter 12, Section 1 “Tang and Song China”

2. The Sui Dynasty  After the collapse of the Han Dynasty, no emperor was strong enough to hold China together until, in 589, an emperor named Wendi united northern and southern China.  Wendi was the first emperor of the Sui (sway) dynasty, which built the Grand Canal.

3. The Tang Dynasty  After the Sui Dynasty came the Tang Dynasty, which lasted for nearly 300 years.  Tang Taizong was the first ruler in the Tang Dynasty.  The Tang Dynasty strengthened the central government of China, including a network of roads, canals, and an expanded bureaucracy.

4. The Song Dynasty  After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, rival warlords divided China into separate regions. Then, in 960, a general named Taizu reunited China and proclaimed himself the first Song emperor.  Song emperors tried to buy peace with their northern enemies. They paid tributes of silver, silk, and tea.

5. Prosperity and Innovation  China grew in many ways during the Tang and Song Dynasties: –Population – nearly doubled –Science and Technology – movable type, gunpowder, porcelain, clock, paper money, compass –Agriculture – new variety of fast-ripening rice that could be harvested twice a year –Trade – Korea, Japan, India, Persian Gulf, Africa

6. Changes in China During Tang & Song  More people moved into the cities.  The power of the old aristocratic families began to fade. A new class of scholar-officials rose in influence.  Women’s status declined further and women’s work was deemed less important. Foot-binding was practiced for upper-class women.