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History of the Tang Dynasty
Change and continuity of tang and song dynasty
Changes throughout the Tang and Song dynasties
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Throughout history, many empires and societies have demonstrated great power and strength. However, only seven have been chosen by Amy Chua to receive the title of a hyperpower. In order to be a hyperpower, a society must have conquered a large area and many people, tolerated different races and cultures, developed a military and economy comparable to none during that time, and have no equally powerful rivals. Although Persia, Imperial Rome, the Tang Dynasty, and the Mongols should be considered hyperpowers, the Dutch do not display the same worldwide dominance needed to be considered a hyperpower.
From the era of Cyrus the Great to Alexander the Great, Persia had the strongest military, economy, tolerance, and territory needed to deem it a
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Li Yuan, the founder of the Tang dynasty, used his military to create one of the largest dynasties in Chinese history. Along with conquering China, the Tang dynasty also added modern day Korea and Vietnam into their territory. Trade and the economy prospered with of the use of the Grand Canal, created during the Sui dynasty, as well as the Silk Road systems that were also used by the Romans. China experienced a rice surplus during the Tang dynasty due to the introduction of fast ripening rice. Instead of having one harvest a year, the new strain of rice allowed two harvests a year and doubled the rice production. This helped the Chinese economy remain prosperous during the Tang dynasty. The economy also grew because of standardized paper money and an early form of credit. Paper money was convenient when traded long distances since it was light and easy to carry. The Tang dynasty started used porcelain instead of clay for pottery, which became very popular in Europe and grew the economy. During the 700s A.D., the Tang also invented gunpowder, which can be considered one of the greatest inventions of all time. China also was fairly tolerant to outside culture. There were many cosmopolitan cities such as Chang’an and Luoyang with traders from different places that all worked with one another. The Tang dynasty had around fifty million people and controlled over two million square miles of land, as per Bentley. Because of its military, economy, tolerance, and territory, the Tang dynasty should be considered a
Alexander began his military campaign and his rule much where his father left off. Whether or not it was his aim, this created a sense of normality for the men that was part of his father’s regime. Alexander’s position as a warrior-king who stood side-by-side among his men also served to create respect among his peers. Gradually, as Alexander conquered more Persian land, he began to adopt the policies of Persian rulers. Alexander’s change in policy extended beyond just political roles, he gave consideration to the local gods in many of the lands that he conquered. Eventually, Alexander brought people in from the conquered nations to serve under him.
During the Tang and Song dynasty, many excellent achievements have been accomplished which are still being preserved and used widely over centuries. Their citizens were excelled in many fields with several of new and practical inventions which all directly affected the citizens’ lives.
...ti-colored and multi-raced people, which was something that almost none of the other ancient empires had. It was a peaceful empire and was admired by many people. It had amazing acheivements in goverment, military and communication. It was the largest empire in the Ancient World and was an amazing empire, for the 250 years it lasted. The Persian Empire will be remembered as the largest empire in the ancient world and the most tolerant.
As in terms of economics, China grew prosperous through trade, military expansion, invention of tools and other means of convenience and through the market economy. From the Han Dynasty China began to build again. The Sui Dynasty constructed the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal was an artificial canal that extended 1,240 miles. It enabled merchants and farmers to travel by water, selling an abundance of rice and other crops. This canal was extremely expensive but throughout the years paid itself off by providing travel routes north and south of China. The Sui Dynasty also built palaces, granarie...
Cyrus, the first persian emperor, ruled in a unique fashion, employing tolerance instead of fear, however, he relentlessly expanded his empire until his death. For example, When Cyrus and his massive army conquered Babylon he freed the jews and allowed the to return to the promise land. In addition he assisted in the rebuilding of their temple. Although some argue he did this to create a buffer state between hostile egypt and his empire, i find it more likely he did this to bring more peoples under his administration. The method which he concours societies is interesting; he presents himself not as a conqueror but as a liberator freeing the people of the region from an oppressive despot. Because of theses methods it was much easier to bring people under his rule. Additionally, once he brought states under imperial control he used strategic methods to govern the newly ‘liberated’ territories.
