Unit 10: China Flashcards
1
Q
Tang Taizong
A
- emperor of the Tang Dynasty from 626-649
- his army reconquered the northern and western lands in China
2
Q
Wendi
A
- emperor (after Han Dynasty collapsed)
- 589 = united northern and southern China
- restored a strong central government
- first emperor of the Sui Dynasty
3
Q
Sui Dynasty
A
- (581-618)
- 2 emperors = completed the Grand Canal (waterway that connected the Huang He and the Chang Jiang)
- it provided a vital route for trade between the northern cities and the southern rice-producing region of the Chang Delta
- took 5 yrs to dig (1,000 miles); half of the workers died (peasant men and women)—> more died while building the Great Wall
- ppl revolted because they were overworked and overtaxed
- the Sui Dynasty built a strong foundation for the great achievements for the next dynasty (the Tang Dynasty)
4
Q
Tang Dynasty
A
- ruled for 300 yrs (618-907)
- larger than Song
- poetry
- art = colorful
- inventions = porcelain, mechanical clock, block printing, gunpowder
- 668= China extended over Korea
- rulers = strengthened central gov.; expanded the network of road and canals begun by Sui; promoted foreign trade and improvements in agriculture
- they revived and expanded the civil service examination system begun by Han (restore bureaucracy)
- TAXES = brought hardship; failed to cover the costs of military expansion and new building programs
- 907 = Chinese rebels sacked and burned Ch’ang-an (Tang capital) and murdered the last Tang emperor, a child
5
Q
Wu Zhao
A
- empress
- ruler during the campaign in Korea
- only woman to assume the title of empress for herself
6
Q
civil service examination
A
- exams were open to men (even commoners) but only wealthy could afford an education
- men w/ political connections could obtain high positions without taking the exams
- the system created an intelligent and capable governing class in China
7
Q
Taizu
A
- reunited China
- proclaimed himself first Song emperor
8
Q
Song Dynasty
A
- lasted 300 yrs (960-1276)
- inventions = movable type, paper money, magnetic compass
- more advanced agriculture (rice)
- art = black and white
- it was a small empire but China remained stable, powerful, and prosperous
- did not regain lands
- rulers tried to buy peace w/ northern enemies (paid in silver, sill, tea) but this failed to stop the threat from the north
- 1127 = emperors only ruled southern China (Southern Song = 1127-1279); rapid economic growth—> trade
- new capital = Hangzhou (coastal city south of Chang Jiang)
9
Q
Battle of Talas
A
- 751 = Muslims defeat the Chinese
- example of too much expansion and less governing
10
Q
Jurchen
A
- Manchurian ppl
- conquered northern China and established the Jin Empire
- they forced the Song to retreat south across the Huang He
11
Q
movable type
A
-blocks of metal or wood, each with a single character, that can be arranged to make up a page for printing
12
Q
inventions
A
- movable type
- gunpowder
- the development of gunpowder led to the creation of explosives (bombs, grenades, small rockets, cannons)
- porcelain
- the mechanical clock
- paper money
- use of the magnetic compass for sailing
- advances in arithmetic and algebra
- LOOK ON PG 328-329
13
Q
Agriculture
A
- 1000 = China imported anew variety of fast-ripening rice from Vietnam
- this allowed formers or harvest 2 crops of rice a year rather than 1
- more food = fed rapidly expanding population in the cities
14
Q
Trade and Foreign Contacts
A
- the Silk Roads
- china eventually lost control over these routes during the long Tang decline
- after this, they relied on ocean trade—>expanded due to the advances in sailing tech (magnetic compass)
- international trade
15
Q
Li Bo
A
- poet
- wrote about life’s pleasure