2304 red diamonds rule © History with Mr. E Specializing in American and World History for late Elementary, Middle, and early High School P orcelain Porcelain is a beautiful ceramic that has a high level of kaolin, a fi ne white clay that contains numerous metallic minerals. Kaolin translates to mean “high hill,” since it was discovered in high concentrations atop a mountain in the Jiangxi province in southeastern China. Porcelain is di ff erent from other clay ceramics and pottery due to its rich white color, smoothness, and durability. The ceramic has a long history in China, having fi rst been fi rst used in some form by the Han dynasty around 200 BCE. However, it was not until the Tang dynasty when porcelain became more popular, especially among the elite. It was used by Tang aristocrats as cups for tea, plates for food, and fancy vases for fl owers. The item became highly sought after and was traded along the famous Silk Road to merchants in Arabia, Europe and Africa. Porcelain reached its peak during the Ming Dynasty where it began to take on the luxurious blue designs that came from cobalt imported from central Asia. Other colors were used to decorate the ceramic, at times using a red and orange copper base, however they are incredibly rare. Late in the Ming Dynasty, demand for porcelain increased outside China’s borders which resulted in porcelain taking on more foreign in fl uence. This surge in China’s porcelain demand made the Ming dynasty wealthy once they created kilns in the Jiangxi region to supply enough of it. ACHiEVEMENTS OF MEDiEVAL CHiNA Tang (618-906 CE) Five Dynasties Period (907-960 CE) Song (961-1279 CE) Yuan (1280-1368 CE) Ming (1369-1644 CE) 2304 red diamonds rule © History with Mr. E Specializing in American and World History for late Elementary, Middle, and early High School T he G reat W all ACHiEVEMENTS OF MEDiEVAL CHiNA The Great Wall of China has a long history, and it was anything but “great” in its early days. Emperor Qin of the Qin Dynasty fi rst started the massive project around 200 BCE as an e ff ort to curb invasions from the nomadic people of central and northern Asia. The people, known as Mongols, raided and pillaged Chinese settlements on the frontier. Initially, this wall was nothing more than mounds of dirt that merely slowed down invaders. Numerous dynasties added to the wall, such as the Han around 100 CE, the Northern Qi around 550 CE, and eventually the Ming in the late-1300s. The Ming dynasty is famous for turning the Great Wall into the massive stone structure it is today; it is so massive, that it is heralded as the only manmade structure seen from outer space. The reason that the Ming Dynasty invested in this grand undertaking is a result of China’s history. The ruling dynasty that preceded the Ming, known as the Yuan dynasty, represents a time in China’s history when they were ruled by a foreign army. Mongol emperor Kublai Khan invaded China in 1271 and established control over the Song Dynasty in 1279 after the Battle of Yamen. When supporters of the Ming dynasty fi nally thrust o ff Mongol rule in 1368, the Ming turned their focus to fortifying the Great Wall to prevent a return of the Yuan rulers. Tang (618-906 CE) Five Dynasties Period (907-960 CE) Song (961-1279 CE) Yuan (1280-1368 CE) Ming (1369-1644 CE) 2304 red diamonds rule © History with Mr. E Specializing in American and World History for late Elementary, Middle, and early High School P rinting ACHiEVEMENTS OF MEDiEVAL CHiNA Numerous inventions regarding printing are rooted in Chinese history. For example, the earliest form of modern paper was invented by Cai Lun, an o ffi cial of the Han dynasty around 105 BCE. Achievements in printing continued well into China’s medieval period too. In the 7th century CE (600s), woodblock printing was popularized in the Tang Dynasty. Words and letters would be carved from wood, then used as a stamp to produce pages in a printing press. This technique was cumbersome, but it was new, groundbreaking, and allowed the production of books at a much faster pace than before. Around 1040 CE, Bi Sheng revolutionized printing again when he used ceramic to create the fi rst movable type letters. These letters would be arranged on a page that was then to be stamped; again, it sped up the process, but the ceramic letters often broke or dulled with time. In 1193, Zhou Bida of the Song dynasty modi fi ed movable type by using clay letters. A Yuan dynasty o ffi cial named Wang Zhen improved the letters further in 1298 when he created 30,000 di ff erent movable letters out of wood. Still though, no matter clay, ceramic, or wood, the materials broke down over time and required replacement. By the time of the Ming dynasty, the letters had improved to bronze quality which greatly improved their durability; in 1490, bronze letters fi rst appeared in medieval China, about fi fty