Lesson 1.1 · Unit 1 · CED topic 1.1
Song China and the East Asian world
In 1200 the Song dynasty ruled the most populous and commercial society on earth. This lesson covers how the Song governed through an educated bureaucracy and Confucian ideas, how its economy grew through new crops, tools, and money, and how Chinese traditions shaped Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. The Song fell to the Mongols in 1279, so the lesson ends where Unit 2 begins.
Learning objectives.
- 1A. Explain the systems of government employed by Chinese dynasties and how they developed over time.
- 1B. Explain the effects of Chinese cultural traditions on East Asia over time.
- 1C. Explain the effects of innovation on the Chinese economy over time.
Historical developments.
- 3.2.I.A. Empires and states in Afro-Eurasia and the Americas demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity in the 13th century. This included the Song Dynasty of China, which utilized traditional methods of Confucianism and an imperial bureaucracy to maintain and justify its rule.
- 3.1.III.D.i. Chinese cultural traditions continued, and they influenced neighboring regions.
- 3.1.III.D.ii. Buddhism and its core beliefs continued to shape societies in Asia and included a variety of branches, schools, and practices.
- 3.3.III.A.i. The economy of Song China became increasingly commercialized while continuing to depend on free peasant and artisanal labor.
- 3.1.I.D. The economy of Song China flourished as a result of increased productive capacity, expanding trade networks, and innovations in agriculture and manufacturing.
Government: Confucianism and the bureaucracy
The Song (960 to 1279) ruled much of China with a bureaucracy of officials chosen mostly by the civil service examination. Candidates studied the Confucian classics for years, and the exams tested their knowledge of them. Passing could raise a family from landowning wealth into the governing class, although in practice the cost of education meant that most successful candidates came from families with land and money. The CED describes this as using traditional methods of Confucianism and an imperial bureaucracy to maintain and justify its rule.
Confucianism taught that society was a set of relationships, such as ruler and subject, parent and child, and husband and wife, each held together by duties. The ruler's duty was to govern virtuously, and the subject's duty was loyalty. Filial piety, the respect and obedience owed to parents and ancestors, was the model for all other relationships. Under the Song, thinkers such as Zhu Xi (1130 to 1200) combined Confucian ethics with ideas about the nature of the universe borrowed partly from Buddhism and Daoism. This blend is called Neo-Confucianism, and it became the dominant school of thought in China and, later, across East Asia.
Confucian thought also shaped gender. It expected women to defer to fathers, husbands, and sons, and it valued their roles inside the household. During the Song, the practice of foot binding among elite families spread. It was painful, it limited women's movement, and it became a mark of status. Women's work did not disappear, though, since they spun silk and cotton and ran household workshops that fed the commercial economy.
Religion: Buddhism alongside Confucianism
Buddhism had come to China from India more than a thousand years earlier, and in 1200 it was a major part of religious life. It developed into several branches. Theravada Buddhism stressed monastic discipline and the early teachings and was strong in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka. Mahayana Buddhism, which stressed compassion and the ideal of the bodhisattva who delays nirvana to help others, was strong in China, Korea, and Japan. Tibetan Buddhism blended Mahayana teaching with local traditions and rituals. Buddhism and Confucianism were not rivals in the way two religions sometimes are in other places, since many people used Confucian ethics in public life and Buddhist practice for spiritual needs.
The economy: commercialization and innovation
The Song economy was one of the most productive in the world. Several developments explain why.
- Agriculture. Champa rice, an early-ripening and drought-resistant variety imported from Southeast Asia, allowed two harvests a year in many places and fed a population that grew past 100 million.
- Transportation. The Grand Canal, first built under the Sui and expanded over time, linked the Yangzi valley to the north and moved grain and goods cheaply.
- Industry. Iron and steel production expanded so much that some estimates put output near 100,000 tons a year in the eleventh century, using coal and coke as fuel. Silk, porcelain, and later textiles were made for export.
