Chinese Achievements
I. Improvements in Agriculture
A. Chinese civilization has always been based on farming.
B. During the Song dynasty farming reached new heights.
C. New irrigation techniques were developed.
1. Underground Wells
2. Dragon Backbone Pump
a. A light portable pump that allowed a farmer to scoop water up
and pour it into an irrigation canal.
b. It allowed one person to do the work of many.
B. The Song increased the amount of land used as farmland
C. New crops were discovered.
1. Fast-ripening rice grew 2-3 times faster than other types.
2. Cotton was introduced to China.
3. Tea production increased.
D. There were many benefits of these agricultural improvements.
1. Extra products were used to pay government taxes.
2. Merchants traded food crops.
3. Food was plentiful, so the population grew.
a. During Tang dynasty, population was 60 million.
b. During Song dynasty population increased to 100 million.
c. At the time, China was the largest country in the world.
II. Huge cities developed during the Tang and Song dynasties.
A. The capital of the Tang dynasty was Chang’an.
a. It was home to more than 1 million people.
b. It was the largest city in the world at the time.
c. Chang’an was a city with a mix of people from many cultures.
d. It was also a religious center for Buddhists and Taoists.
B. The Song dynasty had many large cities, as well.
a. Kaifeng the Song capital also had over 1 million people.
b. At least a dozen cities had populations of more than half a million.
III. Trade grew along with the cities.
A. For trade within China, traders used barges and ships to move goods on rivers.
B. The Grand Canal was built to link major cities.
a. The canal was started during the Sui dynasty and finished by the Tang.
b. It also linked cities to farming areas.
C. The Chinese also traded with other lands using over-land routes.
a. Trading partners included India, Korea, and Japan.
b. The Chinese exported many products, but silk was most important.
i. Tea
ii. Rice
iii. Spices
iv. Jade
D. During the Song dynasty sea trade opened.