CHINA
Geography
►
After the Han Dynasty collapsed, China split into
several rival kingdoms.
 This led to:
nomadic people settling in Northern China. Because of this settlement, the
culture of the nomads and the traditional Chinese mixed.
► Some northern Chinese did not like the nomads and moved south. This led to
a blending in the south of northern Chinese and southern Chinese cultures.
► A change in culture – new types of art and music, new foods and clothing
styles.
►
►
This new blended culture spread over a wider geographic area than ever
before, and more people became Chinese.
Changes in Agriculture
Reasons for
Agricultural
Changes:
► Movement
of farmers
to the fertile basins
of the Chang Jiang
river in southern
China (from NORTH
TO SOUTH)
 Attacks by the
Mongols drove many
landowners from the
north to the south.
Reasons for
Agricultural
Changes con’t:
► The
move south changed
what was grown. It was
wetter and warmer
 RICE
►A
new kind of rice is
brought to china during
the 11th century:
 Drought resistant
 Matured in 2 months
instead of 5
Reasons for
Agricultural
Changes con’t:
► New
and better farming
techniques and tools:
 Plow and harrow
 Fertilizer used to produce
larger crops
 Chain pump
 Terraces
► All
AMOUNT
OF
CROPS
GO UP!!!!
of these
improvements led to
increased crop yield.
Characteristics
of the New
Agriculture:
► Terraced
hillsides
► Rice paddies where
rice is planted by hand
► Rice harvested by
hand
► Irrigation – dams,
dikes, gated channels
and chain pumps
► Also grew tea, cotton
and sugar.
CHINA DEVELOPS A
NEW ECONOMY
Results of
Agricultural
Changes:
►
 This helped to support a larger
population and China’s population
grew to more than 100 million
people.
►
►
Population
goes up
Food production was
increased!!
►
►
Peasants could take time away
from farming to make silk,
cotton, cloth and other
products to sell or trade.
Farmers could market surplus
rice
Landowners could buy luxury
items
All led to the growth of trade
and commerce.
The Growth of Trade and
Commerce
Reasons for
Growth in
Trade and
Commerce:
Imports – foods, plants,
wool, glass, gold, silver
► Exports – teas, rice,
spices, jade, silk, porcelain
► Wealthy landowners were
eager to buy luxuries
► Water transportation
 Rivers
 Grand Canal
► Improvements in navigation
 Magnetic compass
► Paper money (currency)
►
THE GRAND
CANAL
Characteristics
Of China’s
Commercial
Growth:
► Canals
crowded with
barges carrying goods
► Peasants come to town to
sell their surplus
► Merchants have set up
shops
► “Deposit shops” – where
copper coins are traded
for paper money
 Paper money has no value
itself. If there is too much
in circulation it loses its
value.
Results of
Growth in
Trade and
Commerce:
► Resulted
in the
growth of the
merchant class
► Business
activity
brought increased
prosperity – giving
China the highest
standard of living
► Commercial
centers
grew into big cities URBANIZATION
Urbanization
Reasons for
the growth
of cities:
►
The growth of commerce
encouraged people to move to
cities and towns
►
Wealthy landowners left their
farms because they liked the
shops and social life of the
cities.
Chang’an was China’s capital
during the Tang Dynasty and
was a trade center.
►
 It was the largest city in the
world at that time.
Characteristics
of Cities:
► Crowded
and exciting
► Streets filled with shops,
merchants, moneylenders,
and traders
► Entertainment




