Tang and Song China
Chapter 12 Section 1
Topic
China
Tang
Dynasty








Government





Tang
Decline





Song
Dynasty




Science &
Technology





Agriculture




Description/Notes
The Sui Dynasty lasted through only two emperors
Their greatest accomplishment was the completion of the Grand Canal
Endless labor on state projects turned the people against the Sui Dynasty.
Overworked and overtaxed the people finally revolted.
The Tang Dynasty ruled for nearly 300 years
Under the Tang rulers, the empire expanded
China had extended its influence over Korea as well
Tang rulers further strengthened the central government of China and expended the
network of roads and canals which helped to pull the empire together
They also prompted foreign trade and improvements in agriculture
The Tang rulers needed to restore China’s vast bureaucracy.
They did this by expanding the civil service examination system
People who passed the tough exams became part of an elite group of scholar-officials
As the examination system grew in importance, talent and education became more
important than noble birth in winning power.
As a result, many moderately wealthy families shared in China’s government
To meet the rising costs of government, Tang rulers imposed crushing taxes
These brought hardship to the people
The Tang also struggled to control the vast empire they had built
Border attacks and internal rebellions steadily chipped away at the power of the
imperial government
Chinese rebels sacked and burned the Tang capital and murdered the last Tang
emperor
After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, China was divided into separate kingdoms
The Song Dynasty, though smaller and did not have as strong a military than the Tang
Dynasty, lasted about three centuries
Song emperors tried to buy peace with their northern enemies. They paid annual
tributes of silver, silk and tea. This policy didn’t work
Despite its military troubles, the dynast of the Southern Song saw repaid economic
growth.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, China’s population doubled
China had become the most populous country in the world
There were many important technological advances during the Tang and Song eras.
Some of the advances were movable type, the development of gunpowder which led to
the creation of explosive weapons
Other important inventions of this period include porcelain, the mechanical clock, paper
money and the use of the magnetic compass for sailing
The Chinese made advances in arithmetic and algebra and the idea of using negative
numbers
The rapid growth of China resulted in part from advances in farming
China imported a new variety of fast-ripening rice from Vietnam
This allowed the farmers to harvest two rice crops each year rather than one
This was necessary to feed the rapidly expanding population
Tang and Song China
Chapter 12 Section 1
Trade




Under the Tang and Song emperors, foreign trade flourished
The great Silk Road continued to grow which linked China to the West
Chinese advances in sailing technology made it possible for sea trade to expand
Religion spread. One major cultural export was Buddhism. This religion spread from
China to Vietnam, Korea and Japan
Art


The Tang period produced great poetry
Painting of this era shows Daoist influence. Artists emphasized the beauty of natural
landscapes and objects.
The artists did not use bright colors. Black ink was their favorite paint

Social Class/Society

During the Tang and Song times, the power of the old aristocratic families began to fade

A new larger upper class emerged, made up of scholar-officials and their families. This class of
powerful, well-to-do people is called the gentry

The gentry attained their status through education and civil service positions rather than through
land ownership

Below the gentry was an urban middle class which included merchants, shopkeepers, skilled artisans,
minor officials and others

At the bottom of urban society were laborers, soldiers and servants

In the countryside lived the largest class by far, the peasants
The Status of Women

Women had always been subservient to men in Chinese society

Their status further declined especially true among the upper classes in cities

One sign of the changing status of women was the new custom of binding the feet of upper-class girls