Changes In The Tang Dynasty

Women’s role in Ancient Chinese civilisation was always vital to society due to their role in the family and during the Tang and Song dynasty significant changes occurred, changing Chinese women’s lives forever. While it is no secret women were inferior to men in the history of China, not many are aware of the major differences of the status of women from dynasty to dynasty. The Tang-Song dynasties ruled from 618AD to 1279 AD and many distinct differences between these two dynasties can be observed. Women’s role in these dynasties primarily included domestic duties, with the introduction of new roles to the female gender. Their role was very important to society as the woman of the family ran the household and as that was the most important

Their mulberry trees that could produce silk were valuable and gave China a silk monopoly. They traded silk on the silk road for money that everyone else was willing to pay for. Rome obsessed over the silk.

China exported many goods such as silk, Iron, and bronze (Document 1). This gave china a lot more money to support

The Tang dynasty used a system of equal land allotment to the male population. Tang’s greatest source of income was tax on allotments. Periodic military service was required from all males. This was the basis of Tang’s military. Tang’s political system included comprehensive administration, an official system, a strict legal system, and an equitable imperial examination system. The economy reached an advanced level. Series of reforms were implemented; Juntian Zhi (Land Equalization System), Zuyongdiao System (peasant’s burden was lessened and production efficiency was improved. Farm tools and agriculture technique was improved, and many of the irrigation works were completed). Commercial cites were opened during the Tang dynasty, Lanzhou, Chengdu, Guilin, Hangzhou, Chang’an (currently Xian), and Luoyang (the auxiliary capital). The opening of the Silk Road introduced foreign merchants and ambassadors promoted marine trade. The economy was seriously damaged after the AnShi rebellion. The Juntian Zhi and Zuyongdiao systems were destroyed. This brought about the Double Tax System. This system imposed tax according to wealth and helped resume fiscal revenue. It was also a good example for later tax reforms.

This was mostly a centralized democracy. This idea remained in use due to the fact that it brought all power to the officials in the government. The government officials favored this system due to their gained power. In all of China’s dynasties, women were always inferior to men.

Paper made it easier to keep records. The invention that had the biggest impact on China was the seismograph. The seismograph helped the Chinese governments know where an earthquake happened and the Chinese government would send out food toward the direction that the seismograph

Many aspects of the political reign throughout the Tang and Song Dynasty are fairly similar, yet there are some key differences. During the Tang Dynasty, emperors established a new system of land reform. This meant that land was taken from the rich and evenly distributed to peasants. The peasants owning land could now

China’s population was growing rapidly, almost doubling between 750 and 1100. Because of this huge population boom, paper money was established, and the trade industry grew. There were many advances that were made, such as technological improvements

From 618-907, the unprecedented leniency and tolerance of the Tang dynasty created a large hyper power, with alliances and trading and such. This empire left a lasting impression on the Chinese. “These and other factors converged to produce a dynasty more tolerant of foreign cultures, religions, and influences than any other in Chinese history.” Taizong was the first emperor of the tang dynasty and set the precedent for his successors. His main goal was to establish equality throughout the regions. He achieved this and became “the first Chinese ruler to establish dominion over the steppes.” As the Tang rule grew larger and larger, it engulfed areas like Manchuria, Vietnam, and parts of Iran. The way they chose to handle the commerce and diplomacy

Wu Zhao belonged to the Tang Empire, which according to the author which “…was a true empire, encompassing many lands, many peoples, and many ideologies. Multi ethnic and cosmopolitan, Tang China was perfectly suited for the ascent of a historical anomaly like Wu Zhao…” (Rothschild, 2008, p. 11) In a sense, there was a conflict of traditional Confucian values which promoted a patriarchal society and the liberal Steppe culture which gave women more freedom and rights. China at that time was a cocktail of these cultures which led to a significant impact on the lifestyle and values of peoples in that era. Women were bold and tough, and unlike earlier societies, were no longer confined socially and sexually (Rothschild, 2008, p. 12). While did not exist a perfect equality between men and women, women of that era were allowed to live without hiding under the dominance of the male Yang. As the author talks of the Silk Road, it is mentioned that,”…In this free-wheeling milieu, women donned men’s attire and rode horses…” (Rothschild, 2008, p. 15) .This “cosmopolitan” (Rothschild, 2008, p. 16) society was the foundation for the Tang Empire. Another important factor was the prevalence of Buddhism as a religion of the masses. Buddhism, in itself, helped united much of Asia, and was a common platform for men and women, unlike in Confucianism where

My first reason why the Tang Dynasty is the best Dynasty that China ever had is because they created the civil service exam. The civil service exam would revolutionize the Tang Dynasty for the rest of its time, and this is because it gave everyone fair and equal representation within the test, but only the best would succeed. This lead to a meritocracy within the government of the Tang Dynasty.

One Reason that the Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty had a very successful government. They had rightfully placed government officials and good leaders. The Tang Dynasty had good government officials because of the civil service test. It was an exam that people took to determine if they could be placed in government. It was known for its difficulty. It contained questions about Confucianism, his books, and his poems. It also consisted of government based questions, and poetry questions. The higher that you scored on this test, the higher place you can get in government. This promoted the best people and chose people to work in government based on merit. This examination was available to people from all social classes, so it meant that the government was getting the most qualified people for positions.

The governmental structure was great in the Tang dynasty and included: the Secretariat created and wrote bills, the Chancellery reviewed and changed bills, and the Department of State Affairs put the bills into place.  The Department of State was the head of the government and in it there were six ministries: one for personnel, military, finance, rites, justice, and public works.  Many other

Trade encouraged the influx in prosperity and trade in China. In other words, trade was major aspect of the early Chinese society as it made up majority of Chinese economy. For example, the Silk Road located in China enabled for trade to happen from Asia to Europe. As stated by the National Geographic, “The Silk Road allowed for trade goods such as silk, cloth and clothing, as well as spices to spread from China to India, Arabia, Persia, Egypt, and extended all the way to Europe.” This Silk Road not only increased the trades occurring in the Ancient World but it also allow Chinese products to permeate throughout. This trade in China and its connection to the silk road also encourage means of cultural diffusion. “Trade goods produced in China were cloth and clothing, spices, and silk” as stated by National Geographic. This demonstrates