China:
Tang Empire (618-907)
Tang Origins: Territorial Expansion Avoided over-centralization Combined Turkic influence with Chinese Confucian traditions
Buddhism: Legitimized control of the kings (spiritual agents) -Buddhist monasteries – allies to kings -received tax exemptions, land, gifts. Buddhist Monks: -Counseled aristocrats -Prayed for aspiring imperial princes -preached on behalf of princes Contributed money to imperial causes
Mahayana Buddhism: Flexible beliefs -local deities combined into Mahayana pantheon Buddhists texts into local languages -Spread through Central and East Asia -Trade routes converged on capital
Chang’an (modern-day Xi’an) – other cultures and peoples came to this city -Inland city, not near rivers, located in central China
Chang’an – cosmopolitan city -One million residents – most living outside city walls -tributary system Foreigners lived in special compounds Urban residents lived in walled, gated residential cities
Roads and Canals
Grand Canal (built by Sui Dynasty) Located on east coast Connected Yellow River with Yangzi River Helped increase tributary system Facilitated trade and communication within China South China firmly established Islamic and Jewish merchants from western Asia came to China via Indian Ocean trade routes
Large Chinese commercial ships – Southeast Asia Bubonic plague also brought from western Asia to China – sea routes (Red Sea and Persian Gulf to Canton)
Cultural Exchange: Transmitted by Turkic peoples with Chinese culture -Polo, grape wine, tea, spices
Trade: China lost monopoly on silk, but began to produce own cotton, tea, and sugar
Tang roads, river transport, canals = tremendous growth in trade
More exports than imports during Tang Dynasty (Silk and porcelain)
Rivals for Power: 600-907
Uighurs (Turkic group) – empire in Central Asia Merchants and scribes – strong ties with Islam and China Developed own script Uighur empire lasted for about fifty years
Tibet – large empire – access to Southeast Asia, China, South Asia, and Central Asia Open to Indian, Islamic, Greek, (via Iran) cultures
Early Tang – China and Tibet relations originally friendly Tibetan king received Chinese princess Mahayana Buddhism brought to Tibet and combined with local religion
By late-660s, Tibet and China became military rivals -Tibet allied itself with Southwestern Kingdom of Nanchao against Tang
Ninth Century: Tibetan King attempted to eliminate Buddhism – failed
Tibet then entered a long period of monastic rule and isolation
Upheavals and Repression: 750-879
Late Ninth-Century
Tang Empire broke power of Buddhist monasteries and Confucian ideology reasserted
Reason: Buddhism seen as undermining family system and eroding tax base by accumulating tax-free land and attracting 100,000s of people to become monks and nuns
Also: Buddhism had been used to legitimize women’s role in participation of politics Example: Wu Zhao took control of government and made herself emperor with ideological and material support of Buddhism
When Buddhism became repressed, Confucian scholars concocted accounts that painted highly critical portraits of Wu Zhao and other influential Chinese people -Crackdown on Buddhism – brought destruction of many Buddhist cultural artifacts
End of Tang Empire: 879-907
As territory expanded, internal rebellions Tang looked upon powerful provincial military governors to maintain peace. In 908, Tang state ended and military governors established own kingdoms
None of smaller kingdoms able to integrate territory on scale of Tang Result: East Asia’s communication was cut off from the Islamic world and Europe