Chapter 10 (pp. 284 291) For most of the period 600 1450 C.E., Chinese dynasties established regional hegemony over East Asia o China became the strongest civilization in the world o Dynasties like the Sui, Tang and Song reconstituted governments that combined traditional sources of power & legitimacy with innovations better suited to the current circumstances 581 618 C.E. Centralized imperial rule Built the Grand Canal o State-sponsored commercial infrastructure o Manmade waterways that connected the major rivers in China o Increased volume/variety of trade 618 907 Li Shimin seized Chinas capital Xian (Changan) and proclaimed himself emperor of the Tang Dynasty Strong transportation/communi cation systems o Grand Canal o Built/maintained an advanced road system o Continued to use Silk Roads & Indian Ocean Maritime System Cultural/technological transfers between Tang and Abbasids Chinese merchants setup diasporic communities through Southeast Asia Tribute System o Existed in earlier dynasties, but was expanded/enhanced to support the enormous Tang dynasty o Neighboring realms were required to pay tribute in forms of gifts or money China acted as the Middle Kingdom Buddhism had been growing in China since its Classical Period o Mostly Mahayana Buddhism It allowed easier incorporation to Chinese culture o Empress Wu (690 705) was a strong supporter of Buddhism Contributed huge sums to monasteries and to commission paintings & sculptures More than 50,000 temples were built Buddhist art, literature and cultural traditions flourished Ex. Wu Daozi Over time, tensions between Confucianists & Buddhists grew o Stemmed from ideological & economic differences In the 9 th century, Confucian scholar bureaucrats along with emperor Wuzong conspired to end Buddhist influence o Burned thousands of monasteries & forced Buddhist monks to flee Results o Confucianism reemerged as dominant belief system o Tang Dynasty weakened due to internal turmoil and again China declined into a period of decentralization Chapter 10 (pp. 291 297) Song reunited China in 960 o Emphasized civil administration, industry, education and art Golden Era in terms of finance & technology o Strong centralized government Increased size of merit-based bureaucratic system (civil service) Finances o Large bureaucratic system was expensive, so taxes were raised o Led to free peasant revolts Military o Led by scholar bureaucrats Little understanding of how to direct armies o Jurchens (northern nomads) & other groups overran the northern part of the Song Empire o 1279, Mongols conquered the southern Song Changes in economy began in Tang & were refined in Song Revolutions o Increased agricultural production to deal with growing population Fast-ripening rice from Vietnam Improved irrigation techniques o Urbanization Tang capital Changan Largest city in the world at the time Song capital Hangzhou Revolutions (continued) o Technological innovations Porcelain (chinaware) Improved iron & steel metallurgy Gunpowder Movable type printing Magnetic compass o Financial inventions As trade grew, merchants developed paper money Letters of credit called flying cash allowed merchants to move money (like a bank) Primitive checking Neo-Confucianism o Focused less on social & political order, and more on the soul & spiritual relationships o Reconciled relationship with Buddhism o Influenced many civilizations throughout East & Southeast Asia Patriarchal structure grew more rigid o Especially for the upper-classes Foot binding Demonstrated class & subservience to males