2. Chinese Empires Preview Starting Points Map: East Asia
Main Idea / Reading Focus
Sui and Tang Dynasties
Faces of History: Wu Zhao
The Song Dynasty
Map: Tang and Song Dynasties

3. Chinese Empires Preview, continued Cultural Achievements
Quick Facts: Innovations
Prosperity and Society

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5. Chinese Empires Main Idea Reading Focus
The Sui dynasty reunified China, after which the Tang and Song dynasties produced an age of prosperity and achievement.
Reading Focus
How did the Sui and Tang dynasties reunify China?
How did the Song dynasty strengthen China?
What were some Tang and Song cultural achievements?
How was this period a time of prosperity and social change?

6. Sui and Tang Dynasties
The Han dynasty ruled China from 206 BC to AD 220—more than 400 years. After the dynasty collapsed, military leaders split China into rival kingdoms. These events began a period of disorder and warfare that historians call the Period of Disunion.
Nomads invaded northern China, formed own kingdoms
Many northern Chinese fled south to region of Yangzi River
A number of southern dynasties rose, fell
The Period of Disunion
Despite these events, Chinese civilization thrived, developed
Nomadic invaders in north adopted aspects of Chinese civilization
Northern Chinese immigrants’ culture blended with local cultures in south; arts, philosophy flowered
Civilization Thrived
The Period of Disunion lasted more than 350 years, ending when a northern ruler named Wendi reunified China, founding the Sui dynasty.

7. Centralized Government
The Sui Dynasty
Wendi worked to build centralized government
Restored order, created new legal code, reformed bureaucracy
Created policies to provide adult males with land, ensure availability of grain
Centralized Government
Greatest accomplishment of Sui dynasty, completed during reign of Yangdi, Wendi’s son
1,000 mile waterway linked northern, southern China
Yangdi forced millions of peasants to work on canal; led to discontent, rebellion
618, Yangdi assassinated, Sui dynasty ended
Grand Canal

8. The Tang Dynasty Period of Brilliance Built on Sui Foundations
Tang dynasty ruled 618 to 907; Chinese influence spread
China experienced period of brilliance, prosperity, cultural achievement
Government, other institutions served as models across East Asia
Built on Sui Foundations
Established capital at Chang’an, Sui capital
Second capital located at Luoyang
Government control remained centralized, based on bureaucracy of officials
Civil Service
To obtain talented officials, Tang expanded civil service examination system
People had to pass written exams to work for government
Created flexible law code; model for law codes in Korea, Japan

9. Foreign Affairs Expansion Tang expanded China, Chinese influence
Regained western lands in Central Asia, gained influence over Korea
Contact with Japan increased; Japanese scholars came to China to study
Expansion, increased contact with others grew foreign trade
Expansion
Much of expansion occurred during reign of Taizong, 626 to 649
Taizong relied on talented ministers to help govern
In addition to military conquests, Taizong had schools built to prepare students for civil service exams
After his death, one of his sons became emperor

10. New emperor was weak, sickly
Wu Zhao
New emperor was weak, sickly
Emperor’s wife, Wu Zhao gained power
Following death of husband
Wu Zhao ruled through her sons
Eventually became emperor herself—the only woman to do so in Chinese history
Wu Zhao overthrown, 705
Dynasty reached height under Xuanzong
During reign, 712 to 756, empire prospered

12. The Age of Buddhism From India State Religion Tang Decline
Buddhism first came to China from India during Han times
During Period of Disunion many Chinese turned to Buddhism
Taught people could escape suffering, appealed to people in turmoil
State Religion
Under Tang rule, Buddhism became state religion
Buddhist temples appeared across land, missionaries spread Buddhism
400 to 845 in China, Age of Buddhism; ended when lost official favor
Tang Decline
750s, decline began, government weak, nomadic invasions, rebellions
Military defeats lost Tang lands in Central Asia and the north
907, emperor killed, Tang dynasty ended

13. How did the Sui and Tang dynasties unite and expand China?
Summarize
How did the Sui and Tang dynasties unite and expand China?
Answer(s): built centralized government; reformed laws and policies; built Grand Canal; Tang regained land in Central Asia and gained influence over neighboring states; increased contact with other peoples

