Song Dynasty and Neo-Confucianism Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What was a key factor in the economic revolution during the Song dynasty?

Foreign trade agreements

Advances in mining technology

Increased warfare

Agricultural expansion (correct)

Which revolution is considered the world's first manufacturing revolution?

Industrial revolution

Song manufacturing revolution (correct)

Commercial revolution

Agricultural revolution

What was Wang Anshi's primary focus during his reforms in the Song dynasty?

Promoting democratic governance

Support for agricultural expansion (correct)

Expanding military presence

Encouraging foreign trade

What was 'flying cash' used for in the Song dynasty?

As a form of paper money Signup and view all the answers

What city was the largest in the world during the Tang dynasty?

Changan Signup and view all the answers

What was one major consequence of the transition from the North Song to South Song?

Establishment of the Jin dynasty Signup and view all the answers

Which product was primarily traded from Persia along the Silk Road?

Rugs Signup and view all the answers

What role did the Indian Ocean trade play for the Song dynasty?

It facilitated diverse trade networks Signup and view all the answers

What staple crop was dominant in the countryside of feudal Japan?

Rice Signup and view all the answers

What was the role of the bushi in feudal Japan?

To exercise private jurisdiction and lead private armies Signup and view all the answers

What system did the bushi practice that emphasized the values of warrior conduct?

Bushido Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon occurred as the imperial government weakened in feudal Japan?

Emergence of powerful local warriors Signup and view all the answers

How did elite families maintain control over their lands during this period?

Through monopolizing land and labor Signup and view all the answers

What types of fortifications did elite families construct to secure their power?

Small fortresses for local lords Signup and view all the answers

What significant shift occurred in Japan’s history due to the rise of the bushi?

Change in the balance of power among social classes Signup and view all the answers

What was a common factor that supported the rise of the samurai class?

Food and resources provided by peasants Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary role of daimyos in Japan's political structure during the warlord period?

To govern nearly 300 private states Signup and view all the answers

Which geographical feature is primarily associated with the habitat of the Mongols?

Steppes Signup and view all the answers

How did Mongol society's nomadic lifestyle influence their food sources?

They herded animals for meat and milk. Signup and view all the answers

What was a key advantage of the Mongolian yam system?

It facilitated quick communication of urgent messages. Signup and view all the answers

What notable characteristic defined the social structure of Mongol tribes?

Tribes often combined during war for greater strength. Signup and view all the answers

What role did Genghis Khan play in Mongolian history?

He united the Mongolian tribes under a single rule. Signup and view all the answers

What method did the Mongols use to gather intelligence for their military campaigns?

They employed spies and informants. Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the key reasons the Mongols were able to adapt quickly to new technologies?

They were skilled horsemen accustomed to innovation. Signup and view all the answers

What was a key strategy used by Chinggis to unite the Mongol tribes?

Breaking individual tribe loyalties Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following was a significant military campaign led by Chinggis Khan in 1207?

The defeat of Xi Xia kingdom Signup and view all the answers

How did Chinggis Khan enhance the effectiveness of his military during campaigns?

By using captured artisans to create weapons Signup and view all the answers

What significant characteristic defined the Mongol Empire under Chinggis Khan?

Tolerance for various religions and cultures Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary intention behind the Mongols' psychological warfare?

To instill fear and demonstrate their might Signup and view all the answers

What was established as the capital of the Mongol Empire?

Karakorum Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes the extent of the Mongol Empire?

Extended across much of Asia and into parts of Europe Signup and view all the answers

What approach did the Mongols take towards governance after their conquests?

They relied on local rulers and officials Signup and view all the answers

What was the significance of the Yuan Dynasty founded by the Mongols in 1279?

It was the first foreign dynasty to rule all of China. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following laws did Kubilai Khan implement to differentiate between Mongols and Chinese?

Chinese were forbidden to learn Mongol writing. Signup and view all the answers

How did Mongol women in Yuan China differ from Chinese women?

Mongol women held more freedoms and moved about freely. Signup and view all the answers

What was the role of foreigners at the Yuan Court during Mongol rule?

