Buddhism, founded in India in the sixth century BCE, was rising in popularity among many peoples and eventually spread to China by the first century BCE. In China, Buddhism was faced with many mixed opinions. Some looked to it as truth and comfort and thought it was a good impact on society, others attacked the religion and accused it of being barbaric and a disturbance, and others tried to blend the new uprising religion with China’s existing philosophies.…
After analyzing the documents I was given, I believe there is both a positive and negative response to the spread of Buddhism in China. Over time the response became more and more negative than positive. People were getting used to the spread of Buddhism because they knew that it wasn’t going away anytime soon. The background information I was given explains that since China was unstable at this time Confucianism was on the decline which made Buddhism easier to rise.…
In documents two and five, a more positive light is shone on Buddhism. Buddhism spread in China because it gave a hope to people who only saw the sorrows of life. Also, Buddhism brought along some order in the chaos that China was in during this time. China was in an uproar during the “age of warring states”. This time brought lots of sorrow, and the need for a hope that Buddhism brought. Buddhism gave the people something to work towards.…
China was disunited for more than 3 ½ centuries after the fall of the Han. The 2 characteristics of the post-Han centuries were great aristocratic landowning families were beyond control of most governments described as a return to quasi-feudalism of the Zhou and that northern and southern China developed differently. The main developments in the south were 1. continuing economic growth and the emergence of Nanjing as a thriving center of commerce 2. the ongoing absorption of tribal peoples into Chinese society and culture; 3. large-scale immigrations of Chinese fleeing the north, and 4. the spread of Buddhism and its penetration to the heart of Chinese culture. In the north ”Sixteen Kingdoms” short-lived states were formed. Their differences were language and ancestry. Their similarities were 1. all began as steppe nomads with a way of life different from that of agricultural China, 2. after forming states, all became at least partially Sinicized (a move from non-Han Chinese to Han Chinese), Chinese from great families, which had preserved Han traditions, served as their tutors and administrators, 3. all were involved in wars- among themselves, against southern dynasties, or against conservative steppe tribes that resisted Sinicization, 4. Buddhism was as powerful in the north as in the south. Buddhism as a universal religion, it acted as a bridge between barbarians and Chinese.…
The Tang dynasty ruled for two hundred and eighty nine years, from 618 to 907 C.E. The empire extended into the west to parts of Tibet, the Red River Valley to the south, and Manchuria to the north. The second emperor, Tai-tsung, forced his father to abdicate the throne to him after murdering his brothers in 626 C.E. He made the government smaller, which saved money in case of famine and to provide farmers economic relief in case of droughts or floods. Civil service exams were established once again, resulting in smarter court officials. Tai-tsung’s army defeated the Turks in 657 C.E and they gained territory in Korea and central Asia. During this period, trade flourished along the Silk Road and woodblock printing, along with gunpowder was invented. From 843 to 845 C.E. a new emperor Wu-tsung tried to eliminate Buddhism from Chinese culture. These attempts only lasted a short time but the religion never recovered in China, and this led to conflicts with foreign traders. After 836 C.E. foreigners were no longer welcome in China and trade came to an abrupt halt that practically destroyed the economy. In the 9th century, divisions within the central government began feuding which led to political plots, scandals, and assassinations. After several collapses around 880 C.E. the Tang dynasty was destroyed.…
China had a period of political disunity and instability when Buddhism was brought over to China from India in the first century c.e. Over time, Buddhism was won over the previous religions that were already in play. During the unstable times, Buddhism was accepted by the Chinese lower class, which gave them a beacon of hope. As Buddhism became increasingly popular, the upper class and government felt threatened by its rising religious and political power. Overtime, the influence of Buddhism expanded for several more centuries.…
