chapter 7 Flashcards
(17 cards)
great wall
a rammed earth fortification built along the northern border of china during the reign of the first emperor
Confucian classics
The ancient texts recovered during the Han Dynasty that confucian scholars treated as scared scriptures
Records of the Grand Historian
A comprehensive history of chia written by Sima Qian
Silk Road
The trade routes across Central Asia through which Chinese silk and other items were traded
Tributary system
a system first established during the Han Dynasty to regulate contact with foreign powers. States and tribes beyond its borders sent envoys bearing gifts and received gifts in return
Eunuchs
castrated males who played an important role as palace servants
Age of Division
the period after the fall of the Han Dynasty, when China was politically divided.
Grand Canal
A canal, built during the Sui Dynasty, that connected the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers, notable for strengthening china’s internal cohesion and economic development.
Pure Land
A school of Buddhism that taught that by calling on the Buddha Amitabh and his chief helper, one could achieve rebirth in amitabha’s Pure Land paradise
Chan
A school of Buddhism that rejected the authority of the sutras and claimed the superiority of mind to mind transmission of Buddhist truths
Shinto
The way of the gods, it was the native religion espoused by the Yamato rulers in Japan
Nara
Japan’s capital and first true city; it was established in 710 and modeled on the Tang capital of Chang’an
What were the social, cultural and political consequences of the unification of China under the strong centralized government of the Qin and Han empires?
After unifying china in 221 B.C.E the Qin Dynasty created a strong centralized government that abolished nobel privilege and kept ordinary people in place through sticky enforced laws. The first Emperor of Qin standardized trades and building roads allowed china to be a world power. Han Dynasty harsh laws and taxes of the Qin were lifted through a strong centralized government. Han gov promoted internal peace by providing relief disasters such as famines and by keeping land taxes low for the peasantry. So pop grew in Han, and their expansion helped with Silk Road trade. Confucianism grew popularity, and the invention of paper reduced cost of records and books.
Filial Piety
respecting olders
How did Buddhism find its way into East Asia, and what was its appeal and impact?
Final years the Han Dynasty, Buddhism reached China from Central Asia. Conquest had little to do with the spread of Buddhism in East Asia rather it was merchants and missionaries who brought Buddhism, especially Mahayana Buddhism, across the silk road. Buddhism brought to china: huge body sculptures, celibate monks and nuns, traditions of depicting Buddhas and bodhisattvas in statues and paintings. United Chinese and non chinese citizens. People from all classes were drawn to its kindness and charity. Buddhism offered nuns which pursue enlightenment terms that were almost equal to men.
What were the lasting accomplishments of Sui and Tang Dynasty
China was reunified in 589 c.e by the Sui Dynasty. The Sui strengthened the central control of government by limiting the power of local officials to appoint their own subordinates. Competitive written exams that Sui instituted dominated China. Building of the Grand Canal strengthened China internally and connected the north to the maritime trade with Southwest Asia and India. The Tang established government schools to prepare men for service as officials. China regained overlordship of Silk Road into Central Asia so they had powerful connections. Tang period cultural was flowing, in music and poetry.
What elements of Chinese culture were adopted by Koreans, Vietnamese, and Japanese, and how did they adapt them to their own circumstances?
China’s neighbors began to adopt elements of china’s material, political, and religious cultures including the Chinese writing system. Forced arms, not military, helped spread chinese culture. They were adopted because they believed the adaption would be to their advantage. Korean government was modeled on the Tang with Korean aristocratic social structure adaptions
