Imperial China: Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties

Vocabulary flashcards covering political figures, administrative systems, major projects, and rebellions during the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties.

Yang Jian

An ambitious ruler in northern China who imposed tight political discipline, claimed the throne in 581 C.E., and brought all of China under centralized imperial rule by 589 C.E., founding the Sui dynasty.

Sui Dynasty

The dynasty (589-618 C.E.) that restored centralized imperial rule to China after more than 350 years of disunity, relying on high taxes, compulsary labor, and elaborate construction projects.

Sui Yangdi

The second emperor of the Sui dynasty (reigned 604-618 C.E.) who completed the Grand Canal but was assassinated in 618 C.E. following revolts provoked by high taxes, forced labor, and failed Korean campaigns.

Grand Canal

A series of artificial waterways completed during the Sui dynasty extending almost $2,000\,km$ ($1,240\,miles$) that facilitated trade between northern and southern China, particularly transporting rice from the Yangzi River valley.

Tang Dynasty

The Chinese dynasty (618-907 C.E.) that succeeded the Sui dynasty and organized China into a powerful, prosperous, and expansive imperial state.

Tang Taizong

The second emperor of the Tang dynasty (reigned 627-649 C.E.) who built a capital at Chang'an, maintained low peasant taxes ($2.5\%$ tax rate), and established unusual stability and effective governance.

Equal-Field System

A land-allocation system during the Tang dynasty designed to ensure equitable distribution by allotting land based on fertility and family needs, reserving about one-fifth as hereditary possession and four-fifths for redistribution.

Bureaucracy of Merit

A system used by the Tang and Song dynasties to recruit state officials based on performance on imperial civil service examinations focusing on classic Confucian literature and philosophy.

Middle Kingdom

The Chinese political theory asserting China as a powerful central realm with the duty to bring order to subordinate neighboring lands through a diplomatic tributary system.

Kowtow

A diplomatic ritual prostration in which envoys from tributary states knelt before the Chinese emperor and touched their foreheads to the ground as a token of subordinate status.

An Lushan

A Tang military commander who mounted a major rebellion in 755 C.E., capturing Chang'an and Luoyang, before being murdered in 757 C.E.

Uighurs

A nomadic Turkic people invited by Tang commanders to help suppress An Lushan's rebellion in exchange for the right to sack Chang'an and Luoyang.

Huang Chao

A military commander who led a decade-long uprising (875-884 C.E.) across eastern China, routinely pillaging the wealthy to distribute plunder to the poor.

Song Dynasty

The imperial dynasty (960-1279 C.E.) that re-established centralized rule in China, prioritizing civil administration, industry, education, and the arts over military affairs.

Song Taizu

The first emperor of the Song dynasty (reigned 960-976 C.E.) who subjected warlords to his authority, persuaded his generals to retire, and organized a highly centralized bureaucracy based on merit.