Tang Dynasty
- 618 A.D-907 A.D.
- Imperial China
Accomplishments
- China achieved he peak of civilization and became the center of trade.
- The study of medicine- studied diabetes and the source
- The study of complex chemicals- created gun powder and air-conditioning
- The study of Law and Math
Key Players
- Li Yuan- known for a Taiyuan Gong, A chancellor of the Sui Dynasty who rose in rebellion.
- Li Shimin- The second son of Li Yuan, A Powerful ruler good at both military strategy and Chinese Calligraphy
- Li Zhi- considered a weak ruler because he was assisted by Empress Wu
Before the Tang Dynasty
- Sui Dynasty ruled from 581-618
- Fell into Chaos due to tyranny of Emperor Yang
Fall of the Tang
- Difficult for people to make a living
- People rebelled
- Huang Chao’s lead an army of 100,000
- Huang Chao declared himself emperor
- Rebellion lasted for a decade
- Was defeated by the Tang, never recovered.
- Chao surrendered- cause a rapid military promotion
- After 300 years in power the Dynasty ended
- Zhu Wen took the throne for himself and renamed the dynasty the Lang
Science, Poetry, Technology, and Arts
Science of Tang
- Monk Yixing, was the first to successfully measure the length of the meridian line.
- Sun Simiao, the medicine king, wrote a medical book
- Yi Xing led a national project to observe, identify , and locate stars
Science of Song
- Acupuncture
- Shen Kuo was the first to discover magnetic declination of true north while experimenting with a compass
- Astronomer Yang Zhongfu made The System of Astronomical Calendar, and took 365.2425 days as one year.
Poems of Tang
- Around 50,000 poems
- Poetry was very important in the Tang Dynasty
- Professional and Social life of the literate class
- Imperial examinations – government jobs
- Still very influential
Poetry of Song
- New Form of poem called the ci lyric
- Ci lyric – new lyric written to the rhythm of a pre-existing Song
- Titled as “To the tune of…”
- Usually expressed feelings of desire
Technology of Tang
- First clock escapement mechanism. Called the astronomical clock. Yi Xing
- Gunpowder. Had no life threatening properties by exploded when exposed to fire
- Air Conditioning. A cool hall was built in the palace. A device called a Tang-Xiu
Technology of 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 six fold from 800 to 1078
Art
- Golden age of art during the Tang dynasty
- 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
- Soldiers were drafted from families of landowners, peasants and court officials
- People had to provide their own clothes, weapons, and food
- Began to serve at age 21 and stopped at age 60
- In 749, The fu military system was replaced by the mercenary system, which weakened the Tang military.
Strategy of the Tang
- The tang used a Fu system of military which was very effective
- There were 3 categories with a certain number of men I each one
- However the Fu System was abandoned because it prevented agriculture
- The economy depended on agriculture.
- Then they adopted a different system to help the economy
Strategy of the Song
- Military like the US
- Used Flanks
- Soldiers were rated on athletic ability and divided into companies, platoons, and a group of men called cross bowers
Army Tang
- 3 categories- upper Fu, middle Fu, lower Fu
Army Song
- Generals did something and are now considered a god or legendary leader for their contributions
- If men wanted a successful career they would join the military
- The Bu was basic combat wunit in the army, smallest permanent unit
- Ranked by physical abilities
- Military split in 2
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