EQ1 SWANGER EAST ASIAN EMPIRES

Who shall you talk about?

The Tangs and Songs

Why were they modern?

• Had many innovations

• Civil Service Exam (meritocracy)

• Trade

• Industrialization

• Land reform

• Double tax

Why was the Civil Service Exam modern?

They (theoretically) gave the opportunity for lower class to become higher class (since anyone could take it), which creates CLASS MOBILITY

What innovations did they have?

Had Gunpowder, paper, porcelain

What are some things to prove their involvement in trade?

The utilized the Silk Road, They imported Vietnamese rice, they traded silk

What are some things that prove they were industrial

They mass-produced silk, as an example

What proves their land reform was modern?

It gave peasants land of their own, which made power more distributed, as it made the nobles less powerful and the peasants more powerful

Why was the double tax modern?

It gave peasants more leniency, or a “social safety net” which allows them to have more free time

Why could they be considered traditional?

• Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism emphasized traditional values

  • Filial piety (looking at the past)

  • Respecting the hierarchy

  • Conformity

  • Women were under men (e.g. footbinding)

• Frowned upon art innovation

• Civil service exam restricted to elite

• Most people were peasant farmers

Why was (Neo)Confucianism: Filial piety traditional?

Filial piety makes one look at the past; creates a hierarchy because older = higher ranked

Why was (Neo)Confucianism: Women under men (e.g. footbinding) traditional?

This shows the view that difference is dangerous, therefore they mistreated women. Footbinding was traditional because it restricted their ability to move, therefore reinforcing the stereotype that women were subservient and should be in the house, which did not help diversity.