Tang Vs Song Dynasties Essay
WOH2012
6-27-11
Compare and Contrast Song and Tang Dynasties
After the collapse of the Han dynasty at the beginning of the third century, China fell into an extended period of division and civil war. China was at a loss for leadership. Many dynasties ruled over this perdiod of time including the Song and Tang dynasties.
The political system of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) stood in the tradition of a central bureaucracy that was already created during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). Unlike the Han system, the Tang administration did not bestow semi-independent kingdoms to the imperial princes. On the other hand the Song Dynasty had a political system balancing between military and civil officials:The capitals, The central government,Territorial administration,Examination system and official recruitment. The experience of the late Tang Dynasty that regional military leaders had too much power in their hands to be effectively controlled by the central government, led to a thoroughly new system of parallel installment of civil and military officials and that were to control mutually each other. All in all, the Song system was more autocratic than the Tang system, laying more power into the hands of the emperor or persons acting on the emperor's behalf, like the strong chancellors (prime-ministers …show more content…
or counsillors-in-chief). Under the Song administration, prefectures and districts were directly controled by the central government, prefects were transferred every three years and were controlled by controllers-general that were allowed to report to the capital without knowledge of the prefect; their finances and taxes were immediately sent to the capital by a transport commissioner from the transport bureau; penal law was exerted by the central government; and - the most important innovation step - elite soldiers were garrisoned around the capital where they served as model for the troops in the province.
During the Tang Dynasty many technologies were important to enable a good functioning of the administration, namely astronomy (for the state calendar), agronomy, hydraulic engineering and traffic (for taxes, food and commodities). In the field of astronomy, we find a handful of people that worked on calculating the paths of (sun and) moon, the ecliptic and the movement of different constellations. In the field of architecture, the old styles were preserved in the wooden halls, palaces and temples, but new architectural styles arrived at China by the Buddhist monks that erected monasteries and pagodas covered with glazed tiles. Ceramics also made a great improvement especially in the field of glazing, and the special appearance of Tang Dynasty porcelain and earthenware is the three colored glazing.
On the other hand the Song period is often compared with the western Renaissance when plenties of inventions were made that substantially improved the welware of mankind and contributed to technological progress.
Indeed, three important inventions of mankind were made during the Song period: moveable printing types, gunpowder, and the compass. wo important factors contributed to the technological leap during this historical period. The first was the economic development with an increasing importance of money as currency. The second reason was the organized civil bureaucracy of the Chinese state that actively sought to enhance productivity in any sector of state
life.
In both the Song and Tang dynasties women often enjoyed a higher status then they would in later years. Both dynasties were well-ordered and foreign trade flourished. The Song dynasty lasted longer than that of the Tang, however their circumstances differed. Song controlled less territory due to the losing of territories in the last half of the Tang dynasty; however Song faced the constant threat of invaders in the north and eventually was forced to retreat even further south. Tang was faced with more internal conflict with corrupt leaders and rebellion armies. Both the Tang and the Song dynasty had the same legal system. Song Dynasty pretty much maintained most of the same legal codes (laws) enforced since the Sui Dynasty and throughout the entire Tang Dynasty.The imperial exams, which used to be open only to aristocrats became open to male citizens from every social class, progressively moving both societies away from aristocracy to bureaucracy. This widened the selection of intelligent government officials representatives, thereby strengthening their intellectual resources. Education in "The Four Books and Five Classics" literatures as the basis for civilized behaviors and thinking. Application of Confucianistic beliefs from daily lifestyle and habits of common citizens to court and government practices
In conclusion after the Han dynasty collapsed China was with out leadership.Then came Li Yuan with the Tang dynasty and restored order as well as the people’s respect for authority. This was a fundamental step China needed to take in order to catch up to the more developed nations of that time in Europe. Finally the Song dynasty came and boosted China’s agriculture, economy, foreign trade and government revenues. The song dynasty made higher learning available for the first time to thousands of people who otherwise would have remained farmers. Arts, literature and learning spread through the country like wild fire. New idea’s and developments had the country booming and history was changed forever as traditional ways of life and farming were challenged.
