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Emperor Wendi moved China's capitol to Chang’an. Became largest city in the world at the time.
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Was built from Luoyang to Huai River then to Jiangdu on the Yangtze River then from Yellow River to Beijing
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Usurped power for herself and became the only female
emperor in Chinese history -
Xuanzong ruled very ably: strengthened prestige of court by reducing
corruption, abolished the death penalty, pursued vigorous foreign policy,
established the Hanlin Academy for the arts which long survived his dynasty:
some of the greatest poets (Li Biao and Du Fu ) and greatest painters (Wang
Wei and Wu Tao-tzu) flourished during his reign, and invited teachers of newly
introduced Tantric school of Buddhism. -
Tang Dynasty is destroyed. Massive suppression of Buddhism and other foreign religions
occurred: many temples and monasteries were closed, their wealth
confiscated by the government, a quarter of a million monks and nuns returned
to secular life. This persecution cut China off from contact with Central Asia
and India where Buddhism then declined in favor of Islam and other religions.
Only Pure Land and Chan schools continued; the other schools did not
survive -
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Northern Song dynasty was overrun by nomadic groups such as the
Jurchen from Manchuria calling themselves the Jin dynasty. -
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Song dynasty resisted Mongol invaders.
Explosive weapons are used for the first time, initially by the defending armies
of the Song and later adapted by the Mongols. -
1274 and 1281 Kublai sent fleets against Japan. The second attempt was
aborted by a typhoon’s destruction of the fleet which the Japanese regarded as
the godly intervention of the Kamikaze or divine wind.
Mongol rule throughout was maintained by military occupation. The Mongols
resisted assimilation into Chinese cu -
The Venetian merchant Marco Polo traveled throughout Kublai’s
realm. -
Kublai sent a fleet to Java to rebuke the reluctant leader, asserted Mongol control
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Taizu gained control of Beijing. He neither captured or defeated the
Mongol emperor who fled to Mongolia. The Ming dynasty was never able to
defeat the Mongol; thus were unable to expand their empire into inner Asia.
The Ming dynasty was less grand and extravagant than previous dynasties. It
could be described as ordinary, favoring the common man. -
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Opium War occurred ending with the Nanjing Treaty which gave
Hong Kong to Great Britain. -
Taiping Rebellion was a peasant uprising in which a Christian
convert called himself the Son of Heaven, identified himself as the younger
brother of Christ, collected a huge following, and attempted to overthrow the
Qing Dynasty -
