Ch 12 Sec 1 TANG & SONG DYNASTIES
唐朝 Tang Dynasty ( CE) A Golden Age of Chinese Civilization
Tang Boundaries
Tang Taizong, aka Li Shimin Emperor CE In quest for power, he killed his brothers and forced father to abdicate. Legacy: Reformed gov’t New law code Extended China’s boundaries towards Manchuria (N) and Vietnam (S) Strongest China yet
Empress Wu Zetian, aka Wu Zhao Ruled CE Only Empress in Chinese history Entered palace at 13 as one of Taizong’s concubines. Later married Taizong’s son, Emperor Gaozung. Ruled first through husband and 2 of her sons Ruled on her own beginning at age 66
Empress Wu’s Legacy Launched military campaign to take Korea Favored & promoted Buddhism (made it the state religion) Controversial Reign of Terror Secret Police Overthrown in coup d’etat
Scholar-Officials Bureaucracy: a government of state officials. An elite class Chosen through difficult civil service exam Talent and education became more important than noble birth (or wealth)
The Golden Age of Culture If I hide out at Cold Mountain Living off mountain plants and berries – All my lifetime, why worry? One follows his karma through. Days and months slip by like water, Time is like sparks knocked off flint. Go ahead and let the world change – I’m happy to sit among these cliffs. Han-Shan, Cold Mountain Poems, translated from colloquial Tang Chinese by Gary Snyder Famous Lyric Poets
The Golden Age of Culture Art Sophisticated figure painting Ceramic tomb figurines Porcelain
Tang Inventions Plough Waterwheels Brocade Papermaking Iron smelting Pottery Porcelain (China)
宋朝 Song Dynasty ( ) A Chinese Renaissance Innovations, Politics, and Bureaucracy
Song Boundaries
Gentry New, larger upper class Scholar-Officials and their families Attain status through education and civil service (instead of land/wealth) Gentry Urban Middle Class (merchants, shopkeepers, artisans, etc) Urban Lower Class (laborers, soldiers, servants) Countryside (peasants)
Foot Binding Status of women declined during Tang and Shang Dynasties. “Lily foot” First-hand accounts of foot binding: Mother did not feel bad about the pain suffered when my feet were bound, for the following reasons: Small feet were then thought to be beautiful. If a person were plain-looking but had small bound feet, she might still be considered a beauty. If she had naturally large feet, however, no matter how good-looking she might be, she was not thought pretty, and no one wanted to marry her. Every toe but the big one was inflamed… the bindings were covered in blood and pus. To get them loose the skin often peeled off, causing further bleeding and the smell was hard to bear. Every other day the binding was made tighter and sewn up and each time smaller shoes had to be worn. I still had to work every day because I was from a middle class family but walking was excruciatingly painful. This made it impossible for me to complete an average woman’s chores. The cold caused me to lose one toe on my right foot. My feet were only 3 inches long and relatives, friends, and my husband praised them.
Foot Binding
Song Inventions Printing (moveable type) Gunpowder Compass