Sui, Tang, Song Dynasties

Period of Disunion • 220-589 CE

• Period of disunion: the time of disorder that followed the collapse of the Han dynasty

“Era of Division” 220-589 C.E.

• Nomadic Invasions

• Endless wars amongst rival kingdoms

• Re-emergence of rule by aristocrats

• Decline of Bureaucracy

• Decline of Confucianism

• Rise of Buddhism

• Economic decline

• Great Wall divided

• Technological stagnation

• …it was bad.

Sui Dynasty • 589-618

• Conquered the south and unified China

• Known for harsh rule: forced peasants who owed taxes to fight in the army

• Compulsory labor laws

• Created a centralized and unified state and laid the foundation for the golden age that followed

Sui Dynasty-Achievements • Repaired and lengthened the Great Wall

• Provided security from Northern invaders which allowed cultural and economic growth

Sui Dynasty-Achievements • Built the Grand Canal, which connected the

Yellow river in the north and the Yangzi river in the south

• Connected northern and southern China

• Farmers and merchants in the south (rice) used the canal

• Government and military

officials could travel and

watch over citizens

• Many died while building the canal

The Grand Canal Today

Engineering an Empire: China - Grand Canal (9min)

Sui Dynasty (589–618) reunified China

★ Sui rulers vastly extended the canal system

★ But their ruthlessness and failure to conquer Korea alienated people, exhausted state’s resources

★ Dynasty was overthrown, but state didn’t disintegrate

Tang (618–907) and Song (960–1279) dynasties built on Sui foundations

★ Established patterns of Chinese life that lasted into 20th century ★ Regarded as a golden age of arts and literature

“Golden Age”

Why are the centuries of the Tang & Song dynasties in China

sometimes referred to as a “golden age”?

Tang Dynasty-Government

• 618-907 CE: Golden Age of culture

• China was the richest most powerful country in the world

• Conquered Vietnam, Tibet, and Korea as tributary states

• Rebuilt bureaucracy, more commoners

• Liberal attitude towards all religions

• Civil Service exams: ability not rank

Foreign Relations

• Political theory: China was the Middle Kingdom, or the center of civilization

– Responsibility to bring order to subordinate lands

– Tributary system became diplomatic policy

– Had to recognize Chinese emperors as overlords and send gifts to the court and

– Prostrations: knelt to ground and foreheads to ground (kowtow)

• Mancuria

– Silla kingdom in Korea

– northern Vietnam

– West towards plateau of Tibet

Tang Emperor who began the Great Achievements of China Ruled: 626-646

Wu Zhao First Empress of China to assume control in 690 Expanded China’s land into Korea

Tang Dynasty-Government

• Only dynasty to have a female emperor: Empress Wu Chao

• After her husband died she decided her sons were not capable of ruling

• Ruled with an iron fist:

• Chose advisors based on ability

not rank, but some cruel/sadistic

• Favored Buddhism & financed the building of many Buddhist temples.

Tang Expansion

Tang Dynasty-Economics • Equal Field System- redistributed land to peasants

• Citizens paid taxes on how much land they received

• Central Government strengthened: benefited from increased number of taxpayers, limited power of wealthy landowners

• Benefited commoners and peasants by giving them a chance to gain wealth

Tang Dynasty-Economics • After conquering the west, the Tang were

able to reopen the silk road- a system for trade, travel, communication, exchange of ideas

• Connected China to central Asia and the middle east • From China to west: silk, porcelain, jade, tea, paper,

printing, farming methods, weapons • From West to China: glass rugs, horses, silver, medicine, spices, Christianity, Islam

Financial Instruments &

Trade

Coins from the Tang Dynasty

Yellow and Yangzi Rivers

Economic Exchange: Letters of Credit

• Trade grew so rapidly during the Tang and Song era that copper coin shortages developed

• Financial instruments: traders began issuing "flying cash" (letters of credit) as an alternative and paper money – Enabled merchants to deposit goods or cash at one location and draw

the equivalent cash or merchandise somewhere else

• A cosmopolitan society: communities of foreign merchants in large cities

Coin from Tang Dynasty

Economic Exchange: Paper Money

The search for alternatives to cash also led to the invention of paper money

During the late ninth century, wealthy merchants began accepting cash from their clients and issuing them printed notes that the clients could redeem for merchandise

Greatly facilitated commercial transactions

Economic Exchange: Tea

• Tea trading flourished during Tang and Song era

• Tea was compressed into bricks and used as money

Decline

• Casual/careless leadership

• Equal-field system deteriorated

• Population pressures

• Peasant rebellion

• Regional military commanders

The Sung (Song) Dynasty 960-1279 CE

• Technology continued to advance.

