China Notes PDF - Economic and Technological Growth

1.Economic Growth -The fall of the Han dynasty crippled economic growth in China a.Recovered under Tang dynasty Farming improvements -Farmers made many new advances a.Tang gave more land to farmers b.Developed improved irrigation methods -Song dyna...

1.Economic Growth -The fall of the Han dynasty crippled economic growth in China a.Recovered under Tang dynasty Farming improvements -Farmers made many new advances a.Tang gave more land to farmers b.Developed improved irrigation methods -Song dynasty introduced Champa Rice from Vietnam a.Grew well in poor soil b.more rice per acre c.Resisted disease Trade Growth -New farming technologies help make food more available during Tang and Song eras a.Iron plows and waterwheel irrigation b.Population increase -Tang rulers built roads and waterways a.Caravans traveled via Silk Road -Silk was in high demand in areas of West of China a.Also traded tea, steel, paper, and porcelain 2.Technological Advances Coal and Steel -Wood was originally used as fuel but they switched to coal when it ran low a.Led to coal-mining industry -Iron was produced in coal-heated furnaces a.Mixed with carbon from the coal to create steel Printing -Paper was produced and spread through Asia a.Invented a method for printing books A.Chinese Buddhist monks behan woodblock printing B.Change could not be made on a page after woodblock printing -Pi Sheng invented movable type printing a.Each character is an individual piece  -Printing led to the invention of paper currency a.Invented during Song dynasty Gunpowder -Gunpowder was invented during the Tang dynasty a.Used in weapons and explosives, such as fire lance Ships -The Chinese built large ships with rudders and sails for steering a.Perfected magnetic compass during Song dynasty 3.Literature and the Arts Poetry -The Tang dynasty is regarded as the great age of Chinese poetry a.Often expressed Daoist appreciation of the world b.Li Bo wrote poems about nature c.Du Fu wrote about problems of the poor, unfairness of life, and wastefulness of war Landscape Painting -During the Song dynasty landscape paintings became popular a.Sometimes left empty spaces on purpose to show that a person cannot know the whole truth about something b.Also express people are part of nature but do not control it -Painters often wrote poems about their works using calligraphy Porcelain -Chinese artisans became skilled in porcelain-making during the Tang