Option A: Discuss the rise to power and expansion of the Mongol Empire (Links to an external site.). What was the significance of the Mongol invasion and occupation (Links to an external site.) for world history? The following cc videos are optional, but interesting.
Option B: Discuss Golden Age China (Links to an external site.) during the Tang (Links to an external site.) and Song (Links to an external site.)periods. What major developments and inventions made this such a great and vibrant period in Chinese history?
The following cc videos are optional, but provide a good look at the Golden Age.
Reply:
Option B
The Golden Ages, also known as the Tang and Song dynasties, China became the most advanced and powerful country in the world. This era of technological change brings major wealth and success to China. The Tang Dynasty lasted from 618 to 907 CE. The Tang rulers wanted to build a powerful empire therefore they expanded it and unified it. Most of the Tang emperors were believed to be Buddhists, which had a major role in the Tang dynasty. The Grand canal was one of the greatest innovations made by the Tang. This canal connected the Huang He and Cha’ng rivers which helped the North and South of China trade with each other, due to it being the world’s longest human made canal. On the other hand we have the Song dynasty which lasted from 960 to 1279 until the Mongols took control of China and invaded it. “People had time to devote to arts. Landscape painting became an important art style. Poetry and history flourish” (Tang and Song Dynasties paragraph 3). During the Song dynasty people were showing their artistic talents and started to use landscape painting a lot more often along with poetry as a form of art. The Song dynasty was the first to replace coins with paper money. During the Tang and Song Dynasty science, math, and technology flourished. “Gunpowder was first used in the Tang dynasty to make fireworks. In order to fight off the Mongols from central Asia in the 1100s, the Chinese developed rockets that were propelled gunpowder” (Tang and Song dynasties paragraph 8). China invented gunpowder that was used to develop rocket fireworks as a weapon to fight Mongols, others believed gunpowder was an immortality potion. More inventions were accurate mechanical clocks that would run by water, and porcelain that was made out of white clay which can only be found in China. Another great invention by the Chinese was moveable type or block printing that was carved on a block of wood and made printing much easier. During the Tang and Song dynasties, China took part in international trading and their largest export was silk. They traded these goods to Europe, Indian West Africa, and along with the Arabian Peninsula.
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