B7.+Importance+of+Tang+and+Song+economies+and+early+Ming+initiatives

**I. Tang Dynasty**
A.[| Tang] Background History 1. Dynasty lasted from (618-907 C.E.) 2. [|Tang Taizong] was the dynasty's second emperor and is attributed with much of the Tang's success - ambitious and ruthless - killed brothers and pushed his father aside to get to the throne - built a splendid capital at [|Chang'an] - thought of himself as a Confucian ruler - banditry ended during his rule and, the price of rice remained low, and taxes were relatively low. 3. Tang rulers maintained extensive transportation networks based on: - roads, horses and sometimes human runners - inns, postal stations, and stables provided refreshment for travelers 4. the Tang dynasty relied on a bureaucracy based on merit - reflected by performance on [|civil service exams] 5. The Tang Dynasty also made military expansions - North: Tang forces brought [|Manchuria] under imperial authority - [|Silla Kingdom] recognized Tang emperor as overlord - South: conquered north of Vietnam - West: Tang authority expanded as far as the [|Aral Sea] and a portion of the high plateau of Tibet 6. The Tang Declined due to casual and careless leadership - [|An Lushan] mounted a rebellion and captured Chang'an and the secondary capital [|Luoyang] - Rebellion left dynasty in a very weak state 1. Agriculture Developments - discovered fast ripening rice - increased use of heavy iron plows, harnessed oxen and water buffaloes, enriched soil with manure - artificial irrigation extended cultivation to new lands - population growth occured because of the increase in food - increased food also encouraged the growth of cities so urbanization occurred - during the Tang Dynasty Chang'an was the worlds most prosperous city with 2 million residents 2. Technological and Industrial Developments - lighter and thinner porcelain was discovered - exported vast amounts of porcelain - Tang and Song products gained such a reputation that fine porcelain became known as chinaware - iron and steel were used more for weapons and tools - discovered hay could use coke instead of coal and produce superior metals - Daoist alchemists discovered how to make gunpowder in the Tang Dynasty - printing become common in the Tang Dynasty and discovered how to fashion dies in the shape of ideographs - discovered the compass which added to the naval technology and helped oversea trade 3. Market Economy - created the technique of "[|flying cash] ": enabled merchants to deposit goods in one place and draw the equivalent amount of goods at a different location
 * B. Tang Economics

- paper money was created and later on was printed with serial numbers and dire warnings against the printing of counterfeit notes - trade and urbanization turned the Tang Dynasty into a cosmopolitan society - trade came by land and sea **

