Medieval China Flashcards
Two differences between Tang & Song Dynasties
Tang is bigger
Song used political alliances while Tang used military force
Tang was open to foreign ideas whereas Song was not
Dates of Tang & Song Dynasties
Tang: 618-907 CE
Song: 950-1278 CE
What is a bureaucracy?
A system of government in which the most important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives
What are the characteristics of a bureaucracy?
- Rules and job responsibilities are written down and clearly stated
- Clear hierarchy of power is concentrated among a few high-ranking managers
- Appointments and promotions of officers are formal because these officers will be held accountable
- Employees are hired based on skill and knowledge, not because of favoritism or luck
- Salaries are tied to a pay-grade
- Bureaucracies are unable or unwilling to adapt to changing conditions
- Micromanaging is common
What are some examples of bureaucracies in the US?
Police officers
Universities
What is an example of a bureaucracy in Medieval China?
The Civil Service Exam (CSE for simplicity)
When was the CSE created?
Han Dynasty
Why was the CSE created?
To avoid promoting those who were simply born noble and lacked talent or knowledge
What were CSE tests based on?
Classics, poetry, and legal and administrative issues
Mainly based on the works on Confucius - respecting the hierarchy, be loyal to the emperor, etc.
With the CSE, who began to run the government?
Scholar-officials
Which medieval Chinese Dynasty mainly used the CSE?
Song Dynasty
How were government positions filled in the early Tang Dynasty?
Aristocrats filled government positions through family connections, personal recommendations, or marriage.
How were government positions filled in the late Tang Dynasty?
Late Tang Dynasty used the CSE but favored aristocrats. Tests were open to all (except merchants, actors, and beggars) and anyone could attend university. However, most could not afford the tutors, books, and time to study.
What kind of bureaucracy was used in the Song Dynasty?
Meritocracy - rule by officers of proven merit
What was the main religion of the Song Dynasty?
Neo-Confucianism - blending Confucianism with Buddhism and Daoism
How did medieval China prevent cheating in the CSE?
Candidates were locked in small rooms with guards watching & exam papers were copied by a second person to avoid handwriting identification
How did medieval China prevent favoritism in the CSE?
Those who passed had to wait several years before an appointment, jobs were far from their hometowns, & there was a 3-year wait before a promotion
What were the benefits of having a medieval Chinese government position?
Respect, no tax, no military service
Who was the CSE not open to?
Women
What were two disadvantages of the CSE?
You might spend your whole life not to pass & not everyone could take it
What were two advantages of the CSE?
Climbing social hierarchy, gain knowledge
What are some examples of medieval Chinese achievments?
Gunpowder, rockets, paper, movable type, porcelain, tea, steel, compass, paper money, mechanical clock, etc.
What was gunpowder first made for?
Immortality - Made by alchemists to extend life
When were rockets invented?
Song Dynasty
What were rockets initially used in, and what were they used in afterwards?
Initially used in fireworks and later used in warfare (two-stage rocket: first stage propelled rocket in the air, second stage dropped arrows down on the enemy)
When was paper invented?
About the 2nd century
What was the earliest Chinese paper made from?
Originally hemp, then mulberry tree bark, then rags
How long were the Chinese the only ones who knew how to make paper?
More than 500 years
What was the first kind of Chinese printing?
Woodblock printing
How was woodblock printing used?
Directions for woodblock printing:
First draw characters/symbols onto paper, then glue the paper to a wood block. When the glue is dry, carve out the glue around the characters, leaving the characters raised on the wood. Next, cover the characters with black ink, spread paper over the block, and smooth the ink with a brush.
What was the better version of woodblock printing that the Chinese created?
The movable type
When was the movable type inventend?
Around the 11th century
How was the movable type made?
Carving character out of clay and baking them
How was the movable type used?
Select the characters you need and place them in an iron frame in the order they would appear on the paper
When was the first porcelain produced?
The first century
How is porcelain made?
Combining clay with quartz and feldspar and baking it in a kiln at very high temperatures
What are some characteristics of porcelain?
White, hard, waterproof
How was tea made?
Steeping tea leaves in boiling water
When did tea become popular?
The 8th century
What elevation was tea grown?
