WHAP U1 - T1

Song Dynasty

Replaced the Tang in 960 and ruled for more than three centuries; experienced great wealth, political stability, and fine artistic achievements.

Imperial bureaucracy

A vast organization of appointed officials in China who carried out the empire's policies.

Meritocracy

A system where officials obtained their positions by scoring well on civil service exams based on knowledge of Confucian texts.

Heian period

A period in Japan (794-1185) when the country emulated Chinese traditions in politics, art, and literature.

Shogun

A military ruler in Japan who reigned while the emperor had little power.

Champa rice

A fast-ripening and drought-resistant strain of rice from Vietnam that greatly expanded agricultural production in China.

Proto-industrialization

An economic change in rural areas of China where people made more goods than they could sell, relying on home-based production.

Artisans

Skilled craftworkers who produced goods like steel, porcelain, and silk.

Grand Canal

An inexpensive and efficient internal waterway transportation system in China that extended over 30,000 miles.

Tributary system

An arrangement where other states had to pay money or provide goods to honor the Chinese emperor.

Scholar gentry

A new social class created by the bureaucratic expansion; educated in Confucian philosophy, they became the most influential class in China.

Filial piety

The duty of family members to subordinate their desires to those of the male head of the family and to the ruler.

Foot binding

A practice among aristocratic Chinese families during the Song Dynasty where girls' feet were wrapped so tightly the bones did not grow naturally, signifying social status.

Nuclear families

A family structure consisting of a wife, husband, and their children, preferred by the Vietnamese over extended families.

Polygyny

The practice of having more than one wife at the same time, a custom rejected by Vietnamese women.

Woodblock printing

A system of printing developed by the Chinese in the 7th century, where they were the first culture to use it.

Buddhism

A religion that came to China from India via the Silk Roads, becoming widespread during the Tang Dynasty.

Theravada Buddhism

A form of Buddhism focused on personal spiritual growth through silent meditation and self-discipline.

Mahayana Buddhism

A form of Buddhism focused on spiritual growth for all beings and on service; became strongest in China and Korea.

Tibetan Buddhism

A form of Buddhism focused on chanting.

Syncretic

Refers to the fusion of different beliefs, such as the combination of Buddhist doctrines with Daoist traditions.

Chan (Zen) Buddhism

A syncretic faith created by combining Buddhism and Daoist traditions; it emphasized direct experience and meditation.

Neo-Confucianism

A syncretic system that combined rational thought with the abstract ideas of Daoism and Buddhism, emphasizing ethics.

Bushido

The Japanese code of conduct that stressed frugality, loyalty, the martial arts, and honor unto death.