The Golden Age

The Sui dynasty was succeeded by the Tang dynasty (618-907), which built a Chinese empire greater than any before. Korea and Tibet came under Chinese suzerainty; so did western regions extending almost to Iran. Trade over the Silk Road was reestablished. Chinese expansion was checked in 751 when a Muslim army defeated a huge Tang force at Talas, in Central Asia.

The Tang ruled during one of China's most brilliant periods. The literary examination system for government service was perfected. Block printing was invented. Painting, sculpture, and poetry flourished. Porcelain, invented during the Han dynasty, came into mass production. At the same time Confucianism was revived, the power of the Buddhist monasteries was curtailed, and Islam took root and spread. Tea drinking became widespread.

The Tang dynasty was followed by a period of political upheaval. Then the Sung dynasty (960-1279) established a stable government, but during most of its rule controlled only the south. The north was under the control of Altaic peoples, primarily the Tungus from Manchuria and the Mongol Khitan. The period of divided rule was one of literary and cultural refinement. Trade overland across Asia became insignificant, but maritime trade greatly increased. The compass, movable type, and gunpowder for military purposes were developed.

During the early 1200's, north China was conquered by the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan and his lieutenants. After years of warfare the Sung state was defeated by Kublai Khan, who founded the Mongol, or Yuan, dynasty (1279-1368).

The Mongols reopened the overland trade routes across Asia. China's foreign commerce flourished. Direct contact with Europe was established for the first time through the travels of the Polos from Venice. Under Mongol rule, the Grand Canal, a waterway connecting north and south China, was completed. In literature, drama was in its most vigorous period.

Upon the decline of the Mongols, the native Ming dynasty rose to power. The Ming rebuilt and added to the Great Wall. Ming conquests were not extensive, but several outlying areas were forced to make payments to China. In the early 1400's, Ming fleets dominated Asian waters as far as Arabia. With the Portuguese arrival by ship in 1514, regular trade with Europe was begun. In the 1590's China fought an inconclusive war with Japan over control of Korea.

In Manchuria various Tungus tribes united in the early 1600's, later adopting the name Manchu. In 1644, the Manchus conquered China, founding the Manchu, or Qing, dynasty.