resurgence of empire in east asia
DESCRIPTION
RESURGENCE OF EMPIRE IN EAST ASIA. CHINA UNDER THE SUI, TANG, AND SONG. ANARCHY IN CHINA. Three Kingdoms 220-280 Shu Han 221 – 263 Wei 220 - 265 Most powerful, eventually conquered Shu Built an army of Chinese infantry and nomadic cavalry as mounted bowmen - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
RESURGENCE OF EMPIRE IN EAST ASIA
CHINA UNDER THE SUI, TANG, AND SONG
ANARCHY IN CHINA• Three Kingdoms 220-280
– Shu Han 221 – 263– Wei 220 - 265
• Most powerful, eventually conquered Shu• Built an army of Chinese infantry and nomadic
cavalry as mounted bowmen• These assimilated nomads later overthrew Wei and
founded own dynasties– Wu 222 – 280
• Jin Dynasty 265-420– Western Jin 265 – 316 and Eastern Jin 317 – 420
• Only time during interregnum when China was united
• Intermixture of nomads and Chinese accelerated– Sixteen Kingdoms 304 – 420
• Southern and Northern Dynasties 420-589– Southern Dynasties
• Liu Song 420 – 479• Southern Qi 479 – 502• Liang 502 - 557 • Chen 557 ~589
– Northern Dynasties• Later [Northern] Wei 386 – 534• Eastern Wei 534 -550• Western Wei 535 – 556• Northern Qi 550 – 577• Northern Zhou 557 ~581
• Period Resembled Western European history after the collapse of the Romans– Disunity and civil war between nomads and Chinese
warlords• Rival states, dynasties, each controlling a part of the
old Han state• Aristocrats, provincial nobles held land and real
influence• Many of the northern dynasties were nomadic, both
Turkish and Mongol• Confucianism in decline, Buddhism in ascendancy
due to its relationship with the nomads• Confucian trained bureaucrats still held much
influence– Common Chinese subject to taxes, warfare, drafting into
army, frequent invasions, bandits
BUDDHISM ARRIVES IN CHINA• Foreign religions in China: Nestorian, Muslim,
Buddhist merchant communities – Oases on the Silk Road were very mixed– Became location for foreign settlements,
transmission of foreign faiths to China • Buddhism in China
– Attraction: moral standards, intellectual sophistication, salvation, appeal to women, poor
– Monasteries became large landowners, helped the poor and needy
– Posed a challenge to Chinese cultural traditions
• Hostility to Buddhism – Resistance from Daoists and Confucians – Popular criticism focused on celibacy, alien
origin, – Governmental criticism: unproductive land,
could not tax • Persecution
– Critics of Buddhism found allies in the imperial court
– Tang emperor ordered closure of monasteries in 840s
– Buddhism survived because of popular support
THE TANG DYNASTY• Founding of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 CE)
– A rebel leader seized Chang'an, proclaimed a new dynasty, the Tang
– Tang Taizong• 2nd Tang emperor, a ruthless but extremely
competent ruler • China enjoyed an era of unusual stability and
prosperity • Extensive networks of transportation and
communications • Adopted the equal-field system
• Bureaucracy of merit – Recruited government officials through civil
service examinations – Career bureaucrats relied on central
government, loyal to the dynasty– Restored Confucianism as state ideology,
training for bureaucrats
• Foreign relations – Political theory: China was the Middle
Kingdom, or the center of civilization – Tributary system became diplomatic policy
• Tang decline – Casual and careless leadership led to dynastic
crisis – Rebellion of An Lushan in 755, weakened the
dynasty – The Uighurs became de facto rulers – The equal-field system deteriorated – A large scale peasant rebellion led by Huang
Chao lasted from 875 to 884 – Regional commanders gained power, beyond
control of the emperor – The last Tang emperor abdicated his throne in
907
TANG CHINA
TANG ART
SONG DYNASTY (960-1279 C.E.)• Song Taizu
– Reigned 960-976 C.E.– Founder of the Song dynasty
• Song weaknesses– Song never had military, diplomatic strength of
Sui, Tang – Financial problems
• Enormous bureaucracy with high salary devoured surplus
• Forced to pay large tribute to nomads to avoid war
– Military problems• Civil bureaucrats in charge of military
forces• Military was largely foot soldiers at war with
cavalry nomads – External pressures
• Semi-nomadic Khitan, nomadic Jurchen attacked in north
• Constant drain on treasury to pay tribute to nomads
– The Song moved to the south, ruled south China until 1279• Nomads invaded, overran northern Song
lands• Song retreated to the South along Yangtze,
moved capital• After defeat, constantly forced to pay tribute
THE SONG WORLDNORTHERN AND SOUTHERN
DYNASTIES
THE SONG ARTISTIC WORLD
DEMOGRAPHIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENTS
• An agricultural revolution– Twice flowering, fast-ripening rice increased food
supplies – New agricultural techniques increased production – Population growth
• 45 to 115 million inhabitants• Between 600 and 1200 C.E.
