The Resurgence of Empire in East Asia

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the political, economic, and cultural developments of East Asia during the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties, including their influences on neighboring societies.

Sui Dynasty

The Chinese dynasty existing from $589$ to $618\, \text{C.E.}$ that returned China to centralized imperial rule after the fall of the Han.

Yang Jian

An ambitious ruler in northern China who imposed tight political discipline and established the Sui dynasty.

Grand Canal

An elaborate waterworks project completed by Sui Yangdi that facilitated trade between northern and southern China.

Tang Taizong

The second emperor of the Tang dynasty who reigned from $627$ to $649\, \text{C.E.}$, built the capital at Chang’an, and provided stable government.

Equal-field system

A Tang policy for land distribution where approximately $\frac{1}{5}$ of the land was hereditary and the rest was subject to redistribution based on need.

Kowtow

A ritual prostration where envoys from tributary states delivered gifts and recognized the Tang emperor as their overlord.

An Lushan’s rebellion

A rebellion led by a military commander in $755\, \text{C.E.}$ that left the Tang dynasty in a weakened state after the emperor neglected public affairs.

Uighurs

Nomadic mercenaries invited by Tang commanders to help expel rebels, who subsequently sacked Chang’an and Luoyang.

Song Dynasty

The dynasty from $960$ to $1279\, \text{C.E.}$ that focused on civil administration, industry, education, and the arts rather than military affairs.

Song Taizu

The first Song emperor who expanded the bureaucracy based on merit and placed civil bureaucrats in charge of military forces.

Jurchen

A nomadic people who conquered the Khitan and captured the Song capital in the early twelfth century, establishing the Jin empire.

Fast-ripening rice

A crop from Vietnam that enabled Chinese cultivators to harvest two crops per year, significantly increasing food supplies.

Li Bai

A popular Tang era poet whose writings frequently focused on the social life of Chinese cities.

Foot binding

The tight wrapping of young girls' feet to prevent natural growth, a practice that spread during the Song era to increase patriarchal control.

Wu Zhao

A concubine of Tang Taizong who later became the wife of his successor and claimed the imperial title for herself in $690\, \text{C.E.}$

Porcelain

A light, thin, and adaptable craft product often called chinaware that emerged as an innovation during the Tang and Song dynasties.

Gunpowder

A substance first developed during the Tang dynasty, which by the mid-tenth century was used in bamboo fire lances and primitive bombs.

South-pointing needle

The magnetic compass, a naval technology improvement that allowed mariners to navigate more accurately.

Flying cash

Letters of credit developed by merchants to address the shortage of copper coins during the Tang and Song rapid trade growth.

Mahayana Buddhism

A foreign religion that gradually found a popular following in China after the fall of the Han, emphasizing morality and salvation.

Dharma

An Indian Buddhist term that missionaries translated into the Chinese term dao, or 'the way,' to make the message more familiar.

Chan Buddhism

A school of Buddhism that held intuition and insight in high regard.

Neo-Confucianism

A cultural development in the Song era that combined original Confucian values with the philosophical and speculative features of Buddhist thought.

Zhu Xi

The philosopher and most important representative of Song Neo-Confucianism who emphasized proper personal behavior and social harmony.

Silla Dynasty

The Korean dynasty from $669$ to $935\, \text{C.E.}$ that maintained a tributary relationship with the Tang while remaining independent.

Shinto

The indigenous religion of Japan involving the veneration of ancestors and nature spirits.

The Tale of Genji

A literary work written by Murasaki Shikibu at the Heian court that meditated on the passing of time and human sorrows.

Shogun

A military governor who ruled in the name of the emperor; first established by the Minamoto clan at Kamakura.

Samurai

Professional mounted warriors of medieval Japan who served provincial lords and valued military talent and discipline.