History of Medieval China

1
History of Medieval China
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Qin Dynasty

• 221 B.C., the First Emperor united China under
  the Qin chin dynasty hence the name, China.
• Built the Great Wall to protect empire from
  northern nomads.
• Standardized Chinese script, coins, weights, and
  measures.

3
Han Dynasty

• Unified northern and southern China
• Called China Zhao Guo or The Middle Kingdom
  because China was the center of the civilized
  world
• Emperor was called the Son of Heaven this
  divine choice was known as the Mandate of
  Heaven

4
Six Dynasties

• A period of chaos and division
• China broke apart into separate kingdoms
• Nomadic invaders ruled the north

5
Sui Dynastysway

• Reunification of China
• Undertook extensive public works projects
• Extended military control over large stretches of
  China

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The Great Wall of China

• Rebuilding of Great Wall provided security from
  northern raiders.

7
The Grand Canal

• Grand Canal promoted domestic trade by connecting
  Yellow and Yangzi rivers.

8
Sui Dynastysway

• Wen Di thought himself a Buddhist, encouraged
  practice of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism.
• Emperors are remembered for harsh rule.
• Forced many peasants to fight in army or to work
  on public works projects.

9
Tang Dynastytahng

• Wu Zhao, Chinas only empress, ruled the most
  geographically extensive Chinese empire
• Government composed of departments
• Bureaucrats upheld Confucian ideals by acting as
  artists and politicians

Confucius
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Tang Dynastytahng

• Equal-field system limited power of rural
  aristocracy.
• Scholar class became new ruling elite.
• Land reform gave some peasants a chance to gain
  wealth

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Tang Dynastytahng

• Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism flourished.
• Though Buddhism was repressed during the reign of
  Emperor Wu Zong.

12
Sung Dynastysoong

• Government officials came from southern China
  because the north was under foreign rule.
• Bureaucrats selected according to scores they
  obtained on civil service exams.
• Used meritocracy to make government efficient and
  reliable.

13
Sung Dynastysoong

• Cambodian strain of rice allowed Chinese farmers
  to double output.
• Technological advances produced new products.

14
Sung Dynastysoong

• Chan (Zen) Buddhism became popular in China and
  East Asia.

15
Yuan Dynastyyoo-EN

• Dynasty founded by Kublai Khan, grandson of
  powerful Mongol leader, Ghengis Khan.
• Yuan dynastys bloody wars of conquest led to the
  destruction of farmland.
• Maintained Chinas roads and canals, but later
  Yuan emperors let them deteriorate.

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Yuan Dynastyyoo-EN

• Allowed Chinese belief systems to coexist with
  Mongol shamanism.
• Under Kublai Khans encouragement the number of
  Buddhist monasteries increased.

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Yuan Dynastyyoo-EN

• Civil-service system maintained by staffed Turks
  and Persians.
• Strict hierarchy of social service classes
  developed
• 1st) tax-free Mongols
• 2nd) Non-Chinese civil servants
• 3rd) Northern Chinese
• 4th) Southern Chinese

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Ming Dynasty

• Reintroduced the Civil Service Exam.
• Emperors extremely powerful, often ruled as
  despots.
• Heavy taxation and careless government produced
  peasant rebellion and civil war.

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Treasure Ships

• Brief period of overseas exploration.
• Later Ming emperors prohibited foreign trade.

20
Ming Dynasty

• Rebirth of adherence to Confucianism.
• Many Chinese combined belief in Daoism,
  Confucianism, and Buddhism.

21
Ming Dynasty

• Secured borders of China to prevent foreign
  invasion.
• Rebuilt bridges, canals, roads, temples, and
  shrines.

22
Ming Dynasty
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Chinese Visitors
Marco Polo Italian Traveler
Ibn Battuta Arab Traveler
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The Silk Road
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The Silk Road
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Forbidden City
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Legend of Mulan
In a flower bed at a downtown intersection in
Yucheng County stands a granite statue of Mulan
in army uniform riding a horse and holding sword
in hand.