Notes

Chapter 4 Section 1
Silk Road- A chain of trade routes stretching from China to the Mediterranean Sea.
Dynasty- A series of rulers from the same family.
Tang- A dynasty that ruled China for almost 300 years.
Song- A dynasty that ruled China after the Tang.
Merit System- A system of hiring people based on their abilities.

Silk Road routes stretched about 4,000 miles all the way from China to the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The Han dynasty ruled China from 206 B.C to A.D 220. After the collapse of the Han dynasty China broke up into several kingdoms.
In 581, the Sui dynasty came to power. The Sui ruled only until 618, but they united the north and south of China for the first time in centuries. In 618, the Sui dynasty was overthrown.
The Tang dynasty came to power and ruled China for almost 300 years. Under the Tang dynasty, China grew in both area and population.
The Grand Canal was a waterway that linked the Huang and Chang river. The Grand Canal was more than 1,000 miles long. The Grand Canal made it able to supply the capital with large amounts of grain grown in the south.
The greatest ruler of the Tang dynasty was Tang Taizong. During his rule from 626 to 649, he was not only a successful general, but also a scholar and historian. In addition, Tang Taizong was a master of calligraphy, the art of beautiful handwriting.