Contributions Of Chinese Cultures During The Tang And Song Dynasties

China was affected tremendously by the spread of Buddhism from 300 to 900 C.E. Buddhism itself was spread to China around 100 C.E by Indian missionaries, and after taking hold during the Era of Division (300s-500s), it became a household religion (particularly the Mahayana and Chan variations . Buddhism’s popularity rose consistently from the late Han dynasty through it’s peak during Empress Wu’s rule in the late 600s and early 700s. But, the religion’s popularity fell sharply during Emperor Wuzong’s reign as the persecution of Buddhism grew common (CONTEXT). The spread of Buddhism affected all classes and people of China in different ways; Chinese peasants were able to worship this religion regardless of education or social position (though

China has been the home to various religions. At different times different dynasties endorsed certain religions while repressing others. While Buddhism flourished during the Sui and Tang dynasty, it faced opposition from the government during the Song dynasty. Confucianism lost government endorsement during the Sui and Tang but gained momentum during the Song as Neo-Confucianism. Yuan dynasty promoted Islam and Tibet Buddhism but ignored Confucianism. Different rulers sponsored and protected different religions but Confucianism and some form of Buddhism have always been alive in Chinese society from 600 to 1450.

In classical India, the religion of Buddhism was formed in reaction to the strict ways of Hinduism. Many people, mainly lower class, converted to seek a better life and be enlightened more efficiently. This new religion made its way to China where much of its population converted through trade and missionaries. The conversion of Buddhism in China caused many effects of the spread of Buddhism because of its influential impacts from 300 to 900 CE which are influencing the government, caused some people to reject it, and mainly was a unifying force for China. An effect the spread of Buddhism is the influence of its morals on China’s government in 300-900 CE (Doc’s 1, 7). On some occasions Chinese people vehemently rejected Buddhism and rather practice more Chinese driven religion (Doc’s 5, 7). The most impactful effect of the spread of Buddhism is its ability to unite the Chinese in the way of

Following the collapse of the Han Dynasty in 220, China declined into an elongated term of division. China was divided and in a time of war, with a lack of leadership. It was only in the Sui Dynasty (589-618) reunited North and South China as one. The Tang (618-906) and Song (960 - 1279) Dynasties that followed created the “Golden Ages of China”. Although the Tang and Song Dynasties existed in a similar time and had a similar economy, there are also many differences between the influential dynasties such as certain aspects of their society and politics.

3. A. One perspective on buddhists adopted by the Tang Dynasty officials was that one of

During the years 600-900 A.D. of the Chinese Empire, the Tang Dynasty was in power, and was considered the Golden age of Chinese civilization. The dynasty's second emperor, Taizong, started campaigns to deal with threats from the Nomadic Tribes. Due to these campaigns in the Tarim Basin, the Silk Road was able to stay open, allowing for trade in the Middle East and Europe. This trading society encouraged people from distant countries to come and settle in China. Another advancement affecting trade was the “equal-field system” which not only saw that everyone received proper care, but that all land was being farmed. This was possible by making it that people given land did not have to give it up to the military service, called the “Fubing System”,

The emperor Taizong gave money to monasteries, sent for more Buddhist books, and created art and statues honoring the Buddhist religion. The empress Wu compose the ultimate dedication to the new faith. She not only created more Buddhist artifacts, but she gave monk more political and social power and requested different scholars to come and teach more of this religion. Wu also injected a law which made Buddhism supersede any other beliefs. So based on the information presented in this paragraph, you can clearly see the political influence on Buddhism and China. Now let’s go over some social effects that helped with the continuous spread of Buddhism through China and central Asia.

“The future depends on what we do in the present” - Gandhi. Have you ever wondered what life would be like if Karl Benzin hadn’t created the first car, or Thomas Edison hadn’t invented the light bulb? Things that we take for granted now, were once a dream, an idea, a plan. The inventors probably had little idea about the impact it would have on the future. 4,000 years ago people wouldn’t have even dreamed of things that we take for granted now. But many of the people back then had ideas and made decisions that affected the future of the world. Around 3,000 years ago in China, the 3rd of China’s dynasties occurred. This dynasty is called the Tang Dynasty and is often referred to as the Golden Age because of its great advancements. The Tang dynasty was the most impactful of China’s Dynasty because of the cultural advancements, economic growth, useful inventions, important studies, and government code changes that took place.

The Qin dynasty united China after years of wars and their goal was for that unification to be permanent even though their dynasty ended after only a few years. Four hundred years later with the Tang dynasty in 618 China reached a highpoint in their history, but they were ruled by people that were not ethnically Chinese. The north and south were split after the sixth century under the dynasty of Sui and the outcome became two separate nations one rule by what Ebrey states as “Sino-foreign regimes” (109). The Tang dynasty did not inhabit all of China; they only controlled certain parts and were themselves from Northern China that was not considered ethnically Chinese. This foreignness from the Tang dynasty allowed them to commit policies that

Page 3 Buddhism Buddhism was a very influential religion in China. It impacted China in a very spiritual, cultural, and social way. In the late Han dynasty, from around 202 BC-220 AD, this religion was introduced by missionaries and traders along the silk road from India. There are two types of buddhism. First there is Theravada Buddhism.

At the same time, these documents show that the Zhou recognized the Shang as occupying the center of the world, were eager to succeed to that role themselves, and saw history as a legitimate power (59, McKay). The Zhou also believed instead of ruling their regions absolutely they established a decentralized feudal system. This backfired on them causing rebellion as the lord who controlled these lands began to disobey their king and this passed from generation to generation. Cities began emerging throughout the land with heavily built walls for protection as economic change was on the rise. Trade was persuaded by the invention of coins which prospered economic growth. Their armies grew with developments in the crossbow, cavalry, and the infantry. Wars could be easily fought with combination of these new discoveries, and lands could be taken swiftly.

With the changes of dynasties, religion “trends” would also change, according to the new power’s beliefs and needs. Thus, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism would rise and fall according to each different empire. For example, during the Han period, Confucianism was adopted as state policy and Buddhism and Daoism were then banned.

Early chinese civilization was very well in control of Asia and assumed the role of ‘big brother” to its neighboring Asian countries of Japan, Vietnam, and Korea. Japan, Korea, and Vietnam were absolutely affected by China, being affected by Chinese religion, government, and sky’s the limit from there. Even if you look at current day Asia, those countries still possess a lot of Chinese influence.

After reading thru several different sources of information, I feel the top 10 ancient Chinese inventions that need mentioning are as follows:

Speaking of ancient China and its enormous influence in East Asian history, the first dynasty that comes into people’s mind must be Tang dynasty. Tang is universally acknowledged as one of the most powerful dynasties in Chinese history, attracting many vassal states to study the political system and culture of Tang dynasty. Almost every main country in East Asian history has the slight trace of Tang; and even today, Chinese often proudly call themselves “Tang people”. Contrasting to Tang, Song dynasty is not that memorable because of its lack of military strength and several humiliating defeats. However, Song, in history, is a dynasty that raised Chinese civilization to a higher level and even exceeded Tang dynasty. Song itself also provided a model for its neighboring countries to imitate. Take Koryŏ for a perfect example. As the market economy, the technology, the citizens’ living standard and the education all came to a new climax during Song dynasty, China, meanwhile, deeply influenced Koryŏ in these four aspects.