Chapter 12 AP World Notes Outline

AP World: Chapter 12
I. Reunification and Renissance in Chinese Civilization: The Era of the Tang and Song Dynasties
Though it was not the biggest city, Hangzhou, the capital of the song rulers, was renowned for its beauty and sophistication
a) Rebuilding the Imperial Edifice in the Sui-Tang Era
The emergence of the Sui dynasty at the end of the 6th century C.E. signaled a return to strong dynastic control in China. In the Tang era that followed, a Confucian revival enhanced the position of the scholar-gentry administrators and provided the ideological basis for a return to highly centralized rule under an imperial dynasty
Wendi, a member of a prominent north Chinese noble family that had long been active in these contest, struck a marriage alliance between his daughter and the ruler of the northern Zhou empire
Wendi seized the throne of his son-in-law and proclaimed himself emperor
Secured his power base by winning the support of neighboring nomadic military commanders
Won widespread support by lowering taxes and establishing granaries throughout his kingdom
i. Sui Excesses and Collapse
Foundation laid for political unification and economic prosperity were at first strengthened even further by his son Yangdi who murdered his father to reach the throne
Extended conquest and drove back nomadic groups
Milder legal code and devoted resources to upgrading Confucian education
Overly fond of luxury and extravagant construction projects
Set in motion wide spread revolts
Provincial governors declared themselves independent rulers, bandit gangs raided at will, nomadic attacks… ii. The Emergence of the Tang and Restoration of the Empire
The dissolution of the imperial order was averted by the military skills and political savvy of one of Yangdi’s official, Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang
But as Yangdi grew more and more irrational and unrest spread from one end of the empire to the other, Li Yuan was convinced by his sons and allies that only rebellion would save the empire and his family
Tang armies conquered deep into central Asia- victories mean that many of the nomadic peoples who had dominate China in the Six Dynasties era had to submit to Tang rule
Tang had built an empire that was far larger than even that of the early Han empire iii. Rebuilding the Bureaucracy
A revived scholar-gentry elite and reworked Confucian ideology played central roles in the process
Desperately needed loyal and well educated officials to govern the vast empire they had built
Members of the hereditary aristocracy continued to occupy administrative positions but the scholar-gentry executive department oversaw a huge bureaucracy
Reached from imperial palace down to subprefecture or district level
Finally there was a very large staff to run the imperial household including the palaces in the new capital at changan and the residences of the princes of the imperial line iv. The Growing Importance of the Examination System
Patronized academies to trains state officials and educate the in the Confucian classics which were thought to teach moral and organizational principles essential to effective administrators
Several different kinds of examinations were administered by the Ministry of Rites to students from government schools or to those recommended by distinguished scholars
Highest offices could only be gained by those who were able to pass exams on the philosophical or legal classics
Those who passed the even more difficult exam on Chinese literature earned the title of jinshi
v. State and Religion in the Tang and Song Eras
Increasing state patronage for Confucian learning threatened not only the old aristocratic families but also the Buddhist monastic orders which had become a major force in Chinese life in the six dynasties era
Amongthe masses, the Salvationist pure land strain of Mahayana Buddism won widespread conversions because it seemed to provide refuge from an age of war and turmoil
Members of the elite classes on the other hand were more attracted to the chan variant of Buddhism or Zen
No Tang ruler matched Empress Wu in supporting the Buddhist establishment vi. The Anti-Buddhist Backlash

b) Tang Decline and the Rise of the Song
Beset by internal rebellions and nomadic incursions, the Tang gave way to the Song in the early 10th century. Although the Song domains were smaller than those of the Tang, the Confucian revival flourished under the successor dynasty
The early decades of the long reign of this prince who became the emperor Xuanzoug marked the peak of Tang power
After the death of his second wife the aged and lonely emperor became infatuated with yang Guifei a beautiful young woman from the harem of one of the imperial princes
i. The Founding of the Song Dynasty
Appeared to be entering another phase of nomadic dominance, political division and social strife after decline of Tang
Military commander emerged and reunited China under a single dynasty
Shou Kangyin established a far-flung reputation as one of the most honest and able of the generals
One rival couldn’t overcome was the northern Liao dynasty which had been founded by nomadic Khitan people. ii. Song Politics: Setting for partial Restoration
Song never matched its predecessor in political or military strength
Weakness- imperial policies that were designed to ward off the conditions that had destroyed the Tang empire
Only civil officials were allowed to be governors, removing the temptation of regional military commanders
Strongly promoted the interest of the Confucian scholar-gentry who touted themselves as the key bulwark against the revival of warlords
Salaries increased iii. The Revival of Confucian Thought

