Melissa RozierWorld Civ.23 March 2014Dr. Israel“China and the World”The Tang and Song dynasties are both relevant to the development of China. During the Tang period, also considered the “Golden Age,” art and literature were embraced and prospered. During the Song dynasties, many technical inventions allowed China to grow as a nation and emerge as one of the greatest nations of the medieval world. Both dynasties played key roles in China's history. The Tang Dynasty (618-906) succeeded the Sui Dynasty, which ruled from 581 to 618 AD respectively. The foundation for the development, growth, and expansion of China during the rule of the Tang Dynasty was laid during the reign of the Sui Dynasty. The political and governmental institutions of the Sui Dynasty directly and enormously influenced the Tang. During this period, diplomatic relations were successfully established, and Tang China assumed the role of one of the largest and most important empires existing in the medieval world. Retail merchants, clerics, ambassadors, and convoys from Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other countries became common members of daily society in Tang China. The rise of the Tang Dynasty is similar to the rise of the Han Dynasty, which began over 800 years earlier. The first Tang emperor, Kao-tsu (618-626 AD), implemented many of the practices and ideas established during the Sui dynasty. Emperor Kao-tsu carried on the tradition of local government and also awarded every adult male in China equal amounts of land, in exchange for taxes. Emperor Taizong, who began to rule in 626 AD, was the son of Kao-tsu, also played an important role in China's economic expansion and ruled during the first decades of the Tang period. Emperor Taizong's reign began... middle of paper... and brought no benefits to China, they were signed only so the fighting could stop, and the nomads and other enemies were paid just so they could achieve peace. In fact, the weakness of the army was an important reason for the end of the Northern Song Dynasty. Around the beginning of the 12th century, a group of nomads managed to conquer the capital and also the emperor, which marked the end of the Northern Song Dynasty period. In 1127, after a Song Dynasty prince fled across the Yangtze River to Hangzhou, the Southern Song Dynasty was founded. The Southern Song Dynasty achieved a period of economic success, prosperity, and artistic creativity, despite the fact that the army wasn't exactly strong. The fall of the Southern Song dynasty did not come from internal problems, but was overthrown by the Mongols in 1279, marking the end of the Song dynasty.