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4-2 Notes: Chinese Society. Tang rebuild China. Collapse of Han dynasty was disastrous for Chinese economy 618 A.C.E. – Tang reforms – Tang give more land to farmers Farmers improved irrigation, new farming methods, and began to grow rice that grew well in poor soil
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Tang rebuild China • Collapse of Han dynasty was disastrous for Chinese economy • 618 A.C.E. – Tang reforms – Tang give more land to farmers • Farmers improved irrigation, new farming methods, and began to grow rice that grew well in poor soil • Increase in food production supported large population growth • Tang rulers also rebuilt roads and waterways to make travel easier • Silk Road was under Tang control and trade flourished • China began to grow famous for trading porcelain, a fine clay baked at high temperatures and formed into pots, vases etc.
Coal & Steel • At first, people burned wood to heat homes and cook food, however, forests depleted • Chinese discovered that coal could be used to heat things, coal mining industry booms • Chinese used coal to heat furnaces – discovered that by mixing iron with carbon from coal, a new, stronger metal was formed – steel • Chinese used steel to make armor, swords, helmets, as well as stoves, farm tools, drills, steel chains, nails, and even sewing needles
Paper & Printing • Paper invented during Han dynasty – Tang dynasty boosts paper production (500,000 sheets a year just to assess taxes!) • Everything copied by hand • 600 A.C.E. – Chinese begin printing using carved blocks of wood, ink sheets, and a press to imprint images onto paper • Chinese also invented paper currency (paper money) • As the Chinese economy grew, demand for money grew as well • 1024 A.C.E. - Chinese officials began to print paper money instead of creating copper coins
Other Chinese inventions • 1000s A.C.E. – Pi Sheng invented movable type for printing (each character was separate piece which could be combined to create new sentences • Gunpowder – A mixture of sulfur, coal, and potassium nitrate – Was developed first to propel fireworks, then as a weapon (fire lance) • 1150 A.C.E. – Chinese sailors begin using the compass, a device used to measure directions in a frame of reference – Chinese sailors used the compass to find their way and sail to faraway places
Chinese Art, Literature, & Porcelain • Poetry popular in China – Li Bo (nature) and Du Fu (serious poetry about intense suffering) were among the Tang dynasty’s most popular poets • Painting of landscapes popular in Song dynasty China, but painters did not realistically portray the landscapes – tried to capture “the idea” of the countryside • Chinese calligraphy also popular – calligraphy is the art of writing beautiful letters • Porcelain was perfected during this time – Westerners often called porcelain “China” because of its origin • Technology to make porcelain finally spread Europe in 1700s A.C.E.