14. Government and Civil Service
The Song Dynasty
China split apart after Tang dynasty
Did not reunify until 960 with Song dynasty
Song ruled for about 300 years, created achievement, prosperity
Under Song, Chinese civilization became most advanced in world
After Tang Dynasty
Song established capital at Kaifeng, restored centralized government control
Enlarged government bureaucracy, reformed civil service examination system
Neo-Confucianism gained favor, emphasizing Confucian ethics, spiritual matters
Government and Civil Service

15. Civil Service Exams Southern Song
Extremely difficult to pass; those who did became scholar-officials
Scholar-officials received good salary, were respected
Civil service exams became more open to ordinary people
Exams became pathway to gaining wealth, status
Southern Song
Song rulers never regained northern, western lands lost by Tang
Tried to buy peace with threatening nomads by sending lavish gifts
1120s, nomadic people, Jurchen, conquered northern China, founded Jin empire
Song continued in south as Southern Song dynasty 150 more years

17. How did the Song strengthen China’s government?
Compare
How did the Song strengthen China’s government?
Answer(s): established capital at Kaifeng and restored centralized government control, enlarged bureaucracy, reformed civil service exam

18. Cultural Achievements
The Tang and Song dynasties were periods of great cultural achievement. Art and literature flourished, and many inventions and advances occurred in science and technology.
Tang period produced some of China’s greatest poets
Du Fu, Li Bo, two most famous
Poems of Confucian ideals, joys of life
Literature and Art
Reached new heights
Wu Daozi, murals celebrating Buddhism, nature
Landscapes of great beauty
Some used only black ink
Painting
Exquisite objects made from clay
Tang: pottery figurines, often to go in tombs
Song: excelled at making porcelain
Admired, sought after worldwide
Artisans

19. Inventions and Innovations
Architecture
Indian Buddhist temples influenced design of Chinese pagoda
Featured roofs at each floor curving upwards at corners
Inventions
During Tang, Song periods, China became a world leader in technology, science
Gunpowder major invention, used in fireworks, weapons
Magnetic Compass
Major Tang technical advance
Uses Earth’s magnetic field to show direction
Revolutionized sea travel, contributed to world exploration
Printing
Paper, ink invented earlier
Tang period, developed woodblock printing
Text carved into wood, coated with ink, pressed on paper

20. Moveable Type Paper Money
Song dynasty invented another type of printing, moveable type
Uses blocks on which letters, characters carved
Blocks rearranged, reused to print many things
Faster than woodblock, spread to Europe, revolutionized printing
Paper Money
Another Song invention
Had used bulky metal disks placed on strings
As economy grew, lighter, more useful form of currency developed
Paper money light, easy to use, quickly spread in use in China

22. Identify Cause and Effect
How did Chinese innovations affect world history?
Answer(s): Gunpowder dramatically affected how wars were fought; the compass allowed for world navigation; printing innovations led to increased sharing of ideas.

23. Prosperity and Society
In addition to cultural achievements, the Tang and Song periods were a time of growth and prosperity.
Chinese agriculture became more productive
New irrigation techniques
New variety of rice
Production of cotton, tea increased
Increased food production contributed to population growth
Tang population 60 million, Song population 100 million
Agriculture
Improvements in roads, canals increased trade within China
Foreign trade expanded, mostly over land routes like Silk Roads
Late Tang: advances in sailing, shipbuilding helped sea trade
Song: merchants became important in society; money, banking began to develop
Trade

24. City Life Society Women As farming, trade grew so did China’s cities
China had largest cities in world at the time
Tang capital, Chang’an, population more than 1 million, many cultures
Song dynasty, several cities had million or more; sea trade caused port cities to boom
Despite urban growth, most Chinese still lived, farmed in countryside
Power of aristocratic families declined during period
New class developed, gentry
Included scholar-officials, leading landowners
Most still peasants, farmers
Paid most of taxes, little schooling
Society
Status of women declined, most visibly in upper classes
Desire for small, dainty feet led to custom of footbinding
Painful process to keep feet from growing, deformed feet over time
Symbol of husband’s authority
Women

25. Draw Conclusions
How did footbinding reflect changes in attitudes toward women in China?
Answer(s): became symbol of husband's authority over wife; women's status declined