Tang, Song and Ming Dynasties
World History - Libertyville HS
Post Han China• Han Dynasty ended in
220 AD• Jin Period (265-618 AD)– Political fragmentation– Three main forces
fighting for dominance• Northern kingdom• Southern kingdom• Nomads
• Sui Dynasty unified China for 40 years but lost to Tang Dynasty
T’ang Dynasty (618-907 AD)• Economic, cultural
flowering of China• Buddhism established as
state religion• Int’l trade routes
maintained (traders in China)
• Two main trade routes– Silk Road (Persians, Indians,
Muslims – 639 AD)– Ocean Trade throughout E.
Asian coastal areas incl. Korea, Japan (70+ countries!)
T’ang Culture & Government
• At height, T’ang China / allies / client states controlled from Caspian Sea to SE Asia
• Ideal T’ang Man– Scholar, Poet, Painter,
Statesman– Ideal person today?
• Perfection of civil service– Hard tests based on Conf.– Career bureaucrats were
commoners, not nobility (no ambition for Imperial throne)
T’ang Government & Culture• Rice cultivation greatly
expanded (pop to 100 million)
• Roads, canals, irrigation built
• Poetry, literature & arts flourished– Painting with strong
Taoist influence• New Social Order
Emperor & Royal
Family
Gentry (Civil
Servants)
Urban middle class (merchants)
Urban lower class (laborers, soldiers, servants)
Peasants (worked farms of rich)
T’ang Dynasty• Inventions of T’ang– Block printing (carve
into block, stamp on paper)
– Gunpowder (fireworks)– Mechanical clocks
(wind, w/ gears)– Porcelain (hard white
ceramic)
Oldest dated block print from China, 868 AD
Fall of the T’ang• Lost fights against
Persian & Indian Muslims• After 816 AD, rebellions
weakened state• High taxes sped the
disintegration of the state
• Ten Kingdoms Period (907-960 AD)– Political fragmentation– 10 kingdoms, 5 dynasties
rule
Song Dynasty (960-1279)• General finally took
over, est. Song Dynasty• Empire smaller than
T’ang, but stable• Early 1100s – invasion
by Jurchens from N– Loss northern half of
China– Jurchens est. own
Empire, the Jin– Jin invaded by Genghis
Khan
Song Dynasty Accomplishments• Ten cities of one
million + inhabitants• 1020s – paper money,
making trade easier• 1040 – invented
magnetic compass (navigation)
• Algebra advancements
• Refined gunpowder– Cannon– Primitive flamethrower
Chinese flamethrower;2 pistons shot out Stream of flaming oil /Gas combo
Song Dynasty “Industrial Revolution”
• By 1078, Song Dynasty producing 125,000 tons of iron, per year!
• Equal to 1.5 kg per person
• Compare to Europe, at same time: 0.5 kg / per person
• Iron used to mass produce tools, esp. plows, hammers, etc
Chinese blast furnace;Waterwheel driving furnace
Fall of Song Dynasty• Long, bitter struggle
against Mongols eventually ended with defeat of Song
• Defeated by 1279• Estimated 50 million
Chinese killed during war – about 50% of population
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)• Nobility Resurgence– Population of China back
to 120 million by 1600– Regained past prestige,
power• Exploration: Zheng-He– Eunuch in service of
emperor– Seven voyages in
Treasure Ships– Purpose: expand trade,
contact new peoples• Isolation and stagnation– New emperor cut off
further exploration, trade– Closed borders, threw out
foreigners cut off contact with rest of world
Dimensions:350-400 feet long, 150 feet wide; weighed 14,000+ tons displacement
Fleets had 62 ships, 27000 crew, incl. soldiers, merchants, etc
Treasure Ship – compared to size of Columbus’ Santa Maria
Fall of Ming Dynasty• Ming Dynasty
conquered by Manchu
• Manchu were nomads from the North
• Manchu est. dynasty that lasted until 1912