Spread of Civilizations in East Asia

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Spread of Civilizations in East Asia

• The Era of Tang and Song Dynasties

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General Chronology

• 589 C.E.- Sui Dynasty
• North and South China reunited under Sui Wendi
• 616 C.E.- Tang Dynasty Begins
• 907 C.E.- Rebels overthrew the last Tang emperor
• Corruption, high taxes, drought, famine, and
  rebellions contribute to the downward fall of the
  dynastic cycle
• 960 C.E.- Prosperity under the Song Dynasty
• Most of China reunited
• 1200 C.E. Chinggis Khan
• Mongols begin their conquest of China

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Thought Question

• Make one generalization about the history of
  dynasties in China?

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Dates of Major Empires

• Sui dynasty 589 C.E. 618 C.E.
• Tang Dynasty 618 C.E. 907 C.E.
• Song dynasty 960 C.E. 1279 C.E
• The Mongol Empire 1206 C.E. 1368 C.E.

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Tang and Song Dynasties
The Tang and Song dynasties unified China and
restored culture and prosperity.
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Mongol Empire

• Song dynasty falls to Mongol invasions
• Mongol Empire would become massive, eventually
  spreading from the Korean peninsula to Eastern
  Europe
• - Territory was a bridge between civilizations
  as products and ideas moved among civilized and
  nomadic people (the expansion of trade)
• Cultural exchanges
• - New military ideas (gun powder)

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Thought Question

• What do you think are the greatest effects of the
  Mongol conquest?

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Interactions vital to the Spread of East Asia

• Rebuilt the bureaucracy and enlarged civil
  service system
• Instituted system of land reform which gave land
  to peasants allowing them to pay taxes
• Merchants arrived from India, Persia, and Arabia.
  
• Chinese Merchants carried goods to Southeast
  Asia.
• Mongol Rule would make the spread of ideas and
  goods easier
• Voyages of Zheng revealed the supremacy of the
  Chinese empire

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Art and architecture
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Thought Question

• What were some of the major themes seen in early
  East Asian art?

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Connections to today

• China is once again a trading power in the world
  (not just on the Silk Road).
• China is a unified country, not many small
  kingdoms
• Advances in Eastern Medicine and health like
  tai chi and acupuncture that werent copied in
  the West.