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Period: Jan 1, 713 to Jan 1, 756
Xuanzong's life
Xuanzong was a Tang ruler during the high of the Tang dynasty. He is known for being detatched to the imperial life and stealing away with his lover Yang Guifei, who, in turn, had great influence on the Tang government.
This shows continuity through the gradual ineffectiveness of rulers when dynasties fall. Rulers generally tend to become less effective or uninterested with their lives and roles during the end of a dynasty, directly causing the fall of an era. -
Jan 1, 907
Last Tang emperor is forced to resign
The last Tang emperor's resign is a major turning point for China, as afterwards it seemed as if China would go back into political strife.
This is a change because of the Tang dynasty's nearly 300 year rule, the lineup was finally changing, threatening political division and strife. -
Period: Jan 1, 960 to Jan 1, 1279
Song dynasty; Neo-Confucian revival
The Song dynasty was one that revived Confucian thought and a time of reforms for the educational and military systems of China.
This is a change because of the new leading line of rulers in China, as well as the Neo-Confucian revival which reinstituted old Confucian texts and founded new universitys. -
Period: Jan 1, 1070 to Jan 1, 1080
Wang Anshi's reforms
Wang Anshi was a popular Confucian scholar who, although the dynasty was collapsing, tried to make reforms. He started irrigation projects, taxed scholar and landlord classes, and established more well-trained militaries.
This is a change because we see for the first time in a while, a leader changing the taxation, military, and education methods, although in vain. -
Jan 1, 1115
Jurchen kingdom in north China
The Jurchen kingdom in north China was formed as a result of the nomadic Jurchens taking over the Liao dynasty and Qin empire, forcing the Song dynasty to retreat south.
This is a continuity because of the growing nomadic power happening around China at the time. There was a large amount of influence and a sudden flux of military prowess within the nomadic people. -
Period: Jan 1, 1127 to Jan 1, 1279
Southern Song dynasty
The southern Song dynasty was caused by the Jurchens of the north chasing them down, however it is known as their golden age.
This is a change because of the Song dynasty's weakness, but also because of the flux of cultural achievements made during this time through the arts and thinking. Unfortunately, the increased Confucian thought also led to a change with women's treatment popularizing footbinding. -
Period: Jan 1, 1279 to Jan 1, 1368
Mongol dynasty rules all of China
The Mongol invasion of China took an enormously long amount of time to do, but was eventually directed by Kublai Khan, the most important ruler of Mongol China.
This is a drastic change because of the outside influence on China by the Mongols as rulers, although the Mongol leader Kublai Khan was supportive of Chinese culture and did not want to change it and replace it with his own culture. He added Mongolians and Muslims and Europeans to the Chinese government, an unheard of action in China. -
Korean conquest; vassal state of Silla
The Chinese conquests of Korea were largely ineffectual during the Sui dynasty, however during the Tang, they eventually managed to gain Korea as a vassal state led by Emperor Kaozong.
This is a change because it shows the growing size of China eventually spreading to be larger than even the Han dynasty. -
Period: to
Tang Dynasty
The Tang was the first extensive and long-lasting dynasty since the Han dynasty, started by Li Yuan. The Tang used the scholar-gentry class to create a bureaucratic government and to keep tabs on the nobility.
This is a change because of the sudden, longer dynasty that finally unified China for a long period of time until Emperor Xuanzong. They conquested and took over Korea as a vassal state, unlike the Sui who failed in their conquests of Korea. -
Period: to Jan 1, 705
Empress Wu's life
Empress Wu was a leader during the Tang dynasty, who was ery fond of Buddhism, commissioning many Buddhists pieces of art and even trying to institute Buddhism as a state religion.
This shows a great change in China because of the unpopularity of Buddhism previously, with the support of an imperial ruler, Buddhism flourished through art and imperial support. This was not typical of China, usually very strongly Confucian and anti-Buddhist. -
Period: to
Sui Dynasty; building of Grand Canal
The Sui dynasty was a short dynasty after the Han and the Period of Division in China, although they got a great deal done more, such as the building of the Grand Canal, than other short rules.
This shows a continuity because of the ever-changing authorities of China during the times between Han and Tang. The Sui is the first recognized dynasty after the Han, but it lasts a very short amount of time, making it typical of the one-time rulers during the Period of Division.