REUNIFICATION AND
RENAISSANCE IN CHINESE
CIVILIZATION
Chapter 12
THE ERA OF THE TANG
AND SONG DYNASTIES
 220 End of Han Dynasty
 220 – 589 Era of Division; time of greatest Buddhist influence
 589-618 Sui Dynasty; building of Grand Canal
 618-907 Tang Dynasty
 690-705 Empress Wu; Buddhist influence in China peaks
712-756 Xuanzong emperor
840s Period of Buddhist persecution
907 End of Tang Dynasty
960-1279 Song Dynasty; NeoConfucian revival
1050 Invention of block printing and
moveable type
1067-1085 Shenzong emperor; reforms
of Wong Anshi
1100 Invention of gunpowder
1115 Jurchen (Qin) Kingdom in North
China
1127-1279 Southern Song Dynasty
1279-1368 Mongol (Yuan) Dynasty
rules all of China
AFTER THE HAN
 Called Era of Division
or Six Dynasties
Period—all est. capitals
at Nanjing
Period marked by
nomadic domination
& economic decline
Confucianism
replaced by
Buddhism
Trade & cities
decline as nation is
decentralized
Rebuilding the Imperial Office
Sui dynasty
589-618 CE
Wendi, a
northern
aristocrat,
successfully
unified N. and
S. China
through
conquest
 Wendi – from prominent Chinese Noble family
 Secured power by winning support of neighboring
nomadic military commanders (showed little desire to
favor Confucian scholar-gentry class at their expense)
 Reunited traditional core areas of Chinese civilization
for the first time in three and a half centuries
 won support by lowering taxes and establishing
granaries throughout domains
Sui Excesses and Collapse
 Yangdi, murdered his father (Wendi) and seized the throne
 Extended father’s conquests
 Continued the process of political reunification and
centralization
 Drove back nomadic intruders who threatened northern
frontiers
 Milder legal code
 Devoted resources to Confucian education
Restore examination system
Promoted scholar-gentry
 Yangdi was fond of luxury and extravagant
construction projects
 Forcibly made hundreds and thousands of
peasants build palaces, a new capital city
(Loyang)
 Built a series of great canals linking various parts
of empire
 Grand Canal
 Bring food supplies from the south to
the north
 Linked the Yangtze and the Huang-Hi
 611-615 : Led his exhausted and angry subjects
into a series of unsuccessful wars to bring Korea
back under Chinese rule
 Set in motion widespread revolts
 Provincial governors declared themselves
independent rulers, bandit gangs raided at will, and
nomadic groups seize large sections of north China
 618 - Yangdi assassinated by his own ministers
Emergence of the Tang
 Li Yuan established the
Tang dynasty.
 Secured the Chinese
frontiers from the Turks
 Laid the basis for the
golden age of the Tang
 Tang armies conquered
deep into Central Asia (as
far as Afghanistan)
 Impact of victories?
Many of the nomadic
peoples who
dominated China in the
Six Dynasties era had
to submit to Tang rule
 Turkish tribes posed
greatest threat
 Tang emperors also completed repairs
begun by Sui dynasty on Great Wall
 Created frontier armies
 668 – Emperor Kaozong (creates vassal
Kingdom called Silla in Korea)
 Tang built empire much larger than Han
Building A Bigger, Better Empire
•Tang exploited trade along the Silk Road,
established territories in Central Asia to protect
the goods traveling back & forth
Rebuilding the Bureaucracy
 Monarchs fully restored the imperial bureaucracy
 Confucian scholar-gentry continued to dominate.
 Civil service examination greatly expanded
 Highest offices could only be gained by those able to pass
exams on philosophical or legal classics
 special social status
 The role of aristocratic families within the government declined.
 The Bureau of Censors constantly evaluated the work of civil
servants at all levels of the administration.
Still… birth and family connections continued
to be important in securing high office
Established bureaucrats not only ensured that
their sons and cousins got into the imperial
academies but could pull strings to see that even
failed candidates from their families received
government posts
Corruption???