They were used as bureaucrats and advisors. Signup and view all the answers

Which approach did Kubilai Khan take towards taxation and forced labor?

He sought to reduce peasant tax and forced labor. Signup and view all the answers

What was the general perception of Kubilai Khan among the Chinese population?

He was often viewed as a barbarian. Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the failed military ambitions of Kubilai Khan?

Expansion to Japan. Signup and view all the answers

Which practice was not adopted by Mongols during their rule in Yuan China?

Implementing the Chinese civil service exam. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty's economic, commercial, and political revolutions were sparked by advancements in farming.
Tang and Song rulers promoted agricultural production and peasantry.
The Song Dynasty brought about the world's first manufacturing revolution, producing goods for consumption far and wide.
Cultures around China consolidated their internal political authority and defined their own identities as distinct from China.

Neo-Confucians

Neo-Confucians revived pure Confucian thoughts and teachings by establishing libraries, recovering old texts, and developing personal philosophies.
Neo-Confucians were hostile to foreign ideas.
Neo-Confucians had strict views on gender and class.

Wang Anshi and Reforms

Wang Anshi was a Confucian scholar and the chief minister of the Song Dynasty.
He instituted reforms in an attempt to save the dynasty's finances by supporting agricultural expansion and initiating landlord and scholar-gentry taxation.
He attempted to start a bureaucracy that emphasized analytical thinking rather than memorization of classics.
His reforms were reversed after the death of his supporter, Emperor Shenzong, by the new neo-Confucist emperor.

North Song to South Song Transition

The Jin Dynasty was founded north of the Song Empire after they defeated the Liao Dynasty.
As the Jin invaded China, the Song fled south, leading to the formation of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Commercialism

Canal systems and Silk Roads led to booming commercial expansion.
Commerce expanded into cities and trading towns.
The Song Dynasty saw the use of credit, deposit shops (banks), and flying money (credit vouchers).
Urban growth and sophistication emerged in cities such as:
- Changan, the Tang capital, with a population of 2 million, making it the largest city in the world.
- Hangzhou, the Southern Song capital.

Flying Cash Importance

Flying cash was essentially paper money.

Silk Road Exchange

Persia supplied dates, saffron, pistachios, rugs, and tapestries.
Africa supplied frankincense, aloe, gold, salt, and timber.
India supplied sandalwood, jasmine, and cloth.
China supplied silk, porcelain, paper, and tea.
The Silk Road facilitated the transmission of art through Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.

Indian Ocean Trade

The Song Dynasty engaged in trade with the Malay Peninsula.
Buddhism was not expanding at the same rate as before, and was not being used to pay for fighters.

Feudalism in Japan

Elite families in Japanese countryside sought to monopolize land and labor.
Rice farming was the dominant staple crop, along with fishing.
Elite families carved out private precincts ruled by house governments, known as manoralism.
In each local precinct, the elite family constructed small fortresses to house the local lord and his military retainers.

Bushi and Samurai

Warrior leaders, or bushi, exercised private jurisdiction within their lands and enforced their rule through private armies of mounted troops known as samurai.
As the imperial government weakened, it began to hire local lords and their armed troops to provide for law and order.
Bushi and samurai were supported by peasants who supplied them with food, leading to the emergence of a separate and powerful class.
The bushi practiced a code called Bushido, the way of the warrior (chivalry).
Warfare between groups of samurai was often based on heroic combat between champions.

Mongol Origins

The Mongols originated in the steppes of Central Asia.
Steppes are grasslands and shrublands with few trees and border the Gobi Desert and Siberian Forest.
Mongol tribes were constantly competing for territory.
Mongol society was egalitarian, men and women were seen as equal, and valued courage in battle.