• They created manufactured goods to export to other areas of the world.

• The Arts flourished.

• A combination of Buddhism and Confucianism were added to the

civil service exams. (This was called Neo – Confucianism .)

A scholar-official

Song Dynasty-Government

• 960-1279 CE

• Song China was limited to provinces south of the Great Wall

• Strengthened the system of meritocracy-jobs based on ability

– Accepted more candidates

– Generous salaries

– Placed them in charge of military

• Military under tight supervision

• External pressures- pay tribute to nomadic groups

• What potential problems will this bring?

Song Dynasty-Economy • Chinese farming reached new heights

• Irrigation techniques

• Dug underground wells

• Dragon Backbone pump-light portable pump that allowed farmers to scoop up water and pour it into a canal

• Amount of land under cultivation increased

• Discovery of fast ripening rice= 2 or 3 harvests a year

Agriculture

• imported fast-ripening rice from Vietnam

Agriculture

• imported fast-ripening rice from Vietnam

• allowed two crops each season instead of one

• fueled population increase

• In the north, farmers grew wheat, barley, and other grains. The south was ideal for growing rice.

AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENTS

New strains Higher

of rice yields

& &

Better Two

irrigation crops

methods per yr.

FOOD

SURPLUS &

POPULATION

INCREASE!

Agricultural developments

– New agricultural techniques increased production

• Heavy iron plows

• Harnessed oxen and water buffalo to prepare the land

• Enriched soil with manure and compost materials

• Extensive irrigation

– Reservoirs, dikes, dams, canals, underground wells

– Pumps and waterwheels

– Terraced mountainsides

Rice Cultivation

• China experienced rapid population growth – Commercialized

agricultural economy

– Cheaper food, specialized crops exported

– Population doubles during Tang and Song Dynasties to 100 million.

– China becomes the most populous country in the world.

Urbanization – Most urbanized country in the world – Chang’an was world’s most populous city, with as many as 2 million residents.

Bustling trade center – Song capital of Hangzhou was home to more than a million people – Supported hundreds of resturants, noodle shops, taverns, teahouses, brothels, music

halls, theaters, clubhouses, gardens, markets, craft shops, specialty stores dealing in gems, silk, porcelain

– Cosmopolitan Culture – Mix of many cultures: China, Korea, Persia, Arabia, and Europe – Religious and philosophical center: Buddhism, Daoism, and Christianity – Influx of foreign ideas and trends: home to many foreign merchants, dignitaries, and

missionaries • “barbarian” food and fashion popular

Cities

Southern Gate of Chang’an

The capital at

Chang’an (Xian)

Chang’an (modern Xi’an) in the Sui-Tang Dynasties

Constructed 7th century

Walls 6 x 5.3 miles

14 major EW streets

11 major NS streets

110 walled “wards”

East Market (Domestic)

West Market (Imported)

Ceremonial Hall of Imperial Palace in Chang’an

Sui-Tang Dynasty, 7th century

Tang and Song-Technology

• Mechanical Clock (700s)

• Gunpowder (850)

• Block Printing (700s)

• Moveable Type (1040s)

Inventions of Tang and Song China

• The Tang Dynasty World View: The Song Dynasty World View:

looks east towards the sea ocean ships

east, Song Dynasty Korea Japan India Persian Gulf east Africa

west along the Silk Road

India, Southwest Asia, Korea, and Japan.

Grand Canal continued to intensify trade throughout China

Tang and Song-Culture • Landscape paintings-influenced

by daoism

• Pagodas: Temples

• Porcelain

• Li Bo and Du Fu- famous Chinese poets and Wu Daozi- famous artist lived at this time

• Foot Binding

Golden Age of Art

• wealth, education, and urban culture = artistic achievement

• great poetry – Li Bo and Du Fu

• Three-color ware was one of the greatest contributions of the Tang Dynasty.

• Many figurines, predominantly horses and camels, were produced.

• Most of these pieces have been found in the more affluent tombs of the Tang period

Religion in China (watch this video)

Buddhism

Establishment of Buddhism

– Foreign religions: Nestorians, Manichaeans,

Zoroastrians, Muslim communities

– Dunhuang, city on silk road, transmits Mahayana Buddhism to China

– Buddhism in China

• Attraction: moral standards, intellectual sophistication, and salvation

• Monasteries became large landowners, helped the poor and needy

• Also posed a challenge to Chinese cultural tradition

Buddhism becomes a permanent entity of Chinese culture (sinicized)

Leshan Buddha

Sui Sculpture Influenced by Buddhism

Picture # 4

Buddha reaching nirvana with his family nearby.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda Buddha

Big Wild Goose Pagoda & Buddhist monastery in X’ian

Statue of Buddha – X’ian

Buddhist monk, Xuangzang leaving X’ian

on pilgrimage to India and the sacred places of

Buddhism. His travels took him over

25,000 miles.

