Han Dynasty + China

14 What are the defining features of intellectual life in the Tang dynasty? How did intellectual life change as the dynasty progressed?

Period of Brilliance
 Tang dynasty ruled 618 to 907; Chinese influence spread
 China experienced period of brilliance, prosperity, cultural achievement
 Government, other institutions served as models across East Asia
Civil Service
 To obtain talented officials, Tang expanded civil service examination system
 People had to pass written exams to work for government
 Created flexible law code; model for law codes in Korea, Japan
Built on Sui Foundations
 Established capital at Chang’an, Sui capital
 Second capital located at Luoyang
 Government control remained centralized, based on bureaucracy of officials
The Tang DynastyExpansion
Much of expansion occurred during reign of Taizong, 626 to 649
Taizong relied on talented ministers to help govern
In addition to military conquests, Taizong had schools built to prepare students for civil service exams
After his death, one of his sons became emperor
Foreign Affairs
Tang expanded China, Chinese influence
Regained western lands in Central Asia, gained influence over Korea
Contact with Japan increased; Japanese scholars came to China to study Expansion, increased contact with others grew foreign tradeFrom India
 Buddhism first came to China from India during Han times
 During Period of Disunion many Chinese turned to Buddhism
 Taught people could escape suffering, appealed to people in turmoil
Tang Decline
 750s, decline began, government weak, nomadic invasions, rebellions
 Military defeats lost Tang lands in Central Asia and the north
 907, emperor killed, Tang dynasty ended

The Tang Dynasty (June 18, 618-June 1, 907) was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and eventually followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. After a bloody period of civil war and decline in China, the Tang Dynasty was a