The Imperial Examinations

By Jenna Faichney, Staff Writer

In the Tang dynasty, Empress Wu ruled as the first empress in Chinese history. She was the wife of Kao Tsung and the mother of four sons. Empress Wu was known for her intelligence, strength, and beauty. Wu made some big changes to the Tang dynasty's government. Empress Wu created a fairer and stronger government system because it gave a chance to all people who may have had more capability then the rulers who were born into power. This was called the imperial examination system. "The imperial examination system was further revised in order that no man of ability should be excluded due to his lowly birth" ("Wu Zetian").  Before the Tang dynasty, other empires had used the examination system, but it was not as advanced as the system that Wu created. The improved system allowed any person to become ruler or have power. It did not matter if the person was born into power or was a farmer who had no power at all. Any man would be able to take the test and have a chance at passing it. This system in the government allowed rulers to come to power with greater achievements and abilities instead of someone who was automatically put into power by their ancestors. By using the examination system the government became sturdier because there were stronger and more capable people in power. The system also gave a chance to all men and women to have power. This was fair to everyone because anyone could take the exam.

The tests were for anyone who wanted to take it. The exam was taken in small bedroom cells. Each of these rooms had a bed, desk, and pencils. The individuals that took the test were locked in these rooms to provide security for the tests and so there would be no cheating going on. By locking them in rooms it made the government fairer because every person had just as good of a chance at getting power. "China's imperial examinations were intense and difficult" ("Imperial Exams"). The exams were several tests long and each lasted between 24 hours and 72 hours. The exam sometimes contained arts, arithmetic, agriculture, military skills, geography, taxation, and Confucianism. The test-takers were to take these exams by themselves and did not always know what was going to be on it. If someone was a top scorer on the exam they would get to have the honor of entering the "Forbidden City" through the middle gate. This was something all people wanted because it gave people the chance to change their future. By taking the exam it made the empire stronger because only the smartest and most accomplished people would be top scorers and move on to get a role in the government. This system created fairness because it gave everybody the same opportunities and made the empire stronger because only the best, meaning the most intelligent, were picked to rule.

       

The Tang Dynasty

January 1, 655 A.D.

The New Empress

By: Jenna Faichney, Staff Writer

        There is breaking news in the Tang dynasty, a new emperor has come to power. This is not a regular emperor of China, this is an empress. Many of you have never heard of an empress. An empress is a women emperor. This is the first empress of Chinese history and maybe the only.

          This new empress’s name is Wu. She is ruling during the Golden Ages. Now that her name has been announced, some of you may have heard of her before. Wu has been around since 625 A.D. which was only seven years after the Tang dynasty started. Empress Wu may be considered as somebody who only cares about herself, but to many she is a great leader. Empress Wu has changed the empire greatly since she has been in power, but it all starts back when she was little…

          When Wu was a little girl she became known by the empire for her wit, intelligence, and beauty. She was a favorite by many who held high positions in the empire. This was very good for Wu’s chances of having power. She was a favorite of Emperor Tai Tsung, the current emperor of that time. When Emperor Tai Tsung died, Wu has told us that she was really hoping to become emperor, but instead Tai Tsung’s son, Kao Tsung, took over. Kao Tsung soon made Wu a favorite of his too. Wu has told us that this is because she was the one who gave birth to the sons that he wanted. After the children were born, Wu gained power because she was the mother of the emperor’s kids. Wu tells us that Kao Tsung was married, but she was able to get rid of his wife, by lying, in order for her to marry Tsung and get the power she wanted. Finally, when Kao Tsung died Wu took over the duties for a short amount of time. This was just long enough for Kao’s youngest son to be old enough to take over. The weakest son was moved into power, but needed a lot of help. Wu has told many that she had no idea this would happen, but she knew that she was the one who needed to help him. This caused Wu the get even more power with the decisions being made. She took over what was supposed to be done by her son and made many things change, like making women more popular. When her son declined from his position of power, Wu was elected as empress.
          This is where we catch up to today. Now that Wu is empress things are changing. Women have become more popular through the writing the Wu released. Also, the government has become fair for everyone. Everyone in the empire has a fair chance to become powerful. Wu has told us her secret on how to do this. She will make an exam. The only way to achieve a government position is by passing the exam. This means that instead of elected or only being powerful if your family is powerful someone can get power by being smart and passing the test.

          This is a once in a life time opportunity for Wu and she is going to change the government for everyone.

http://www.history-of-china.com/img/wu-zetian-b.jpg

I used  <www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine6.html> .

