Study Chinese guide #2 An Lushan: a military leader of Sogdian Turkic. He defeated the north eastern border from the
Khitan During the Tang Dynasty. He was also involved in the An Shi Rebellion in 755 which weaken the Tang Power and called himself the emperor eventually was murdered by his son. Although his rebellion was eventually crushed, it forced the Tang to became overdependent on the good will of provincial governors and military commanders, thus irretrievably eroding the Tang's central authority. Bodhidharma: he was the Buddhist monk traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan to China. He was a south Indian monk who journeyed to southern china and subsequently relocated northwards. He was primarily active in the lands of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Champa rice: is a quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season. Originally introduced into Champa from India, it was later sent to China as a tribute gift from the Champa state. Chan: a school of Mahayana Buddhism notable for its emphasis on practice and experiential wisdom. It deemphasizes both theoretical knowledge and the study of religious texts in favor of direct individual experience of one's own true nature. Cheng brothers Dunhuang: was made prefecture by Emperor Han Wuidi, and was a major point of interchange between China and the outside world during the Han and Tang dynasties. Located near silk roads, it was town of military importance. For centuries Buddhist monks at Dunhuang collected scriptures from the west, and many pilgrims passed through the area, painting murals inside the Mogao Caves or "Caves of a Thousand Buddhas." Emperor Xuanzong: was sixth emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Empress Wu's grandson. Reigning from 712 to 756, was the longest. he was credited to bring Tang to a pinnacle of culture and power. He was greatly affected by Yan Guifei, one of his consorts in his later reign and was ultimately terminated by a great and disastrous military rebellion. When Xuanzong reign, the Tang Army was able to defeat the Khitans, Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Western Turks. During Xuanzong's reign, the maximum extent of territory included a slightly expanded heartland China, plus the land originally held by the Western Turks all the way to central Asia, and a tiny section of land connecting the former Western Turk lands to the heartland; however, this was enough to reopen the Silk Road for economic trade. As to the economy, Xuanzong was able to clean out the corrupt officials left by Wu Zetian. During the Kaiyuan period, Xuanzong installed competent officials (such as Zhang Jiuling as prime minister) who helped the country grow economically. Xuanzong also made progress on the empire's financial system by effectively registering the
whole population, resulting in higher tax revenues. He also repaired the Grand Canal system, which has fallen into disrepair during Wu Zetian's reign.
Empress Wu: only woman in history of china assume the title emperor. She found her own dynasty zhou. Her ruled result in better equality between the sexes. Emperor Huizong Equal field system: was a historical system of land ownership and distribution that's used from the six dynasties to mid-tang dynasty. This system was introduced by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was eventually adopted by other kingdoms and its use continued through Sui and Tang Dynasties. Equal field systems worked on the basis that all land was owned by the government, which would then be assigned to individual families. The amount of land that was assigned depends on the labor each individual could supply. After death, government will reassign lands. The system was designed so non of lands would be put in a waste and common people can ensure their livelihood and to prevent monopolizing fields. On top of that, tax important is as well. The system fell out after the An Lushan rebellion as the government began to lose centralized control over its territories. Aristocratic families and Buddhist monasteries started claiming lands. The gradual loss of taxable lands is a reason for the decline of the Tang Dynasty. Examination system: it a system to determine who among the population would be permitted to enter the state's bureaucracy founded in Sui Dynasty in 605. Before the system was introduced, most imperial bureaucracy was recommended by aristocrats and officials and they usually had some sort of aristocrat rank. This system was design that any male adult could become a high ranking government official by passing the imperial exams. However, education was costly and time consuming, this system also unifies Chinese ideas and found loyalty amongst with people. Fan Zhongyan Five Dynasties Han Yu Hangzhou Huineng Kaifeng Jin dynasty
Jinshi: or "presented scholar," a metropolitan graduate, administered in the capital every three years Jurchen : were a Tungus people who lived in the region of Manchuria and known as the Manchus. They established the Jin Dynasty. Kaifeng: Karma: a concept of action or deed in Indian religions understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect described in Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. All living creatures are responsible for their own Karma. In Buddhism, any actions will create "seeds" in the mind that will sprout into appropriate results. Khitan Li and qi Liao dynasty: is also known as the Khitan Empire, was a empire in northern china that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper. The Liao family was destroyed by the Jurchen of the Jin Dynasty. The remants of its people led by Yelu Dashi established Xi (western) Liao Dynasty. Neo-Confucianism New Policies Nine Rank Systems: this system is used during the Three Kingdoms and the Southern and Northern Dynasties. An official of the Kindom of Wei standardized this system. Theoretically, local government authorities were given the task of selecting talented candidates, then categorizing them into nine grades depending on their abilities. In practice, however, only the rich and powerful would be selected. The Nine Rank System was eventually superseded by the Imperial examination system for the civil service in the Sui Dynasty.
Northern Dynasties Northern Wei Northern Song Pure Land Salt monopoly
Sima Guang: he was a Chinese historian, sholar, and high chancellor of the Song Dynasty. He passed the imperial examination with the highest rank, Jinshi. He wrote Chinese history from 403 BCE to 959 CE (its called liniantu, from begging of warring state to Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period). The second book was the Tongzhi documenting the Warring state through the end of Qin Dynasty. The emperor edict for compiling a groundbreaking universal history of china, granting all access to imperial libraries. Southern Dynasties Southern Song Su Shi: was a writer, poet, artist, calligrapher, pharmacologist, and politician of the Song Dynasty. He was often regerred to as Su Dongpo Sui dynasty Tang Tangut Three Kingdoms Turks Uighurs Wang Anshi Xianbei Xuanzong Xuanzang(): was a famous Chinese monk, scholar, traveler, and translator that brough up the interaction between China and India in early Tang Period. He spent 17 years traveling to India which he studied with many Buddhist masters at Nalanda University. He brought back 657 Sanskrit texts and translated 1330 articles into Chinese Yang Guifei: one of the four beauties of ancient china. She was the beloved of Zuanzong for many years but was eventually executed because the enraged imperial bodyguard troops were convinced that the Rebellion of Anshi was the fault of her family. Zhu Xi