Over 4,000 feet
When were seeds involved in tea farming and trade?
18th century
When was the first Chinese steel made?
Before 200 BCE
What was the first Chinese metal made from?
Cast iron
How was cast iron made?
Melting and molding iron ore
How was steel made?
Blowing air into molten cast iron
When was the first compass made?
3rd century BCE
What were the first Chinese compasses made from?
Lodestone
What were later Chinese compasses made from?
As steel needle rubbed with lodestone
When were compasses used for sea travel?
At the time of the Song Dynasty
By the second century, what did the Chinese do to ships?
Divide it into separate watertight compartments so that when there is a leak in one part of the ship the whole ship won’t sink
What did the Chinese make to cross rivers and lakes?
The paddlewheel boat
When did the Chinese make the paddlewheel boat?
The 5th century
How was the paddlewheel boat made?
By arranging a series of paddles in a wheel
How was the paddlewheel boat used?
People walked on the treadwheel to spin the wheel to move the boat forward
Who also developed a paddle-powered boat?
The Romans, but in was powered by oxen instead of humans
When did the Chinese create a new type of bridge?
618 CE
What was the new medieval Chinese bridge called?
The segmental arch bridge
What was unique about the segmental arch bridge?
It had just segments of circles instead of full half-circles like the Romans
What were some advantages of the segmental arch bridge?
Required less material & stronger
When were game cards invented?
About the 9th century
How were game cards made?
Printers used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper, and famous artists drew the designs that appeared on the backs of the cards.
When were Europeans introduced to card games?
The late 1300s
When was paper money invented?
Late 8th or early 9th century
Before paper money, what was the only kind of currency?
Coins
How was paper money printed?
Woodblock printing, like game cards
When did Song printers start to use multiple wood blocks to print each bill?
1107 CE
When was the first mechanical clock made?
About the 8th century
What were some advantages of the mechanical clock?
More accurate than other timekeeping devices such as sundials and hourglasses
How did the mechanical clock work?
The Chinese devised a wheel that made one complete turn every 24 hours by using dripping water to make the wheel turn.
What would sound every quarter hour and full hour?
Every quarter hour drums would beat and every hour a bell would chime
When was the mechanical clock improved?
1072 CE
What were some benefits of the improved mechanical clock?
More complex and accurate
When did the Chinese develop a way of fighting infectious diseases?
Before the 1st century CE
What would the Chinese do when a person died from an infectious disease?
Burn a chemical that released a poisonous smoke that killed whatever caused the illness - the smoke was a disinfectant.
During the Song Dynasty, what was another way of killing infectious diseases?
Steaming the clothes of sick people
Around the 10th century, how did the Chinese inoculate people against smallpox?
They took some scab from an infected person, crushed it into powder, then inserted the powder into the nose.
Who ran a medieval Chinese family?
The father - the wife and children were supposed to be subservient
What did medieval Chinese women do?
Take care of the home and raise children
Who decided who someone married in medieval China?
Their parents
Did medieval Chinese women have any power?
No legal power but sometimes economic power (but only in Tang Dynasty)
What was the most prized among medieval Chinese women?
Beauty
What did medieval Chinese noblewomen’s beauty restrict them to?
They could not leave the house
Lower-class women could leave the house. Why?
They had to do manual labor outside the house
What was foot binding?
Repeatedly breaking the bones in the foot to restrict its size
Why did medieval Chinese noblewomen practice foot binding?
A emperor praised a dancer’s feet because they looked like “little lotuses”
Why did lower-class women not practice foot binding?
If you have bound feet, you can’t walk
Who bound girls’ feet?
Their mothers
What are some examples of famous medieval Chinese women?
Princess Pingyang and Empress Wu Zeitan
Who was Princess Pingyang?
The daughter of a military commander in the Sui Dynasty who led a rebellion against the emperor and lost and had to escape
Why was Princess Pingyang famous?
She amassed 70,000 people by kindness and compassion, not force or bribery
What happened when Princess Pingyang won the rebellion?
Her father became the emperor and started the Tang Dynasty
Who was Wu Zeitan?
She was originally a concubine to the emperor, Gaozong
How did Wu Zeitan become empress?
All her male relatives very mysteriously died (i wonder how).
