Topic:
Tang & Song Achievements
Chapter: 7
Key Terms & Ideas
Detailed Information
What has Chinese civilization Agriculture: wheat, barley, rice, other grains
been based on?
Section: 2
Dragon backbone pump – for irrigation – light, portable, easy to use
Elaborate (complex) irrigation
New crops that helped
With productivity in China…
Fast-ripening rice, cotton
How did the growth of
agriculture help China grow?
Abundant food (surplus), created tax revenue (income), population expanded
What were China’s cities like?
Lots of people (over a million), many different types of people lived there
Cramped and crowded, bustling – full of business and activity
Chang’an
Trade in China
Grand Canal
Capital city, largest population, center of trade?, mix of cultures,
Part of Tang dynasty, philosophical/religious center for many religions
Mostly over land, but sea trade (maritime trade) also grew
Silk, tea, gunpowder, rice, jade, spices
Caused them to create paper money
Series of waterways that connects the cities and allows for transportation
Trade goods, especially farm products
Chinese Art and Poetry
Chinese Inventions
Poetry was prized for its ability to capture a moment in time & it’s beauty
Artist made exquisite objects of clay
Paper – light, portable, cheap – made printing possible
Porcelain – fragile (delicate) material for pottery
Woodblock printing – mass printing
Gunpowder – used for firework, flares, signals – not generally for weapons
Moveable Type – carved letters could be rearranged and reused
Magnetic Compass – allowed sailors and merchants to travel long distances
Paper Money – lighter and easier to hand than coins
Summary of Reading/Lecture
Main Question: What do you feel was the most important Chinese invention in this time and why?