Musicians
Jugglers
Acrobats
Puppeteers
► Theaters,
restaurants,
teahouses
► Food vendors
Results of
Urbanization:
► Changed
the way
ordinary Chinese lived
► Public
works projects
employed many city
dwellers
► Stimulated
 Art
culture
The Political Development
of Imperial China
Imperial China
► Historians
divide Chinese history into
periods ruled by dynasties
 Dynasties are ruling families
► Mandate
of Heaven
 Chinese believed that Heaven supported the
dynasty for as long as the emperor ruled well.
Natural disasters were taken as signs that
Heaven was displeased.
Qin Dynasty
►
221-206 B.C.E.
►
Known for unification of
China under an emperor
The Legalists strengthened
state power and control
over the people.
The Chinese writing system
were unified.
Chinese defenses were
strengthened by creating
the Great Wall.
►
►
►
Han Dynasty
► 206
B.C.E. –
220 C.E.
► Known
as a
golden age and
a united China
Fall of the Han Dynasty
► Corrupt
control
relatives of the emperor seized
 High taxes ruined families
 Workers were forced to labor on public
projects
 Bandits attacked the countryside
 The government could not protect the
farmers. The farmers rebelled
 The Han dynasty lost the Mandate of Heaven
Period of Disunion
►
220 – 589
►
This is the period of time following the fall of the Han
Dynasty.
China was split into several rival kingdoms each ruled by
military leaders.
►
►
Because of this disunion and the movement of people
throughout China, a cultural blending took place.
Sui (Sway) Dynasty
►
►
►
►
589-618 C.E.
Period of Disunion ends in
589
Yang Jian (Yang Jee-en)
conquered the south and
unified China.
Yang Jian later named
Wen Di which means
“civic” or “polished”
emperor
Sui Dynasty
►
•
•
•
•
Actions:
Started the Grand Canal which links northern and southern China.
Made improvements to the Great Wall
Wen Di was Buddhist, but he supported Buddhism, Confucianism,
and Daoism in order to unite people.
Civic projects helped unite people.
• However, Wen Di and his son were harsh and forced peasants
who could not pay taxes to fight in the army or work on civic
projects – one project was to increase the size of the palace.
However over 1 million workers were needed and 40% died on
the project!
The Tang Dynasty
The Tang
Dynasty
618-907 C.E.
 Known for economic development
and growth – many inventions and
discoveries

The Tang Dynasty
►
►
►
►
Sui official overthrew the government and started the
Tang Dynasty.
Expanded China’s land
Considered the golden age of China for art and culture.
Empress Wu
 China’s only woman ruler – her husband was sick and
eventually died – she decided her sons were not
worthy to rule. She ruled with an “iron fist” - if
people opposed her then they faced death
 She chose advisors based on ability rather than their
rank!
Aristocracy
Relied on a large
bureaucracy – so big
government had the
power and not the locals

Used civil service exams
to fill some positions

CHOSE ARISTOCRATS
FOR MOST HIGH-LEVEL
JOBS.

Calligraphy Tang Dynasty
Poem
Divinity:
Buddha from
Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty Bronze Dragon
The Song Dynasty
The Song
Dynasty
960-1279 C.E. – reunified China
again after 50 years of civil war
 Known for economic development
and growth; many inventions and
discoveries

Meritocracy
MEANS RULE BY OFFICIAL
CHOSEN FOR THEIR MERIT.

The Song relied on civil service
exams and opened them up to
more candidates.

People from LOWER CLASSES
gained the ability to become
scholar-officials

Gate Scene –
Song Dynasty
Mongol Empire
Yuan Dynasty
1279-1368 C.E.
Control of China by foreigners
Mongol Invasion
► Led
by Genghis Khan in 1206
► Brutal
► Ruled
ruler (killed men, women, children)
most of Asia, and then conquered
northern China by his death in 1227
Kublai Khan
► Grandson
Kublai Khan takes over after 40
years of fighting (only non-Chinese
Dynasty) *PG. 187 (Yuan Dynasty 12601368)*
► Completes Chinese conquest
► Emperor in 1279
► Seen as rude and uncivilized (different
language, customs, gods)
Kublai Kahn
Life under Yuan
► Khan
did not force ideas on Chinese, but did
force high taxes (public works projects
completed by Chinese workers)
► Social Classes were very important:
►
1st class: tax-free Mongols
►
2nd class: non-Chinese civil servants
►
3rd class: Northern Chinese
►
4th class: Southern Chinese
Life under Yuan
► Khan
believed in traditional shamanism (good
and evil spirits heard through priests), but
allowed Chinese people to keep their beliefs
► Marco Polo (Italian trader who served on Khan’s
court and wrote about Khan’s trade)
► Invaded Japan 1274 and 1281-weather caused
failure…remember this for Japan!
► Mongols were weak (battles destroyed farmland
and people) and Chinese rebelled and regained
control in 1300s
Society and Culture
► Society
and culture varied by dynasty
 Men were in power except for Empress Wu
 There was a focus on agriculture and trade
 Social conventions – foot binding
Foot Binding
► Began
late in the Tang Dynasty and
continued for the next thousand years.
► An attempt to stop the growth of the
feet.
► Began somewhere between the ages of
four and seven.
"If you love your daughter, bind her feet; if you
love your son, let him study," or so goes the
old Chinese saying.
Foot Binding
Arts and Inventions
► Most
advancements under the Tang and
Song dynasties
► Art
 Painted murals that celebrated Buddhism and
nature
 Poems
 Made clay sculptures
 Made porcelain items
covered in a pale green
glaze - celadon
Arts and Inventions
► Some
of the most important in human
history under the Tang and Song.
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Paper
Porcelain
Woodblock printing
Gunpowder
Movable type
Magnetic compass
Paper money