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6th Grade UBD - Unit 7 - China's Reunification and Development

What were the
greatest
achievements of
the Tang and Song
dynasties?


Larger than the United States
Climate varies
 North
▪ Temperate and cold
 South
▪ Subtropical
▪ Erosion
▪ Floods and droughts

Important rivers
 Hwang ho (Yellow River) – north
 Yangtze River – central China

Enclosed by high mountains, hot deserts, wide
oceans

The weakness of Emperor Xian allowed greedy court officials to take
power for themselves.

Power struggles between the officials, clans of the empress, and court
servants weakened China.

The ideals of Daoism spread throughout the Chinese peasants, inspiring
them to revolt.

Powerful warlords took control and divided China into the Three
Kingdoms.

The Wei and Jin dynasties attempted to reunify China, but they both
failed.

The Han Dynasty ruled China
from approximately 206 BCE–
220 CE.

Many historians view this era as
an important and prosperous
period in Chinese culture and
history.

Even today, the Chinese people
refer to themselves as “the
people of Han.”
Key Term
Han- China’s
predominant
ethnic group.
More than 90
percent of
Chinese today
are Han.

The last ruler of the Han Dynasty was
Emperor Xiandi, who reigned until 220
he had to give up the throne.

Under his reign, court officials became
corrupt and worked for their own gain
instead of the good of China.
Key Term
Dynasty- A
family of rulers
who rule over a
country for a
long period of
time.

Local military leaders
controlled small
regions of the Han
empire and civil wars
between regions were
common.

Emperor Wendi, the man who
would finally reunite China,
was not entirely Chinese.

He was also partly Mongolian,
the country to the north of
China.

Under the Sui Dynasty, the
government:
 repaired the Great Wall
 began construction on the Great
Canal
 stabilized the nation
 made social and economic
reforms

Confucian rituals were once
again used in government.

Laws, land distribution
systems, and taxes were
simplified and made more
fair.

A careful census, or counting of the
population, was taken to learn how
many people were living in China.

Networks of administrators who
would make local laws consistent
and fair were established.

The Sui Dynasty was also the
beginning of a golden age of art
and culture.

Many large and beautiful stone
Buddha statues throughout China
were constructed during the Sui
era.

The Sui Dynasty did
not last long.

In the year 618 the
Tang Dynasty arose
to take its place.

The Tang Dynasty established a
long-lasting stable central
government.

The government encouraged:
 economic growth and trade
 completing the Great Canal
 adopting foreign influences.
The Grand Canal, shown here in a photograph taken around 1904,
made transportation through China much easier.

The Chinese made important
advances in military technology.
 Gunpowder was discovered during
the Song Dynasty.
 The Chinese were the first to
create/use fireworks.

The crossbow was another important
invention of the Chinese.

A bow and arrow depended on the
strength of the bowman.

However, the crossbow could be fired
by using a trigger. This made the
weapon easier to use.

During the Song Dynasty, they began
to make paper money.

The money helped to make currency,
or money, the same across the
empire.
Architectural styles, such as the famous curved pavilion roof, also
date from the Song Dynasty.

Scientific ideas during the Song
Dynasty.
 Created first mechanical clock.
▪ It was driven by water.
 It would serve as the model for future
mechanical clocks.

Silk was China’s most important
export during the Song Dynasty.
 It is strong, soft, lightweight, and radiant.
▪ Silk has been thought of as a luxury for
centuries.
▪ Silk was mainly used by royalty.

The Silk Road connected
people and cultures.

Allowed for exchange of
goods and ideas among
many civilizations of the
ancient world.

Series of trade routes that
connected China to trade
markets in South and East Asia,
the Middle East, North Africa,
and Europe.

For hundreds of years China was the only
country that produced silk because the
process of making silk was a carefully
guarded secret.

Exporting silkworm eggs was a crime.

After a while, silk
production spread
throughout Europe and the
Middle East.

China was no longer the
only country producing silk.

However, the high quality
and beauty of Chinese silk
still made it very popular.

Travelers along the Silk Road
were protected by the Great
Wall of China.
 It was first built to keep out
invaders from the north.

Open trade with the west
brought great wealth and new
ideas to both regions.

In the 1200s, Italian
explorer Marco Polo
visited China.

He brought Chinese
culture back to Europe.

Among Confucianism most
basic teachings are:
 deep respect for ancestors,
parents, and elders; the importance
of polite behavior; and concern for
other humans.

During the Han
Dynasty, the
Emperor Wudi
made Confucianism
the state philosophy
of China.

The Song Dynasty also
established NeoConfucianism, which
developed from a blend
of Confucian, Buddhist,
and Daoist influences, as
the state religion.

Under the Song Dynasty,
government positions
went to the qualified
individuals who passed a
civil service exam rather
than being passed down
through family lines.

In order to become a civil
servant, people had to take
tests.

The better they did on the
tests, the higher position
they could get in the
goverment.

The examinations were
very difficult.

Many people would study at the imperial university
or under tutors for years in order to pass the tests.

A lot of the tests covered the philosophy of
Confucius and required lots of memorization.

Other subjects included the military, mathematics,
geography, and calligraphy.