Download The Restoration of Centralized Imperial Rule in China

Chapter 12 Notes
Chapter 12 Timeline
589 – 618
SUI DYNASTY (CHINA)
602 – 664
LIFE OF XUANZANG
604 – 618
REIGN OF SUI YANGDI
618 – 907
TANG DYNASTY (CHINA)
627 – 649
REIGN OF TANG TAIZONG
669 – 935
SILLA DYNASTY (KOREA)
710 – 794
NARA PERIOD (JAPAN)
755 – 757
AN LUSHAN’S REBELLION
794 – 1185
HEIAN PERIOD (JAPAN)
960 – 1279
SONG DYNASTY (CHINA)
960 – 976
REIGN OF SONG TAIZU
1024
FIRST ISSUANCE OF GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED PAPER MONEY
The Restoration of Centralized Imperial Rule in China
THE SUI DYNASTY
Establishment of the Sui Dynasty: Yang Jian  tight political discipline; Turkish ruler appointed
him duke of Sui  claimed throne and Mandate of Heaven; strong, centralized government at
great human and financial cost  high costs and compulsory labor services
The Grand Canal: largest waterworks project before modern times; Sui Yangdi  trade between
Northern and Southern China; Chinese rivers flow East to West
THE TANG DYNASTY
Tang Taizong: ambitious and ruthless; murdered two of his brothers and pushed father aside;
capital at Chang’an  Confucian ruler; bandits went away, price of rice remained low, 2.5% tax
rate; 3 policies: well-articulated transportation and communication networks, equal-field system,
and reliance on merit-based bureaucracy
Transportation and Communications: Extensive networks; couriers traveled by horse; human
runners (some 9,600 runners)
The Equal-Field System: allocation of agricultural lands; allotted lands according to the land’s
fertility and the recipients’ needs; rapidly rising population brought pressure on the land
Bureaucracy of Merit: government officials through Confucian education system  general
loyal, preserve and strengthen state; survived until collapse of Qing dynasty
Military Expansion: Manchuria, Silla kingdom into Korea, Northern part of VMI
Tang Foreign Relations: Revived the Han dynasty’s practice of the tribute system; kowtow –
ritual prostration – subordinates knelt down before emperor and touched foreheads to the ground
Tang Decline:
THE SONG DYNASTY
Song Taizu: First Song emperor; started as junior military officer; honest and effective;
consolidated Song control throughout China and organized a centralized administration that
placed military under tight supervision  Confucian education and civil service exams
Song Weaknesses: As # of bureaucrats and the size of their rewards grew, the imperial treasury
came under tremendous pressure; military – bureaucrats were put in charge of the armies;
nomadic Jurchen overran Northern China  Jin empire  moved capital to the prosperous port
city of Hangzhou; Song’s only in Southern China
The Economic Development of Tang and Song China
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Fast-ripening Rice: Expanded supply of food
New Agricultural Techniques: heavy iron plows, harnessed oxen and water buffaloes, enriched
soil with manure and composted organic matter; extensive irrigation systems
Population Growth:
Urbanization: During Tang dynasty the imperial capital of Chang’an was the world’s most
populous city; During Song Dynasty  China was the most urbanized land
Patriarchal Social Structures: Tightening of PSS in Tang and Song China; veneration of
ancestors much more elaborate than before
Foot Binding: Strengthened patriarchal authority; spread among privileged classes
Wu Zhao: The Lady Emperor: Confucian principals said men were the leaders  factions
emerged to oppose her rule; Secret police force  brutal punishment for those who stood in the
way, strengthened civil service systems; “ruled from behind a screen”
TECHNOLOGICAL AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
Porcelain: chinaware
Metallurgy: Surge of iron and steel production
Gunpowder: Daoist alchemists  gunpowder in bamboo “fire lances” – limited military
effectiveness
Printing: block-printing; produce texts quickly, cheaply, and in huge quantities
Naval Technology: By Song Dynasty  iron nails, waterproofed with oils, furnished with
