Key Terms – The Tang Dynasty
•
•
•
•
•
Sui Dynasty
Grand Canal
The Tang Dynasty
Mandarins
Wu Zhao
Sui Dynasty (581-618)
• Sui Dynasty  first Chinese
dynasty after the Three
Kingdoms Period of China
• Installed many new public
works changes and
governmental changes.
• Installed a land
redistribution program 
intended to boost
agricultural production
– Failed due to oppressive taxes
that forced people to give up
their crops and work
excessive hours away from
their land.
The Grand Canal
• The Sui rulers sought to
unite the capital of China
(Chang’an) in the North to
the agricultural territories
in the south.
• The Sui rulers would
construct the Grand
Canal.
– Would link northern China
to the economically
productive southern areas
near the Yangtze.
Problems with the Sui
• The massive public works projects undertaken by
the Sui undermined the social changes they had
installed.
• The Sui undermined their land re-distribution
system by forcing their peasants to work on the
Grand Canal and the Great Wall.
• The Sui also wasted large amounts of wealth by
attempting to conquer territories to the north
such as Korea and Manchuria.  to finance
these ventures, the government charge 10 years
of taxes upfront.
The Tang Dynasty
• Li Yuan would lead a
rebellion to remove
Yang Ti, the last Sui
emperor and start the
Tang Dynasty.
• Tang Dynasty  ruled
from 618-907,
introduced major
reforms to ease the
burden on peasants.
Tang Dynasty Reforms
• Tang rulers did not attempt to undertake large
public works projects to prevent strain on the
economy.
• The Tang were successful in their expansion as
they were able to acquire Korea and Tibet.
• Chinese would use Korea as a cultural bridge to
Japan  would observe and influence Japan
through Korea.
• Chinese would also go back to using Silk Road
which would help give rise to a stronger
merchant class.
Tang Achievements
• Set up an effective bureaucracy  government
was broken into departments of business, justice,
finance, transport and education.
• Made use of the civil service exam system to hire
officials  this was not present since the Han.
• Those who would pass these exams would be
known as Mandarins
• Scholars wrote more encyclopedias and kept
better records than previous dynasties.
• Poetry and literature became more prevalent,
wood block printing became available.
Wu Zhao
• Wu Zhao  one of the
first female emperors of
China.
• Encouraged agriculture
and silk production.
• Lowered taxes and
reduced the
responsibilities of the
lower classes
• Would be deposed in 705
and die soon after.
Fall of the Tang
• In 907, the Tang Dynasty ended and the
country reverted back to disunity.
• Provinces governed themselves and foreign
invaders acquired power within China.