Tang and Song Achievements Chapter 7, Section 2

Main Ideas Advances in agriculture led to increased trade and population growth. Cities and trade grew during the Tang and Song dynasties. The Tang and Song dynasties produced fine arts and inventions. Turn these main ideas into questions.

Main Idea Questions

Advances in Agriculture The Chinese were expert farmers. In the north they grew wheat, barley, and other grains. In the south it was warmer and wetter, so they grew rice. They created new irrigation techniques, dug underground wells, and created the “dragon backbone” pump to pump water into the canals.

More and more land was used to farm. They also discovered fast-ripening rice – they could grow 2 – 3 crops in the time it used to take to grow one. Also grew cotton and tea. There was plenty of food, so the population of China grew from 60 million to 100 million people.

Look at your notes – what question can you create that will be answered by the information in your notes? Write the question below the notes for this key term.

Cities and Trade The capital of China during the Tang Dynasty was Chang’an. Chang’an was a busy trade center and had more than 1 million people. People came from all over the world to trade products, ideas, religions.

Trade and agriculture made China very rich. Traders used the country’s rivers to ship goods. The Grand Canal linked major cities and was used for trade in food and products. Also traded with India, Japan, Korea. Exported tea, rice, spices, jade and silk. Imported food, plants, wool, glass, gold and silver.

Look at your notes – what question can you create that will be answered by the information in your notes? Write the question below the notes for this key term.

Arts and Inventions Tang Dynasty produced great art and literature. Wu Daozi – murals about Buddhism and nature. Li Bo and Du Fu – poetry Li Qingzhao – greatest female poet in China.

Clay art – figurines of horses were very realistic. Porcelain items covered in a pale green glaze called celadon. Also invented paper, woodblock print (an entire book page is carved into a wooden block, then inked and pressed onto paper. Gunpowder, compass, movable type, paper money.

Look at your notes – what question can you create that will be answered by the information in your notes? Write the question below the notes for this key term.