Chpt. 12, Tang and Song

Question 1

Li Yuan

Answer 1

also known as Duke of Tang; minister for Yangdi; took over empire following assassination of Yangdi; first emperor of the Tang dynasty; took imperial title of Gaozu

Question 2

Chang’an

Answer 2

capital of Tang dynasty; population of 2 million, larger than any other city in the world at the time

Question 3

Ministry of Rites

Answer 3

administered examinations to students from Chinese government schools or those recommended by distinguished scholars

Question 4

jinshi

Answer 4

title granted to students who passed the most difficult Chinese examination on all of Chinese literature; became immediate dignitaries and eligible for high office

Question 5

pure land Buddhism (Mahayana)

Answer 5

emphasized salvationist aspect of Chinese Buddhism; popular among masses of Chinese society

Question 6

Chan Buddhism in China; Zen Buddhism in Japan

Answer 6

type of Buddhism that stressed meditation and appreciation of natural and artistic beauty; popular with members of elite Chinese society

Question 7

Empress Wu

Answer 7

Tang ruler from 690-705 in China; supported Buddhist establishment; tried to elevate Buddhism to state religion; had multistory statues of Buddha created

Question 8

Emperor Wuzong

Answer 8

Chinese emperor of Tang dynasty who openly persecuted Buddhism by destroying monasteries in the 800s

Question 9

Xuanzong

Answer 9

leading Chinese emperor of the Tang dynasty who reigned from 713 to 755 though he encouraged overexpansion

Question 10

Yang Guifei

Answer 10

royal concubine during the reign of Xuanzong; introduction of her relatives into royal administration led to revolt

Question 11

Zhao Kuangyin

Answer 11

founder of the Song dynasty; originally a general following the fall of the Tang; took title of Taizu; failed to overcome northern Liao dynasty that remained independent

Question 12

Liao dynasty

Answer 12

founded in 907 by nomadic Khitan peoples from Manchuria; maintained independence from Song dynasty in China

Question 13

Khitans

Answer 13

nomadic peoples of Manchuria; militarily superior to Song dynasty China but influenced by Chinese culture; forced humiliating treaties on Song China in the 11th century

Question 14

Zhu Xi

Answer 14

most prominent of neo-Confucian scholars during the Song dynasty in China; stressed importance of applying philosophical principles to everyday life and action

Question 15

neo-Confucians

Answer 15

they revived the ancient Confucian teachings in Song era China; great impact on the dynasties that followed; their emphasis on tradition and hostility to foreign systems made Chinese rulers and bureaucrats less receptive to outside ideas and influences

Question 16

Tangut

Answer 16

ruler of Xi Xia kingdom of northwest China; one of the regional kingdoms during the period of the southern Song; conquered by Mongols in 1126

Question 17

Xi Xia

Answer 17

the Kingdom of Tangut people, north of Song kingdom, in mid-11th century; collected tribute that drained Song resources and burdened Chinese peasantry

Question 18

Wang Anshi

Answer 18

Confucian scholar and chief minister of a Song emperor in the 1070s; introduced sweeping reforms based on Legalists; advanced greater state intervention in society

Question 19

Jurchens

Answer 19

founder of the Qin (Jin) kingdom that succeeded the Liao in northern China; annexed most of the Yellow River basin and forced Song to flee to south

Question 20

Jin

Answer 20

kingdom north of the Song Empire; established by Jurchens in 1115 after overthrowing Liao dynasty; ended

Question 21

Southern Song

Answer 21

rump state of Song dynasty from 1127 to 1279; carved out of much larger domains ruled by the Tang and northern Song; culturally one of the most glorious reigns in Chinese history

Question 22

Grand Canal

Answer 22

built in 7th century during reign of Yangdi during Sui dynasty; designed to link the original center of Chinese civilization on the north China plain with the Yangtze river basin to the south; nearly 1,200 miles long

Question 23

junks

Answer 23

Chinese sailing ships equipped with watertight bulkheads, sternpost rudders, compasses, and bamboo fenders; dominant force in Asian seas east of the Malayan peninsula

Question 24

flying money

Answer 24

Chinese credit instrument that provided credit vouchers to merchants to be redeemed at the end of the voyage; reduced danger of robbery, established early form of currency

Question 25

foot binding

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Li Bo

Answer 26

most famous poet of the Tang era; blended images of the mundane world with philosophical images