China’s Revival

1. China’s Revival Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties

2. Quick-Write • What would need to be done to revive a large-scale empire that has collapsed? Identify five key steps.

3. Fall of Han Dynasty resulted in • Decay of roads system • Loss of standardized coinage, weights, and measures • Fading of Mandarin as lingua franca • Decentralization of political power • Constant warfare among small principalities • Decline of long-distance and regional trade

4. “Era of Division” period of political disunity when Buddhism made progress in China (220-589)

6. Revival under the Sui (589-626) • Imperial China revived by Wen di Contributions toward China’s Recovery: The Grand Canal • Between Yangtze and Huang-He rivers • Major transportation network • Linked up Southern and Northern China • Very labor-intensive and expensive, but good investment

11. Military aggressiveness • Military over-expansion ruined the Sui economy • Invasion of Korea and Japan very expensive -- Example of “imperial overstretch” HOWEVER Collapse of Sui left infrastructure intact so recovery easier

12. Tang Dynasty (618-907) • Mounted northern warrior peoples • Courted Chinese noble families with privileges • Avoided over-centralization • Created “Equal Field System” : land assigned to families who owed the state • Getting land meant must serve in militia • Expanded territorially for vast empire • 650-750 – best army in world (?) • Combined Chinese weapons and Central Asian horsemanship

13. Territorial Expansion • Expanded territorially for vast empire • 650-750 – best army in world (?) • Combined Chinese weapons and Central Asian horsemanship • Allied with Tibetans in Central Asia

15. Tang Dynasty and Buddhism • Alliance with local monasteries • Buddhist communities encouraged travel and exchange (pilgrimages) • Monastic leaders enlisted as advisors and monetary contributors to princes • Monasteries tax exempt, had land privileges

17. The Tang Economy Trade contacts to Chang’an: Silk Road, IO network, Grand Canal • Chang’an based on position of Grand Canal • Large scale commercial shipping • Massive economic system under Tang • Very cosmopolitan culture resulted

18. Failures of leadership • Attempts to create new dynasty by Empress Wei destructive • Xianzong’s mistress packed Tang govt with corrupt relatives • Northern generals attempted coup d’etat

19. Inauspicious start to the Song • Expensive tribute paid to Liao in Northern China (northern warlords) • Song betrayal of Liao – made alliance with Jurchens • Jurchens betrayed Tang (!), forced tribute

20. Song Dynasty (1127 – 1279) • Cut off from trade networks • Isolated from Islamic world • Pushed into Southern China by Jurichens (Jin) • Technological innovations: • Mathematics • Astronomy • Calendar Making

23. Song Modernization • Steel production 700 years before Europe • Urbanization: massive cities • Focus on domestic issues • Full use of exam system (meritocracy) • Aggressive commercialization • Continued late Tang attack on Buddhism

25. Crab Nebula – obs. 1054

26. Song innovations • Water clock • Improvements in compass • Shipbuilding – new techniques adopted in Persian Gulf • Early industrialization: water-wheel forges, high-temperature metallurgy • Iron Bridges • Gunpowder – Arrow throwers and exploding shells • Moveable type printing

27. Song Water Clock

33. Women during the Song • Lost status from the Tang period • Elite urban women confined to household in most cases • Practice of foot-binding became popular among the elite • Revival of Confucianism brought strict gender roles

34. Foot-bound Girl in Lotus Shoes