china defs take 2

Sui Dynasty

Lasted 589–618 C.E.; rulers placed demands to build a strong centralized government, levied taxes, built palaces and granaries, and maintained a strong military.

Yang Jian

First emperor of the Sui Dynasty who rose to power in Northern China, imposed tight political discipline, extended rule over China, and used compulsory labor services.

Grand Canal

A major series of artificial waterways running 1,240 miles from Hangzhou to near Beijing that integrated northern and southern Chinese economies.

Fall of the Sui

Caused by military reverses in Korea, late 610s northern China revolts over resource demands, and the 618 assassination of Sui Yangdi.

Tang Dynasty

Lasted 618–907 C.E.; established after Chang'an was seized by a rebel leader, creating a powerful, productive, and prosperous period.

Tang Taizong

Second Tang emperor (reigned 627–649 C.E.) who brought stable government, built the capital at Chang'an, acted as a Confucian ruler, kept taxes and rice costs low, and used effective policies like the equal-field system.

Transportation and Communication

A system of roads, horses, inns, postal stations, and human runners allowing fast travel and rapid news/supply delivery.

Equal Field System

Governed agricultural land allocation to ensure equitable distribution, avoiding land concentration by assigning land based on family needs and circumstances.

Bureaucracy of Merit

Recruited government officials who progressed through a Confucian educational system, producing loyal and educated civil servants.

Kowtow

A ritual genuflection where subordinates knelt before the emperor and touched their foreheads to the ground in exchange for gifts and recognition.

An Lushan

A military commander who mounted a rebellion in 755, captured Chang'an and Luoyang, and drastically weakened the Tang Dynasty.

Song Dynasty

Lasted 960–1279 C.E.; emphasized civil administration, industry, education, and arts over military affairs, led initially by Song Taizu.

Jurchens

Nomadic people who conquered the Khitan, captured the Song capital, established the Jin empire, and forced the Song to move south.

Fast-Ripening Rice

Encountered in Vietnam; allowed two crop harvests per year, expanding China's food supply and supporting population growth.

Agricultural Techniques

Innovations including heavy iron plows, oxen/water buffaloes, manure/compost, terraced mountainsides, and extensive irrigation systems (dikes, dams, canals, waterwheels).

Commercialized Agriculture

Fast-ripening rice enabled cultivators to purchase inexpensive food and specialize in growing cash crops for sale in distant markets.

Foot Binding

Practiced mainly on wealthy women during the Song era; tight cloth wrapping prevented natural foot growth to display status and control behavior.

Porcelain

Lighter, thinner, and aesthetically pleasing glazed pottery produced during Tang/Song eras, widely exported as "Chinaware".

Gunpowder

Discovered by Daoist alchemists mixing charcoal, saltpeter, sulfur, and arsenic; initially used in "fire lances" and early explosive weapons.

Printing

Increased iron and steel production driven by using coke instead of coal in furnaces to create stronger metals.

Metallurgy

Increased iron and steel production driven by using coke instead of coal in furnaces to create stronger metals.

Compass

A magnetic "South-pointing needle" adopted by Song seafarers to aid maritime navigation.

Banks

Developed credit alternatives like "flying cash," promissory notes, and checks to address copper coin shortages during economic growth.

Paper Money

Printed paper notes introduced by merchants and later issued by the government to facilitate commercial transactions

Nestorian Christianity

Settled in China following the fall of the Han Dynasty and established communities by the late 6th century.

Manichaeism

An imported religion that settled in China following the fall of the Han Dynasty.

Zoroastrianism

Came to China with people fleeing Islamic conquerors of Persia.

Mahayana Buddhism

Gained a popular following in Tang and Song China, spreading via oasis cities like Dunhuang along the Silk Roads.

Nature of Chinese Buddhism

Attracted followers through intellectual sophistication and salvation promises; monasteries accumulated land, distributed food during hardships, and served local economies.

Chan Buddhism

Also known as Zen Buddhism; emphasized intuition and sudden flashes of insight rather than written texts, resembling Daoism.

Neo-Confucianism

Promoted by Song emperors to limit foreign religious influence by actively sponsoring the studies and traditions of Confucian scholars.

Chinese Influence on Korea

Silla kingdom acknowledged Tang overlordship in a tributary relationship, adopting kowtow rituals, political ideas, court customs, and trade.

Biggest impact on Korea

Chinese Influence on Vietnam

Viet elites adopted Chinese agricultural techniques, irrigation, Confucian education, administrative methods, and tributary relations.

Nara Japan

Period where Japanese imperial policy adopted a Chinese-style bureaucracy, equal-field system, Confucian/Buddhist support, and a capital modeled on Chang'an

Heian Japan

Lasted 794–1185 C.E.; featured ceremonial emperors with real political power held by the Fujiwara family, alongside rich cultural adaptation of Chinese learning and script.

Shinto

Indigenous Japanese religion centered around the veneration of ancestors and local nature spirits/deities.

Tale of Genji

Written in Japanese syllabic script by Murasaki Shikibu; a classic Heian literary work focusing on court life and reflection.

Minamoto

Powerful clan that won a 12th-century war, establishing a military governor (shogun) at Kamakura while keeping the emperor as a figurehead.

Kamakura

Medieval Japanese period (1185–1333 C.E.) characterized by decentralized political power under provincial lords and samurai.

Shogun

A military governor who ruled in place of the Japanese emperor, establishing government headquarters at Kamakura.

Samurai

Professional warriors and specialists in combat who served provincial lords to enforce authority and maintain territory.