Leshan carved Buddha- 25 stories tall

Buddha’a hand can hold 100 people on it.

Longmen Cave 19

Vairocana Buddha Group

Tang Dynasty, 672-675

Guardian Figures

h. 34’ 6”

Guardian Warrior from a Tang

Royal Tomb, early 8th century

Confucius says: Peace and social order come by acting “right”

in all of our relationships.

• “Those above should be kind to those below.” Ruler Father Older Sibling Husband Friend Subject Son Younger Sibling Wife Friend

• “Those below should Respect and Obey those above.”

Buddha Says:

We should speak in a manner that does not hurt others.

We should act in a way that does not

harm others.

We should make a living in a way that does

not harm others.

We should strive to get rid of any

hurtful thought or attitude.

We should get rid of greed and

overcome ignorance.

Confucianism underwent changes and influenced Chinese government.

• The dominant philosophy in China was Confucianism, based on the teachings of Confucius.

• His teachings focused on proper behavior.

• Confucius taught that people should conduct their lives according to two basic principles.

– One was ren, or concern for others.

– The other was li, or appropriate behavior.

Neo-Confucianism

• After his death, Confucius’s ideas were spread by his followers, but as Buddhism became more popular, Confucianism lost some influence.

• Buddhism stressed a more spiritual outlook that promised escape from suffering.

• Many leaders pushed to suppress Buddhism towards the end of the Tang dynasty. Monks were considered to be a drain on society.

• Neo-Confucianism developed due to a desire to improve Chinese government and society.

• It was similar to the older philosophy but emphasized spiritual matters.

• Neo-Confucianism became more influential under the Song, and became official government teaching after the Song dynasty.

Artistic creativity

• Celebrated poets

• Li Bo – celebrated life’s pleasures

• Du Fu – praised orderliness and Confucian virtues.

– Also wrote about war and hardship of soldiers

– He was once captured by rebels

Li Bo

Du Fu

Art and Writing

Poet Li Bo Poet Du Fu

Paintings

• Emphasized Daoist love of nature

– Artists emphasized the beauty of the natural landscapes, mountains, and rippling brooks

– Objects such as a single branch or flower

– Did not use brightly colored paints

– Blank ink was their favorite.

• “Black is ten colors.”

Example of Chinese Landscape and Nature Painting, the artist’s signature is the red stamp at the top.

Song Dynasty Painting

Landscape Painting

Fan Kuan, “Travelers among Streams

and Mountains,” Northern Song

Dynasty, ca. 1000

Hanging scroll, ink and light colors on

silk, 81 ¼” x 40 ¾”

Taipei, National Palace Museum

WOMEN IN THE SONG DYNASTY

• But this “golden age” was less “golden” for women

• Under the influence of steppe nomads, women led less restricted lives -Elite women of the Tang dynasty had participated in social life with greater freedom than in classical times

• But by the Song dynasty, a reviving Confucianism and rapid economic growth seemed to tighten patriarchal restrictions on women and to restore some of the earlier Han dynasty images of female submission and passivity

Once again Confucian writers highlighted the subordination of women to men and the need to keep males and females separate. But the most compelling expression of a tightening patriarchy lay in foot binding.

Foot binding restricted women to the “inner quarters” due to the pain that now accompanied walking.

Foot-Binding in Tang China

• Broken toes by 3 years of age.

Size 5 ½ shoe on the right

Foot-Binding in Tang China

Mothers bound their daughters’ feet.

Then a 10 feet strip of cloth is

wrapped tightly around the toes,

curling them under the soles

Everyday the feet would be

rebound tighter and tighter and fit

into a smaller sized shoes

Dried, massaged, then the

toes nails are trimmed

The Process of Foot Binding First the feet are soaked in

warm water

Foot-Binding in Tang China

• For upper-class girls, it became a new custom.

The Results of Foot-Binding

Assignment.. Yes you need to do this.

• Create a mind map highlighting the SPICE elements of Post-Classical China.

• Place the topic “Post-Classical China” and draw pictures that represent the major characteristics of China during this time period. You should have pictures for each SPICE element.

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