Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Chapter 8, Lesson 2, The Flowering of Chinese Culture (pp. 202-208)
I. The Civil Service System
B. The Tang and Song dynasties established fair and efficient systems of administration in which civil servants' jobs were based on examinations and their promotions based on merit rather than family connections.
C. In this system the aristocracy held less power, and officials from non-aristocratic families were considered more loyal to the Emperor.
B. The governments encouraged the use of new crops and farming methods. This caused a boom in agriculture, created surplus food, and led to a population increase in southern China.
C. With a thriving merchant class, a money economy developed which included the world's first paper currency.
B. By the late 700s, the Chinese used woodblock printing to spread knowledge and information throughout China.
C. Other key inventions of the period included gunpowder, guns, star charts, and compasses.
Lesson at a Glance Outline
A. Li Yuan proclaimed himself emperor in 618, starting the Tang Dynasty. Under the Tang and subsequent Song Dynasty, the Chinese attained new heights in painting, poetry, government, education, and science.
II. The Birth of a New Economy
A. To improve travel, trade, and communication, Tang and Song governments built an extensive system of roads and waterways.
III. A Continuing Heritage
A. While continuing to value their ancient traditions and Confucian texts, the prosperous Chinese improved life with new inventions.
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