I.
Setting the Stage.
After the
collapsed in 220 A.D., no emperor was strong enough to rule China for 350 years.
An emperor named Sui Wendi united China again. The next two dynasties, the
& the
were
considered China’s golden age. China became the most
,
& richest society
in the world.
II.
The Tang Dynasty expands in China
Sui Wendi declared himself the first emperor of the Sui Dynasty. Although the Sui (sway) dynasty was shortlived, its major accomplishment was the construction of the
, which connected the
to the
. To create this waterway,
for more than five years. More worked & died rebuilding the
resulted in the
in 618.
toiled
. The Mandate of Heaven
III. Tang rulers create a powerful empire.
The Tang Dynasty lasted for
years. Under the Tang, the empire
. By 688,
China had extended influence over
as well. Wu Zhao was the only woman in China to be
. Tang rulers strengthened the
government of China. They
expanded the network of
&
began by the Sui. They promoted
trade &
in agriculture, and the empire prospered.
IV. Scholar Officials
The Tang emperors needed to restore China’s vast
exam system to recruit good officials. Schools trained young scholars in
V.
. They revived the
service
,
&
. Those who passed the exams became
part of an elite group of
. In theory, the exams were open to all
men, even
. However, only the
could afford the necessary
education. Despite these flaws, the system created an intelligent & capable
in China. As the exam system grew in importance,
&
became more
important than
in winning power.
The Tang Lose Power
To pay for military expansion, the Tang rulers imposed
. The Tang could not
control the
. Arab armies defeated the Chinese in the Battle of
(751 A.D). By 907, rebels had sacked the capital of Chang’an & killed the
,
emperor (a child).
VI. The Song Dynasty Restores China
At the end of the Tang dynasty, rival warlords
. In 960, an able general
& proclaimed himself
, the 1st
(sway)
emperor. But Song armies never regained
. Song emperors tried to buy peace &
paid hefty
of silver, silk & tea. The Jurchen conquered northern China, forcing the ruling
family to flee to the south. Despite the troubles, the Song Dynasty saw rapid
growth.
VII. An Era of Prosperity & Innovation
Select three of the inventions of Tang & Song China, & explain the impact of each:
Invention
Impact
VIII.
Agriculture
What agricultural discovery allowed China to produce more rice?
IX. Trade & Foreign Contacts
Because the Song Dynasty lost control of the Silk Routes, they came to rely upon ocean trade. Chinese advances
in
¸ including the
, made it possible for trade to expand.
China became the greatest
X.
.
Chinese Society
Fill in the flow chart below with the four levels
of Chinese society:
Gentry:
XI. Women & Bound Feet
(Use the PowerPoint to fill in the
following information)
In the Song Dynasty, the custom of binding the feet of women
became popular. At the age of three or so, a young girl’s feet
were
. This
eventually broke the
&
curled all but the
under the foot. The desirable
length of a female foot was
inches. A woman’s beauty was
no longer judged by her face, but the
. Women
with bound feet were
for life. How did
this reflect the wealth & status of the household?
.
What practices in modern day society might parallel foot binding?
.
.
.
.
XII. Organizing information. Complete the Venn diagram below with the following similarities &
differences between the Tang & the Song Dynasties:
Female Ruler
Ruled a Smaller Empire
Prospered through trade
Improved Agriculture
Created moveable type
Expanded the empire
Tang Dynasty
Song Dynasty
Both
Bound women’s feet
Reformed Civil Service