From the Fall of Han to the Tang Dynasty – Viewing Guide

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Vocabulary of Note

Interconnectivity – interaction and exchange

Timeline

220–589 CE

Six Dynasties Period
- Three Kingdoms (220–265 CE)
- Jin Dynasty (265–420 CE)
- Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386–589 CE) of disunity and instability following the fall of the Han; Buddhism introduced to China

581–618 CE

Sui (pronounced “sway”) Dynasty Capital: Chang’an (present-day Xian)

618–906 CE

Tang Dynasty Capitals: Chang’an (present-day Xian) and Luoyang

Names of Note

Turfan (also known as Turpan) – an oasis town on the Silk Road located in present-day Xinjiang, China
Sui dynasty (see timeline above).
Tang dynasty (see timeline above)
Sogdiana – ancient kingdom of the Sogdians, an Iranian group located in present-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in central Eurasia (see National Museum of Asian Art “Sogdians: Influencers on the Silk Roads”).

Outline of Presentation – with [Timecode]

Introduction

Begins with the fall of the Han dynasty empire in 221 CE through an Era of Political Division in China to the rise of a vast Eurasian empire under the Tang dynasty in 906 CE; a period of disunity and instability following the fall of the Han; Buddhism introduced to China.

Period is divided as:

Fall of the Han in 221 CE
Six Dynasties – also known as
- the “period of division” and the
- Northern and Southern dynasties
Sui Dynasty 581–608 CE
Short-lived — just 3 decades
Conquered northern and southern areas to reunify China
Tang Dynasty – established in 618 CE after rebel armies conquered the Sui
- Active military conquests to the north and northwest
- Established a Eurasian empire stretching into Central Asia

Examples of artifacts unearthed from tombs and a shipwreck [02:42]

that indicate ways in which China communicated with and traded
throughout this period — interconnectivity of Eurasia

Two routes of interconnectivity and communication: land route and maritime routes [03:55]

During the 6 Dynasties Period:
- Northern states – primarily nomadic
- Southern states – more imperial; powerful landlords ruled
Northern dynasties communicated with the world (the rest of Eurasia at this time)
Southern dynasties communicated with the world via maritime route

Four Objects

1. Silver plate with image of a warrior on it found in the tomb of a warrior from the period of the Northern Dynasties [06:00]

Style similar to that used in the Sassanian empire
Notable that a Chinese warrior’s tomb in this era would include a Sassanian-style plate among the grave goods intended for the afterlife

2. Nautilus cup (sea shell) with bronze mounting found in the tomb of a couple from the period of the Southern Dynasties [11:59]

The shell was a rare object from the sea
Found in seas around the islands of present-day Indonesia
Artist took the rare natural object and decorated it with bronze
Comparison made with the shape of a common drinking cup from the period made of red lacquered wood

3. Wooden female figure with silk clothing (“Tang Barbie”) found in the tomb of a couple at the far reaches of the Tang dynasty [17:40]

The Tang had conquered the Sui, the short-lived dynasty that unified the Northern and Southern Dynasties
The Tang greatly expanded the territory of the empire westward across Eurasia
The tomb of the couple was located in Turfan, in present-day Xinjiang, formerly a trading oasis on the Silk Road
Style of clothing on figurine:
- Pattern of the skirt similar to the style worn in Tang China at the time
- Pattern on the blouse not common in China; rather, similar to patterns found in Sogdiana, an ancient kingdom on the Silk Roads (present-day Uzbekistan)

4. Ceramic bowl with pseudo-Arabic brush strokes as decoration found in a shipwreck of a Chinese ship off the coast of present-day Indonesia [24:30]

Date on the bowl is 826 CE — during the Tang dynasty
Objects destined for markets in western Eurasia on the sea route of trade

Conclusion

Despite the political divisions in China during this period, there was extensive interconnectivity between China and other groups across Eurasia, with trade and exchange of ideas and styles occurring through both land and sea routes.