The most important change had to be that the spread of Buddhism was stagnating. Prior to its stagnation, it was converting on a regular basis and reached many millions of people, however, there was a point where regions began to just stay with their religions, because of the perks that came to being of that religion. In Islamic lands, you had to pay a non-islamic tax, and in Europe, forget about being anything but Christian, and really the only places Buddhism could have an impact was where it already was. This is why Buddhism remained only in Central and South-East Asia and failed to spread any further. It did though change the people and faith of the areas it was dominant. In Japan, the traditional Samurai’s who were Shinto (and became Bushido after Buddhism’s addition), adopted aspects of Buddhism in order to better serve their home life. It allowed the Shinto believers and warriors to reach enlightenment (Nirvana-Nevermind, great album). This was great for them, because it, in their eyes, allowed them to understand themselves, their enemy, their surroundings, and all aspects, giving them the edge in battle. So Japan’s warrior mindset allowed for China’s Buddhist ideal to spread, because it benefited the mentality of the…
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.…
After the fall of the Han Dynasty in the early second century, China had fallen into an era of civil unrest that would last for nearly four centuries. It was not until the Sui Dynasty that China would be restored to a unified state that could be productive and expansive once again. Although the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasty would all follow similar footsteps of the successful Han Dynasty, they each made small innovations to the political systems, religious foundations, and social lives that allowed them to prosper and rebound from civil unrest. With these changes from the Han Dynasty, they were able to prove that any empire can rebound with proper policies in place.…
The era of the Tang and Song Dynasties is considered the Golden Age of Post-classical China. During these times, trade, society, art, and literature all flourished. A revival of Confucian thought was promoted by the governments of both dynasties. There was a decline in the status of women over this time period as well. These political and social aspects of Chinese life have both changed and remained the constant as China progressed through the Tang and the Song dynasties.…
After the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 C.E., in times of political disunity and unity, Buddhism influenced China. In result, to Buddhism, China responded with acceptance, conciliation, and rejection.…
The Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties were historical Chinese Empires. The Sui Empire ruled from 581 to 618 A.D after the fall of the Han dynasty (Skaff, 2012, p5.). The Tang Empire, on its part, ruled China from 618 to 907 A.D after defeating Emperor Yang, the last Sui Empire (Skaff, 2012, p5). After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the next half century in China experienced the division of the country into several kingdoms. In 960 A.D., the Song dynasty came into power and reunified China. It lasted from 960 to 1279 (Adas et al., 2007, p3). The paper analyzes the significant political, economic, and social changes that occurred during the three dynasties. It intends to prove that although the Tang Dynasty is known as the period of enlightenment and development, it is the Song Dynasty that contributed the most economically, socially, and politically to China's development.…
Tang Dynasty of China Empire and the Byzantine Empire existed on a similar large scale in the same period. (143 HSW) The territory of Tang Dynasty China expands even larger than the previous dynasty after Taizong Tang gaining territory from the Turks. (189 HSW) Tang China Empire stretched further based on the Han Dynasty’s territory which reaches Korea in the east, Taklamakan Desert in the west, Gobi in the north and Vietnam in the south. (177 HSW) The Byzantine Empire reached Mesopotamia in the east, Visigothic Kingdom (Spain) in the west, Danube River in the North, Egypt in the South. (HSW 204) How did the governments manage and control such immense territory and large population within their frontiers?…
The Tang Dynasty was begun by Li Yuan. When the Yellow River changed course causing major flooding in the North China plain the Chinese people faced starvation. This created a great upheaval in the Chinese people. Li Yuan revolted against the government and emperor, he took the throne in 618.The Tang Dynasty is thought of as the peak of the Chinese imperial era. This period marked the largest growth in Chinese history. The Tang Dynasty expanded the boundaries of the Chinese state and reestablished its dominance in East and central Asia. There were advancements in technology, and agriculture. Commerce and artistry flourished with porcelain, textiles, and smelting. With the influence of India, and Arabia the Tang era was a vast multi-cultural…
After about three centuries of ruling the Tang Dynasty was coming to an end .Like every other empire or in this case every dynasty rises and falls. The corruption of government, confliction between each social class,a civil war and peasants be angry for being highly taxed led to the rebellion against the dynasty.The Tang Dynasty ended with the An-Lushan Rebellion when it wasn’t able to recover its military power and reach back to its golden era stage. Tang’s Dynasty rule finally ended in 907 AD when Zhu Wen took the throne for himself and started the Later Liang Dynasty which was one of five dynasties and ten kingdoms time period in China.…