Tang and Song Achievements
7.3.2
7.3.5
The Big Idea
The Tang and Song dynasties were periods of economic, cultural, and technological accomplishments.

• Main Idea 1:
– Advances in agriculture led to increased trade and population growth.
Agriculture: farming, crop growing

Advances in Agriculture
• Chinese civilization had always been based on agriculture. They were expert farmers.
• In the north, farmers grew wheat, barley, and other grains. The south was ideal for growing rice.
Wheat Barley
Rice

Advances in Agriculture
• During the Song dynasty, improvements were largely due to irrigation techniques.
– Farmers dug underground wells.
– A new kind of pump allowed one person to do the work of many.
• The amount of land under cultivation increased, and farmers learned to grow crops more efficiently.
A water wheel pump

The dragon backbone pump helped Chinese farmers.

Advances in Agriculture
• Farms became more productive which meant that food was now more plentiful, their population grew and trade was increased.
Yes!

• Main Idea 2:
– Cities and trade grew during the Tang and
Song dynasties.

Chinese Cities & Trade
• China’s capital city, Chang’an, was a bustling trade center.

Chinese Cities & Trade
• Trade grew along with the cities, making China richer than ever before.

Chinese Cities & Trade
• The Grand Canal , a series of waterways that linked major cities in north and south
China, carried a huge amount of trade goods
– like rice.

Chinese Cities & Trade
• During the Tang dynasty, most foreign trade went over land along the Silk Road .
• During the Song dynasty, sea trade allowed China to open its Pacific ports to other countries.

8. Which word means farming or crop growing?
A. Architecture
B. Terraced
C. Agriculture
D.
Economic

9. Which statement describes terraced farming?
A. Leveled sections of a hillside where farmers planted crops like rice.
B. Flat lands where water covered all of the crops.
C. Dry grasslands that were surrounded by mountains on all sides.
D. Farms that were at the top of mountains.

10. ____ helped increase trade in China.
A. Monks
B. Buddhism
C. The Great Wall of China
D. The Grand Canal

• Main Idea 3:
– The Tang and Song dynasties produced fine arts and inventions.

A porcelain vase

Chinese Arts & Inventions
• Woodblock printing was invented. Entire pages were carved into a block of wood, covered with ink, and pressed onto paper to create copies.

Chinese Arts & Inventions
• Gunpowder was a very important invention of the Tang dynasty.
– Gunpowder was originally used to make fireworks & signals. It was later used to make weapons, explosives, and firearms.

The Chinese used gunpowder to make weapons like you see here.

Chinese Arts & Inventions
• The magnetic compass was perfected during the Tang dynasty.
– The compass allowed sailors and merchants to travel vast distances.

Chinese Arts & Inventions
• The Song dynasty brought about the inventions of movable type and paper money.

11. _____ is a counting device – similar to a calculator.
A. The Magnetic Compass
B. Porcelain
C. The Abacus
D.
The Dragonbackbone

12. Which achievement / invention is pictured?
A. Gunpowder
B. Magnetic Compass
C. Porcelain
D.
Dragonbackbone

13. This invention helped explorers figure out which way they need to go.
A. Porcelain
B. The Abacus
C. Paper
D. Magnetic Compass

14. The Chinese learned about papermaking from Europeans, then improved it.
A. True
B. False