Section 1 China Reunifies PDF - Past Paper

Okay, here is the conversion of the provided text into a structured markdown format. ### SECTION 1 China Reunifies **What You Will Learn...** **Main Ideas** 1. The Period of Disunion was a time of war and disorder that followed the end of the Han dynasty. 2. China was reunified under the Sui,...

Okay, here is the conversion of the provided text into a structured markdown format. ### SECTION 1 China Reunifies **What You Will Learn...** **Main Ideas** 1. The Period of Disunion was a time of war and disorder that followed the end of the Han dynasty. 2. China was reunified under the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. 3. The Age of Buddhism saw major religious changes in China. **The Big Idea** The Period of Disunion was followed by reunification by rulers of the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. **Key Terms and People** * Period of Disunion, p. 410 * Grand Canal, p. 411 * Empress Wu, p. 412 **TAKING NOTES** As you read, use a chart like this one to keep track of important dates and events in China during the dynasties following the Period of Disunion. | Dynasty | Important Events and Dates | Details | | --- | --- | --- | **If YOU were there...** You are a peasant in China in the year 264. Your grandfather often speaks of a time when all of China was united, but all you have known is warfare among rulers. A man passing through your village speaks of even more conflict in other areas. **Why might you want China to have just one ruler?** **BUILDING BACKGROUND** Most of China's history is divided into dynasties. The first dynasties ruled China for centuries. But when the Han dynasty collapsed in 220, China plunged into disorder. **The Period of Disunion** When the Han dynasty collapsed, China split into several rival kingdoms, each ruled by military leaders. Historians sometimes call the time of disorder that followed the collapse of the Han the **Period of Disunion**. It lasted from 220 to 589. Although war was common during the Period of Disunion, peaceful developments also took place at the same time. During this period, nomadic peoples settled in northern China. Some Chinese people adopted the nomads' culture, while the invaders adopted some Chinese practices. For example, one former nomadic ruler ordered his people to adopt Chinese names, speak Chinese, and dress like the Chinese. Thus, the culture of the invaders and traditional Chinese mixed. A similar cultural blending took place in southern China. Many northern Chinese, unwilling to live under the rule of the nomadic invaders, fled to southern China. There, northern Chinese culture mixed with the more southern cultures. As a result of this mixing, Chinese culture changed. New types of art and music developed. New foods and clothing styles became popular. The new culture spread over a wider geographic area than ever before, and more people became Chinese. **READING CHECK** Finding Main Ideas How did Chinese culture change during the Period of Disunion? **Chinese Dynasties, 589-1279** *A map of China and the surrounding areas is displayed, highlighting the territories controlled by the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. The map shows key geographical features like the Tian Shan mountains, Taklimakan Desert, Kunlun Shan mountains, Plateau of Tibet, and the Himalayas. The Great Wall of China and the Grand Canal are also indicated. Neighboring countries like Vietnam are labeled. The East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea are labeled.* *The map includes a scale for both miles and kilometers and a question that reads "*Region Which dynasty controlled the largest area?*"* **The Sui, Tang, and Song** Finally, after centuries of political confusion and cultural change, China was reunified. For about 700 years, it remained unified under a series of powerful dynasties. **The Sui Dynasty** The man who finally ended the Period of Disunion was a northern ruler named Yang Jian (YANG jee-EN). In 589, he conquered the south, unified China, and created the Sui (SWAY) dynasty. The Sui dynasty didn't last long, only from 589 to 618. During that time, though, its leaders restored order to China and began the **Grand Canal**, a canal linking northern and southern China. **The Tang Dynasty** A new dynasty arose in China in 618 when a former Sui official overthrew the old government. This dynasty, the Tang, would rule for nearly 300 years. As you can see on the map, China grew under the Tang dynasty to include much of eastern Asia, as well as large parts of Central Asia. Historians view the Tang dynasty as a golden age of Chinese civilization. One of its greatest rulers was Taizong (TY-tzoong). He conquered many lands, reformed the military, and created law codes. Another brilliant Tang ruler was Xuanzong (SHOO-AN-tzoong). During his reign, culture flourished. Many of China's finest poets wrote while Xuanzong ruled. The Tang dynasty also included the only woman to rule