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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Three Kingdoms 220-280
– Civil war at end of Han Dynasty
– Victorious generals founded new dynasties
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Jin Dynasty 265-420
– Western Jin 265 – 316 and Eastern Jin 317 – 420
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Shu Han 221 – 263
Wei 220 - 265
Wu 222 – 280
Only time during interregnum when China was united
Intermixture of nomads and Chinese accelerated
– Sixteen Kingdoms 304 – 420
Southern and Northern Dynasties 420-589
– After Jin China fragmented into competing states, dynasties
– Period Resembled Western European history after collapse of Rome
– Two larger groupings of related dynasties arose
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Southern Dynasties
Northern Dynasties
Disunity and civil war between nomads and Chinese warlords
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Rival states, dynasties, each controlling a part of the old Han state
Aristocrats, provincial nobles held land and real influence
Many of the northern dynasties were nomadic, both Turkish and Mongol
Confucianism in decline as older Chinese traditions abandoned
Buddhism in ascendancy due to its relationship with the nomads
Confucian trained bureaucrats still held much influence in some states
Chinese subject to taxes, warfare, conscription, invasions, bandits
BUDDHISM ARRIVES IN CHINA
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Foreign religions in China: Nestorian, Muslim & Buddhist merchants
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Oases on the Silk Road were very mixed
Became location for foreign settlements, transmission of foreign faiths to China
Buddhism in China
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Moral standards, intellectual sophistication, salvation, appeal to women, poor
Monasteries became large landowners, helped the poor and needy
Posed a challenge to Chinese cultural traditions
Buddhism and Daoism
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Chinese monks explained Buddhist concepts in Daoist vocabulary
Dharma as dao, and nirvana as wuwei
Teaching: one son in monastery would benefit whole family for 10 generations
Mahayana Buddhism
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Buddhism blended with Chinese characteristics
Buddha as a man became Buddha as a god, saint
Stupa became a pagoda; Buddha became fat or feminine
Chan Buddhism
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Chan (or Zen in Japanese) was a popular Buddhist sect
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Emphasized intuition and sudden flashes of insight
Mediation techniques resembled Daoist practice
Monasteries appeared in all major cities
Hostility to Buddhism
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Resistance from Daoists and Confucians
Popular criticism focused on celibacy, alien origin,
Chinese state could not tax land as it was unproductive
Persecution
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Critics of Buddhism found allies in the imperial court
Tang emperor ordered closure of monasteries in 840s
Buddhism survived because of popular support
SUI DYNASTY
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First time since 220 China was united
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Chinese dynasty adopted many Turkish mannerisms
Adopted Legalism as the state philosophy
Supported spread of Buddhism over Confucianism
The rule of the Sui
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Reunification by Yang Jian in 589
Centralized policies
Adopted equal-field system to help peasanty
Constructions of palaces and granaries, repairing the Great Wall
Military expeditions in central Asia and Korea
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
Linked the Yangtze and the Huang-Hi
The canal integrated the economies of the south and north
The fall of the Sui
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High taxes and forced labor generated hostility among the people
Military reverses in Korea
Rebellions broke out in north China beginning in 610
Sui Yangdi was assassinated in 618, the end of the dynasty
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 the Tang Dynasty
– Tang Taizong
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• 2nd Tang emperor, a ruthless but extremely competent ruler
• China enjoyed an era of unusual stability and prosperity
Tang Policies
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Restored Confucianism as state ideology
Extensive networks of transportation, communications
Adopted the equal-field system
Bureaucracy of merit
• Government officials recruited by civil service examinations
• Career bureaucrats loyal to the dynasty
Foreign relations
– China: the Middle Kingdom or center of civilization
– Tributary system became diplomatic policy
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Tang decline
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Casual and careless leadership led to dynastic crisis
Rebellion of An Lushan in 755, weakened the dynasty
The Uighurs became de facto rulers
The equal-field system deteriorated
A large scale peasant rebellion led by Huang Chao lasted from 875 to 884
Regional commanders gained power, beyond control of the emperor
The last Tang emperor abdicated his throne in 907
TANG CHINA
TANG ART
SONG DYNASTY (960-1279 C.E.)
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After collapse of Tang Dynasty 60 years of civil war, strife
Song Taizu
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A Golden Age
– Reigned 960-976 C.E.
