4-1 Notes: China Reunites

China is Reunited• The Han dynasty ended in 220

A.C.E. – China broke into 17 kingdoms – Warlords fought with each other for control

• China lost control of Korea• 581 A.C.E. – General Wendi

declared himself emperor after reuniting China by force

• New dynasty was called the Sui (581-618 A.C.E.)

• When Wendi died, his son Yangdi took the throne

• Yangdi failed to take Korea back by force

• Yangdi angered farmers by forcing them to rebuild the Great Wall and the Grand Canal, pay high taxes – Farmers revolted, Yangdi killed

The Grand Canal• Yangdi ordered that

the Grand Canal be built to connect the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) and the Huang He Rivers (Yellow River)

• The Grand Canal united two of China’s busiest rivers, which helps people ship goods between northern and southern China

• World’s largest artificial waterway

Tang & Song Dynasties• 618 A.C.E. – One of Yangdi’s

generals took over, declared himself emperor, and set up the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 A.C.E.)

• Taizong, most powerful Tang emperor, reinstituted the civil service exams so government officials would be hired based on skill, not family connections

• Tang dynasty expanded but lost control of the Silk Road to Turks and declined

• Song dynasty ruled from 960 – 1279 A.C.E.

• Song dynasty moved their capital farther south to Hangzhou

Buddhism in China• Buddhism is an Indian religion that

teaches people to use meditation and prayer to free oneself dependence on things (thus freeing you from worry and pain)

• Buddhism was brought to China in 150 A.C.E., a time of great violence and suffering

• Buddhism attracted many Chinese looking to escape suffering

• Buddhism was at first supported by the Tang – Many Chinese became monks and nuns who lived in monasteries

• Many Chinese did not like Buddhism because they accepted donations and did not allow their monks or nuns to marry, weakening respect for family life

• 845 A.C.E. – Tang officials who feared Buddhism’s growing power ordered that many Buddhist temples and monasteries be destroyed, forever weakening Buddhism in China

Neo-Confucianism• Confucius believed that good

government needed wise rulers who benefitted their subjects, just like a family (“familial piety”)

• Confucianism became unpopular in China after the fall of the Han dynasty and the disappearance of civil service exams

• Both the Tang and Song dynasties supported a new type of Confucianism (“Neo-Confucianism” to reduce Buddhism’s popularity

• Neo-Confucianism taught that this life was just as important as the afterlife, which encouraged others to do good

• Also taught that people could find peace of mind and harmony by following Confucius