• Urbanization: China most urbanized country in period – Chang'an had about 2 million residents – Hangzhou had about 1 million residents – Many cities boasted population of 100,000 or more
• Commercialized agriculture– Some regions depended on other regions for food– Extreme surplus of southern rice allowed cities to
flourish– Necessitate vast grain shipments to cities
CH’ANG-AN & HANGZHOU
NEO-CONFUCIANISM• Taoist, Buddhist Synthesis with Confucianism
– Early Confucianism focused on practical issues• Politics, Public Morality, Social
Relationships – Confucians drew inspiration
• From Buddhism Spirituality– Logical thought– Argumentation of Buddhism
• From Taoism Cosmology– Metaphysical issues: nature of soul– Man's relation with cosmos
• Xenophobia Contributes, too– Invasions by nomads, Turks and Mongols
threatened state– Foreign ideas began to circulate– Too many threats to society, traditions
• Zhu Xi (1130-1200 C.E.), most prominent Neo-Confucian scholar
• Neo-Confucian influence – Adapted Buddhist, Taoist themes, reasoning to
Confucian interests– Made Buddhism Chinese but stressed Chinese
roots, values – Influenced East Asian thought
• In China, it was an officially recognized creed
• Influenced Korea, Vietnam, and Japan for half a millennium
PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY• Developments reinforced patriarchal society
– Chinese reaction to foreign ideas• Reaction to Buddhist’s gender equality• Neo-Confucianism emphasized patriarchy• Ancestor worship revived
– Preserving of family– Family wealth became paramount
• Results– Tightening of patriarchal structure– Reinforcing of male domination
• Foot binding gained popularity during the Song– Emphasized dependence of women on men, home
• Wealthy, aristocrats could afford practice, hire servants to do work
• Feet of women broken, reformed around stilts• Women could not walk without pain but had to
shuffle• Forced women to remain at home, dependent on
others– Male sense of beauty at women’s expense
• Poor, peasant women not subject to footbinding– Women had to work with men to support family– Men could not afford to have women at home, idle
TECHNOLOGY & INDUSTRY• Porcelain
– High quality porcelain since the Tang, known as chinaware
– Technology diffused to other societies, especially to Abbasid Arabia
– Exported vast quantities to southeast Asia, India, Persia, and Africa
• Metallurgy – Improvement: used coke instead of coal in
furnaces to make iron, steel – Iron production increased tenfold between the
early 9th and 12th century
• Gunpowder – Discovered by Daoist alchemists during the
Tang – Bamboo "fire lances," a kind of flame
thrower, and primitive bombs – Gunpowder chemistry diffused throughout
Eurasia • Printing
– Became common during the Tang – From block-printing to movable type – Books became widespread
• Naval technology– "South-pointing needle" - the magnetic
compass– Double hulled junks with rudder, water-tight
compartments
SONG LIFE
A MARKET ECONOMY• Merchants in Charge
– Only period in China where merchants socially superior to aristocrats
– Merchants attempted to intermarry with aristocrats, become landowners
– Merchants attempted to have sons admitted as Confucian bureaucrats
– Merchants tended to espouse Confucianism as way into traditional elites
– Most large cities had large merchant communities
• Financial instruments– Banking and credit institution– “Flying money " were letters of credit– Paper money backed by state, treasury
• A cosmopolitan society– Foreign merchants in large cities of China– Mostly Arab (Muslim), Indian, S.E. Asian– Chinese merchants journeyed throughout
region
• Economic surge in China – An economic revolution in China– Made China the wealthiest nation in the
world at time– Promoted economic growth in the eastern
hemisphere