Period of Disunion
After the collapse of the Han Dynasty in China, a time of almost 300 years with no central government
Grand Canal
The 1,100-mile waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was begun during the Sui Empire.
Empress Wu
Ruled during the Tang dynasty, ruled ruthlessly and brought prosperity to China
Porcelain
A ceramic made of fine clay baked at very high temperatures developed in Tang Dynasty
Woodblock Printing
A type of printing in which text is carved into a block of wood and the block is then coated with ink and pressed on the page
Gunpowder
A mixture of powders used in guns and explosives that was invented by the Tang Dynasty
Compass
Navigational instrument for finding directions that was perfected by the Song Dynasty
Bureaucracy
A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials
Meritocracy
Government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability.
Civil Service Exam
In Imperial China starting in the Han dynasty and brought back by the Tang dynasty, it was an exam based on Confucian teachings that was used to select people for various government jobs.
Scholar-Official
An educated person who worked in China's government.
Wendi
First emperor of the Sui dynasty
Yangdi
2nd Sui ruler and constructed the Grand Canal
Taizong
Second emperor of the Tang dynasty who brought back the civil service exam, gave land to farmers, and brought peace and order to the countryside.
Genghis Khan
Founder of the Mongol Empire.
Kublai Khan
Mongol ruler, he completed the conquest of China and founded the Yuan dynasty
Zheng He
Chinese admiral during the Ming Dynasty, he led great voyages that spread China's fame throughout Asia
Neo-Confucianism
A philosophy that emerged in Song-dynasty China; it revived Confucian thinking while adding in Buddhist and Daoist elements.
Buddhism
Belief system that started in India in the 500s BC. Happiness can be achieved through removal of one's desires. Believers seek enlightenment and the overcoming of suffering.
Marco Polo
Venetian merchant and traveler. His accounts of his travels to China offered Europeans a firsthand view of Asian lands and stimulated interest in Asian trade.
Mongols
Central Asian nomadic peoples who were considered Barbaric