The Growing Importance of
the Examination System
 The Ministry of Rites
administered increasingly
regularized examinations
to students
 Those who passed the
most difficult exams were
declared jinshi and
granted opportunity to
achieve high office
 Success in the
examination procedure
granted higher social
status to the candidates
State and Religion in the
Tang-Song Era
Increasing state support for Confucian
learning threatens old aristocratic families
and Buddhists (had become a major force
in Six Dynasties era)
Many Pre-Tang rulers – devout Buddhists
(especially the nomadic ones)
 Mahayana Buddhism –
supported by the masses
since it provided refuge
from an age of war and
turmoil
 Chan (Zen) – attracted
members of elite; stress
on meditation and
appreciation of natural
artistic beauty; goalcome to know ultimate
wisdom and find release
from cycle of rebirth
(through reflective
meditation)
 Buddhism was a
strong force (socially,
economically, and
politically) by the time
of Tang unification
 Early Tang rulers –
support Buddhism;
promote education of
Confucian classics
 Empress Wu (690705) – major supporter
of Buddhism
Buddhism Takes A Beating
•Daoist & Confucian officials resent the tax &
military exemptions for Buddhist monasteries
•Wuzong c.845 persecutes Buddhists; monks forced
to abandon land and monasticism
•Monasteries permanently lost their influence over
politics, but the faith would endure
•Buddhism left its mark on the arts, Chinese
language, and Chinese thinking about things such as
heaven, charity, and law
Tang empire was immense covering
Korea, Manchuria, and parts of
Central Asia. Used a census and
built public works. A fixed
amount of land was given to most
male citizens. Known for :
Architecture
Sculpture, painting, literature, art,
and porcelain
Unique form of garden designed for
peace and contemplation
Key was their development of block
printing
Encouraged commerce making the
Silk Road busy
TANG DYNASTY
Country of Origin: Tan'g China
Date of Origin Tang Dynasty late 8th
century
Use: Funeral figure.
These were common in the late 8th
century in China. They were used as
figures in "Heavenly Horse". tombs. The
horse is not a typical horse of 8th century
China but is a heavenly horse.
Emperor Xuanzong (713-756) – marked
the peak of Tang power and high point
of Chinese civilization
Initially… strong interest in political and
economic reform
But over time… devoted himself to the
pleasures available within the confines
of the imperial city
Xuanzong’s long neglect of state affairs
resulted in economic distress, chronic
military weakness (all of which left
government unable to deal with
disorders effectively)
None of the leaders that followed
Xuanzong could compare with the able
leaders the dynasty had earlier
Tang Decline
Tang decline actually began in the eighth
century as a result of disruptions within the
imperial family.
As central authority weakened, nomads on
the frontiers gained control over large
portions of China and generals were able to
establish regional kingdoms.
 After Tang, it appeared
China was entering
another phase of
nomadic dominance,
political division, and
social conflict
 960 – Emperor Taizu
defeats all rivals except
one (Liao Dynasty –
founded in 907 by
nomadic Khitan peoples
from Manchuria)
 Shows weakness of
Song rulers
1004 – Song forced to sign treaties with
smaller yet more militarily adept northern
neighbors (Liao empire)
Forced Song to pay very heavy tribute to Liao
Dynasty to keep it from raiding and possible
conquering Song domains
Song Politics: Settling for
Partial Restoration
 Song never matched its predecessor (Tang) in
political or military strength
 Military subordinate to civilian administrators of
scholar-gentry class
 Song rulers strongly promote interests of Confucian
scholar-gentry
 Officials within class receive higher salaries,
additional servants, payments of luxury goods (silk
and wine)
 Bureaucracy soon became bloated with well-paid
officials who often had little to do
Rise of Neo-Confucianism
•Revival of Confucian principals during Song
•Wary of foreign faiths (i.e. Buddhism)
•Emphasized tradition and the pursuit of virtuous
morality through ancient texts and the teachings of wise
men (eventually hurt innovation and critical thinking
among Chinese elite)
•Stressed Confucian social stratification!