Characteristics of Mongol Tribes

Mongols were a nomadic society.
They migrated in search of grazing lands and lived in yurts.
They herded goats and sheep and ate meat and milk produced by their herds.
They traded hides and dairy products for jewelry, weapons, and cloth.
Mongol society was divided into tribes, who combined during war or when threatened.
Mongols were accomplished horsemen and were excellent with short and long bows.
Through contact with China, Mongols learned to use: battering rams, cannons, catapults, flaming arrows, and gunpowder.
Mongols could cover large distances quickly.
They used the Yam System, which relied on relay stations and messengers to carry urgent messages.
The Yam System invigorated the Silk Road system.
Mongols lived by a warrior code that valued bravery.
Mongol warriors used spies and informants to create maps of areas they were going to invade.

Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan (Temujin) was born in 1162.
He was known for being an excellent warrior, military leader, motivator, and visionary.
He united the Mongol tribes into a large confederation by breaking individual tribe loyalties and demanding loyalty to himself.
He recognized merit rather than status or position, and was known to take in enemies as generals if they were good at fighting.
Genghis Khan was elected Khagan, leader of Mongol tribes, in 1206 at the Kuriltai.

Early Life and Campaigns of Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan was known for planning ahead and making hasty moves, and he would not fight if he didn't expect to win.
In 1207, he led his first military campaign, defeating the Xi Xia Kingdom.
Genghis Khan next attacked the Jin Empire, which was difficult to overtake, but he used captured Chinese to create Chinese weapons.
In 1219, Genghis Khan conquered the Kara Khitai Empire and the Khwarazm Empire.
The Mongols captured artisans and scholars, but killed or sold others into slavery.
The Mongols were known for devastating towns they conquered.
The Mongols wanted the world to know that they were undefeatable and instill fear in their enemies.

Territory of Mongol Empire

The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in history.
The Mongol Empire encompassed modern-day Mongolia, China, much/all of Russia, Ukraine, Chilicia, Anatolia, Georgia, Armenia, Persia, Iraq, Korea, Central Asia, and parts of Burma, Romania, and Pakistan.
The Mongol Empire established its capital at Karakorum.

Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan and other Leaders

The Mongols tolerated religions and cultures and never forced their religion on others.
A script was devised for the Mongolian language, allowing for record keeping.
Mongol conquests brought peace to regions, facilitating better trade and governance.
Mongol khans extracted taxes and tributes.
Mongol rule reinvigorated Eurasian trade routes.
Mongol khans assimilated Middle Eastern outlooks and some converted to Islam.

Yuan Dynasty in China

The Mongols conquered the Xi Xia and Jin Empires, turning their attention to the Song Dynasty.
Kubilai Khan, Genghis Khan's grandson, led forces against the Song in 1235.
The Mongols established control over most of China in 1271.
The Mongols established the Yuan Dynasty in 1279.
The Yuan Dynasty built its capital at Tatu, present-day Beijing.

Society in Yuan China

Kubilai Khan passed many laws to distinguish between Mongols and Chinese.
Chinese were forbidden from learning Mongol writing.
Intermarriage between Mongols and Chinese was outlawed.
Mongol women did not practice Chinese customs and enjoyed more freedoms.
Mongol women did not practice foot binding and could move about freely in public without an escort.
In terms of social standing, the Yuan Dynasty followed this hierarchy: Mongols, Muslims and Asian nomads, and lastly Chinese.
The Mongols adopted Chinese clothing and artwork.

Mongol Rule in Yuan China

The Yuan Court welcomed foreigners, such as Marco Polo, and utilized the expertise of scholars from many regions.
Foreigners and Mongols were used in bureaucratic positions.
The Chinese civil service exam was not used.
Chinese were able to hold local and regional government positions.
Religious tolerance was practiced.
Many Chinese viewed Kubilai Khan as a barbarian and did not reconcile to Mongol rule.
Kubilai Khan attempted to win over the Chinese, but his efforts were unsuccessful.
The Yuan Dynasty developed a navy to expand to Japan, but the effort was unsuccessful.
Kubilai Khan sought to reduce peasant taxes and forced labor, and he attempted to establish elementary schools in villages.

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Test your knowledge on the economic, political, and cultural developments of the Song Dynasty and the rise of Neo-Confucian thought. Explore key figures like Wang Anshi and the impact of reforms during this transformative period in Chinese history. Understand the complexities of agricultural advancements and their societal implications.