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CHAPTER
12
GUIDED READING
Tang and Song China
Section 1
A. Analyzing Causes and Recognizing Effects As you read this section, take notes
to answer the questions about how the Tang and Song dynasties transformed China.
What impact did the Tang and Song dynasties have on the following areas of Chinese society?
1. Transportation
2. Government
3. Foreign trade
4. Agriculture
5. Science/Technology
6. Art
7. Old Aristocratic Families
8. Gentry
9. Women
B. Clarifying On the back of this paper, identify Tang Taizong and Wu Zhao.
42 Unit 3, Chapter 12
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What changes did the two dynasties bring about for the following groups?
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12
Section 1
HISTORYMAKERS
Wu Zhao
Ruthless Rise to Power
“A sage mother will befall and her [empire] will be prosperous forever.”
—inscription on a stone, created to legitimize the rule of Wu Zhao
O
ne day the Chinese emperor Tang Taizong was
having difficulty taming a particular horse. As
a young mistress in his court, Wu Zhao offered her
ruler some advice on how to tame the animal. Her
advice would both reveal her boldness of character
and foreshadow the actions she would take to
achieve her goals. She would use three tools to
tame the horse, she said. First, she would use the
whip and a mace to subdue the beast. If that did
not work, she would use the third tool—a knife to
cut the animal’s throat.
In 625, Wu was born to a wealthy family allied
with the rulers of the Tang Dynasty. When she was
about 14 years old, rumors spread of her beauty.
As a result, Tang Taizong brought her to the palace
to become one of his many wives. Soon after she
arrived, the emperor’s son Gaozong fell in love with
her.
Upon the death of Taizong, Wu was sent to a
nunnery with all the other minor wives. But a year
later, Gaozong visited her and his passion was
renewed. After her return to the palace, Wu began
a determined quest for power.
Gaozong had a primary wife, the empress.
Though that wife had not borne any children, tradition gave her a powerful claim to authority and
respect. Wu found a shocking but effective way to
remove her rival. Wu gave birth to a daughter,
whom the emperor deeply loved. After the empress
had played with the baby one day, Wu entered her
daughter’s room secretly and strangled her. When
the infant’s death was discovered, the empress was
blamed and sent away. Gaozong made Wu Zhao his
empress in 655.
Wu’s drive for power was not finished, however.
She managed to transfer or reduce the power of
officials who did not back her. As Gaozong grew
older and weaker, she took increasing control. By
674, she took the title Heavenly Empress, matching
her husband’s title of Heavenly Emperor. She also
instituted a shrewd set of reforms aimed at gaining
support for herself. She cut taxes, raised the salaries
of government officials, reduced expensive military
58 Unit 3, Chapter 12
operations, and both reformed the government and
permitted criticism of it.
In the next few years, the eldest son she bore
with Gaozong died mysteriously. It is believed that
Wu had a hand in her son’s death, since the two disagreed frequently. A few years later, she had their
second son sent into exile. In 683, Gaozong died, and
another son replaced him. When he tried to act independently, Wu solved the problem. She threw that
son off the throne and put another son in his place.
In 686, opposition to her rule produced a rebellion. However, Wu’s soldiers defeated the rebels,
and she began a careful campaign to formally seize
the royal seat. First, she tried to win popularity by
increasing aid to the poor and by removing corrupt
government officials. Second, she had a stone planted
in a river inscribed with the words quoted above.
That stone was accidentally “discovered” and then
revealed. She also caused a fake Buddhist scripture
to be discovered—one that predicted that a female
god would appear to become the greatest ruler in
the world. Finally, she may have caused three petitions to be signed, one with 60,000 signatures, that
begged her to assume the throne. In 690, she
agreed and became the first Chinese empress.
For the next 15 years, Wu Zhao ruled successfully. Her reign was filled with economic development and the entry of many brilliant men into an
honest and efficient government. Nevertheless,
rule by a woman was wrong in Confucian teaching.
When she died and was buried, tradition was broken. No words were carved onto the monument
marking her tomb.
Questions
1. Making Inferences What does the story about
taming the horse reveal about Wu’s character?
2. Clarifying Describe two methods Wu used to
gain power.
3. Evaluating Courses of Action What did Wu
do to make it appear she had a right to the
throne? Why did she take those steps?
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CHAPTER
Date
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CONNECTIONS ACROSS TIME AND CULTURES
CHAPTER
12
Section 1
Two Golden Ages:
Greece and China
THEMATIC CONNECTION:
POWER AND AUTHORITY
Under the Tang and Song dynasties, China experienced a golden age during
which it was the most powerful and culturally advanced country in the world. In
Chapter 5, you learned about Greece’s golden age. What conclusions can you
make about “golden ages” by comparing the two cultures? Begin by answering
the questions that follow.
1. During their golden age, Greeks invented drama and the theater, and they created
classical works of art such as the Parthenon and the statue of Athena. What were
some of the literary and artistic achievements of the Tang and Song dynasties? ______________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. During a golden age, learning, innovation, and technology often reach new heights.
In Greece, great thinkers called philosophers sought truth and wisdom and laid the
foundations of logic and the scientific method. Who were the scholars in Chinese
society? What were some technological innovations of China’s golden age? __________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Democratic principles flourished during the golden age of Greece. Athens created
a direct democracy in which citizens ruled directly, not through representatives.
How would you characterize the central government of China under the Tang and
________________________________________________________________________________________
4. During its golden age, a strong navy made Athens prosperous through expansion of
trade in the Mediterranean. What were the economic achievements of the two great
dynasties in China? ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What economic, political, and social conditions do you think make possible an empire’s
“golden age”?____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
60 Unit 3, Chapter 12
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Song dynasties? __________________________________________________________________________
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CHAPTER
12
RETEACHING ACTIVITY
Tang and Song China
Section 1
Determining Main Ideas The following questions deal with the Tang and Song
dynasties in China. Answer them in the space provided.
1. How did Tang rulers change the Chinese empire?
____________________________________________________________________________
2. What were some of the technological innovations in China during the Tang and Song dynasties?
____________________________________________________________________________
3. How did the new gentry class in this period of social changes attain their status?
____________________________________________________________________________
4. Why was woman’s work considered more important in peasant families?
____________________________________________________________________________
© McDougal Littell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reading Comprehension Find the name or term in the second column that best matches
the description in the first column. Then write the letter of your answer in the blank.
____ 5. the emperor of China from 626 to 649 whose
armies expanded the empire
a. gentry
____ 6. a large upper class made up of scholar-officials
and their families
b. Wu Zhao
____ 7. a system of treatment that involves inserting needles into the body at specific points
c. acupuncture
____ 8. the only woman in China to assume the title of
emperor in 690
d. movable type
____ 9. individual blocks of characters put into a frame to
be used to make a page for printing
e. Tang Taizong
____ 10. a major cultural export of the Chinese that spread
to Vietnam, Korea, and Japan
f. Buddhism
Empires in East Asia 61