•If men and women kept to their place and performed
the tasks of their age and social rank, there would be
social harmony and prosperity
•The past is man’s best example for future
Roots of Decline: Attempts at
Reform
Weakness showed in face of Khitan
challenge encouraged other nomadic
peoples to carve out kingdoms on
northern borders of Song domains
Tribute was great drain on resources and
growing burden for peasantry
Equally burdensome was cost of army
(nearly 1 million soldiers) need to guard
against invasion from north
 Emphasis on civil administration and scholar-gentry class,
along with the lack of support for military took a toll
 1070s – Wang Anshi (advisor to Emperor Shenzong)
attempts reforms
Legalist
Cheap loans
Government assisted irrigation
Taxed landlord and scholarly classes
Mercenary forces to replace army
Education reform
Reaction and Disaster: Flight
to the South
1085 – Emperor Shenzong dies (Wang
loses support) and reforms are opposed
Neo-Confucians come to power
(reversed many of Anshi’s reforms)
Economic conditions deteriorate,
peasant unrest grew throughout empire,
banditry and rebellion from within, and
military no match for increasing threat
beyond northern borders of empire
 1115 – New nomadic
group, the Jurchens,
overthrew the Liao
dynasty of the
Khitans and
established the Qin
Kingdom north of
Song Empire
 Conquests forced
Song to flee to south
 Southern Song
(1127-1279)
 It’s brief reign was to
be one of the most
glorious in Chinese
history
Tang and Song – Golden Age
 Grand Canal – designed to link original centers of Chinese
civilization on the north China plain with the Yangtze River basin
more than 500 miles to south
 Made it possible to transport grain from the fertile southern
regions and to transfer food from the south to districts
threatened by drought and famine in the north
 More than 1 million forced laborers had worked on the project,
many died
 Engineering achievement (on the same level as Great Wall)
 1200 miles long, 40 paces wide
The Grand Canal, connecting
Beijing, Hwang Ho(Huang He), and
Yangtze River, was used to ship
grain within China.
inventions
Tang-Song Commercial Revolution
•Tang conquests in central Asia and the building
of canal system promoted commercial expansion
in Tang and Song eras
•Overland silk routes between China and Persia
were reopened and protected
•Imported – Horses, Persian rugs, tapestries
•Exported – silk textiles, porcelain, and paper
•Increase in trading ships
•Chinese junks were best ships in the world
•Equipped with watertight bulkheads,
sternpost rudders, oars, sails, compasses,
bamboo fenders, and gunpowder rockets
Tang-Song Commercial Revolution
•Market quarters found in all cities and
major towns
•Abacus allowed for more complicated
accounting practices; bigger business
•Renewed government centralization
allowed for a greater degree of
economic organization
•First use of paper money during Tang
•Flying money
Land Reforms Fuel the Economy
•Land reforms would allow
peasants a greater degree
of economic freedom than
before
•Equal Field system divided land among
peasants in return for taxes in grain, textiles,
labor (20 days a year), & military service
•Agricultural boom would feed economic
innovation in the cities
Interregional Trade & the Merchants
•Merchants would gain more acceptance as the
scholar-gentry became actively involved in
commerce
•Merchants could even join the gentry class
•Merchants would foster regional specialization
in goods; took advantage of existing
infrastructure (roads, Grand Canal)
•No longer limited to govt. marketplaces
A MARKET ECONOMY

Merchants in Charge
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Financial instruments
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Banking and credit institution
“Flying money " were letters of credit
Paper money backed by state, treasury
A cosmopolitan society
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Only period in China where merchants socially superior to aristocrats
Merchants attempted to intermarry with aristocrats, become landowners
Merchants attempted to have sons admitted as Confucian bureaucrats
Merchants tended to espouse Confucianism as way into traditional elites
Most large cities had large merchant communities
Foreign merchants in large cities of China
Mostly Arab (Muslim), Indian, S.E. Asian
Chinese merchants journeyed throughout region
Economic surge in China
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An economic revolution in China
Made China the wealthiest nation in the world at time
Promoted economic growth in the eastern hemisphere
Trading Guilds (Hang) & Currency
•Trading guilds (hang) handled
the transport & sale of grain,
salt, tea, and silk
•Merchant banks 1st issued
currency; credit vouchers
•Govt. would issue paper
currency of its own; flying
money vouchers
Rise of Commercial Capitals
•Changan & Hangzhou became commercial
centers; early industrial centers
•Urban population grows to nearly 10%
•Hangzhou was an
important port city;
had goods from all
over the world
Industrial Production
•Silk/cotton textiles, metal, ceramics and printing
industries important
•Govt. benefits from increased tax revenues;
population benefits from increased economic
opportunities in the major cities
•Plantations industrialize agricultural prod.