Sources
© 2000 ff · Ulrich Theobald * http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Son…
http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Tan…
6-27-11
Compare and Contrast Song and Tang Dynasties
After the collapse of the Han dynasty at the beginning of the third century, China fell into an extended period of division and civil war. China was at a loss for leadership. Many dynasties ruled over this perdiod of time including the Song and Tang dynasties.
The political system of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) stood in the tradition of a central bureaucracy that was already created during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). Unlike the Han system, the Tang administration did not bestow semi-independent kingdoms to the imperial princes. On the other hand the Song Dynasty had a political system balancing between military and civil officials:The capitals, The central government,Territorial administration,Examination system and official recruitment. The experience of the late Tang Dynasty that regional military leaders had too much power in their hands to be effectively controlled by the central government, led to a thoroughly new system of parallel installment of civil and military officials and that were to control mutually each other. All in all, the Song system was more autocratic than the Tang system, laying more power into the hands of the emperor or persons acting on the emperor's behalf, like the strong chancellors (prime-ministers …show more content…
or counsillors-in-chief). Under the Song administration, prefectures and districts were directly controled by the central government, prefects were transferred every three years and were controlled by controllers-general that were allowed to report to the capital without knowledge of the prefect; their finances and taxes were immediately sent to the capital by a transport commissioner from the transport bureau; penal law was exerted by the central government; and - the most important innovation step - elite soldiers were garrisoned around the capital where they served as model for the troops in the province.
During the Tang Dynasty many technologies were important to enable a good functioning of the administration, namely astronomy (for the state calendar), agronomy, hydraulic engineering and traffic (for taxes, food and commodities). In the field of astronomy, we find a handful of people that worked on calculating the paths of (sun and) moon, the ecliptic and the movement of different constellations. In the field of architecture, the old styles were preserved in the wooden halls, palaces and temples, but new architectural styles arrived at China by the Buddhist monks that erected monasteries and pagodas covered with glazed tiles. Ceramics also made a great improvement especially in the field of glazing, and the special appearance of Tang Dynasty porcelain and earthenware is the three colored glazing.
On the other hand the Song period is often compared with the western Renaissance when plenties of inventions were made that substantially improved the welware of mankind and contributed to technological progress.
Indeed, three important inventions of mankind were made during the Song period: moveable printing types, gunpowder, and the compass. wo important factors contributed to the technological leap during this historical period. The first was the economic development with an increasing importance of money as currency. The second reason was the organized civil bureaucracy of the Chinese state that actively sought to enhance productivity in any sector of state
life.
In both the Song and Tang dynasties women often enjoyed a higher status then they would in later years. Both dynasties were well-ordered and foreign trade flourished. The Song dynasty lasted longer than that of the Tang, however their circumstances differed. Song controlled less territory due to the losing of territories in the last half of the Tang dynasty; however Song faced the constant threat of invaders in the north and eventually was forced to retreat even further south. Tang was faced with more internal conflict with corrupt leaders and rebellion armies. Both the Tang and the Song dynasty had the same legal system. Song Dynasty pretty much maintained most of the same legal codes (laws) enforced since the Sui Dynasty and throughout the entire Tang Dynasty.The imperial exams, which used to be open only to aristocrats became open to male citizens from every social class, progressively moving both societies away from aristocracy to bureaucracy. This widened the selection of intelligent government officials representatives, thereby strengthening their intellectual resources. Education in "The Four Books and Five Classics" literatures as the basis for civilized behaviors and thinking. Application of Confucianistic beliefs from daily lifestyle and habits of common citizens to court and government practices
In conclusion after the Han dynasty collapsed China was with out leadership.Then came Li Yuan with the Tang dynasty and restored order as well as the people’s respect for authority. This was a fundamental step China needed to take in order to catch up to the more developed nations of that time in Europe. Finally the Song dynasty came and boosted China’s agriculture, economy, foreign trade and government revenues. The song dynasty made higher learning available for the first time to thousands of people who otherwise would have remained farmers. Arts, literature and learning spread through the country like wild fire. New idea’s and developments had the country booming and history was changed forever as traditional ways of life and farming were challenged.
Sources
© 2000 ff · Ulrich Theobald * http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Son…
http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Tan…