watertight bulkheads, driven by canvas and bamboo sails, steered by rudders, and navigated with
the aid of “south-pointing needle”
THE EMERGENCE OF A MARKET ECONOMY
Financial Instruments: shortage of copper coins  letters of credit  wealthy merchants
pioneered the use of printed paper money  1024 – 1st government issued paper money
A Cosmopolitan Society: Large cities – Chang’an and Luoyang; port cities – Guangzhou and
Quanzhou
China and the Hemispheric Economy: Economic surge during Tang and Song dynasties thus
promoted trade and economic growth throughout much of the Eastern Hemisphere
Cultural Change in Tang and Song China
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BUDDHISM
Foreign Religions in China: Buddhist merchants traveling the ancient silk roads visited China;
Dunhuang: Mahayana Buddhism – big in Tang and Song; big Buddhism community in
Dunhuang in Western China – hundreds of cave temples – murals depicting the lives of the
Buddha and boddhisattvas  assembled libraries – scriptoria to produce Buddhist texts
Buddhism in China: Attracted the Chinese because of its high moral standards  gave some of
their harvests to local residents during hard times
Buddhism and Daoism: Buddhist posed challenges to Chinese traditions – great emphasis on
written texts; Confucians – equal weight on texts; Daoists – limited interest in written text;
Buddhist morality – ascetic lifestyle celibate while Chinese culture encouraged family;
monasteries were harmful to economy because they didn’t pay taxes; dharma = dao “the way”;
nirvana = wuwei, the ethic of noncompetition
Chan Buddhism: Chan (Japanese name = Zen); little interest in written texts – sudden flashes of
insight; resembled Daoists as much as Buddhists; Tons of monasteries  Monk Xuanzang –
went to India for holy experiences
Hospitality to Buddhism:
Persecution: Tang emperors ordered the closure of monasteries and the expulsion of Buddhists as
well as Zoroastrians
NEO-CONFUCIANISM
Confucians and Buddhism: Earliest Confucians concentrated resolutely on practical issues of
politics and morality  Song dynasty studied classic works of their tradition  inspired by
many aspects of Buddhism
Neo-Confucian Influence: Cultural development: illustrates deep influence of Buddhism in
Chinese socirty, and east Asia throughout a very long term
Chinese Influence in East Asia
KOREA AND VIETNAM
The Silla Dynasty: Tang armies conquered Korea before Silla dynasty rallied. Agreed to a
political compromise  forces withdrew from Korea and Silla recognized Tang emperor
Chinese Influence in Korea: Tributary relationship facilitated the spread of Chinese political and
cultural influences to Korea  new capital at Kumson; aristocrats dominated Korean society 
never established bureaucracy based on merit
China and Vietnam: more tense than relations with Korea (Nam Viet)  resistance by the Viet
people; studied Confucian texts
EARLY JAPAN
Nara Japan: Centralized imperial government  new capital city at Nara – replica of Tang
Capital at Chang’an; continued to observe Shinto
Heian Japan: Newly constructed capital; emperor rarely ruled – just figurehead  Fujiwara
family = real power
The Tale of Genji: Muarasaki Shikibu – lady in waiting at the Heian court; Japanese syllabic
Decline of Heian Japan: Changes in country side; equal-field system fell into disuse 
aristocratic clans dominated  Taira and Minamoto engaged in war  enstated clan lead
shogun – military governor – places at Kamakura; imperial court at Kyoto
MEDIEVAL JAPAN
Political Decentralization: provincial lords had power  samurai
The Samurai: mounted warrior  worked for provincial lords
Chapter 13 Notes
Chapter 13 Timeline
1st – 6th Cent Kingdom of Funan
606 – 648
Reign of Harsha
670 – 1025
Kingdom of Srivijaya
711
Conquest of Sind by Umayyad forces
850 – 1267
Chola Kingdom
889 – 1431
Kingdom of Angkor
1001 – 1027 Raids on India by Mahmud of Ghanzi
11th –12th Cen Life of Ramanuja
12th Cent
Beginning of the Bhakti movement
1206 – 1526 Sultanate of Delhi
1336 – 1565 Kingdom of Vijayanagar
Islamic and Hindu Kingdoms
