Why could China re-create its empire—just 400 years after the fall of the Han—but
Rome could not?
That was a fascinating episode where the great kingdoms in China reunited and formed one strong Chinese kingdom 400 years after the fall of the Han. The process was spearheaded by Yang Jian from Sui kingdom using Buddhist religious beliefs to unite people. He was able to join the south and north parts of the country in 589 and introduced the capital at Daxing. The kingdom was restored and unified to maintain the accomplishment major Chinese empires, Grand Canal project and Great China Wall. Several attacks made people long to be united (Hardy & Kinney, 2005).
Roman Empire was a very famous kingdom. Unfortunately, it did not thrive for long. There were several cracks in the empire, which rendered the nation vulnerable. Some of the factors, which made it hard to reorganize the kingdom again, were the new changes in religion and pressure from rebels who did not believe in the faith, which was a foundation of the nation. Also, there was a decline in the number of armies and population as a whole. That made the empire more vulnerable to attacks. The kingdom also faced serious social, economic challenges, which led to the decline of the famous strong Roman Empire.
What do Chinese poetry and art tell us about Chinese society? About women? What position did poets occupy in Chinese Society?
That occurred during the rebirth of Chinese literature and arts, which were spearheaded by, Tang authors. More than 48,900 artworks were composed, and some are still recited up to date. They were also the custodian of the rich Chinese culture and arts. It was fun and competitive. They used to hold contest and banquets to entertain visitors. Also, they used very popular poetic styles such as Jintishi and Gish. Famous poets included Lai Hau, Wang Wei and Libal.
Women played key roles in the advancement of Chinese poetry and art. They were keen on their social rights and social status. They expressed this through poetry and composition of songs. They also had a task to compose songs and poems to praise famous Chinese men who existed. They would present them at banquets and feasts. Poetry was highly respected and honored in Chinese society. It was for recreation and used as a tool for socialization (Hardy & Kinney, 2005).
Are there similarities between the Qin-Han transition and that of the Sui-Tang? Between Han and Tang expansion and contraction?
The great China dynasties included Qin Empire, Han Empire, Tang Empire, Sui Empire and Song Empire. Han Empire was founded by Liu bhang, who was peasant rebel leader in China in 206 BC -20 CE. This empire existed in the period of political experimental and economic prosperity. Sui Empire conquered it. The Sui Empire lasted for the shortest time only 37 years and existed from 581-619 BC. There was a transition to Tang Empire and notable progressive development regarding politics and economy. Qui managed to unify China for 16 years.
Both transitions were made successful by military conquest and expansions of empires. Corruption and weak military affected all empires as they transited from one era to another. The inefficient administration and leadership propagated the end of the existence of these dynasties, which was also referred to as dynasties cycle. Also, corruption and decline of moral values contributed to the fall of the above empires. Both transitions were similar.
How did the Chinese economy change from the Tang to the Northern Song to the Southern Song? How did the policy change? How did China’s relationships with surrounding states change?
The Tang Empire preceded the Song Kingdom. It was established in 618-907 Bc and introduced through military conquest by Tang Wang. There was economic, cultural, military and political development. That was contributed by pressing engagement in trade within the empire and outside the empire. The economic development and commerce flourished in the empire (Hardy & Kinney, 2005). The king stopped being keen on trade affairs and appointed corrupt ministers who paralyzed the trade. It was conquered by Song Empire, which expanded and took over Tang Trade Empire.
The Song Dynasty was divided into North and South Song Empires.Northern Song era has lasted from 960-1127 Bc while South existed from 1127-1279 Bc. The Song Empire was smaller compared to Tang Empire. During northern song era, emperor Taize recorded social, economic development and sound policies. That enabled his empire to expand his territories. The Southern Song Dynasty was located in a prosperous capital city called Hangzhou. During Song, Empire era there was social, economic development, which promoted economic growth. There was increase per capita income and population, new technological advancement and innovations. There was expansion in China global market where traders and merchants used vessels to do trade overseas. Finally, they managed to create trade route, which promoted efficient mobility of goods and merchants. The relationship with other countries improved because there was a friendly environment for trade.
