Postclassical China

Dynasty Song

Name a characteristic of each Chinese dynasty we’ve studied thus far

Changes & Continuities

Resembled Han:Repetition of dynastic cycleProfessional bureaucracy, exam systemConfucianism key among eliteDominance in greater East Asia

Changes:Greater support of long-distance trade & commercialization make China richest, most urban societyGreater unification of N & S China

Issues of Significance

Buddhism & Neo-Confucianism

Commercialization of Chinese economy

Spread & adaptation of Chinese culture beyond borders

Buddhism & Neo-Confucianism

Under Han:Confucianism, Daoism, & ancestor worship popular

Between dynasties:Confucianism suffers loss of credibilityForeign religions & Buddhism

Sui, Tang, Song:Confucianism revived in exam systemBuddhism promoted until late Tang (supplanted by Neo-Confucianism), but remained influential

Buddhism

Came via Silk RoadsRich in textsPreached about metaphysicalMonasteries

Social functionsCelibacy

Neo-Confucianism

Reaction to Buddhist persecutionContinued practical study of politics & moralityFocused on social orderNeo?

Emphasis on traditionMetaphysical investigation

Zhu Xi & Thomas Aquinas

Sui Dynasty (589-618 C.E.)

How did this dynasty govern China?Remembered for harsh rule.

What belief systems did this dynasty encourage? Discourage?Although emperors themselves were Buddhists, encouraged practice of Buddhism, Confucianism, & Daoism.

Sui Dynasty (589-618 C.E.)

How did this dynasty affect daily life in China?Grand Canal promoted domestic trade by connecting Yellow and Yangzi riversRebuilding of Great Wall provided security from northern invaders.Public works & central military unified empire

Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.)

How did this dynasty govern China?Most geographically extensive empire to dateGovernments composed of departments, each with its own areaBureaucrats upheld Confucian ideals by acting as artists and politicians

Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.)

What belief systems did this dynasty encourage? Discourage?Confucianism, Buddhism, & Daoism flourishedBuddhism repressed late

Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.)

How did this dynasty affect daily life in China?Equal-field system limited power of rural aristocracyScholar class became new ruling eliteLand reform gave some peasants a chance to gain wealth

Song Dynasty (960-1279 C.E.)

How did this dynasty govern China?Barbarian nomads harass China’s northern borders for 200 years

Song royal family forced south

Bureaucrats & civil-service exam expand

Centralization reaches peak, but state is weak

Song Dynasty (960-1279 C.E.)

What belief systems did this dynasty encourage? Discourage?Neo-Confucianism, although Buddhism remained popular in background

Song Dynasty (960-1279 C.E.)

How did this dynasty affect daily life in China?Power of merchant class rose as large-scale trade thrivedCambodian strain of rice allowed Chinese farmers to double outputTechnological advances produced new productsCenter of Chinese growth in south

Sui Tang

SongSouthern Song

Commerce & Technology

Economic Development of Tang & Song

Technological and Industrial Development

PorcelainIron & Steel productionGunpowderPrintingImproved Ships and Navigation Tools

Commerce & Technology

The Emergence of a Market EconomyInvention of paper money Cosmopolitan society

Question:

How did Chinese society change & stay the same during the postclassical period?Compare & contrast the Tang & Song dynasties.In what ways did each successive dynasty try to address the weakness of the previous? What were the results of these efforts?