Chapter 12 Empires in East Asia, 600-1350

SECTION 1 TWO GREAT DYNASTIES IN CHINA

            THE HAN DYNASTY COLLAPSED IN 220 A.D. AND NO DYNASTY WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD CHINA TOGETHER. 30 LOCAL SYNASTIES ROSE AND FELL UNTIL Sui Wendi united northern and southern china the next two dynasties were very powerful and lasted a great number of years.

            Tang dynasty expands china

Sui wendi was the first emperor of the sui dynasty, but only lasted for 29 years.  The sway dynasty’s great accomplishment was the completion of the Grand Canal which connected the Huang He (Yellow River) and the Yangtze river established a trade route connecting the northern and southern parts of the country.

The sway dynasty was set on rebuilding the great wall and to complete the digging of the canal. As many as 5000 died digging the canal, And when the people felt over burdened they revolted against the second sway emperor

With repairs to the great wall the defense of china was improved as well as the completion of the canal created a way to travel throughout china more quickly.

The Tang rulers and emperors lasted for 300 years. The first ruler was Tang Taizong and he spread the land governed by china by retaking and claiming land since the Han Dynasty (north and western lands) china captured Korea and the empress was Wu Zhao. She later becomes emperor of China the only woman to do so.

The government of china was strengthened by the tang dynasty the roads through out china were improved. The leaders of the tang dynasties lowered taxes an took land from large land owners and gave to peasants

How to control and manage the large country. Was a problem faced by the tang dynasty. Schools were opened to train good officials to run government. The schools taught Confucianism, poetry, and other subjects covered in the exams. The few who passed the exams were scholar-officials the civil service exams were very difficult to pass. Although the test was opened to all mostly only the wealthy could afford the years of education to complete the tests.

The tang lose power in 700s due to the military needed to conquer and control large bits of land, the last tang rulers raised taxes and created a country full of starving bandits. The last tang emperor a child was killed in 907.

        Song dynasty restores china

In 960 a general reunited china he was song taizu the song dynasty lasted 300 years. Not as big an empire the song leadership paid huge tributes to those that controlled former lands owned and claimed by their enemies. The Manchurian people called the jurchen conquered northern china and established the Jin Empire the song dynasty moved south of the Yellow River.

Era of prosperity and innovation have students copy chart on page 289

Changes in society during the tang and song periods

Levels of society

·        A larger upper class emerged (scholar-officials and families) known as Gentry

·        Urban middle class (merchants, skilled artisans, minor officials and others

·        Urban lower class (laborers, soldiers, and servants)

·        Peasant class ( the largest by far)

Women

·        Always were subservient to men

·        Upper class women had no effect on the standing of the family in the society but peasant women contributed to the family by making money and gathering food for the family

·        One way to show the wife was not needed for the family was to bound the foot at a young age and thus crippling her for life

SECTION 2 THE MONGOL CONQUESTS

Nomads of the Asian steppe