Global I: Spiconardi
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In 581 C.E., Yang Jian
(Emperor Wen) reunites
China by founding the Sui
Dynasty
The Sui supported both
Buddhism & Daoism
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Emperor Wen was Buddhist
Capital was in Xi’an
…all the people within the four seas may, without exception, develop
enlightenment and together cultivate [promote] fortunate karma,
bringing it to pass that present existences will lead to happy future
lives, that the sustained creation of good causation [action] will carry
us one and all up to wondrous enlightenment
Excerpt from
Wen’s edicts.
Who is Wen
reminiscent
of?
...The Grand Canal got more attention than other
waterways because it was the main route to the
capital city. Officials used it to travel to the court.
Above all, its purpose was to carry grain from the
south to the north. Taxes were paid in rice that was
used to feed the court and pay the wages of workers
and the army…Even when steamships plied the
coast, the grain continued to be carried on the
Grand Canal until 1901, for this provided jobs for
many people….
Source: Lyn Harrington, The Grand Canal of China, Rand McNally & Company
What are two reasons the Grand Canal was
important to the Chinese?
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Wen and his son, Sui Yangdi,
build the Grand Canal
Grand Canal  1,400 mile long
canal that linked the Huang
He & Yangtze Rivers
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Purpose was to ensure that grain
could be transported to the
capital
Over 5 million workers
constructed the canal
Tree lined roads with post offices
were built parallel to the canal
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Strain on Labor
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Overworked on Grand Canal & rebuilding of
the Great Wall
Major losses in northern military
campaigns
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Farmers forced to leave land to fight
“Propitious paws" and “Fortunate feet“
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Able bodied Chinese would deliberately break arms
& legs to avoid military conscription
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Found by Li Yuan (Emperor Gaozu of Tang)
Empress Wu
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Concubine who is the only recognized ruling empress
in Chinese history
Had secret police
Persecuted, killed, tortured enemies
Embraced Buddhism
Despised by Confucian scholars & moralists
Empress Wu is rumored to have even
killed her own daughter
Why would
Confucian
scholars
not approve
of Empress
Wu’s reign?
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Continued construction
on the Great Wall and
Grand Canal
Secured territory from
northern nomads
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Leads to re-opening of the
Silk Road and revival of
trade
Tang coin
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Bureaucracy, Confucianism,
& Civil Service
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Restored bureaucracy within China
Reintroduced civil service exams
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Opened schools to prepare students
for service
Studied Confucianism and poetry
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Golden Age of Chinese literature
Mix of meritocracy & aristocracy
(new class of people)
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Gentry  powerful class of well-todo people who enjoy a high social
status due to position in the
government
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Porcelain  bone-hard, white ceramic;
better known as “china”
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Valuable export for the Chinese
Technology behind its production was secret
for centuries
Arts flourished under the Tang
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Block Printing  one block on which a
whole page is cut then printed on paper
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Gunpowder
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First used for fireworks and then military
application
 Song are able to
restore a Chinese
empire after warlords
over ran the Tang
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Mechanical clock operated by running water
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Moveable Type
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A printer could arrange blocks of individual characters
in a frame to make up a page for printing
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Paper Currency
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Song government minted
paper money to replace
bulky strings of metal
currency used by
merchants
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Contributed to the
development of a large
scale commercial economy
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Magnetic Compass
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Helps China become a sea power
Trade routes along Pacific Ocean and Southeast
Asia grow
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Paintings
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Reflected the Daoist love of nature
“Black is ten colors”
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Artists did not use bright colors