Inventions

     In 850 A.D. the Tang dynasty came up with a concoction of different materials to make a new explosive. This was called Gunpowder. Alchemists often were put to the job to make medicines to help with different diseases or different causes. In 850 they wanted to make a medicine that would lengthen life and make someone immortal. This medicine was going to be made to help all people and maybe even cure skin diseases and insect bites. The alchemists were put up to the job and were going to find a way to make something happen, they just did not know what. According to books and bibles the only way to make a life lengthening medicine was to use saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. So the alchemists got to work. They mixed 75 saltpeter with 15 charcoal and then added 10 sulfur. With the solution containing all the desired materials it should work they thought. When the materials were stirred together it exploded with a bang and caused fire to start. This was complete irony because it was supposed to make people live, but instead it killed people in the explosion. The  new concoction of materials was named gunpowder. Instead of using the gunpowder to shoot bullets at enemies, it was used for entertainment. The Tang dynasty figured out that by lighting the gunpowder on fire there would be a big explosion of colorful, orange fire. These explosions were fireworks and were not meant to hurt anybody.
    The Tang dynasty may have started the invention of gunpowder, but they did not use it to protect themself. In 960 A.D., the Song dynasty realized that gunpowder did not just have to be used for entertainment. When the Mongols attacked the Song dynasty, they used gunpowder to shoot arrows and fight against the attackers. During this time gunpowder was only used by the Chinese in China, but in the 12th and 13th centuries this changed. Gunpowder was introduced to the Arab countries during this time and a little later it was introduced to Greece. Then finally it was spread around the world.
     The invention of gunpowder changed how people fought in China and how people fight today. By using gunpowder the chinese dynasties were able to defeat who ever they fought in war. The Song dynasty was about to fight against the Mongols and actually have a chance at winning. Once gunpowder was spread around the world everybody could use it. Today the invention of gunpowder has made it easier for all countries, including the US, to fight in wars. Gunpowder is used by soldiers in Afganistan and it is also used by policemen all over the world. Gunpowder is used today to protect our world and has changed how people feel in the world.

http://tang-dynastykatelyn.blogspot.com/2012/01/inventions-that-tang-dynasty-made.html

    

http://tang-dynastykatelyn.blogspot.com/2012/01/inventions-that-tang-dynasty-made.html
This is how the Tang dynasty used gunpowder.

Collage

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/A_Tang Dynasty_Empress_Wu_Zetian.JPG
Empress Wu was the only women emperor in Chinese History.




http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh97/masterpiece/html/e_16.html
This is Emperor Kao Tsung. He was eventually married to Wu. When he died, his son came to power with the help of his new wife.



http://www.absolutechinatours.com/china-travel/Fireworks-Chinese-Inventions.html
The Tang dynasty invented gunpowder and realized that they could use the gunpowder to shoot fireworks. This gave great entertainment and colors.




http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/index.php?/topic/36288-is-it-really-tang-dynasty-clothing-pic-insidecomparison/
This is the clothing of the Tang dynasty. It is very different to what is worn now and it was a very romantic type of clothing. Most of it was made of silk so it was very expensive.





http://tandsynastygina.blogspot.com/
This is the Tang dynasty in China. The dynasty is also known as an empire because there were emperors. The main city of the Tang dynasty is Chang'an, located in the east part of the empire.



Map of the Tang dynasty

   http://www.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/tang-dynasty-map.cfm

The T'ang dynasty stretches from the Tarim Basin to the Korean Peninsula to Mongola south to present Vietnam. This is concidered as part of China Proper. Near the center of the dynasty is the capital city, Chnag'an. This city is the center of government and life in the T'ang dynasty. Over one million poeple are settled in Chnag'an making it the largest city on Earth. The T'ang dynasty has many other cities, but Chnag'an is the biggest and most important of them all.

 In the east of the T'ang dynasty it is made of lowlands. Some of these lowlands include rivers and plains. Some plains in the T'ang dynasty are the Manchurian Plain and the North China Plain. The rivers in the T'ang dynasty include the Yangtze, Pearl, and Yellow. These rivers almost always empty in the Pacific Ocean. In the west part of the T'ang dynasty there are mountains and plateaus. The hightest plateau rises to about 1,500m. Some plateaus include the Shanxi, Shaanxi plateaus, and the Mongolian plateau.

http://www.sacu.org/map1.html