– Founder of the Song dynasty
– Society dominated by commercial interests
• Period of great wealth, trade and commerce
• Merchants had high social standing for first time
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– A Cultural Golden Age of Arts, Literature, Science
Song weaknesses
– 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
• Military was largely foot soldiers at war with cavalry nomads
– External pressures
• Semi-nomadic Khitan, nomadic Jurchen attacked in north
• Constant drain on treasury to pay tribute to nomads
– The Song moved to the south, ruled south China until 1279
• Nomads invaded, overran northern Song lands
• Song retreated to the South along Yangtze, moved capital
• After defeat, constantly forced to pay tribute
THE SONG WORLD:
NORTHERN &
SOUTHERN
DYNASTIES
THE SONG ARTISTIC WORLD
DEMOGRAPHIC AND
ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENTS
• An agricultural revolution
– Twice flowering, fast-ripening rice increased food supplies
– New agricultural techniques increased production
– Population growth
• 45 to 115 million inhabitants
• Between 600 and 1200 C.E.
• Urbanization: China most urbanized country in period
– Chang'an had about 2 million residents
– Hangzhou had about 1 million residents
– Many cities boasted population of 100,000 or more
• Commercialized agriculture
– Some regions depended on other regions for food
– Extreme surplus of southern rice allowed cities to flourish
– Necessitate vast grain shipments to cities
CH’ANG-AN & HANGZHOU
NEO-CONFUCIANISM
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Taoist, Buddhist Synthesis with Confucianism
– Early Confucianism focused on practical issues
• Politics, Public Morality, Social Relationships
– Confucians drew inspiration
• From Buddhism Spirituality
– Logical thought
– Argumentation of Buddhism
• From Taoism Cosmology
– Metaphysical issues: nature of soul
– Man's relation with cosmos
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Xenophobia Contributes, too
– Invasions by nomads, Turks and Mongols threatened state
– Foreign ideas began to circulate
– Too many threats to society, traditions
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Zhu Xi (1130-1200 C.E.), most prominent Neo-Confucian scholar
Neo-Confucian influence
– Adapted Buddhist, Taoist themes, reasoning to Confucian interests
– Made Buddhism Chinese but stressed Chinese roots, values
– 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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Reaction to Buddhist’s gender equality
Neo-Confucianism emphasized patriarchy
Ancestor worship revived
Preserving of family
Family wealth became paramount
Results
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Tightening of patriarchal structure
Reinforcing of male domination
Foot binding gained popularity during the Song
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Emphasized dependence of women on men, home
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Wealthy, aristocrats could afford practice, hire servants to do work
Feet of women broken, reformed around stilts
Women could not walk without pain but had to shuffle
Forced women to remain at home, dependent on others
Male sense of beauty at women’s expense
Poor, peasant women not subject to footbinding
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Women had to work with men to support family
Men could not afford to have women at home, idle
TECHNOLOGY & INDUSTRY
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Porcelain
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High quality porcelain since the Tang, known as chinaware
Technology diffused to other societies, especially to Abbasid Arabia
Exported vast quantities to southeast Asia, India, Persia, and Africa
Metallurgy
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Improvement: used coke instead of coal in furnaces to make iron, steel
Iron production increased tenfold between the early 9th and 12th century
Gunpowder
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Discovered by Daoist alchemists during the Tang
Bamboo "fire lances," a kind of flame thrower, and primitive bombs
Gunpowder chemistry diffused throughout Eurasia
Printing
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Became common during the Tang
From block-printing to movable type
Books became widespread
Naval technology
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"South-pointing needle" - the magnetic compass
Double hulled junks with rudder, water-tight compartments
SONG LIFE
A MARKET ECONOMY
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Merchants in Charge
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Only period in China where merchants socially superior to aristocrats
Merchants attempted to intermarry with aristocrats, become landowners
Merchants attempted to have sons admitted as Confucian bureaucrats
Merchants tended to espouse Confucianism as way into traditional elites
Most large cities had large merchant communities
Financial instruments
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Banking and credit institution
“Flying money " were letters of credit
Paper money backed by state, treasury
A cosmopolitan society
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Foreign merchants in large cities of China
Mostly Arab (Muslim), Indian, S.E. Asian
Chinese merchants journeyed throughout region
Economic surge in China
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An economic revolution in China
Made China the wealthiest nation in the world at time
Promoted economic growth in the eastern hemisphere