Tang and Song Dynasty

Tang and the Song Dynasties

Foot BindingFoot binding is where the toes of young girls were broken and strapped the the ball of the foot. The purpose of this was to obtain the goal of tiny feet, preferably three inches long. This process could take up to two years and was extremely painful. These tiny feet were considered beautiful in China. It started to become a popular trend in the Song Dynasty, amongst the noble women. Soon the trend spread to the lower classes as well. It was a way for lower class girls to marry up into wealthier families. It was also more difficult for common girls to bind their feet because they had to labour intensive work with bound feet. Many of there young girls did not want to bind their feet, but they pressured into it by their mothers and society's expectancies. There were several attempts to band foot binding, but the practice continued in secret. It was officially outlawed until 1912.

TradeThe Chinese held many secrets close to their hearts, such as the ingredients for porcelian, or the process in which to make silk. Since no one else in the world knew how to make these items, they became a very expensive trade item. Trade flourished in China. Merchant ships would travel all over the world to trading China's goods. It wasn't until an Italian merchant Named Marco Polo, wrote a book about China's culture and wealth did trade begin between Europe and Asia.

Confucianism Confuscianism is a system of beliefs said to have been founded by Confucius in the 6th and 5th century BCE. Confusion beliefs include the ideas of harmoney and reciprocity, obedience to a parent and authority, and the expectation that people should conform to their class role in their society. Confucianism is used as a learning method, political ideology, source of values, social code, though it was not an organized religion. It influenced the Chinese culture and also spread its influence to other countries as well, namely Japan, Korea and Vietnam. It was practiced within the government, society, education and family of East Asia. These beliefs helped shape laws and also the civil servant's exam in China.

Paper China invented paper around 105 A.D. Before paper things were written on bamboo or silk. Though both of these materials were very inconvenient, bamboo was too heavy and silk was extremely expensive. Paper was first made by taking fibers from the bark of a mulberry tree and pounding them into sheets. China also invented paper printing. As a result books could be made faster and cheaper. This allowed more Chinese people to have the opportunity to get an education. China was first to use paper money. Before copper coins were used as money. There was a hole through the middle of the coin so it could be strung on a belt. the more coins were put on the belt, the heavier it became. Paper money was much lighter and helped people pay for goods easier.

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