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- empire eventually ended by [|Mongols] after being weakened by the Kaifing (who took northern China as the [|Jin empire])===== [//fast-ripening rice//] 1. [|Sui] and [|Tang] armies imposed rule over southern China and then went to Vietnam - in Vietnam encountered new strains of rice - enabled two crops per year - food supply raised quickly [//agricultural techniques//] 1. heavy iron plows: harnessed oxen & watter buffaloes to prepare land 2. manure: to enrich soil 3. extensive irrigation systems: reservoirs, dikes, dams, canals - pumps and water wheels (powered by animal and human energy) to move water into irrigation systems - irrigation spread cultivation to new lands (like mountainsides) - agricultural production led to large population increase from 45 - 115 million by 1200 [//crops//] 1. cotton (made into cloth called jibei) 2. sugarcane 3. tea plantations 4. peony 5. mulberry trees (bred silkworm for silk) [//urbanization//] 1. nost urbanized land in world during the dynasty 2. late 13th c. - [|Hangzhou] (S. Song dynasty's captial) had 1,000,000+ residents //*note: modern-day map// - restaurants, taverns, teahouses, brothels, music halls, theaters, clubhouses, etc. - specialty stores for silk, gems, porcelain, etc. 3. cultivators able to purchase inexpensive rice and raise vegetables/fruits for sale on commercial market [//social structure reform//] 1. tightening of patriarchal structures - to preserve family fortunes 2. veneration of ancestors became much more important; more elaborate processes 3. the practice of foot binding began to arise in patriarchal families [//porcelain, metal, guns, printing, and navy//] - abundant food allowed people to pursue technological and industrial interests 1. porcelain - delicate/decorative glass first discovered by Tang - commonly known as "chinaware" b/c of reputation popularity in the market and at homes (southeast Asia, India, Persia, port cities of east Africa) 2. metallurgy - iron and steel - coke instead of coal to produce superior grades of metal - a lot of iron went into weaponry/agricultural tools (ie 16.5 million iron arrowheads a year) - used in bridges/pagodas/etc. - experienced military difficultues when nomadic peoples learned Chinese techniques and made own iron tools 3. gunpowder - discovered by Daoist alchemists in Tang - charcoal, saltpeter, sulphur, arsenic; thought of as unwise at first, but military took interest - used in bamboo fire lances (flamethrower) - 11th c. - bombs - early weapons unreliable, but technology imporved - became popular throughout Eurasia - experimented with metal-barreled cannons as early as the late 13th c. 4. printing - early: block printing (reverse image on wooden block, pressed to sheet of paper) - mid 11th c.: movable type (dies in shape of ideographs, arranged in frame, pressed onto paper) - block printing preferred b/c of 40,000+ characters in Chinese language - caused fast & cheap production of texts in large quantities (Buddhish texts, Confucian works, calendars, agricultural treatsies, popular works) - officials disseminated printed works by visiting countryside with pamphlets to outline effective agricultural techniques 5. naval technology - iron nails (waterproofed with oils) - watertight bulkheads - canvas and bamboo sails - rudders for steering - "south-pointing needle" (compass; navigation) - large ships had small rocked powered with gunpowder - began to make these new technologies to be able to travel to southeast Asian lands for spices/exotic products [//flying money// ] 1. result of shortage of copper coins - flying money: letters of credit; replacement for coins - enabled merchants to deposit goods or cash at one location and draw the same in cash/merchandise somewhere else in China [//paper money//] 1. printed notes that clients could redeem for merchandise - merchants often not able to honor their notes; discontent among creditors - disorder/riots by then too late to reform system b/c Chinese economy so dependent on it - gov't forbade private parties from issuing paper money; right only for state [//trade//] 1. more land and sea routes began to open --> led to better economy 2. large communities of merchants 3. increased trade with other nations

**Early Ming Initiatives**
[The founding] 1. [|Ming Empire] founded by [|Hongwu] 2. The "brilliant" empire (1368-1644) 3. After [|Yuan dynasty] collaped // [Initial movements] // A. The goverment was made more centralized

b. Eunuchs: thought to be extra hard working for the emperor because that was their only source of wealth because they couldn't build families or power bases
B. Economic Recovery -1. rebuilding irrigation systems led to increase in agricultural production --a. only a small fraction of China's land can be cultivated though -2. manufacture of porcelain, lacqueware, and fine silk and cotton textiles was encourgaged -3. comerical trade was not actively encouraged by the government -4. trade surged within China though C. Cultural Revival -1. Eliminated all [|Mongol] tradtions- clothing, names, etc. -2. Promoted traditional Chinese ideas --a. [|Confucian] / [|neo-Confucian] schools --- acadamies and institutes --- many different levels --b. [|Yongle Encyclopedia] compiled significant works of Chinese philosophy, history and liturature //[Yongle]// A. Emperor [|Yongle] sent naval expeditions to the Indian Ocean (1403-1424) -1. Led by admiral [|Zheng He] --a. 317 vessels + 28,000 men -2. Showed Chinese colors in foreign ports //[technological advancements]// A. With a focus on a centralized government, little attention was paid to technology -1. Cannons and firearms designed by Europeans were borrowed by army -2. Employers hired more workers when they wanted to increase productivity rather than invest in new technologies

Creators: Mary Mulvey Meganne Weissenfels Collin Green**

Editors: Adam Angelino Brian Turley Peri Curtis Kevin Bruno Brian Abbott Jessica Helmstetter Good use of images, grouping and useful links to other pages for elaboration