China and their Dynasties- Chicago Sourced, 150 words, course material only

 Describe the rise of China under the Han, Tang and Song dynasties. Discuss how each influenced China’s subsequent development during this period.

https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=history-textbooks

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During the Western Zhou, kings ruled by granting land and noble titles to kinsmen and allies in exchange for loyalty and service. The resulting political system, which saw China divided into more than one hundred feudal states, is known as Zhou feudalism. During the Eastern Zhou, this nobility became increasingly independent and fought with one another for power and territory. A few declared themselves kings and forged powerful militaries by preparing their kingdoms for war. In the end, in 221 BCE, the state of Qin prevailed, initiating China’s imperial era. In the midst of the dislocation caused by Eastern Zhou instability, three of China’s major philosophical traditions emerged: Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism.

The short-lived Qin Dynasty was followed by the much lengthier Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE). During that time, Confucianism was adopted as the governing philosophy, penetrating society and shaping the Chinese worldview. The Han also became an empire as its borders expanded in all directions. During the reign of Emperor Wu (141 – 87 BCE), China extended its control to parts of Korea, northern Vietnam, and much of Central Asia. The resulting stability and productive economy spurred the development of the Silk Routes.

After the Han Dynasty fell, China was ruled by several independent, short-lived kingdoms until 589 CE, when the Sui Dynasty reunited most of the territory once controlled by the Han. Thus, for four centuries, during what is known as the Period of Division (220 – 589 CE), China was politically unstable and racked by endemic warfare. But in spite of this violence, these centuries also saw vibrant cultural developments, as Buddhism became an organized institutional religion that reshaped the spiritual landscape.

The Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 CE) was yet another long-lived ruling power. Tang rulers built an empire on the foundations of solid political and legal institutions, agricultural policy, and a formidable military. During the Tang Dynasty, East Asia emerged as an identifiable cultural sphere. Although kingdoms had already formed on the Korean Peninsula and the main islands of Japan, it was during the Tang Dynasty that ruling elites in both of these states made extensive efforts to adapt into their own societies components of Chinese culture as well as its political, legal, and writing systems. During the seventh century CE, the Silla Dynasty unified the Korean Peninsula, and the Yamato heavenly sovereigns unified much of Japan. Two other unique East Asian civilizations had taken shape. 

The last major dynasty surveyed here is the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279 CE), notable for the challenges it faced from northern conquest dynasties, economic prosperity, and the civil service examination system and educated scholar-officials it created. Since footbinding developed during the Song, we also considered the status of women in Chinese society, where gender hierarchy was the norm.

The Song Dynasty ended with Mongol conquests in 1279 CE. The Mongol Yuan Dynasty made China one part of a much larger Eurasian territorial empire. Mongol ruled lasted until 1368 CE, when native rebellions overthrew a faltering Yuan state, initiating a new period in Chinese history: the Ming Dynasty. This dynasty properly belongs to early modern history.