Continuity and Change over Time in China

Continuity and Change over Time in China

        About one thousand years ago from the 6th to the 13th century in ancient China, three great Chinese dynasties lived; the Sui, Tang, and Song. These dynasties contributed many changes to their period, along with continuity.  Two changes from these dynasties include technology and the influence of Buddhism and Confucianism on the empires.  Two continuities are women’s status and military threats to the empires. Between 581 and 1279 CE, China saw changes in technology and Buddhism and Confucianism, while maintaining similar status of women and seeing many military threats in each empire.

        First, in the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties there was much advancement in technology. For example, the Sui constructed irrigation systems and the Grand Canal to facilitate communication and trade within the empire while also strengthening and improving the Great Wall. They also built the oldest arch stone bridge in China, the Anji Bridge. A great Sui astrologer created the Huangji Calendar, and Yi Xing was the first astronomer in the world to find the length of the meridian. Yi Xing also created the first real mechanism to tell time, sometimes called the Astronomical clock. In addition, the Tang dynasty built excellent roads and water transports. The Song dynasty invented gunpowder and used it against the Jurchens in the form of exploding shells in the 1100’s. They also made high-quality steel to create weapons for their large army containing 1.25 million men. These technological improvements were invented to build a strong military for the Song. An improved compass design was developed as a more suitable compass for maritime and they also invented the main oceangoing ship called the junk, and the stern-mounted rudder. The compass, junk, and special rudder all helped to increase and facilitate travel by ocean, including trade, for the Song Empire. A new form of printing was developed as the movable type.  In order to maintain the increasing population of Song China, officials developed water and waste management and techniques for firefighting. New technologies were constantly being formed, and ideas and tools improved during this period in China.

        In addition, the amount of Buddhist versus Confucian influence was altered between the three dynasties. The Sui Empire encouraged and spread Buddhism, while Confucianism was not as popular. Even though Confucianism was certified officially, Buddhism was, for the most part, more commonly practiced among the Sui people and government. In the Tang dynasty, a sect of Buddhism called Mahayana was predominant, and it encouraged the rulers of this era to create a harmonious society among the people. This form of Buddhism was attractive to many people because it was adaptable to diverse societies and people of different status, and it increased travel and cultural exchange. Meanwhile, Confucianism was not as widespread as Mahayana Buddhism. Towards the end of the Tang Empire, though, the Tang elite noticed that Buddhism was discouraging the Confucian ideas on the family, and the family was the model for the empire. Because of this, the Tang developed stronger Confucian ties to society towards the end of the dynasty. Continuing the Tang elite’s ideas, in the Song Empire Confucianism grew and became more influential than Buddhism. In this dynasty, neo-Confucianism evolved as new interpretations of Confucius’s teachings. For example, Zhu Xi was an extremely famous Song neo-Confucian thinker who wrote about the negative impact of Daoism and Buddhism on Confucian ideas. Also, questions from civil service examinations for the Song dynasty’s large bureaucracy were always based on Confucian classics, not Buddhism. Typically, the main reason for the changes between Confucianism and Buddhism in China was because the two beliefs were very diverse, so often there was more influence of one than the other in an empire. From 581-1279 CE, the influence of Buddhism and Confucianism changed in each empire.