1. TANG AND SONG DYNASTIES OF CHINA
CHAPTER 12, SECTION 1

2. TANG-RISE 618-907 First Tang emperor, Li Yuan
Li Shimin, Li Yuan’s son, would become China’s most admired emperor.
Li Shimin called himself, Tang Taizong
Expanded the empire by conquering the lands of Vietnam, Tibet, and Korea
Tributary States: conquered states remained independent but the rulers had to acknowledge Tang supremacy and send tribute payments to the Tang emperor.
Students from Korea and Japan came to the Tang capital to study Chinese gov., law and art

3. TANG-GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY
Rebuilt bureaucracy
Enlarged the civil service system
Recruited talented officials trained in Confucian philosophy
Land Reform
Broke up large agricultural holdings and redistributed the land to peasants
Strengthened the central gov. by weakening the power of large landowners.
Increased gov. revenues because the peasants who farmed their own land would be able to pay taxes.

4. TANG-GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY
The Canal System
Encouraged international trade and transportation
Grand Canal: linked the Huang He river to the Yangzi river
At the time this was the longest water way ever dug by human labor
Food could now be shipped from the south to the capital in the north

5. TANG-DECLINE Rebellion in 907, end of the Tang dynasty
Later Tang emperors lost territories in Central Asia
Also…
Corruption
High taxes
Drought
Famine
Rebellions
Which lead to the downward swing of the dynastic cycle.

6. SONG DYNASTY 900, China is reunited and the Song Dynasty is founded
Song ruled for 319 yrs, a little longer than the Tang…controlled less territory
Golden Age-wealth and culture flourished
Economic expansion
Foreign trade also expanded
Creation of paper money
Cities which were once centers of gov. became centers of trade

7. CHINESE SOCIETY UNDER THE TANG AND SONG
SOCIAL HIERARCHY: Central to society, well ordered.

8. SOCIETY, CONTD. Status of Women
Higher status during the times of the Tang and Song
In charge of family affairs…great authority managing servants and finances
When a woman married she became apart of her husbands family and could never remarry.
Footbinding
Later Song times, large feet were seen as unattractive
Tiny feet became a sign of nobility and beauty
Extremely painful, women could not walk without assistance, reinforced women staying at home and out of the public sphere.

10. ART AND LITERATURE DURING THE TANG AND SONG DYNASTIES
Landscape Painting
Balance and harmony…spiritual essence of the natural world
Other Arts-Dominated by Buddhist themes
Sculpture
Porcelain making
Literature
Prose and poetry
Li Bo and Du Fu

11. SUMMARY OF THE TANG AND SONG DYNASTIES
Under the Tang and the Song, China enjoyed political stability, efficient government, thriving agriculture, and expanding trade.
Confucian traditions
Stable social hierarchy