years after a similar feat was made by German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg. Tang (618-906 CE) Five Dynasties Period (907-960 CE) Song (961-1279 CE) Yuan (1280-1368 CE) Ming (1369-1644 CE) 2304 red diamonds rule © History with Mr. E Specializing in American and World History for late Elementary, Middle, and early High School G unpowder ACHiEVEMENTS OF MEDiEVAL CHiNA Perhaps no other invention has had a greater impact on the history of the world than gunpowder, and it is believed it was stumbled upon entirely by accident. During the reign of the Tang dynasty in the 9th century CE, Chinese Taoists sought an elixir that would give eternal life. A combination of sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (sodium nitrate) was heated until it erupted in smoke and fi re. While it was not a secret to eternal life, the Chinese did use it to treat a variety of skin diseases. What we call gunpowder was originally called huoyao , which meant “ fi re medicine.” It was not until the mid-11th century under the Song Dynasty that gunpowder began to be used for military purposes. It was primarily used to launch fi re arrows at enemies that operated much like a modern rocket. These arrows were used extensively in the Jin- Song Wars where the Song dynasty went to war against the Jin dynasty of northern China to maintain control over the mainland. The Chinese used gunpowder in a variety of other weapons as well, such as smoke bombs and grenades. Chinese texts also describe bombs fi lled with poisonous gas, however it is unclear if they were actually used in combat. By the 13th century, gunpowder was integrated into devices that exploded once pressure was applied, simulating a modern version of a land mine. Tang (618-906 CE) Five Dynasties Period (907-960 CE) Song (961-1279 CE) Yuan (1280-1368 CE) Ming (1369-1644 CE) 2304 red diamonds rule © History with Mr. E Specializing in American and World History for late Elementary, Middle, and early High School M easurements ACHiEVEMENTS OF MEDiEVAL CHiNA Medieval China was fi lled with inventions and improvements related to the many di ff erent types of measurements. In around 730 CE, a Buddhist monk named Yi Xing created the fi rst mechanical clock that used water as a means of keeping time; it would drip water into a bucket that turned a mechanical wheel one full turn every 24 hours. Furthermore, each hour gear mechanisms forced a bell to ring. Su Song, an o ffi cial in the Song Dynasty, improved the clock in the 11th century; it was able to tell onlookers not only the time of day, but also the day of the month, the phase of the moon, and the location of a variety of stars in the sky. Another improvement made in medieval China was the compass. As early as 200 BCE, compasses were used to help travelers fi nd their way and to orient themselves in relation to their environment according to the principles of Feng shui. This traditional Chinese practice claims to use natural energy to harmonize individuals with their environment. During the rule of the Song Dynasty, the compass was improved and used for navigation by adding a magnetic needle that always pointed to the earth’s magnetic poles. Tang (618-906 CE) Five Dynasties Period (907-960 CE) Song (961-1279 CE) Yuan (1280-1368 CE) Ming (1369-1644 CE) 2304 red diamonds rule ACHiEVEMENTS OF MEDiEVAL CHiNA © History with Mr. E Specializing in American and World History for late Elementary, Middle, and early High School T he F orbidden C ity The Forbidden City was an imperial palace built by the Ming Dynasty around 1420 CE. The palace served as the home of the Chinese emperor for over 500 years, until 1924 when the fi nal Chinese emperor, Puyi, abdicated the throne. The city was built as the home for the Chinese emperor when the capital was moved from Nanjing to Beijing, a move authorized by the fi rst Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. He did this in an attempt to purge China of any Mongol in fl uence from the preceding Yuan dynasty. The city was o ff -limits for ordinary citizens; to enter, one had to have special permission from the emperor or other high-ranking o ffi cials. The Forbidden City took 14 years to construct and needed the help of over one million laborers. Many elements in the construction of the Forbidden City con fi rm the emperor’s god-like status. For example, golden bricks lined the fl oors of the main halls. There are also 9,999 rooms in the Forbidden City, since it was believed that only God could have 10,000 rooms. In 1644, the city was captured by Qing forces as the Ming fell into disarray. It continued to serve over 24 di ff erent Chinese emperors until 1924. Today, the city is a museum, one of China’s largest tourist attractions, and a World Heritage Site. Tang (618-906 CE) Five Dynasties Period (907-960 CE) Song (961-1279 CE) Yuan (1280-1368 CE) Ming (1369-1644 CE)