China Presentation Notes
Accomplishments during the Tang Dynasty
- China achieved the peak of civilization and became the center of trade
- The study of medicine – conducted a study on diabetes and discovered the source
- The study of complex chemicals – created gunpowder and air conditioning
- The study of law and math – achievements in the field of education
Key Players
- Li Yuan – a chancellor of the Sui Dynasty who rose in rebellion
- Le Shimin – powerful ruler who was good at both military strategy and Chinese calligraphy
- Li Zhi – considered a weak ruler because he was assisted by Empress Wu Zetian for most of his reign
Before Tang
- The Sui Dynasty ruled from the year 581-618
- Fell when it went into chaos due to tyranny of Emperor Yang
Fall of the Tang Dynasty
- Difficult for people to make a living
- People began to rebel
- Huang Chao’s led an army of 100,000 soldiers
- Huang Chaos declared himself emperor
- Rebellion lasted for a decade
- Rebellion was defeated by the Tang – never really recovered
- Huang surrendered to Tang forces – caused rapid military production
- After about 300 years in power, the dynasty ended
Science - Tang
- Monk Yixing was the first to successfully measure the length of the meridian line
- Sun Simiao, the medicine king, wrote a medical book, Thousand Golden Prescriptions
- Yi Xing led a national project to observe, identify and locate stars
Science – Song
- Acupuncture – a system of complementary medicine that involves pricking the skin or tissues with needles, used to lessen pain
- Astronomer Yang Zhongfu made the System of Astronomical Calendar – took 365.2425 days as one year
Poetry – Tang
- Around 50,000 poems
- Very important
- Professional and social life of the literate class
- Imperial examinations – test given for government jobs
Poetry – Song
- New form of poem called the ci lyric – new lyric written to the rhythm of a pre-existing song - titled as “to the tune of…”
Technology – Song
- Movable type printing helped the spread of woodblock printing to teach Confucian students
- During the 13th century, the windmill started to be used throughout China
- Paper-printed money was another advancement of currency during the Song Dynasty
- Advancements in agriculture like new developments of rice cultivation (harvesting)
- Iron production increased almost 6x from 800 CE to 1078 CE
Technology – Tang
- First clock escapement mechanism – called the astronomical clock – Yi-Xing
- Gunpowder – had no life threatening properties but exploded when exposed to fire
- Air conditioning – a cool hall was built in the palace – a device called a Tang-Yulin functioned as an air conditioner – it had water powered fan wheels that moved the cold air throughout the hall
Art – Tang
- The Tang period was considered the golden age of literature and art
- Toward the beginning of the Tang Dynasty the most common painting was the landscape
- Painting and calligraphy were viewed as some of the most noble arts
- Most of these paintings were put onto scrolls so they could be hung on walls
- Shanshui – means painting of the landscapes
Weapons, Army, and Strategy
- The Song Dynasty arose after the Tang Dynasty fell in 906
- Soldiers were drafted from the families of landowners, peasants and court officials below the 6th rank of the social class
- People had to provide their own clothing, weapons, and food
- They began to serve at age 21, staying in the military until they reached 60
- Usually soldiers didn’t leave their land
- In 749, the Fu military system was replaced by the mercenary system, which weakened the Tang military
Strategy – Tang
- Used a Fu system of military which was very effective
- There were 3 categories with a certain number of men in each oneHowever, the Fu system was abandoned because it prevented agriculture
- Upper Fu commanded 1,200 men
- Middle Fu – 1,000 men
- Lower Fu – 800 men
- The economy depended on it
- Then they adopted a different system causing a great loss in military dominance
Strategy – Song
- Military was like the US
- Used flanks
- Soldered were rated on the athletic ability and divided into companies, platoons, a group of man called the cross bowers
- Huos – each contained 10 soldiers
Army – Song
- A lot of generals did something and are now considered a god or legendary leader for their contributions
- Che Kung appeared in the villagers dreams who suffered from a plague and saved them
- If a man had a successful career in the military he had a sure path to succeed in politics
- The Du was basic combat unit in the army, smallest was 100 men
- Ranked by physical strength and courage
- Split into two – Xiang Bing and Jin Bing
Weapons – Tang
- For hand to hand combat, they used spikes also known as a spear and sword
- For long range weapons, they used the throwing dagger and bow and arrow
- They wore armor made out of plates of iron and also used shields
Weapons – Song
- Discovered gunpowder and this gave them a big advantage in their battles
- Could now have explosives and guns
- Landmines
- Booby traps
- Gunpowder propelled rockets
Tang Dynasty – Social Levels
- Emperor
- Aristocracy
- Bureaucracy – Scholars and Functionaries
- Eunuchs (Servants)
- Clergy
- Peasants
- Artisans and Traders
- Slaves
Tang – Women
- Treated with more respect and power
- Allowed to become priestesses
- Social standing was afforded to women in cities
- High-class courtesans had respect and could join in discussion and debates with men of high standing
Song Dynasty – Social Levels
- Emperor
- State Officials
- Landowners and Scholars
- Artisans, craftsmen, merchants
- Farmers, hunters, fishers (peasants)
Song – Women
- Girls left their families when they married
- If they gave birth to sons, they would gain respect in the family
- Mothers and grandmothers had important and respected places in the family
- Widows could not remarry
- Compared to Tang times, women were less active in politics and less commonly seen on the streets
- Often referred to as the time when the status of women declined
Song Dynasty – Accomplishments
Northern/Southern Split
- Northern Song was destroyed by the Jin in 1127
- Southern Song was set up by Zhao Gou, son of the last emperor of the Northern Song
- Zhao Gou escaped being captured by the Jin in 1127 and fled to Nanjing Yingtianfu – first capital city of Southern Song
Key Player – Emperor Taizu
- General Zhao Kuangyin
- Served in army of Zhou Dynasty and then founded Northern Song
- Elected emperor after that
- God rid of the emperor of the Zhou and established the Song Dynasty
- Took the title Taizu
- Built a centralized and efficient civilian bureaucracy
Key Player – Emperor Taizong
- Followed Tauizu as emperor
- Son of Tauizu
- Unified all of China for the Song
- Rebuilt China
- Restored devastated lands
- China began to grow strong again under his power
- Population started to increase
Key Player – Wang Anshi
- Prime minister in 1069
- Made reforms designed to help the common people
- Expanded use of money
- Broke up private monopolies
- Introduced some form of government regulation and social welfare
- Land reforms
Key Player – Yu Fei
- During the 1130’s
- General – waged war on the Jin
- He had many victories
- Awesome general
- Executed because of the traitor, Qin Hui
- Hui persuaded the emperor that a peace treaty was much better than war – killed Yu Fei
When did it rule?
- From 960 to 1279
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