Sui Dynasty

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Sui Dynasty

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Sui Dynasty

• 581-618
• Did not last long
• Unified China under Emperors authority.
• Completed the Grand Canal linking the Yellow and
  Yangtze rivers.
• Grand Canal made it easier to ship rice north to
  south.

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Sui Dynasty

• Grand Canal helped unite north and south China.
• More impressive than any of the European projects.

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Tang Dynasty

• 618-907
• Restored the civil service exam.
• Gave land to the peasants to establish a more
  stable economy.
• Developed the first printing press

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Tang Literature

• 48,900 poems by 2,300 poets
• Li Bai (Lee By) wrote about the pleasures of
  life.
• Li Bai drowned when he became tipsy and reached
  for his reflection from a boat.

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Religion in the Tang

• Buddhism was introduced from India.
• Buddhism reached its peak during the Tang
  dynasty.
• Many different sects of Buddhism were developed.
  Most famous Zen Buddhist.
• Stressed meditation as a means of enlightenment.

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Religion in the Tang

• Zen Buddhism similar to Daoism.
• Many Chinese peasants organized Daoist sects and
  parishes making it a religion.
• Growing wealth of Buddhist Monasteries alarmed
  the Govt.
• Persecution of Buddhists, destruction of shrines,
  monasteries, forced monks and nuns to give up
  their religion.

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Fall of the Tang

• Emperor Tang Xuanzang (tongsee See Wahn Dzong)
• Love a commoners daughter.
• Emperors favorite general lead a bloody revolt

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Fall of the Tang

• Attack by the Uighurs (Wee gurz)
• Northern tribal group hired to fight for the
  Tang.
• Instead they overthrew the Tang ruler in 907.

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Song Dynasty

• 960-1279
• Period of economic prosperity and cultural
  achievement.

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Song Exports

• Gold, silver, and copper.
• Cash (small coin).
• Porcelain (fine translucent pottery).
• Landscape paintings done on silk.

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Improving the Civil Service Exam

• Exams took place in the capital every three
  years.
• To qualify for this exam you had to pass an exam
  at the local level.
• Fewer than 10 passed the exam at the local
  level.
• Fewer than 10 of those passed on the national
  level.

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Civil Service Exam

• Cheating was a major concern.
• Candidates were given a number.
• Guards supervised testing.
• All papers were rewritten to prevent recognition
  of hand-writing.

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Inventions

• Gunpowder used in explosives.
• Block printing
• Organized military
• Extensive water control project.
• Quick ripening rice that allowed for two crops a
  year.

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People

• More than 100 million
• Mostly peasants who lived in countryside.
• Tax system made it difficult for peasants to
  survive.

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Cities

• Hangzhou (capital of dynasty) had a population of
  about 1 million.
• Heavy traffic
• Shops with luxury goods.
• Wealthy lived in fine homes.
• Ordinary people lived in crowded 1 or 2 room
  apartments.

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Mongols

• Temujin (te MOO juhn) elected Genghis Khan
  (Universal Ruler).
• Election took place at a large meeting somewhere
  in the Gobi.

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Genghis Khan

• Genghis Khan dedicated himself to conquest.
• Mongol armies conquered east and west as far as
  Europe.
• Great Conqueror
• Death in 1227.

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Mongol Empire

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End of Empire

• After the death of a Khan the empire split into
  several empires.
• Conquer of Song dynasty, Persia, Abbasids.
• They soon fell victim to corruption and over
  spending. Leading to the fall of the dynasty.