Sui Dynasty

• Yang Jian went on military campaigns, bringing China under centralized imperial rule.

• Emperors placed large demands on their subjects, and ruled with a heavy hand, so that they could build a strong, centralized government

• Sui leaders ordered construction of palaces/granaries, made high taxes, demanded labor services, dispatched military to central Asia/Korea

• Most elaborate project was the Grand Canal, made to facilitate trade between north/south China

• Very beneficial, integrated north/south China, allowed for political/cultural unity, and before railroads it was the most popular way to trade

• Despite construction projects helping China in the long term, high taxes/force labor created hostility, and rebellions broke out when Sui Yangdi sought more resources for the Korean campaign

• 618: Emperor assassinated, dynasty ends

Tang Dynasty

• Survived almost 300 years, organized China into a powerful, productive society

• Most of their success was due to Tang Taizong, displayed high sense of duty, worked hard to make a stable government

• Banditry ended during his rule, rice remained cheap, taxes were low. China had stability/prosperity when he ruled.

• Besides the Grand Canal, Tang dynasty had a communication network w/roads, horses, and human runners.

• Equal field system governed the allocation of land, purpose was to ensure equal distribution of land and avoid social problems from past dynasties

• Allotted to people based on land’s fertility/people's needs

• 8th century, system was showing signs of inefficiency, with rising population, bribes, and monasteries limiting the amount of land

• Relied on bureaucracy based on merit

• Recruited officials from ranks of candidates who went through Confucian education system

• Officers came from common families, and the Confucian education system/civil service was so good that it survived till the early 20th century

• Tang was extremely powerful, brought Manchuria, Silla (Korea), north Vietnam, Tibet under their authority

• Revived Han’s practice of fostering trade, cultural, and diplomatic exchanges

• Declined due to careless leadership, with rebellions weakening the state. Tang dynasty came to an end in 907

Song Dynasty

• Reinstated centralized imperial rule, even though it lasted for 300 years they were never very powerful, due to mistrusting military

• First emperor, Song Taizu made a centralized administration that placed military forces under supervision

• Regarded all state officials as servants of imperial government, and rewarded them by allowing for more opportunities to take civil exams, provided good salaries, placed bureaucrats in charge of military forces.

• Ruled in a more centralized way than the last two governments, but had financial and military issues.

• With more bureaucrats and larger salaries, imperial treasury was depleted, raising taxes angered the peasants- bureaucrats dominated Song administration

• Bureaucrats weren’t strong in military, with nomadic people flourishing in their borders- Mongols ended the dynasty in 1279