Asian Empires
Ch 12
Empires of China
Section 1
Tang Dynasty
• Who: Li Yuan; Li Shimin; Chinese & Tang family
• What: a dynasty that was formed in China after a
revolt that brought back China’s glory by
reunifying it
• Where: China
• When: 618-907
• Why: this dynasty restored China’s earlier glory;
carried the empire to new heights, conquered
some of central Asia = expanded China; rebuilt
bureaucracy & enlarged the civil service system;
eventually lost territ. & there was corruption &
famine = downfall
Tang Taizong
• Who: founder of the Tang dynasty; ruler of China (Li
Shimin)
• What: a brilliant general, government reformer,
Historian
• Where: China
• When: 618• Why: he became China’s most admired emperor;
revolted from his father to est. new dynasty; Tang
rulers carried the empire & built China to new heights;
conquered territories= expanded china = China had
more power; founded Tang dynasty = imp dynasty in
China
Tributary States
• Who: Chinese emperors & people
• What: independent state that has to
acknowledge the supremacy of another state &
pay tribute to its’ ruler
• Where: Asia
• When: 220-618
• Why: Tibet, Korea, & Vietnam were self-ruling &
governing however they had to acknowledge
Chinese supremacy in the region of Asia; they
had to send regular tribute ($$) to the Tang
Empire; kept China in power & # 1
Land Reform
• Who: Chinese Tang Emperors
• What: broke up large agricultural holdings &
redistributed land to the peasants; a policy that
the Tang dynasty had
• Where: China
• When: 618
• Why: this policy strengthened the central
government by weakening the power of large
land owners= increased government revenues;
Tang emperors more powerful; peasants now
could own land & would be able to pay taxes
Tang (workbook)
• Tang Taizong founded the dynasty by
overthrowing his father & starting new
• Land Reform= increased gov’t revenues, made
central power more powerful
• Rebuilt the bureaucracy
• Developed a flexible new law code
• Enlarged the civil service system
• Set up schools to prepare males for civil service
exams = could get govt jobs
• Conquered centralAsia = more land = more power
Tang Dynasty (workbook)
• Tang Taizong founds the dynasty
• Reinstated a powerful bureaucracy & centralized
government
• Created a new law code = helped to strengthen the govt
• Instituted the land reform system=took power away
from nobles & gave to emperor
• Set up schools to educate the men for Civil Service
exams = become Civil service workers= merit based for
the 1st time
• Conquered Central Asia = expanded land = more pwer
• Decline due to corruption, famine, & losing territ
Song Dynasty
• Who: Zhao Kuangyin, scholarly general, Song Chinese
• What: a dynasty that ruled China for 319 years after the
Tang but controlled less territ
• Where: China
• When: 960-1200s
• Why: they faced constant threat of invaders from the
North; during the Song period- great time of
achievement= Chinese econ expanded b.c. improved
farming methods & open border policy; the Grand Canal
reached its peak during this time; foreign trade
flourished= govt issued paper money (didn’t exist
anywhere else!) ; well ordered society- gentry &
peasants
Gentry
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Who: scholars & officials
What: a wealthy landowning class of people
Where: China
When: 960-1200s
Why: they could afford to spend years
studying the Confucian classics in order to
pass the civil service exams & get govt
positions; when not in govt positions they
served in provinces as allies to the emperors
Dowry
• Who: Chinese brides
• What: the payment that a woman brings into a
marriage to give to husband & she can never
remarry
• Where: China
• When: 500-1650
• Why: famlies valued boys more than girls; when
girls married she brought this dowry as a gift to
the husband’s family- she now became part of his
family & left to live with them- this dowry was to
give her hubby’s fam $$ for taking her in
Pagoda
• Who: Chinese
• What: a multi-tiered structure with eaves that
curve up at the bottom that evolved from India’s
Stupa
• WherE: China
• When: 500-1650
• Why: many important Chinese nobles used this as
their house; Buddhist themes dominated Chinese
architecture & created a large Indian/Hindu
influence throughout China
Section 2
Genghis Khan
• Who: Mongol chieftan
• What: united warring tribes as one under his control
and then conquered Asia; brilliant Mongol leader,
“Universal Ruler”; greatest conqueror in history
• Where: Mongolia, invades Asia & Europe
• When: 1162-1227
• Why: under his leadership he united the Mongols &
they conquered a vast empire from Pacific Ocean all the
way to E. Europe; had highly trained armies; imposed
strict military discipline & demanded loyalty; ruled his
lands with toleration & justice; tried to conquer China
but didn’t live to complete- his grandson started the
Yuan dynasty in China
Kublai Khan
• Who: Genghis Khan’s grandson; founder of Yuan
dynasty
• What: finished invading China for the Mongols &
started the Yuan dynasty (the foreign run dynasty) in
China
• Where: from Mongolia, took over Northern China
• When: 1279
• Why: he ruled all of China & Korea & Tibet; he tried to
prevent the Mongols from being absorbed into Chinese
civilization; he decreed that only Mongols could serve
in the Chinese military & hold govt positions- keeping
Mongols on the top of society
Yuan Dynasty
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Who: Khublai Khan & the Mongols
What: a foreign run, Mongol dynasty in China
Where: China
When: 1227-1368
Why: this dynasty was foreign-run by the Mongols
in China= they wanted to stay Mongol, not
become Chinese= strict social structure- Mongols
are at the top (govt, milit jobs), other foreignersmiddle & Chinese at the bottom = Chinese don’t
like them; Khublai rebuilt & extended the Grand
Canal to reach his capital; Blended Mongol &
Chinese cultures, customs, & traditions
Marco Polo
• Who: Italian merchant
• What: a traveler & merchant from Venice, Italy
who traveled to China during the Yuan dynasty
• Where: from Italy, went to China
• When: 1254-1324
• Why: he visited China during the Yuan dynasty;
he got there in 1271; he traveled across Persia &
Asia- spent 17 years in China learning about it;
when he returned to Italy he wrote about his
travels= educated Europe about Asia= Europeans
wanted to get there for the goods= Exploration
Ming Dynasty
• Who: Zhu Yuanzhang, Zheng He
• What: new dynasty of China that sought to
reassert Chinese greatness after years of
foreign rule
• Where: China
• When: 1368-1435
• Why: (I will have the why up tomorrow)
Zheng He
• Who: Chinese explorer, Admiral & diplomat
• What: he commanded 7 exploration expeditions for
the Chinese Ming dynasty
• Where: China
• When: 1405-1433
• Why: he wanted to explore to promote trade & collect
tribute from lesser powers across the western seas; he
explored the seas of SE Asia, India, Red Sea, & E.
Africa= Chinese settled in these regions; exotic animals
returned to China & these voyages showed local rulers
the power & strength of the Chinese empire.