Sui-Tang Era

Introduction

• Sui rose in 580 CE• Began with Wendi – a Chinese noble• He struck a marriage alliance with his

daughter and the ruler of the northern Zhou

• He then seized the throne of his son-in-law and proclaimed himself emperor

• He also won support of the northern nomads

Where is Wendi?

• His son, Yangdi, murdered him• He then took the throne, extended

conquests, established a milder legal code, upgraded Confucian education

• He was fond of luxury and construction projects

• Built palaces, canals, even built his own forest…

• Fought to bring Korea under Chinese control but failed…

The Tang

• One of Yangdi’s officials – Li Yuan, emerged as the next leader

• He laid the basis for the Golden Age of the Tang

• Penetrated as deep as Afghanistan

• They extended into Tibet, Vietnam, and Manchuria

• Built an empire larger than the Han

Bureaucracy

• Political power was shared by the succession of imperial families and bureaucrats who passed the civil service exam

• The aristocracy ran the administrative positions while the educated class worked as the secretaries

• The executive department was divided into 6 ministries…

The Examination System

• The Tang educated in Confucian classics• The exam system was expanded• Different kinds were administered by the

Ministry of Rites• The highest offices were reserved for

those who could pass the hardest of exams – philosophy and law

• Those who excelled in Chinese Literature would earn the title – jinshi - dignitaries

• Success on the exams afforded you the ability to wear different types of clothing and be exempt from certain punishments

• Even though exams were important, birth and family counted for something as well… many families continued the tradition of education and often the government was dominated by certain families…