Sui Dynasty
The short dynasty between the Han and the Tang; built the Grand Canal, strengthened the government, and introduced Buddhism to China
Tang Dynasty
dynasty often referred to as China's Golden age that reigned during 618 - 907 AD; China expands from Vietnam to Manchuria
Song Dynasty
(960 - 1279 AD); this dynasty was started by Tai Zu; by 1000, a million people were living there; started feet binding; had a magnetic compass; had a navy; traded with india and persia (brought pepper and cotton); first to have paper money, explosive gun powder; *landscape black and white paintings
Yang Jian
conquered the south, unified China, created the Sui dynasty and finally ended the Period of Disunion
Sui Yangdi
second emperor of Sui; completes Grand Canal; high taxes and forced labor spur hostility resulting in his assassination in 618
Grand Canal
The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was begun in the Han period and completed during the Sui Empire. (p. 277)
Tang Taizong
(627- 649) He reconquerored the northern and western land that China had since the decline of the Han Dynasty. He started the achievements of the Tang Dynasty.
equal-field system
This Chinese system allotted land to individuals and their families according to the land's fertility and the recipients' needs.
bureaucracy of merit
civil service examinations; based on Confucian education - no longer decided by family lineage significance: Helped to strengthen the imperial government
Silla Kingdom
Independent Korean kingdom in the southeast part of the peninsulal defeated Koguryo with the help of their chinese Tang allies; sumbitted as a vassal of the Tang emperor and agreed to tribute payment; united Korea by 668.
tributary
branch that flows into the main stream
An Lushan
One of the Tang dynasty's foremost military commanders who mounted a rebellion and captured the capital at Chang'an and the secondary capital at Luoyang in 755.
Du Fu
poet known for formal writing and social injustice
Uighurs
nomadic Turkish people who were hired by the Tang to defeat the rebellion of An Lushan, later sacked Chang'an and Luoyang
Song Taizu
First Song dynasty emperor who reigned from 960-976 CE. He focused his rule on civil administration, industry, education, and the arts rather than on military affairs. Inaugurated bureaucracy of merit.
Jin Empire
established by the Jurchen people in Northern China after they conquered the northern part of the Song Dynasty
Hangzhou
Capital of later Song dynasty; located near East China Sea; permitted overseas trading; population exceeded 1 million.
Fast-ripening rice
acquired by Chinese through trade with Vietnam. ripens twice a year, which allowed farmers to harvest more crops. allowed China's population to expand
Chang'an
City in the Wei Valley in eastern China. It became the capital of the Zhou kingdom and the Qin and early Han Empires. Its main features were imitated in the cities and towns that sprang up throughout the Han Empire. >(p. 164)
Li Bo
Most famous poet of the Tang era; blended images of the mundane world with philosophical musings.
foot binding
practice in Chinese society to mutilate women's feet in order to make them smaller; produced pain and restricted women's movement; made it easier to confine women to the household
porcelain
a thin, beautiful pottery invented in China
gunpowder
The formula, brought to China in the 400s or 500s, was first used to make fumigators to keep away insect pests and evil spirits. In later centuries it was used to make explosives and grenades and to propel cannonballs, shot, and bullets. (p. 289)
magnetic compass
compass based on an indicator (as a magnetic needle) that points to the magnetic north
flying cash
Enabled merchants to deposit good or cash at one location and draw the equivalent in cash or merchandise elsewhere in China.
paper money
legal currency issued on paper; it developed in China as a convenient alternative to metal coins
Suleiman
Ottoman sultan who brought the Ottoman Empire to its height; he succeeded in defeating the Habsburgs and capturing Vienna.
Chan Buddhism
Known as Zen in Japan; stressed meditation and appreciation of natural and artistic beauty; popular with members of elite Chinese society
neo- Confucianism
term that describes the resurgence of Confucianism and the influence of Confucian scholars during the T'ang Dynasty; a unification of Daoist or Buddhist metaphysics with Confucian pragmatism
Zhu Xi
Most prominent neo-Confucian scholar during the Song dynasty; stressed importance of applying philosophical principles to everyday life.
Nara Japan
Japanese period (710-794) centered around city of Nara, that was the highest point of Chinese influence.
Heian Japan
A period in time where cultural development took place. Japan's ideas, traditions, and culture, was influence by Chinese cultures.
Minamoto
Defeated the rival Taira family in Gempei Wars and established military government in 12th-century Japan.
shogun
the supreme military commander of Japan
Kamakura period
Period spanning from 1185- 1333 A.D. Feudal Japan began in this period, and the first shogunate was appointed.The Mongols invaded twice but were repelled by Kamikaze Typhoon. Zen Buddhism Flourished and wars drained the economy.
Muromachi period
(1333-1615) no strong centralized court; court music dwindled and Noh drama developed
samurai
a Japanese warrior who was a member of the feudal military aristocracy