iv. Roots of Decline: Attempts at Reform
Weakness they showed in the face of the Khitan challenge encouraged other nomadic peoples to carve out kingdoms on the northern border of the Song domain
Tangut tribes originally from Tibet had established a kingdom named Xi Xia to the southwest of the Khitan kingdom
Wang Anshi the chief minister of the Song Shenzong emperor tried to ward off the impending collapse of the dynasty by introducing sweeping reforms
v. Reaction and Disaster: The Flight to the South
Wang’s ability to propose and enact reforms depended on continuing support from the Shenzoung emperor
A new nomadic contender the Jurchens overthrew the Liao dynasty of the Khitans and established the Jin kingdom north of the Song empire
Politically the Southern Song dynasty was little more than a rump state carved out of the much larger domains ruled by the Tang
c) Tang and Song Prosperity: The Basis of a Golden Age
The Tang and Song eras were a time of major shifts in the population balance within China, new patterns of trade and commerce, renewed urban expansion, novel forms of artistic and literary expression, and a series of technological innovations Grand Canal which Yangdi risked his throne to have built was designed to link the original centers of Chinese civilization on the north China plains with the Yangtze river basin
i. A New Phase of Commercial Expansion
Conquests and canal system did much to promote commercial expansion in the Tang and Song era
Intensified international contacts
Chinese merchants increasingly carried Chinese trade overseas
Along with Arabs dhows, Chinese junks were the best ships
Equipped with watertight bulkheads, sternpost rudders, oars, sails…
Chinese sailors and merchants became the dominant force in the Asian seas east of the Malayan peninsula
Given credit vouchers, or flying money which they could then present for reimbursement at the appropriate office in the city of the destination ii. Expanding Agrarian Production and Life in the Country
Movement of the population southward to fertile valleys of the Yangtze was a larger process of agrarian expansion
Officials actively encouraged peasant groups to migrate to uncultivated areas or those occupied by shifting cultivators
Supports military garrisons
Introductions of seeds and tools iii. Family and Society in the Tang and Song Eras
Women showed signs of improving then deteriorated
Male dominated hierarchy
Authority of elders and males within the family was buttressed by law
At least for women in upper class in urban areas opportunities for personal expression increased
Allowed divorce by mutual consent iv. The Neo-Confucian Assertion of Male Dominance
Worsening conditions of women
The assertion of male dominance was especially pronounced in the thinking of the neo-Confucian philosophers who became a major force
Women’s role as homemaker and mother, particularity sons
Confining women
Attacked the Buddhists for promoting career alternatives for women such as scholarship and the monastic life
Laws favored men in inheritance, divorce, family interaction
Excluded women from education
No practice exemplifies the degree to which women were constricted and subordinated as dramatically as footbinding
v. A Glorious Age: Invention and Artistic Creativity
Remarkable accomplishments in science, technology, literature, and the fine arts
Some especially new tools, production techniques and weapons gradually spread
Explosive powders, originally not for warfare but for fireworks but was widely used by armies in grenades and bombs
Armies and warships were equipped with naphtha flamethrowers, poisonous gases, and rocket launchers, most effective weapons used in the losing struggle with nomadic groups
Compasses applied to sea navigation for the first time vi. Scholarly Refinement and Artistic Accomplishment
Scholar-gentry elite responsible for much of the artistic and literary creativity
Confucian thinkers valued skillful writing and painting, and educated people were expected to practice these arts
As Confucian scholar-gentry supplanted the Buddhists as the major producers of art and literature, devotional objects and religious homilies gave way to a growing fixation on everyday life and the delights of the natural world
No one was better at the latter (endless variety of ways if celebrating the natural world) than the most famous poet of the Tang era, Li Bo
Paintings symbolic, intended to teach moral lessons or explore philosophical ideas.
Global Connections: China’s World Role
Vital consolidation of Chinese Civilization
Technological inventions affected greater world
Most advanced in market networks, volume of oversea trade, productivity per land area, and sophistication of its tools and techniques of craft production
Inventions: paper, printing, gunpowder