Download RESURGENCE OF EMPIRE IN EAST ASIA

RESURGENCE OF
EMPIRE IN EAST
ASIA
CHINA UNDER THE SUI,
TANG, AND SONG
ANARCHY IN CHINA
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Period Resembled Western European history after the collapse of the Romans
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Disunity and civil war between nomads and Chinese warlords
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Confucianism in decline, Buddhism in ascendancy due to its relationship with the nomads
BUDDHISM ARRIVES IN CHINA
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Buddhism in China
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Attraction: moral standards, intellectual sophistication, salvation, appeal to women, poor
Buddhism and Daoism
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Chinese monks explained Buddhist concepts in Daoist vocabulary
Hostility to Buddhism
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Resistance from Daoists and Confucians
Persecution
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Critics of Buddhism found allies in the imperial court
SUI DYNASTY
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After fall of the Han, turmoil lasted for more than 350 years
The rule of the Sui
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Reunification by Yang Jian in 589
High taxes and compulsory labor services
The Grand Canal
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One of the world's largest waterworks before modern times
Purpose: bring abundant food supplies of the south to the north
The fall of the Sui
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High taxes and forced labor generated hostility among the people
IMAGES OF SUI CHINA
THE TANG DYNASTY
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Founding of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 CE)
– A rebel leader seized Chang'an, proclaimed a new dynasty, the Tang
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Extensive networks of transportation and communications
Adopted the equal-field system
Bureaucracy of merit
– Recruited government officials through civil service examinations
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Foreign relations
– Tributary system became diplomatic policy
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Tang decline
– Casual and careless leadership led to dynastic crisis
– The Uighurs became de facto rulers
– The equal-field system deteriorated
TANG CHINA
TANG ART
SONG DYNASTY (960-1279 C.E.)
• Song Taizu
– Founder of the Song dynasty
• Song weaknesses
– Song never had military, diplomatic strength of Sui, Tang
– Financial problems
• Enormous bureaucracy with high salary devoured surplus
• Forced to pay large tribute to nomads to avoid war
– Military problems
• Civil bureaucrats in charge of military forces
– External pressures
• Semi-nomadic Khitan, nomadic Jurchen attacked in north
– The Song moved to the south, ruled south China until 1279
THE SONG WORLD
NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN
DYNASTIES
THE SONG ARTISTIC WORLD
DEMOGRAPHIC AND
ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENTS
• An agricultural revolution
– Twice flowering, fast-ripening rice increased food supplies
• Urbanization: China most urbanized country in period
• Commercialized agriculture
– Extreme surplus of southern rice allowed cities to flourish
CH’ANG-AN & HANGZHOU
NEO-CONFUCIANISM
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Daoist, Buddhist Synthesis with Confucianism
– Confucians drew inspiration
• From Buddhism Spirituality
• From Daoism Cosmology
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Xenophobia Contributes, too
– Invasions by nomads, Turks and Mongols threatened state
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Neo-Confucian influence
– Adapted Buddhist, Daoist themes, reasoning to Confucian interests
– Influenced East Asian thought
• In China, it was an officially recognized creed
• Influenced Korea, Vietnam, and Japan for half a millennium
PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY
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Developments reinforced patriarchal society
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Chinese reaction to foreign ideas
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Preserving of family
Results
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Tightening of patriarchal structure
Reinforcing of male domination
Foot binding gained popularity during the Song
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Neo-Confucianism emphasized patriarchy
Ancestor worship revived
Emphasized dependence of women on men, home
Male sense of beauty at women’s expense
Poor, peasant women not subject to footbinding
TECHNOLOGY & INDUSTRY
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Porcelain
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High quality porcelain since the Tang, known as chinaware
Metallurgy
Gunpowder
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Discovered by Daoist alchemists during the Tang
Printing
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Became common during the Tang
Naval technology
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"South-pointing needle" - the magnetic compass
SONG LIFE
A MARKET ECONOMY
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Financial instruments
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Banking and credit institution
Paper money backed by state, treasury
A cosmopolitan society
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Foreign merchants in large cities of China
Economic surge in China
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An economic revolution in China
Made China the wealthiest nation in the world at time