Recovery & Golden Age in China: The Sui, Tang, & Song

1. Recovery & Golden Age in China: The Sui, Tang, & Song 600-1450 Lesson 5

2. Main Ideas: • The rise of the Sui, Tang, & Song Dynasties brought two important regions into the Chinese realm • Economic reform alleviated the corruption of the Han and opened Chinese trade, but failed to prevent new forms of corruption and elitism • Begun as a backlash to Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism became the foundation of modern East Asian philosophy

3. New Political Landscape • Sui & Tang • NW aristocracy • Greater militarism • expansion into Turkic & Mongol lands • Song • Yangtze Valley aristocracy (SE) • More urban, more commercial • “Scholar-Gentry”

4. Agricultural Reform • Equal Fields System • Purpose- ensure an equitable distribution of land and to avoid concentration that had caused social problems during Han • Typical distribution • 1/5 for hereditary possession • remainder for periodic redistribution • tax implications • tax burden • govt. interest • Problems – rising population place pressure on land available, Buddhist monasteries acquired land

5. The Buddhist Issue • Buddhism in China • intellectual complexity & spiritual purpose attractive • “Chinese” Buddhism • Power of monasteries • Persecution & Survival

6. Principles of Neo-Confucianism • Attempt to apply Buddhist metaphysics to Confucian socio-political theory through texts! • Zhu Xi • Two elements in all being • li (principle [or mind]) • qi (material) • Li elemental to all universe, hence human nature fundamentally good • Qi can cloud purity of li, so process of self-cultivation leads to practical goodness

7. Importance of the Confucian Renaissance • Provides a “richer Confucianism” • lasting ruling principle • individual purpose • social worth • Tremendous influence on Japan, Korea, & SE Asia • Gender implications • “natural” male dominance • “cult of female chastity”

8. Tang Empire, 618-907 C.E.

9. Song Empire, 960-1279 C.E.