Similarities Between Tang And Song Dynasties

Throughout Chinese history before the Tang and Song dynasties, the daily lives of women and issues from their perspective have not been adequately recorded, due to a male dominated society. However, from the Tang to the Song dynasty, visual and material sources appear which further explains the status of women in society, cultural values, but most importantly, examples of acts of courage, selflessness, and strength. The discussion of women starting with the Tang dynasty is especially important since this is the start of open-mindedness and liberal ideas resulting in women in politics, a woman as empress, and even freedom of expression through poetry and art. However, once shifting to the Song dynasty, the status of women declined further in

The Chang’an, which was the capital, was a city of merchants, and entertainment such as tea houses and restaurants with foreign food. The elites of the Tang had a mixed background, understanding the customs and system of other nations. This caused the ruling elites to be more knowledgeable, flexible, and adapting, compared to other dynasties. The Tang Legal Code was a major set of rules established during this time. The Tang Code enunciated general principles of the law and listed specific offenses and punishments. It was later used as a model for other societies such as the Japanese, Koreans, and Vietnamese. Punishment carried depending on the status of the violator. The Tang Code was a result in Legalist thinking, but also Confucian values. Legalism was apparent though determining the appropriate punishment for a particular crime. However, Confucianism was apparent since the killing of a family member was worse than killing a stranger, resulting in a harsher crime. Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism also flourished throughout the Tang dynasty. The Tang were a mix of Confucian and Legalist rule, but most were Buddhist, resulting in many Buddhist temples. The reaction of the growth of Buddhism resulted in scholar, Han Yu criticizing its growth. Han Yu was a Confucian scholar, advocating the use of filial piety which mean rulers retain loyalty to their subjects. Later, Buddhist monasteries were closed down

In the song Dynasty, scholar-officials emerged as a new social group. They were incorporated in government through the establishment of civil service examinations and became powerful. This expansion occurred due to the need to eliminate the power of the military. Assets associated with scholar officials was education and land. So in the Song dynasty, education was directly related to wealth. Elite families used several strategies to maintain their identity and status, including owing land, and participation in civil service examinations, eventually leading to a spot in government. A few activities elites would engage in are poetry, calligraphy, and painting. These were known as “The 3 Perfections”. They were connected to class and status, and showed a good education. The Song dynasty was known as a period of multi state. It consisted of the Northern Song and the Southern Song. The northern Song was conquered by the Jin or the Jurchen, who were nomads who lived in the forests of Manchuria. The Song attempted to recover the North but could not because of their weak military force. Women remained inferior than men during the Song