Chapter 12

Question 1

side note

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

Yangdi

Answer 2

Second member of Sui dynasty; murdered his father to gain throne; restored Confucian examination system; responsible for construction of Chinese canal system; assassinated in 618

Question 3

Li Yuan

Answer 3

(566-635) Also known as Duke of Tang; minister for Yangdi; took over empire following assassination of Yangdi; first emperor of Tang dynasty; took imperial title of Gaozu

Question 4

Chang’an

Answer 4

Capital of Tang dynasty; population of 2 million, larger than any other city in the world at that time

Question 5

Ministry of Rites

Answer 5

Administered examinations to students from Chinese government schools or those recommended by distinguished scholars

Question 6

jinshi

Answer 6

Title granted to students who passed the most difficult Chinese examination on all of Chinese literature; became immediate dignitaries and eligible for high office

Question 7

pure land Buddhism

Answer 7

Emphasized salvationist aspects of Chinese Buddhism; popular among masses of Chinese society

Question 8

Chan Buddhism

Answer 8

Known as Zen in Japan; stressed meditation and appreciation of natural and artistic beauty; popular with members of elite Chinese society

Question 9

Zen Buddhism

Answer 9

known as Chan Buddhism in China; stressed meditation and the appreciation of natural and artistic beauty

Question 10

Empress Wu

Answer 10

Tang ruler 690-705 C.E. in China; supported Buddhist establishment; tried to elevate Buddhism to state religion; had multistory statues of Buddha created

Question 11

Wuzong

Answer 11

Chinese emperor of Tang dynasty who openly persecuted Buddhism by destroying monasteries in 840s; reduced influence of Chinese Buddhism in favor of Confucian ideology

Question 12

side note

Answer 12

Beset by internal rebellions and nomadic incursion, the Tang gave way to the Song in the early 10th century. Although the Song domains were smaller that those of the Tang, the Confucian revival flourished under the successor dynasty.

Question 13

Xuanzong

Answer 13

Leading Chinese emperor of the Tang dynasty who reigned from 713 to 755 though he encouraged overexpansion

Question 14

Yang Guifei

Answer 14

(719-756) Royal concubine during reign of Xuanzong; introduction of relatives into royal administration led to revolt

Question 15

Zhao Kuangyin

Answer 15

(r. 960-976) founder of Song dynasty; originally a general following fall of Tang; took title of Taizu; failed to overcome northern Liao dynasty that remained independent

Question 16

Liao dynasty

Answer 16

founded in 907 by nomadic Khitan peoples from Manchuria; maintained independence from Song dynasty in China

Question 17

Khitans

Answer 17

Nomadic peoples of Manchuria; militarily superior to Song dynasty China but influenced by Chinese culture; forced humiliating treaties on Song China in 11th century

Question 18

Zhu Xi

Answer 18

(1130-1200) Most prominent of neo-Confucian scholars during the Song dynasty in China; stressed importance of applying philosophical principles to everyday life and action

Question 19

neo-Confucians

Answer 19

revived ancient Confucian teachings in Song era China; great impact on the dynasties that followed; their emphasis on tradition and hostility to foreign systems made Chinese rulers and bureaucrats less receptive to outside ideas and influences.

Question 20

Tangut

Answer 20

Rulers of Xi Xia kingdom of northwest China; one of regional kingdoms during period of southern Song; conquered by Mongols in 1226

Question 21

Xi Xia

Answer 21

Kingdom of Tangut people, north of Song kingdom, in mid-11th century; collected tribute that drained Song resources and burdened Chinese peasantry

Question 22

Wang Anshi

Answer 22

Confucian scholar and chief minister of a Song emperor in 1070s; introduced sweeping reforms based on Legalists; advocated greater state intervention in society

Question 23

Jurchens

Answer 23

Founders of the Qin kingdom that succeeded the Liao in northern China; annexed most of the Yellow River basin and forced Song to flee to South

Question 24

Jin

Answer 24

Kingdom north of the Song Empire; established by Jurchens in 1115 after overthrowing Liao dynasty; ended 1234

Question 25

Southern Song

Answer 25

rump state of Song dynasty from 1127 to 1279; carved out of much larger domains ruled by the Tang and northern Song; culturally one of the most glorious reigns in Chinese history

Question 26

side note

Answer 26

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 expression, novel forms of artistic and literary expression, and a series of technological innovations.

Question 27

Grand Canal

Answer 27

Built in 7th century during reign of Yangdi during Sui dynasty; designed to link the original centers of Chinese civilization on the north China plain with the Yangtze river basin to the south; nearly 1200 miles long.

Question 28

junks

Answer 28

Chinese ships equipped with watertight bulkheads, sternpost rudders, compasses, and bamboo fenders; dominant force in Asian seas east of the Malayan peninsula

Question 29

flying money

Answer 29

Chinese credit instrument that provided credit vouchers to merchants to be redeemed at the end of the voyage; reduced danger of robbery; early form of currency

Question 30

footbinding

Answer 30

practice in Chinese society to mutilate women’s feet in order to make them smaller; produced pain and restricted women’s movement; made it easier to confine women to the household

Question 31

Li Bo

Answer 31

(701-762) Most famous poet of the Tang era; blended images of the mundane world with philosophical musings