China—**Empress Wu**. Her methods were sometimes vicious, but she was intelligent and talented. After the Tang dynasty fell, China entered another brief period of chaos and disorder, with separate kingdoms competing for power. In fact, China was so divided during this period that it is known as Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. The disorder only lasted 53 years, though, from 907 to 960. **The Song Dynasty** In 960, China was again reunified, this time by the Song dynasty. Like the Tang, the Song ruled for about 300 years, until 1279. Also like the Tang, the Song dynasty was a time of great accomplishments. **READING CHECK** Sequencing When was China reunified? When was China not unified? *The image shows a portrait of Empress Wu, dressed in traditional attire.* *The text adjacent to the image reads: *"Empress Wu 625-705 Married to a sickly emperor, Empress Wu became the virtual ruler of China in 655. After her husband died, Wu decided her sons were not worthy of ruling. She kept power for herself, and ruled with an iron fist. Those who threatened her power risked death. Unlike many earlier rulers, she chose advisors based on their abilities rather than their ranks. Although she was not well liked, Wu was respected for bringing stability and prosperity to China. Drawing Conclusions Why do you think Empress Wu was never very popular?"* **The Age of Buddhism** While China was experiencing changes in its government, another major change was taking place in Chinese culture. A new religion was spreading quickly throughout the vast land. Buddhism is one of the world's major religions, originating in India around 500 BC. Buddhism first came to China during the Han dynasty. But for some time, there were few Buddhists in China. Buddhism's status changed during he Period of Disunion. During this troubled time, many people turned to Buddhism. They took comfort in the Buddhist teaching that people can escape suffering and achieve a state of peace. By the end of the Period of Disunion, Buddhism was well established in China. As a result, wealthy people donated land and money to Buddhist temples, which arose across the land. Some temples were architectural wonders and housed huge statues of the Buddha. Buddhism continued to influence life in China after the country was reunified. In fact, during the Sui and Tang dynasties, Buddhism continued to grow and spread. Chinese missionaries, people who travel to spread their religion, introduced Buddhism to Japan, Korea, and other Asian lands. Buddhism influenced many aspects of Chinese culture, including art, literature, and architecture. In fact, so important was Buddhism in China that the period from about 400 to about 845 can be called the Age of Buddhism. This golden age of Buddhism came to an end when a Tang emperor launched a campaign against the religion. He burned many Buddhist texts, took lands from Buddhist temples, destroyed many temples, and turned others into schools. *A map of Asia and the spread of buddhism has been shown, highlighting Early Buddhist area and Spread of Buddhism* **Reasons for Buddhism's Spread** * Buddhist missionaries spread the religion. * People took comfort from Buddhist teachings during the Period of Disunion. The emperor's actions weakened the influence of Buddhism in China, but they did not destroy it completely. Buddhism continued to play a key role in Chinese society for centuries. As it had during the early Tang period, it continued to shape Chinese art and literature. But even as it influenced life in China, Buddhism changed. People began to blend elements of Buddhism with elements of other philosophies, especially Confucianism and Daoism, to create a new way of thinking. **READING CHECK** Identifying Cause and Effect Why did Buddhism spread more easily during the Period of Disunion? **Section 1 Assessment** **Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and People** 1. a. **Define** What was the Period of Disunion? b. **Explain** How did Chinese culture change during the Period of Disunion? 2. a. **Identify** Who was Empress Wu? What did she do? b. **Evaluate** How do you think the reunification of China affected the common people? 3. a. **Identify** When was the Age of Buddhism in China? b. **Explain** Why did people turn to Buddhism during the Period of Disunion? c. **Elaborate** How did Buddhism influence Chinese culture? **Critical Thinking** 4. **Sequencing** Draw a time line like this one. Using your notes on important events, place the main events and their dates on the time line. 200 1300 **SUMMARY AND PREVIEW** From the disorder that followed the fall of the Han dynasty, new dynasties arose to restore order in China. You will read about their many advances in the next section. **FOCUS ON WRITING** 5. **Getting an Overview** In this section you read an overview of three major dynasties and the contributions of Buddhism. Make a note of any ideas or contributions that you might want to include in your article.