Tang & Song Dynasty
581-618: Sui Dynasty lasts for two emperors
and falls
618-907: Tang Dynasty rules for nearly 300
years
960-1279: The Song dynasty rules, lasts 3
centuries
Areas in
Green
indicate
the
extent of
the
Chinese
Empire
under
the Tang
Tang Emperor who began the Great
Achievements of China
Ruled: 626-646
Wu Zhao First Empress of China to assume
control in 690
Expanded China’s land into Korea
Moveable Type: individual
characters were carved on
blocks of wood and arranged in
a frame – the characters could
then be reused and rearranged
for another page.
Magnetic Compass:
Chinese were able to use
this for trade- ships carried
goods to Korea and Japan.
Buddhism spread due to
the travel in this area
Gunpowder: Eventually
gunpowder led to cannons,
small rockets, bombs and
grenades
Fast-Ripening Rice: China had
a huge population which
means it needed a lot of food.
They imported a fast-ripening
rice from Vietnam- this
allowed for two crop harvests a
year
Landscape painting: Chinese
artists focused on the beauty of
nature- much of the painting
was done in black ink.
Porcelain: China made beautiful
porcelain objects such as plates
and vases- most were white
decorated with blue nature
scenes. It was a luxury item and
was an item they traded to
others.
Example of Chinese Landscape and Nature Painting, the artist’s
signature is the red stamp at the top.
Chinese Dynasties-Up to this point:
• Sui (581-618) (Roman Empire)
• Tang (618-907)* Fall of Rome
• Song (960-1279)* Dark Ages/Byzantine
*Golden Age!!
Empire/Islamic Empire
The Mongols
• Around 1200: A Mongol leader
emerges…his name: Temujin
• He will unify the Mongols and
become….
“Universal Ruler”
The Mongol Empire
• 1211-1225: Mongol power stretches from
China into Central Asia
• 1227: Genghis Khan died, the empire
continued to grow
• 1250’s: Mongols focus their attention on
Persia
• 1260: The empire was divided into four
regions, or khanates
The Mongol Empire
• Mid-1200’s-Mid-1300’s: the Mongols
imposed stability and law throughout their
empire, this was known as the “Pax
Mongolica”
• During this time, safe passage for trading
caravans along the Silk Road was guaranteed
for all travelers and missionaries = Bubonic
Plague?
The Four Khanates, created after the death of Genghis
Khan
Which Khanate contains China?
Which Khanate included Russia?
“In Xanadu did
Kubla Khan
A stately
pleasure-dome
decree:
Where Alph, the
sacred river, ran
Through caverns
measureless to
man
Down to a
sunless sea…”
-Samuel Taylor
Coleridge, 1816
The Mongol Empire
• 1260: Kublai Khan
assumes the title of Great
Khan
• 1274: Kublai Khan tries to
extend power into Japan,
but fails
• 1279: Overtakes the Sung;
founds the Yuan dynasty
• 1294: Kublai Khan dies,
leaving the Yuan dynasty
to fail…
The Mongol Empire
• 1275: Marco Polo, his
father, and uncle arrived at
the court of Kublai Khan
• Polo spoke various Asian
languages, so Kublai Khan
had him go out on
government business
• 1292: The Polo’s leave
China after serving for 17
years at the court
Geography of Japan
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Japan: “Land of the Rising Sun”
Archipelago-more than 1,200 miles long
Four Largest Islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku,
and Kyushsu
Southern Japan: Mild climate with rainfall
Northern Japan: Cooler climate with snow
Very Mountainous: 12% of land is suitable for
farming
Natural Resources: coal, iron, oil, but in short supply
Threats from natural disasters: typhoons,
earthquakes, and tsunamis
Japanese Feudalism
Leader with little power- symbolic
Actual ruler- have the real power
Can promote people socially
Powerful land owners, usually families,
Governors & Generals
Protectors of the daimyos, serve both
The Shogun and their Daimyo
Subjects of the daimyos:
Artisans: Craftspeople
Merchants: Lowest Class
Peasants: 90% of the population
Fishermen & Farmers