Lesson 8.01

Aftermath of the fall of the Han Dynasty After the fall of the Han Dynasty----chaos: 1)The empire split into three parts. 2) Invaders swarmed over northern China. 581 CE—Sui dynasty restored and reunited the empire. 40 years later and beyond, the Tang and Song dynasties restored China’s political and cultural strength.

Tang Dynasty Li Yuan led a rebellion and became the first Tang emperor. The era of the Tang dynasty was considered the golden age for the arts. Capital city: Changan---great walled city with palaces, temples and markets. Empress Wu—The only female Tang rulers (all others were men) that was considered ruthless. The empire stretched from Vietnam in the southeast to the Taklamakan Desert (which the Silk Road ran along the edge) in the far west. Trade increased---wealth—foreign ideas In the 800s—flood & drought—ruined crops Fall ---Rebel army destroyed Changan—Tang lost the Mandate of Heavem

Song Dynasty 960 CE—Song Dynasty restored the empire. T’ai-tsu---First Song emperor. Kaifeng- Dynasty’s capital and commercial center, sat in the Huang River Valley in northern China. Commercial Center—Area where the buying and selling of good occurred. Downfalls: Were not as dominant as the Tang dynasty—(1) Never able to take control of former Chinese lands to the north (2) Struggled to keep the empire united (3) Sent huge amounts of silver and silk each year to the Liao people (enemy) to pay tribute in return for peace northern people, the Jurchens, invaded--captured the Song emperor and took him away. The emperor’s brother escaped and headed south. There he set up the Southern Song dynasty. All of China north of the Huang River fell to the invaders.----Many Song people moved south of the Chang River—urbanization---settled in cities along rivers and the southeast coast. Economy grew—farmers harvested oranges, sugar, tea, cotton and silk. Crafters produced pottery, silk, cloth, paper and jewelry for sale in other lands.---traded for silver, gems, cotton cloth, perfumes, horses and camels.. Gained wealth-taxed all their goods.

Arts in the Tang and Song Dynasties Both dynasties supported the arts. Tang—golden age for the arts----painting, poetry, music, dance, pottery. Invented Porcelain and calligraphy.

Innovations Inventions: (1)Gunpowder: mixed saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur near a flame. (2)Fireworks. (3)Moveable type: made books cheaper and helped spread learning. (4)First to issue paper money. (5)Improved the design of seagoing ships. (6)Magnetic compass. (7) New farming techniques: Began growing Vietnam rice and found new ways to control the rain waters and new irrigation methods—This helped farmers to grow rice in the summer and winter----Rice trade was very profitable for the Song dynasty.

Ruling the Empire Made sure the central government chose the officials and not elites. Tang dynasty– was the first to use an examination system to find out who was the best person for the job---educated men staffed the bureaucracy. Tang officials came from upper classes--- Song officials created a true civil service system—Confucian ideals—merit system Merit system: To deserve a position in government, a person had to pass a challenging series of exams. The system backed public service. It also showed great respect for learning. Only the virtuous and able became officials. ***Review lesson 8.01, page 5 of 6--- STEPS TO BECOMING A SCHOLAR-OFFICIAL *****Review lesson 8.01, page 6 of 6—Review.

Important words to know… Urbanization: Rapid Growth of cities Commercial: having to do with the buying and selling of goods center. Porcelain: a hard, white, translucent ceramic Calligraphy: the art of handwriting, often with brush and ink Innovations: new inventions or ways of doing something added to the world’s basic knowledge. Bureaucracy: a system of appointed officials who handle the day-to-day work of a government Civil service system: a system, based on examinations, by which civilians serve in government posts