# **Developments in East Asia**

__**Government Developments of the Song Dynasty**__

|  ![Tang China Map](https://knowt-user-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/c97caec5fcfc4feaaf7067827a16c94a.jpeg =343x331) |  ![Song China Map](https://knowt-user-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/c4afa22d634746dc89df109d102054b7.jpeg =332x329) |
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* Song Dynasty - 960 to 1279
* Tang Dynasty - 618 to 907
* China’s strength credited to it’s imperial **bureaucracy**, used vast organization of appointed officials to carry out the empire’s policies. The bureaucracy was a **meritocracy**, meaning officials were appointed based on their tested abilities.
* **Civil Service Exam:** exams based on Confucian texts, scoring well on them lead to opportunities in highly desired positions in the bureaucracy.

### __**Economic and Technological Developments in Post Classical China**__

* The Tang Dynasty’s economy flourished with improvements in agriculture, transpiration, foreign trade, and technology. Set up further success for the Song Dynasty.
* **Grand Canal** - internal waterway transportation, extended over 30,000 miles, allowed the Song Dynasty to become world’s most populated trading area.
* Song Dynasty created the first guns, overtime the technology spread across Eurasia via the Silk Roads.
* **Champa Rice** - Originating from the Champa Kingdom (modern day Vietnam), a drought resistant and fast ripening rice, expanded agriculture of China (farming all year long available).
* Agricultural developments such as new plows and manure, increased Song China’s population to 40% of the world population.
* China’s discovery of coal in the 4th century enabled great amounts of cast iron goods and later steel to reinforce structures and agricultural equipment.
* **Proto-Industrialization** - Society shift away was agricultural economy, but not yet reached an industrial economy. The era relied more on home/community based production from **artisans** (skilled trader or craftsman) who made silk and porcelain.
* The compass for maritime navigation and navigation charts improved exploration.
* Rather than requiring labor, the Song Dynasty paid workers for public projects.
* The government used a tributary system originating in the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.), where states would have to provide goods or money to honor the Chinese Emperor.
* Kowtow - ritual where anyone must bow there end in front of the emperor.

### __Chinese Social Structures__

* At the height of the Song Dynasty, China was the most urbanized civilization in the world with cities having over 100,000 people. Main cities include Chang’an, Hangzhou, port city of Guangzhou.
* Social hierarchy from highest level to lowest: shi (scholars or gentry), nong (peasant farmers), gong (artisans and craftsmen) and shang (merchants).
* Lower classes were comprised of peasants who had to pay off debts.
* Song Government provided aid for the poor and created public free hospitals.
* Women were not treated with the level of respect men were as there were distinctive practices like **foot binding** (young girls had their feet tied so tightly that their bones did not grow naturally, banned in 1912) in order to restrict their public participation.

### __**Intellectual and Cultural Developments**__

* Chinese invented paper in 2nd century C.E and printing in 7th century.
* **Wood-block Printing** - used for printing text, images, or patterns quickly.
* Most peasants were illiterate, the privileged had increased access to literature with development of printing.
* Confucian scholars consumed and produced literature quickly.

### __**Religion in China**__

* Buddhism from India arrived on the Silk Roads. Widespread during the Tang Dynasty.
* **Theravada Buddhism** - Strongest in Southeast Asia, focused on individual spiritual growth, discipline and meditation.
* **Mahayana Buddhism** - Strongest in China and Korea, emphasized spiritual growth for all beings and service.
* **Tibetan Buddhism** - Strong in Tibet, emphasized chanting.
* **Four Noble Truths -**  foundation of Buddhism, spread ideas of suffering in existence and how to avoid it.
* Daoism and Buddhism combined to form the **syncretic** faith of **Zen Buddhism** (emphasized direct experience and meditation)
* **Neo-Confucianism** - abstract ideas of Daoism and Buddhism such as incarnation emphasizing ethics of nature, popular in China’s neighboring countries.

### __Differences Between Japan, Vietnam, and Korea__

Japan

* Promoted Buddhism and traditional Shinto
* Emulated Chinese politics, art, and literature.
* **Tale of Genji** - the worlds first novel.
* Practiced feudalism (similar to Europeans but power more spread out).
* Emperor had much less power than Chinese would.

Korea

* Tributary relationship to China.
* Shared culture and technological systems.
* Practiced powerful aristocracy.
* Civil service exams not open to peasants

Vietnam

* Similar technology to China.
* Political centralization nonexistent.
* Rejected practices that treated women unfairly.

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World History

# **Developments in East Asia**

__**Government Developments of the Song Dynasty**__

|  ![Tang China Map](https://knowt-user-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/c97caec5fcfc4feaaf7067827a16c94a.jpeg =343x331) |  ![Song China Map](https://knowt-user-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/c4afa22d634746dc89df109d1020

AP World History Unit 1 - Lesson 1.1

Zaid Kassas

View the note AP World History Unit 1 - Lesson 1.1: Developments in East AsiaGovernment Developments of the Song DynastySong Dynasty - 960 to 1279Tang Dynasty - 618 to 907China’s strength credited to it’s imperial bureaucracy, used vast organization of appointed officials to carry out the empire’s p...