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CHAPTER 10
THE FLOWERING OF TRADITIONAL CHINA
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CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. China after the Han
II. China Reunified: The Sui, the Tang, and the Song
A. The Sui Dynasty
B. The Tang Dynasty
C. The Song Dynasty
D. Political Structures: The Triumph of Confucianism
1. Equal Opportunities in China: The Civil Service Examination
2. Local Government
E. The Economy
1. Land Reform
2. The Urban Economy
3. The Silk Road
4. The Maritime Route
F. Society in Traditional China
1. Rise of the Gentry
2. Village China
3. The Role of Women
III. Explosion in Central Asia: The Mongol Empire
A. The Creation of the Mongol Empire
B. Mongol Rule in China
C. From the Yuan to the Ming
IV. The Ming Dynasty
A. The Voyages of Zhenghe
B. The Ming Turn Inward
V. In Search of the Way
A. The Rise and Decline of Buddhism and Daoism
1.The Sinification of Buddhism
B. Neo-Confucianism: The Investigation of Things
VI. The Apogee of Chinese Culture
A. Literature
1. Poetry
2. Popular Culture
3. The Chinese Novel
B. Art
VII. Conclusion
Learning Objectives
In this chapter, students will focus on:

The reasons for the several centuries of internal division after the decline of the
Han dynasty, and the impact it had on Chinese society

Major changes in the political structures and social and economic life during the
Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties

Why the Mongols were able to amass an empire, and the characteristics of their
rule in China

The chief initiatives taken by the early rulers of the Ming dynasty to enhance the
role of China in the world, and why the imperial court ordered the famous
voyages of Zheng He, and why they were discontinued

The roles Buddhism, Daoism, and Neo-Confucianism played in Chinese
intellectual life in the period between the Sui dynasty and the Ming dynasty

The main achievements in art and literature in the period between the Tang
dynasty and the Ming, and the technological and intellectual developments that
contributed to those achievements.

Why China was able to reconstitute itself upon the same political and cultural
foundations, unlike other classical empires, after falling under the onslaught of
nomadic invasions