01_Ch.12- Empires in East Asia: The Sui, Tang, and Sung dynasties.

(Chinas Golden Age)

Timeline: 6th -13th Century
FS: When Europe is 'Dark', China 'Shines'.

Main Idea: While Europe was in the midst of an age that many scholars consider a regression from the
classical period, China offers a stark contrast. During the Tang and Sung dynasties, China experienced
an era of prosperity and technological innovation. Even in their 'least favorable' manifestation, Chinese
dynasties accomplish feats that were just not possible in Europe. Under the Tang, China reached its
cultural apex.

CCSS...

I. Overview: China since the Han Dynasty.
II. Sui Dyanasty
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A. 581 CE: Sui Wen-ti is the founder and rst emperor of the Sui Dynasty.
B. Sui Wen-ti unites northern and southern regions. Imperial China is restored.
C. Yang-ti, son of Wen-ti becomes second, and last, emperor of the Sui Dynasty.
1. Builds Grand Canal
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a. North - South Direction of Flow (China's great rivers ow West - East)
b. ~1000 miles in length
2. Great Wall Fortied => Raiding Turks from Central Asia were an issue.
D. 618 CE.: Sui dynasty collapses after the reign of two emperors. The enmity of the population
may have been nurtured by the following:
1. Massive public works projects that required the coerced labor of peasants. Many died
during the construction of the Grand Canal and the fortication of the Great Wall.
2. Burdensome Taxes

III. Mandate of Heaven transferred to the Tang Dynasty

A. Tai-tsung leads a successful rebellion. In 618, he becomes rst Tang Emperor.
B. Military campaign organized and executed against the Turks (NW China).
C. Korea becomes a tributary state.
D. China's Golden Age
1. Taxes on peasants are lowered.
2. Land redistributed among the peasant population.
3. Civil Service Exam System is revived.
a. Women excluded from participation except during Wu-Zhao's reign.
b. In theory, open to all economic classes. In practice, open to a select class that
can afford the luxury of academic study and test prep.
c. 'Gentry' class is the social classication of the scholar-ofcials.
! Paid no taxes
! Exempt from military service
! Often grew long nger nails as a sign of his status/ position.
! Permitted to use his position to improve personal wealth.
d. Strength: Talent and knowledge are held in greater esteem than
'noble birth'.
The similarity with the Qin is quite striking. Clearly, the consolidation of power is a main concern and the maintenance of a wall is
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part of that overall plan. When the grip on power is tenuous at best, homophobic reaction usually follow. The wall was more a
psychological barrier than a impediment to invasion. We know that it didn't keep anyone out, but it made it easy for the Chinese to
mark where 'barbarity' ended and 'civilization' began. One should also consider, in the context of Qin and Sui rule, that walls often
keep people 'in' as well as 'out'.
China's three great rivers; the Huang He, Yangtze, and Xi, are predominantly east-west oriented.
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e. Weakness: Corruption could thrive. Mastery of Confucian knowledge has
limited application in political administration.

Ponder: If a government lowers taxes on its population, how might it compensate for the drop in funds?
Where could it generate new revenues?

4. Commerce Thrives
a. Revenues generated by the expansion of commercial ventures with the West,
South & Southeast Asia.
b. Trade routes by sea (threatened by pirates) and land routes (threatened by
nomadic raiders) were safeguarded.
c. The "Silk Road" becomes a major thoroughfare for Chinese goods that move
West and specie that moves East.
d. The increased trade accelerated the exchange of ideas and materials within
Asia and between Asia and Europe.
5. Empress Wu-Zhao
a. Only woman to rule China "in her own name".
b. Continued policy of lowering peasant taxes.
c. Organized a campaign against Korea
d. Endorsed the spread of Buddhism.
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6. Poetry Proliferates
a. Poetry writing went hand-in-hand with being educated.
b. Great Poets of Tang China
! Li Po
! Tu Fu
E. Collapse of the Tang Dynasty
1. Muslim/ Arab Incursions- Umayyad & Abbasid Caliphates
2. Trade Declines
3. Rising Tax Burden
4. Internal Rebellion

IV. Interregnum: 907 - 960 CE.

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A. Local rulers (warlords) divide China
B.#Army ofcer (Sung T'ai-tsu) leads military campaign to unify China. The year 960 witnesses
the birth of the Sung Dynasty.

V. Mandate of Heaven transferred to the Sung Dynasty

A. Sung T'ai-tsu becomes rst emperor of the Sung.
B. Neo Confucianism
#######By the 2nd C., Buddhism had already reached many in China. Its presence and acceptance,
combined with the native inuence of Daoism, contributed to an evolution of Confucian
philosophy from one of purely ethical concerns to one also #emphasizing a supernatural reality.
The impact of these two schools of thought (Buddhism & Daoism) on the third (Confucianism) is
evident in folklore and social values. The Confucian philosophy with the added depth of the
supernatural, becomes Neo Confucianism. During the Northern Sung dynasty, 10
th
12
th
C.,
Neo Confucianism became accepted as the states ofcial philosophy/ religion.
C. Foreign & Domestic Policies
In the case of Buddhism, the ability to linger in China for several centuries, despite the initial Han distaste for it, proves that old
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adage that if you are exposed to some idea long enough you eventually claim it as your own.
Interregnum- A period between monarchs/ rulers. Represents a 'break' in continual governance.
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1. Stabilize Northern borders by paying tribute and maintaining commercial ties with
Northern peoples.
2. Commercial activity is expanded.
a. Use of Paper Money & Coin
b. Porcelain and Silk become dominant 'cash' products in Western trade.
[Porcelain is still referred to as 'China' in the US.]
3. Universal Man The 'ideal', as in Arete for ancient Greece and frugalitas, Pietas, &
Gravitas for Rome.
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D. Technological Advances
1. Magnetic Compass
2. Movable Type (books become increasingly numerous and inexpensive)
3. Gun Powder
4. Vaccinations via Injection

E. Nomadic peoples move south of the Great Wall. Establish two, non-Chinese, dynasties in
Northern China- 'Xia' in NW China & 'Jin' in NE China. The Sung are 'pushed' south and center
the civilization of the Yangtze river. The northern Sung capital (Kai-feng) is replaced by the new
southern Sung capital (Hangzhou).

F. Collapse at the Hands of Nomadic Peoples (Southern Sung Dynasty, 1279)

In time, trade with the Northern peoples is halted. This proved to be a poor foreign policy. It
heightened the distrust between the two cultures. Combined with the climatic change that
materialized, the Northern peoples were in dire straights and had to react. The Sung were
eventually conquered by the Mongols.

VI. Summary: Why it matters now.

Chinese inventions from this period, such as printing, gunpowder, and the compass, changed history.

Materials/Sources:#Refer to the course calendar for additional assignments and pertinent due dates.
! World History: Patterns of Interaction
! Slide Presentation
! CNN's Millennium Series- 11th Century: Century of the Sword
! Additional Source: Lecture by Prof. Morris Rossabi, Columbia Univ. 28 Sept. '00 (Stuyvesant H.S.)/ Author of Khubilai
Khan: His Life and Times
! http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/China/Tang.html (Text copyright 1996-9 by David W. Koeller.
dkoeller@northpark.edu. All rights reserved.)
! http://www.chaos.umd.edu/history/imperial2.html, Originally accessed 2003, and again Mar. 2011.
Compare to our (H1G) discussions of the Heroic Ideal of Homer and ancient Greece, Gravitas of ancient Rome, Guru and
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Bodhisattva of the Indian tradition.