Download Song Dynasty

Civilizations of Asia
Civilizations that thrived during
the medieval period.
Medieval China’s three dynasties:
– Sui Dynasty (580–618)
– Tang Dynasty (618–906)
– Song Dynasty (960–1127)
I. China Reunites

A Dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family. After
the Han Dynasty collapsed (rules for over 400years), China
was broken up into several kingdoms. Despite this Buddhism,
art and learning spreads.
a. The Sui (Swee) Dynasty Reunites China (581-618)
They unite N and S China for the first time in centuries.
General Wendi declared himself emperor & found the Dynasty. He
massacred 59 royal princes to take over.
Yangdi (YANGH DEE) Wendi’s son took over, He expanded the territory.
He rebuilt the Great Wall.
He started the Great or Grand Canal built to link N China
to S China so grain could get to the North. It linked the
Yangtze River to the Yellow.
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is approximately 4,160miles long.
The Grand Canal
A waterway that linked the Huang He (Yellow)River and
the Chang (Yangtze River)
Covers 1,000 miles and is still the longest canal ever built
Negative: Hardships for Chinese people building and taxes
For his projects. Led to a revolt that killed Yangtze. Sui
came to an end.
Positive: Reminded China of their glorious past. He allowed
people to follow their own beliefs. Rebirth of Confucius
beliefs.
Emperor Wendi
The Collapse of the Sui
Yang Di, the last major Sui emperor
b. Tang Dynasty-Golden Age Begins
The Tang Dynasty lasted 300 years (618-907)
Political & Cultural achievement
Population growth (Chang ‘an was the biggest city in the
world- 1 million people. It had a tall wall for protection & was
shaped like a rectangle)
Silk road- a chain of trade routes (not a single road)
stretching from China to the Mediterranean Sea (Tea, Jade,
Ivory, Ceramics, Silk)
The Silk Road crossed China’s Gobi Desert into Western Asia and eventually into
the Eastern Mediterranean Region, this series of trade routes (not a single Road)
introduced China to the rest of the World. China was reaching a period of
greatness known as the “Golden Age.”
Taizong (TY ZAWNG) Greatest ruler (626-649) of the Tang Dynasty
He killed his two brothers and all ten of his nephews to take over.
He was considered a fair and just ruler. Didn’t overburden the peasants with
taxes.
He was a successful general, scholar, historian, & calligraphy.
Later in life, he became tired of war & studied Confucius.
He reformed government according to Confucius ideas.
He gave land to peasants and treat all people w/ respect.
A Women Ruler:

Empress Wu Hou (675 – 705)
– Only women to rule China on her own.
– Strengthened the Military
– Added more officials to the government
– Took over Korea
The Fall of the Tang:
In the Mid 700’s problems occur for the Tang.
Turks took control of the Silk Road and
drove the Tang out.
Economy was severely damaged.

c. Song Dynasty (960-1279)
 Cultural achievements (Compass, Gunpowder,
Smallpox Vaccine)
 They had advances in government like the merit
system (system of hiring people based on their
abilities as opposed to Nepotism).
 Many Buddhists vs. Neo-Confucianism emerged
 Agriculture improved
-More rice grown
-Art (landscape paintings), music, poetry, trade
-printing books (Movable Type)
New strains of rice and better irrigation
methods helped peasants to grow more
rice.
Allowed farmers to produce two crops a year
instead of one.
During the Song dynasty,
artists created the earliest
known Chinese landscape
paintings.
They painted on silk and featured
peaceful scenes of water, rocks
and plants.
Rulers also prized
graceful art objects
like porcelain, a
white and hard
type of ceramic…
often called
China.
Silk (called the queen of fibers)
comes from the cocoons of
caterpillars called silkworms.
The Chinese’s silk was the highest
quality in the world.
Song inventions included a new
way to print books.
The Chinese had carved the
characters of each page onto a
wood block. They would brush
ink over the carving and lay a
piece of paper on it to print the
page.
Printers could make many
copies of a book using these
blocks, but carving the block for
each page took a long time.
d. A New Threat: Mongols in China until 1368
Mongols were nomads from the plains of Central
Asia, North China. They were warriors and spent
much time on horseback.
 By 1200’s under the leadership of Genghis
Khan they were a tough military Force.
 The Mongols started an empire that included
China and Korea in the east, Russia and Eastern
Europe in the west and then extended to the
southwest as far as the Persian gulf.
 Genghis Khan had conquered all of
Northern China by 1215.

The Silk Road crossed China’s Gobi Desert into Western Asia and eventually into
the Eastern Mediterranean Region, this series of trade routes (not a single Road)
introduced China to the rest of the World. China was reaching a period of
greatness known as the “Golden Age.”
The Golden Horde
Genghis
Khan
Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan
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But there was still the southern Song Empire which
would continue to resist.
Genghis Khan left it to his grandson Kublai Khan to
complete the conquest of China and to rule it all.
Kublai Khan came to power in 1259, within 20 years he
had defeated the last Song emperor.
Kublai Khan declared himself Emperor of China and
named the new dynasty “Yuan”-which means
“beginning,” because Kublai Khan intended that the
Mongol rule of China would last for centuries.
Kublai Khan conquered the Southern part of China.
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The Mongol’s were able to centralize the government in China. They
did not allow the old Chinese ruling class to govern/rule
High government positions were reserved for Mongols’ and were
even given to foreigners rather than to Chinese.
The Mongols also kept their own language and customs rather than
adopting the Chinese culture, but they did allow for the practice of
many religions.
Visitors from all lands were welcome to Kublai Khan’s court. A
Christian from Europe, Marco Polo came from Venice, Italy.
Marco Polo’s writings helped to increase trade with Europe and
China. China prospered only under Kublai Khan, but not under the
later Khans, or emperors who followed him.
 Batu Khan controlled the Russian Area.
 Mongol rule ended with a peasant revolt.
e. Philosophy and Religion in China
1. Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC) was an ancient Chinese teacher.
Believed in:
Treat others with respect
Peace to China
Family before Community
Moral values and ethics (Right vs. Wrong)
Principles:
Use right relationships to produce social order
Respect family & older generations
Educate individuals and society
Act in morally correct ways
Beliefs put in the government:
Advancement through education
Ruler should be virtuous and kind
Subject loyal and obey the law
Children respect for parents and older generations
Neo-Confucianism
Morality is highest goal a person can reach
Morality achieved through education
Education through books, observation or interaction
w/ wise people
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a
day in your life.
He who learns but does not think, is lost!
He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.
Life is really simple,
but we insist on making it complicated.
I hear, I know.
I see, I remember.
I do, I understand.
2. Buddhism
Based on Siddhartha Gautama (sihd DAHR tuh GOW tuh muh) known as the
“Enlightened one”.
Started in India
Beliefs:
Suffering is a part of life
Reason people suffer is that they are too attached to material possessions &
selfish ideas
By living in a wise, moral, thoughtful way, people can eventually learn to escape
suffering
It spread to Korea and Japan
China prospered only under Kublai Khan,
but not under the later Khans, or
emperors who followed him.
In 1368, a Chinese peasant led an uprising
that overthrew the foreign rulers and ended
the Mongol rule of China.