•Govt continues to subsidize grain & salt prices
to ensure their accessibility
TECHNOLOGY & INDUSTRY

Porcelain
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Metallurgy
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Discovered by Daoist alchemists during the Tang
Bamboo "fire lances," a kind of flame thrower, and primitive bombs
Gunpowder chemistry diffused throughout Eurasia
Printing
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Improvement: used coke instead of coal in furnaces to make iron, steel
Iron production increased tenfold between the early 9th and 12th century
Gunpowder
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High quality porcelain since the Tang, known as chinaware
Technology diffused to other societies, especially to Abbasid Arabia
Exported vast quantities to southeast Asia, India, Persia, and Africa
Became common during the Tang
From block-printing to movable type
Books became widespread
Naval technology
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"South-pointing needle" - the magnetic compass
Double hulled junks with rudder, water-tight compartments
Neo-Confucian Ideas About Women
•Women were to be homemakers and mothers;
Buddhist notions of a “careered” woman
discouraged
•Practice of footbinding personified subjugation
of women
•Curtailed movement; was
a source of beauty
•Rich & poor participated
PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY

Developments reinforced patriarchal society

Chinese reaction to foreign ideas
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Preserving of family
Family wealth became paramount
Results
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Tightening of patriarchal structure
Reinforcing of male domination
Foot binding gained popularity during the Song
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Emphasized dependence of women on men, home
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Reaction to Buddhist’s gender equality
Neo-Confucianism emphasized patriarchy
Ancestor worship revived
Wealthy, aristocrats could afford practice, hire servants to do work
Feet of women broken, reformed around stilts
Women could not walk without pain but had to shuffle
Forced women to remain at home, dependent on others
Male sense of beauty at women’s expense
Poor, peasant women not subject to footbinding
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Women had to work with men to support family
Men could not afford to have women at home, idle
FOOTBINDING
The custom of binding the feet of young
girls painfully tight to prevent further
growth. The practice probably originated
among court dancers in the early Song
dynasty, but spread to upper class
families and eventually became
common among all classes. The tiny
narrow feet were considered beautiful
and to make a woman's movements
more feminine and dainty. Although
reformers challenged the practice, it
was not until the early twentieth century
that footbinding generally died out,
partly from changing social conditions
and partly as a result of anti-footbinding
campaigns. [1] Foot-binding resulted in
lifelong disabilities for most of its
subjects. In the 1990s and early 2000s,
some elderly (born until the mid-1940s)
Chinese women still suffered from
disabilities related to bound feet
A Glorious Age: Invention and
Artistic Creativity
Tang-Song remembered for
accomplishments in science,
technology, literature, and fine arts
Tang – poetry and short stories
Song – landscape painting
Agricultural tools, banks, and paper
money contributed to economic growth
and social prosperity
The Visual Arts of the Tang-Song Era
•Landscape art became very popular; dedicated to
natural depictions
Regulated flow of water – Grand Canal,
dikes, dams
Bridges (most major bridge types
known to humans were pioneered in
China)
Use of coal
Tang – explosive powder
First used mainly for fireworks
Gradually… used by imperial armies in a
variety of grenades and bombs
Song armies and war
ships equipped with
flamethrowers,
poisonous gases, and
rocket launchers
Song – compasses
(aided in sea
navigation; spread to
Arab world)
Abucas – ancestor of
modern calculator
(helped merchants
count their profits and
tax collectors keep
track of revenues)
Mid 11th century – block printing
Remember… paper invented during Han
Printing made it possible for them to attain
a level of literacy that excelled that of any
preindustrial civilization
CHINESE DYNASTIC SONG
 Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
 Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
 Sui, Tang, Song
 Sui, Tang, Song
 Yuan and Ming and Qing
 Yuan and Ming and Qing
 Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong