Sui,+Tang,+and+Song+Dynasties


 * __Interaction Between Humans & the Environment__**

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Due to commercial and artisanal developments, urban growth flourished during the Tang era. The capital of the Tang Empire and the surrounding Changan suburbs was nearly at 2 million inhabitants. Other cities had more than 100,000 people. The imperial city was divided between palaces and secretariats offices of the government. Urban expansion was not only seen in the capital; older cities in the North and South were restored. Suburbs radiated from the outer walls of the imperial cities. As much as 10% of the population in China lived in cities, a number that wouldn’t be seen again until the industrial revolution. ======



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The Grand Canal was originally created to link the centers of Chinese civilization on the north China plain, with the burgeoning Yangzte River basin more than 500 miles to the south. This new route was driven mainly by the shifts in population from north to south. In fact, most citizens of the Sui and Tang dynasty lived in the south. These important river systems, that were crucial to China’s agrarian economy, ran west to east. Since overland travel was slow and difficult, the canal allowed for easier travel and promoted trade. Later the Grand Canal facilitated Northern and Southern communication. This canal made it possible for imperial power to enforce imperial power from the north to southern cities such as Changan or Loyang. While these were all uses of Yangdi’s Canal, it mainly served as transportation to the rapidly expanding crop production in The South. ======



**__Development and Interaction of Cultures__**

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The Scholar-gentry promoted much of the art in the Post-Classical period. Scholars wrote literary classics, merchants patronized Confucian landscape paintings, and monasteries were bejeweled with Buddhist art. Education started to become more generalized, instead of specialized. People were required to be knowledgeable in many different areas. A scholar might be able to paint or play the lute. He didn’t just regard paintings, he made his own. With the revival of Confucianism, Secular focuses on literature surpassed more religious text. Writings focused on everyday common people activities. Poets infused everyday activities with philosophical meditations. These works gave insights to every Chinese citizen. This strong basis of literature allowed for the Song Dynasty to improve on it with more practical applications (for example, encyclopedias). Paintings by the scholar-gentry were meant to be symbolic. They explored ethnics and philosophical thoughts. An object, such as a crane, was not just a crane; it was a symbol for longevity. This could indicate the scholar-gentry class, while a dragon could be an emblem for the emperor. These paintings focused more on the artist’s view of natural beauty. Art during the Tang dynasty flourished and literary classic were more easily diffused by the development of movable type. This allowed for art from the Tang dynasty to make a greater impression. ======



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After the fall of the Han, Buddhist teachings surpassed Confucian ones. Buddhism became a powerful political force. Different forms of Buddhist caught on in China, such as Mahayana Buddhism, which focused a peaceful and quiet life. Early Tang rulers supported Buddhism by putting up Buddhist paintings or donating money to monasteries. Monasteries did not have to pay taxes, and families could donate land as acts of religious devotion. During the revivals of Daoism and Confucianism, many scholars became hostile towards Buddhism. They campaigned to Tang rulers that Buddhist monasteries or monastic lands presented an economic threat. Confucian administrators claimed that Buddhism was an economic challenge, because of monasteries or acts of devotion could not be taxed. Also, peasants who worked for monasteries could not be taxed by the state or drafted for the military. The imperial government started to limit the resources available to Buddhism. Later Buddhism was outright pursued. Shrines and Monasteries were wrecked; monks had to abandon their homes. Buddhism was weakened and never became the great force it once was. ======

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The rise of the Sui dynasty started 580, but only started to take shape and unite when Emperor Wendi organized a marriage alliance with his daughter and the ruler of the Zhou Dynasty, who ruled the northern plains. Wendi then took the throne, and won support of the nomadic commanders. He asserted their titles and had little regard for the scholar-gentry. He later captured the frail and fragmented Chen kingdom, in southern China, thus uniting north and south China. The emperor lowered taxes and established granaries, in which both large estate owners and peasants were taxed. Wendi’s son, Yangdi, apprehended the throne and became the emperor. He instituted a gentler legal code, but rejuvenated Confucian education. The emperor reestablished the examination system, again at the expense of the aristocratic families. He expanded the empire and sent enemies in retreat, but his losing war with Korea and expensive taste in construction cause riots in 615. Li Yuan, the duke of Tang took over and established the Tang Dynasty, which ruled for three centuries. ======

The Emergence of the Tang Empire

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After the assassination of Yangdi, official Lin Yuan, the duke of Tang came into power. His armies occupied as far west as Afghanistan. He conquered the nomadic people who had once ruled. He repaired the great wall and established frontier defenses. Turkic tribes became vassals, and daughters of Khans married into the imperial family. Sons were sent to the capital as hostages. ======

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After the fall of the Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan was left with a bankrupt civilization. Government was simple and cheap. To obtain more revenue, males were given grants of land. A standardized copper coin was established, but often had to be supplemented with silk because of currency shortages. Still instilled with Han-era values, monarchs pushed to rebuild the imperial administration. The scholar-gentry’s social and political statuses were slowly replenished. The vast empire’s new territories needed well-educated Chinese officials to run them. The aristocratic families’ power declined with the rise of the bureaucracy. The meritocracy of the Chinese government provided stability. Some of the administration was gained by genetic descent and the central administration was monopolized by a small number of elite families, and sons that fulfilled their fathers’ old positions. More educated scholar-gentry rose in ranking, and examinations expanded. While a position in an aristocratic family was important, examinations were the main indicators of position. The Ministry of Rites oversaw exams. Executives were heavily trained in Confucian classics. Students who passed exams on Chinese literature or legal classics were awarded the title of //Jinshi// and got high places in office. These scholars were awarded many benefits in exchange for their work. Socially they were allowed to wear different clothing, and enjoy indulgences others didn’t. ======



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After Empress Wu tried to start a new dynasty, another women who had married into the royal family put her own son on the throne. A revolt crushed Wei’s support and made way for a new prince//,// Xuanzong. He started many political reforms and economic expansions, but his interests started to wane. He became a patron of the arts. Xuanzong started to neglect his economic and military duties. One of his concubines, Yang Gufifei filled the court with her relatives, and lead the empire into crisis. Finally a military commander, An Lushban formed a new dynasty, pulling the Tang empire from destruction ======

**__Creation, Expansion, & Interaction of Economic Systems__**

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With new land and an excellent Canal system, the expansion of trade and was inevitable. The silk routes through were reopened and allowed for trade with the Middle East. Tang control encouraged exchanges between Chinese centers in Central Asia as well as with Islam in the west. Horses, Persian rugs, and tapestries were traded to China along these silk routes, while they exported fine silk textiles, porcelain, and paper to Islam. They also exported goods overseas, to Southeast Asia. Small local markets started to appear in cities and towns. Deposit shops and banks started to open up. Paper money was introduced. While the profit of being a merchant increased, the social stigma did not. ======

**__Development & Transformation of Social Structures__**

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The position of women started to improve under Tang rule, but did have a Confucian structure. Extended family lived in the home as in the classical period. A council of elders set punishments for families who broke Confucian rules, such as 2 years of hard labor for younger siblings who hit an older one. Because of heavy examinations, scholars would delay their marriages as late as 30 years. While women remained subordinate to men, upper class women had a greater freedom of expression. Divorce was allowed by mutual consent. ======

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//Yangdi.// Photograph. //Yangdi.biography.// Bio.truestory. Web. 02 February 2012. 

Photograph. //Cosmeo//. Web. 02 February 2012. 

//Tang-Dynasty-Coin.// Photograph. //Empire of China.//Web. 02 February 2012. <http://numismondo.com/pm/chn/tang/>

//Tang-Dynasty-30-Kuan//. Photograph. Web. 02 February 2012. <nutmegco.com/2010/10/story-of-five-ancient-chinese-notes.html.>