- Money. A shortage of copper coin led merchants in Sichuan to issue paper notes, and the government took over the practice. The Song were among the first to use paper money widely.
- Technology. Printing spread learning, and gunpowder weapons and the magnetic compass appeared and began to travel to other regions.
The CED calls the result an economy that was increasingly commercialized while continuing to depend on free peasant and artisanal labor. Cities grew, merchants gained wealth, and markets stretched across the country, but most people were still farmers.
East Asia and the spread of Chinese culture
China's neighbors borrowed heavily from it, but not in the same way. Korea under the Goryeo dynasty (918 to 1392) adopted Confucian institutions and a civil service examination, and Buddhism flourished. Japan during the Heian period (794 to 1185) borrowed Chinese writing, Buddhism, and art, but adapted them. Japanese writers created their own scripts to write their own language, and the Tale of Genji, a novel by the court lady Murasaki Shikibu, is a Heian work. By the late twelfth century, warrior families gained power, and in 1185 the Kamakura shogunate began a period of rule by military leaders (shoguns) under a nominal emperor. Vietnam (Dai Viet) borrowed Chinese administration and Confucian learning but resisted Chinese rule and defended its independence several times.
Description of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," a handscroll attributed to Zhang Zeduan (twelfth century). This is a description, not a quotation.
The scroll shows a long stretch of the countryside and the capital's busy waterfront. Boats unload goods at a bridge, shops line the streets, and people of many kinds, including porters, merchants, officials, and travelers, move through crowds.
Sourcing (HIPP). The artist worked in the Song period and is associated with the court, so the historical situation is a wealthy, urban society, and the point of view is that of an educated observer showing a prosperous scene. The purpose was probably to display the capital's peace and prosperity as well as to please viewers who valued fine painting. The audience was elite viewers. Because the scroll is a flattering picture, it cannot tell us how the poor lived, but it is good evidence that markets and waterways mattered in daily life.
Claim. Song China had a commercialized, urban economy.
Evidence. The scroll shows boats unloading at a bridge, streets lined with shops, and crowds of people of many occupations.
Reasoning. A society in which many people work as merchants, porters, and shopkeepers, and in which goods arrive by boat to be sold in markets, is one in which trade matters, not only farming. A limit is that the painting is an artistic and flattering view meant for an elite audience, so the text should be combined with other evidence, such as the spread of paper money or the growth of iron production.
Question. Explain one way Song China continued earlier traditions and one way it changed.
Model. One continuity was the use of Confucianism and a bureaucracy chosen by examination to justify and manage imperial rule, a system older than the Song. One change was the commercialization of the economy, as Champa rice, new iron production, and paper money allowed more trade and larger cities than earlier dynasties had seen.
Learning Objectives 1A to 1C ask for government, culture, and economy. Pair each with an example: bureaucracy and Neo-Confucianism, filial piety and the Buddhist branches, and Champa rice, the Grand Canal, iron, and paper money. For regional influence, name what each neighbor borrowed (Korea: exams, Japan: writing and Buddhism, Vietnam: administration) and note that each adapted rather than copied.
- What was the purpose of the civil service examination?
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To select government officials by their knowledge of Confucian texts, which linked education to government service and supported the dynasty's claim to rule by virtue.
- Define filial piety.
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The Confucian value of respect and obedience owed to parents and ancestors, the model for other relationships.
- Name two Song innovations that raised economic output.
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Champa rice (two harvests a year), expanded iron and steel production, the Grand Canal, and paper money are all correct.
- Name three branches of Buddhism.
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Theravada, Mahayana, and Tibetan Buddhism.
- How did Japan adapt Chinese culture rather than simply copying it?
Show answer
Japan borrowed Chinese writing, Buddhism, and art but created its own scripts to write Japanese, and Heian writers produced works such as the Tale of Genji.
- Why was Confucianism significant for women's roles?
Show answer
It expected women to defer to fathers, husbands, and sons and valued their household roles, and the Song practice of foot binding became a mark of elite status.