China was without a doubt one of the most innovative countries by reason of their many advances made throughout the Shang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. Numerous accomplishments were archived by this empire. Their form of government was based on Dynasties, which are series of rulers from the same family. Different dynasties brought out different successes, such as the famous Great wall, which was a 13,170 miles fortress built around around 206 A.C. by millions of people. This structure was ordered to build by China’s first emperor, Qin, in the interest of protecting the Empire from invaders. Another extraordinary Chinese invention was paper. This universal utensil was created in the 2nd century B.C. by Cai Lun. The creating of this material
The Persian empire had grown from a small kingdom to an immense empire stretching from Troy to modern day Russia. King Darius was their leader at the time, strangely enough, Darius was an imposter to the throne. When the previous king had passed into the next life, Darius had pretended to be his brother and they all believed him. By 490 B.C. the new leader was Xerxes, the famed god king. Xerxes had just come to victory at the marathon and his troops were eager for another, the sight of the narrow pass between two mountains being defended by over seven thousand Greeks and three hundred Spartans.
The Tang dynasty was founded in 618, and lasted until 907. The emperor was supreme and government officials were chosen by examination. A census was taken to simplify tax collection and to draft citizens to perform labor for the empire. This was a period of great land expansion. (Halsall, 1998) The emperor also had a great love of the arts, and the Tang became known as the golden age of literature and art. Block printing was invented and made writing more available. (Unknown, 2003) Shipbuilding and firearms development were also refined during the era. Art was heavily influenced by Buddhism, especially rock sculpture. One major problem that arose was the heavy burden of taxation. Many were unable to meet their heavy tax burden. To escape this, many placed themselves under the protection of great landlords who were exempt from taxes, or became bandits. (Halsall, 1998)
From watching the video “Engineering an Empire: The Persians” I learned about the Persian Empire. Persia is today the country of known as Iran. Led by Cyrus II the Great (576 – 530 BC) Persia became one of the largest and most successful empires of all time. The reign of Cyrus the Great is said to have lasted from twenty eight to thirty one years. In that time he stretched his empire over much land, including; parts of the Balkans and Thrace-Macedonia in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east. Because he was a just and benevolent leader who refused to enslave his conquered subjects he was given many titles including; The Great King, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer among many others. In 539 BC Cyrus conquered Babylon, but instead of presenting himself as a conquer he presented himself as a liberator, freeing those people from their cruel leader.
Cambyses I, one of the earliest Achaemenid kings, ruled Persia around 600 B.C. Upon his death, his son Cyrus II took over as king in 559 B.C., and later became known as Cyrus the Great. As the ruler of Persia at the age of 41, Cyrus wanted to gain more power to strengthen the Persian Empire. He started by negotiating an alliance with the Babylonians against the Medes, who at this time were being ruled by Cyrus’ grandfather Astyages (Cyrus, the Great). Around 550 BC Astyages was worried that his grandson might be trying to form an alliance with his enemy Nabonidus, King of Babylon. Astyages called for Cyrus to come to him in the capital of Ecbatana to discuss the matter, but Cyrus would not (Pettman). With the support of the Babylonians, Cyrus led a revolt and defeated the Medes (Cyrus II, the Great). The Nabodinus Chro...
Alexander the Not so Great:history through Persian eyes by Prof Ali Ansari Paragraph 1 Page
The Tang dynasty was an era of major technological advancement. This can be very clearly seen in their revolutionary explosive powder or gun powder, as well as their very expensive porcelain. The gunpowder is perhaps China’s most groundbreaking invention. Although it was invented for mere fireworks purposes, the military saw great potential in a highly explosive substance. This set off a chain reaction of events that some may think as detrimental to our society. From this powder, the first set of gun powder based guns, or muskets were developed. This triggered an arms race up until the early 1900s. As with any sort of mass engineering of guns, only death was left in its wake. Although the powder was pr...
The Tang Dynasty (618-906) succeeded the Sui Dynasty, who ruled from 581-618 A.D., respectively. The foundation for the development, growth, and expansion of China during the Tang Dynasty’s rule was laid during the Sui Dynasty’s reign. The political and governmental institutions of the Sui Dynasty directly influenced the Tang tremendously. Diplomatic relationships were successfully established during this period, and Tang China took its role as one of the greatest and prominent empires existing in the medieval world. Retail traders, clerics, ambassadors, and convoys from Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other countries emerged into common members of everyday society in Tang China.
A country’s struggle for power is much like that of two rival siblings. They are locked in constant competition as they attempt to one-up the other. Countries do the same as they race against each other to produce better exports, and to attract more money into their economy. They are constantly vying against each other for the center of attention, so that they are the main focal point of the international world. This competition continues until one finally relents, or blatantly falls, and allows the other to shine; much like how China is slowly managing to overtake the U.S. in terms of international influence.
The Ming Dynasty had created an empire. They had the government, the military, and the economic system to prove it. At different points in time, The Chinese Empire was the greatest in the world, for trade, military, and other key factors in a society.