Second Exam Review Guide
Terms:
bamboo, 9 rank system, sutra, Sui, karma, divisional militia, jinshi, Empress Wu, Grand Canal, Xuangzong, Taizu, sambha, Wang Anshi, colophon, Zhu Xi, rice, Marco Polo, Tang, Southern Song, Chinggis Khan, Yuan, Kublai Khan, Shakyamuni, Dun Huang, geomancy, Chan Buddhism, equal fields system, Tanguts, Islam
Essays:
After the Han and Tang dynasties fell, China entered periods of creative disunity. What sort of creativity occurred and why? (Compare and contrast the changes between the two periods including commentary on art, religion, education, and economy.)
What was the appeal and effect of Buddhism in Chinese society through the Yuan dynasty?
Ebrey tells us that during the Tang period, elements of Chinese bureaucracy and government matured into precedents and practices that would continue until the last Imperial dynasty in the early twentieth century. Review some of the techniques and consider why were they so effective, and why they weren't.
Make an argument that the dynastic cycle in Chinese history is more a linear, ascending spiral than a cycle of recurring patterns?
Explain the difficulty of arguing that China by the Yuan dynasty is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural culture?
How does Confucianism (and how does it not) become "universal," changing with the times, incorporating elements from other religions and becoming more relevant to the needs of government?