Download Section 1 Notes

Section 1 Vocabulary
warlords – military leaders who run a government
Korea – country NE of China- broke away from China to create their
own civilization
Wendi – general who reunited China by force and founded the Sui
dynasty
economy – organized way people produce, sell and purchase things
reform – changes that bring improvements
Empress Wu – forceful leader who added more govt. officials and
strengthened China’s military
monasteries – place where Buddhist monks and nuns live
Grand Canal – system of waterways that links the Chang Jiang
(Yangtze River) and Huang He (Yellow River).
Civil service exam – test used to hire govt. officials
Section 1 Notes
Rebuilding China’s Empire
The Sui and Tang dynasties reunited and
rebuilt China after years of war.
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty ended in 220 A.D. and for the
next 300 years China has no central govt. Instead it
was made up of 17 kingdoms. War and poverty
were everywhere.
While China was fighting w/each other for control,
some of their conquered groups (like Korea) broke
away and became their own civilization.
Section 1 Notes
Rebuilding China’s Empire
Sui dynasty
China reunited in A.D. 581 under General Wendi
who founded the Sui dynasty. Wendi won battle
after battle and reunited China by force.
Sui dynasty accomplishments:
After General Wendi died his son, Yangdi, took
over. He built the Grand Canal and rebuilt the Great
Wall.
The Grand Canal was an important route for
shipping between North and South China and
helped unite China’s economy.
Section 1 Notes
Rebuilding China’s Empire
Why Sui dynasty fell:
Yangdi’s rebuilding projects placed a lot of stress
on the Chinese people.
•Farmers forced to work
•People had to pay high taxes for projects
People became so angry they revolted. Yangdi was
killed and the Sui dynasty ended.
Section 1 Notes
Rebuilding China’s Empire
Tang dynasty
One of Yangdi’s generals took control in A.D. 618
and founded the Tang dynasty. It lasted for about
300 years. The capital was Chang’an.
Tang rulers strengthened China govt. and did a
number of reforms:
•Restoring civil service exam
•Gave land to farmers
Empress Wu (only woman to rule) ruled during the
Tang dynasty
Section 1 Notes
Rebuilding China’s Empire
Tang dynasty
Tang dynasty accomplishments:
•Regained much of power in Asia
•Expanded territory into central Asia
•Took control of Silk Road
•Forced Korea to pay tribute (taxes)
•Took control of N. Vietnam
Section 1 Notes
Rebuilding China’s Empire
Tang dynasty
Why Tang dynasty fell:
•Turks drove Tang army out of Central Asia and
took control of Silk Road damaging China’s
economy ($)
•Farmers began to revolt
Section 1 Notes
Rebuilding China’s Empire
Song dynasty
For 50 years military leaders ruled China then one
general became emperor and started Song dynasty
Song dynasty was time of prosperity and cultural
achievement.
Section 1 Notes
Rebuilding China’s Empire
Song dynasty
One major problem the Song dynasty
faced was not having enough soldiers to
keep control over the large empire. For
safety the capital was moved south to
Hangzhou.
Section 1 Notes
Buddhism in China
Buddhism became popular in China and
then spread to Korea and Japan
Traders and missionaries from India brought
Buddhism to China about A.D. 150 at the end
of the Han dynasty. At this time people were
dying from war and starvation. The Chinese
people were suffering.
Section 1 Notes
Buddhism in China
Buddhism taught that people could escape
suffering by following its principles. People
wanted peace and comfort so they converted to
Buddhism.
Tang dynasty rulers were not Buddhist but they
allowed and supported Buddhism in China.
Buddhist monasteries offered schooling, gave
food and boarding for travelers, gave medical
care and served as bankers
Section 1 Notes
Buddhism
Some people were against Buddhism because:
1. Monasteries accepted donations
2. They thought monks and nuns weakened
respect for family since they could not marry
3. Buddhism was growing in power
In A.D. 845 the Tang dynasty had many Buddhist
monasteries and temples destroyed.
The Tang and Song rulers brought Confucianism
back into favor with the people of China.
Section 1 Notes
Buddhism
Buddhism in Korea and Japan
In A.D. 300 Chinese Buddhists brought
Buddhism to Korea. Buddhism had govt.
support and grew strong in Korea.
Japan soon embraced Buddhism too.
Section 1 Notes
Neo-Confucianism
Tang dynasty supported Neo-Confucianism to help
reduce Buddhism’s popularity.
It taught that life in this world was just as important as
the afterlife.
For many Chinese Neo-Confucianism became more
than a set of rules to follow. It became a way to find
peace of mind and live in harmony with nature.
The Tang and Song dynasties based their civil service
exam on Confucian writings.
Neo-Confucianism helped create scholar officials- a
new social class in China
Section 1 Notes
Civil Service Exam
Tang and Song dynasties hired govt. officials
based on the civil service exam. People got
govt. jobs based on their ability and not on who
they know or $.
The exam was based on Confucianism. They
were supposed to be fair but only men could
take the exam and only rich could afford to
prepare their sons for the test.
Section 1 Notes
Why was Buddhism so popular
in China
Section 1 Notes
What did Neo-Confucianism
teach