THE QUEST FOR CENTRALIZED IMPERIAL RULE
Harsha: temporarily restored unified rule in most of Northern India and sought to revive imperial
authority; massive military forces  subdued anyone one who refused to recognize his authority
Collapse of Harsha’s Kingdom: Unable to restore permanent centralized rule; assassinated
THE INTRODUCTION OF ISLAM TO NORTHERN INDIA
The Conquest of Sind: Arrival of Islam  passed into the hands of the Abbasid caliphs until
1258
Merchants and Islam: conquerors brought Islam; Muslim merchants brought faith to coastal
regions;
Turkish Migrants and Islam: Entered India through Turkish-speaking peoples from central Asia
Mahmud of Ghazni: Leader of Turks in Afghanistan; 17 raids of India; annexed several state 
just wanted wealth not the land
The Sultanate of Delhi: more systematic campaign to conquer Northern India and place it under
Islamic rule  capital at Delhi  sultans; no prominent bureaucracy; 35 sultans  19
assassinated
THE HINDU KINGDOMS OF SOUTHERN INDIA
The Chola Kingdom: Politically divided; Chola into South and Ceylon in SE Asia
The Kingdom of Vijayamagar: Deccan  southern India; 2 brothers – Harihara and Bukka;
means “city of victory” – Hindu kingdom
Production and Trade in the Indian Ocean Basin
AGRICULTURE IN THE MONSOON WORLD
Monsoons: S India is Arid  irrigation is crucial  enormous investments of human energy
Irrigation Systems:
Population Growth: 14th Century = high point of the sultanate of Delhi
Urbanization:
TRADE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHERN INDIA
Internal trade:
Temples and Socities: autonomy; Public life revolved around Hundi temples  keeping orders
and delivering tax receipts to Cholas; temple authorities = bankers, made loans, and invested in
commercial and business ventures
CROSS-CULTURAL TRADE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN BASIN
Emporia: Middle of Indian Ocean basin  Indian ports = principal clearinghouse of trade in the
Indian Ocean Basin; Arabs and Persians dominated carrying trade between India and point West
Specialized Production: Influenced structure of the Indian economy  demand for specific
agricultural products  livelihood for 1000s of artisans  enabled consumers to import goods
from other places in the Indian Ocean Basin; China – silk, porcelain, and lacquerware; SE Asia –
spices; SW Asia - incense, horses, and dates
CASTE AND SOCIETY
Caste and Migration: Reflected Indian society  codes of conduct for behavior within groups
and between other castes
Caste and Social Change: Adapted to social changes brought about by trade and economic
development  jati; workers guilds
Expansion of the Caste System: More complex
The Meeting of Hindu and Islamic Traditions
THE DEVELOPMENT OF HINDUISM
Vishnu and Shiva: Hinduism up when Buddhism down; divisional cults – Vishnu (preserver of
the world) and Shiva (god of fertility)
Devotional Cults: Promised salvation; real popular in S India
Shankara and Ramanuja: took the Upanishads as a point of departure; Shiva digested all sacred
Hindu writings; physical world = figment of the imagination; Ramanuja – devotee of Vishnu 
followed the Bhagavad Gita
ISLAM AND ITS APPEAL
Conversion to Islam: Some Indians adopted Islam in hopes of improving their position in society
Sufis: Most effective agents of conversion to Islam  didn’t insist on fine points of doctrine
The Bhakti Movement: Cult of love and devotion that ultimately sought to erase the distinction
between Hunduism and Islam
Guru Kabir: Blind weaver  Shiva, Vishnu, and Allah = all manifestations of a single,
universal, deity
The Influence of Indian Society in Southeast Asia
THE STATES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
Indian Influence in Southeast Asia: Indian forms of political organization  adopted kingship
and courts; embraced Indian literature such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharta  promoted
hindu valued
Funan: First state to have incorporated Indian influence; dominated the lower reaches of the
Mekong River
Srivijaya:
Angkor:
THE ARRIVAL OF ISLAM
Conversion to Islam:
Melaka: