The Chinese Empire Review
Chapter 7
The crane is the most popular bird in Chinese history and is a symbol of longevity
Period of Disunion
220-589
Period of Disunion p. 166
War was common
Nomadic people settled in Northern
China.
CULTURAL BLENDING
Some Chinese adopted nomads’ culture
Some nomads adopted
Chinese culture
Disunion Religion
Buddhism spread
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Why?
It promised an escape from
suffering
Disunion Government
Control of government
changed hands often
Rival kingdoms were
ruled by military
leaders.
Disunion Economy
Not great due to war.
Disunion Culture/Arts &
Inventions
Blending of cultures
created new types of art
and music.
New foods and clothing
styles also developed
SUI DYNASTY p. 167
589-618 Short period
 (29 years).
Grand Canal
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Sui Dynasty
 Yang Jian took over China and
1.
2.
3.
4.
ended the years of Disunion. He
conquered the south
unified China
created SUI Dynasty and
restored order in China.
Sui Religion
Buddhism very popular
and also:
Confucianism
Daoism
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Sui Economy
Grand Canal was built
that linked northern and
southern China.
Sui Culture/Arts &
Inventions
Grand Canal major
accomplishment during
the Sui.
Tang Dynasty
618-907
(289 years!)
Tang Geography (map p. 167)
China grew under Tang
Dynasty
It included eastern Asia and
central Asia.
Tang (continued)
It is called “The Golden Age
of China”
Why?
Three Important Tang Rulers
1.Taizong p. 167
Helped unified China through
1. Programs
2. Reformed military
3. Created new laws codes
4. Created land reform policy called
equal field system,
Tang Rulers (con’t)
2. Xuan-zong P. 167 was another great
ruler. During his reign
1. culture flourished
2. many fine poets wrote during his
reign.
Tang Rulers (con’t)
3. Empress Wu p.167 - was another
Tang ruler in 655.
1. Only woman to rule China.
2. She was vicious but intelligent and
talented.
3. She brought stability and prosperity
to China.
Tang Religion
BUDDHISM
Buddhism grew until a Tang
emperor launched a campaign
against the religion. He burned
many Buddhist texts and destroyed
many temples, but he did not
destroy Buddhism completely.
Tang Religion continued
Buddhism changed when it blended
with two other philosophies:
1. Confucianism-to improve Chinese
government and society.
2. Daoism
Tang Economy
Economy was GREAT!
Advances in agriculture.
FOOD surpluses helped
trade and population.
Cities grew.
China became very rich!
Tang Culture/Arts &
Inventions
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Porcelain -first made during Tang Dynasty.
Woodblock printing was invented during
Tang. Printers could copy drawings or
texts quickly.
Gunpowder was invented during late Tang
for fireworks.
Magnetic compass was improved by the
Tang.
Tang Culture/Art (con’t)
The artists and writers of the Tang
Dynasty were some of the greatest in
China.
Wu Daozi painted murals.
Li Bo and Du Fu wrote poems.
Tang artists made clay figures of
horses.
Tang Culture-Foot Binding
In the Tang dynasty they practiced foot binding. Foot
binding was first practiced among the elite and only in
the wealthiest parts of China. Foot binding showed
others that these well-born girls were free from
manual labor and had husbands who could afford
wives who did not need to work. This practice was
banned in China in 1912.
Foot Binding
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Song Dynasty p. 168
960-1279 (319 years!)
China again reunified.
Song
This was a period of great
accomplishments!
Song Economy
Agriculture helped the economy
During the Song farming reached new
heights.
Improvements in irrigation (called the
dragon backbone pump) allowed one
person to do the work of several.
Fast-ripening rice allowed farmers to
grow 2-3 crops in the time of one.
Song Economy (continued)
Crops were introduced:
1. Cotton
2. Tea
EXTENSIVE TRADE BROUGHT
WEALTH DURING THE SONG!
Song Banking
Chinese financial institutions were
conducting all major banking functions,
including accepting deposits, making
loans, and exchanging money by the
Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Paper Money
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Song Economy (con’t)
Food surpluses helped the government.
Food was abundant.
Population increased.
Cities grew.
During the Song, China was the largest
Country in the world.
Song Religion
NEO-CONFUCIANISM
The ideas of Confucius had a dramatic
effect on the Song system of
government.
Ideas:
1. Ethics
2. Proper behavior
SONG NEO-CONFUCIANISM
1.Government workers worked in a
bureaucracy or group of unelected
officials.
2. To join the bureaucracy, you had to
pass a civil service test.
Students spent years studying for the
tests. Those who passed were ScholarOfficials or elite members of society.
Song Culture/Inventions
 MOVABLE TYPE
 Inventors of the Song created movable type
which made printing much faster. Carved
letters could be rearranged and reused to
print many different messages.
 PAPER MONEY-The world’s first paper
money was invented during th Song to
manage their money wealth.
Song Culture/Inventions
 MOVABLE TYPE
 Inventors of the Song created movable type
which made printing much faster. Carved
letters could be rearranged and reused to
print many different messages.
 PAPER MONEY-The world’s first paper
money was invented during th Song to
manage their money wealth.
Song Culture/Art
The Song period was noted for
literature. Li Qingzhao was China’s
greatest female poet.
The Song artists also made porcelain
items.
YUAN DYNASTY
1279-1368 (89 YEARS)
MONGOL RULE
YUAN-Mongol Rule
Genghis Khan led bloody expeditions to
conquer Asia.
Kublai Khan, his grandson, declared
himself the emperor of China in 1279.
This was the first time China was ruled
by foreigners
Marco Polo
Marco Polo, an Italian merchant, wrote
a lot about the Yuan Dynasty and
served in Kublai Khan’s court.
Yuan Culture
Mongols spoke a different language.
Mongols wore different clothing.
Mongols worshiped different gods.
Mongols had different customs.
Kublai didn’t force the Chinese to
accept Mongol ways, but some Mongols
adopted some Chinese ways such as
Confucianism.
Yuan Economy
Mongols disrupted many of the great
things from the Tang/Song.
Mongols kept control of the Chinese
and made them pay taxes.
Tax money paid for extending the
Grand Canal, new roads, and palaces.
Sea trade was good between China,
India, and Southeast Asia.
Fall of the Yuan
The Yuan Dynasty fell when they
invaded Japan. Violent storms
destroyed the forces and weakened
their military.
The expensive public works projects
also weakened the economy and
caused rebellion.
Fall of the Yuan (con’t)
The final fall came when a former monk,
Zhu Yuanzhang, led an army to a final
victory over the Mongols. China then
got back into the rule of the Chinese.
Ming Dynasty
1368-1644 (276 years)
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Ming Dynasty
Zhu Yuanzhang (p. 183)led
rebellion against the
Mongols and won a victory.
He became the emperor of
the Ming Dynasty

The Voyages of Zheng He
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Ming Religion
All three, with renewed
attention to Confucian
classics
Ming Government
Emperors had strong
control
Ming Economy
At first was stable and prosperous
Trade and sea voyages made the
economy prosperous.
Trade increased until the end of the
Dynasty when trade was stopped
and isolation began.
Ming Culture/Arts &
Inventions
Great ships some longer than a
football field.
Grand building projects:
1. Forbidden City in Beijing with
9,000 rooms.
2. Restored the Great Wall of
China.
Ming Great Wall of China
Most of the Great Wall that we see
today was built or rebuilt during the
Ming Dynasty 1368-1644.
Soldiers and guards would send signals
from the wall.
Many people died building the wall
(perhaps up to 8 million).
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Ming (continued)
The Ming fixed the Yuan
Dynasty’s destruction
In 1430 foreign trade was
banned and China became
isolated from the world.
CHAPTER 7
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THE END
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Other
Population increased