Chapter 12
Study Questions
Jeffrey Fewell 1. How did the Sui rise to power? (Remember the Chinese dynasty cycles.)
After the era of division, the Sui emerged as a strong and unified force that signaled the return of a strong dynastic control. 2. What happened to the Sui Emperor Wendi?
Wendi was murdered by his son Yangdi although he strengthened Wendi's foundation of political and economic unification and prosperity. 3. Explain the tension between the scholargentry and the aristocratic elites.
The advancement of the scholargentry in the imperial administration often worked as a detriment to the great aristocratic families and nomadic commanders. 4. Why did the Sui Dynasty collapse? (Remember the patterns related to the fall of civilizations and dynasties)
Economic collapse and military failure lead to widespread revolts and regional/provincial divisions. 5. How did the Tang Dynasty rise to power? (Remember the Chinese dynasty cycles.) After political chaos, the powerful Tang Dynasty emerged and conquered deep into central Asia, dominating previous Turkic nomadic invader. 6. What regions were added territorially to the Tang Empire?
A large chunk of central Asia, particularly in the Tarim Basin. Stretching from parts in west Tibet, the red river valley in South Vietnam, and the Manchuria in the North. 7. What was the role of the Bureau of Censors?
To keep track of officials at all levels and report their misdeeds and failings. 8. Where did the Tang Dynasty build their new capital city?
They created their new capital at Changan. 9. How does one attain the title of
Jinshi
?
A scholar must pass exams on philosophical or legal classics and the even more difficult exams of Chinese literature. 10. What were the advantages of being a
Jinshi
?
They became dignitaries and treated with deference, some even gaining a special social status and were exempt from corporal punishment.
11. Discuss Empress Wu’s connection to Buddhism.
Wu contributed large sums to build monasteries and rewarded Buddhist cooperation with large grants of land and even tried to elevate Buddhism to China's State religion. th
12. How many Buddhist monks and monasteries were in China by the mid9 century?
50,000 monasteries and hundreds of thousands of Buddhist monks. 13. What argument did the scholargentry use to try and discredit Buddhism?
That Buddhist monastic establishments posed a fundamental economic challenge to imperial order. 14. Discuss the Emperor Wuzong interactions with Buddhism.
Wuzong and the state beauracracy openly persecuted the religion, destroying monastic establishments and subjected working peasents to labor laws and taxes. 15. In what way was the rise of the Tang associated with the Confucian renaissance?
With the prosperity of the Tang politically,economically and socially., it enabled the
Confucian philosophy to reemerge as the central ideology of China. 16. What Emperor ruled at the height of the Tang Dynasty?
Xuanzong marked the peak of Tang power and influence. 17. What accounts for the decline of the Tang Dynasty? (Remember the Chinese dynasty cycles)
A illminded emperor, Economic distress,chronic military weaknesses and regional nomadic revolts caused the decline of the Tang. 18. How did the Song Dynasty rise to power?
By the strong and influential leadership of military commander Zhao Kuangyin in the time of nomadic dominance, political division and economic strife after the fall of Tang. 19. Who was Zhao Kuangyin?
First emperor of the Song Dynasty and a powerful and influential military commander and scholar. 20. Explain the role of Kitan Nomads?
A nuisance to the Song Dynasty, the founders of the Liao dynasty plagued the dynasty from its early years to its destruction by the Mongols. 21. What is the concept of being Sinified
?
Being influenced by Chinese Culture, whether in statecraft, the arts or
