Political structure refers to how groups or institutions relate to one another, their political system interactions, and laws that regulate their politics. Groups or institutions have norms and rules that regulate their political system and how the government operates. Social life is how a person relates or interacts with people, especially in the immediate surroundings. Social life is generally directed to time and space dimensions. Economic life refers to when a person or entity uses an asset normally while maintaining preventive measures. This paper aims at discussing changes that occurred in political structure, economic and social life in the Sui, Tang and Song dynasties.
The Sui Dynasty
Political Structure Changes
The Sui dynasty was first led by emperor Yang Jian who started by taking north, west, and south, forming a unified China (Pang, 2021). Uniformed government institutions were established by emperor Yang Jian in the whole country. The emperor's administrators were pragmatic and skilled, making him win the support of scholars. Yang Jian also introduced administrative laws and a penal code that was fair, lenient, and simple. The country's army was able to offer self-support when there was no war in the country because it was organized into militias (Pang, 2021). Yangdi, the second emperor, included south China into the empire, built Luoyang, the second capital, and introduced an examination system for people who wanted to be employed. The Sui Empire later collapsed because of rebellions.
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Social Life Changes
Wendi built imperial places at Daxing, Luoyang, and Jiangdu to feel his grasp on the mighty empire. The emperor returned the six ministries and three departments, uniting his bureaucracies and government. Buddhists resisted the Confucian ideology, which was introduced by emperor Yang claiming that it cannot their personal needs leading to a cultural decline of traditional Chinese characters. The unification of China facilitated peaceful coexistence and stability of the people leading to social stability (Pang, 2021).
Economic Life Changes
The unification of China led to economic stability. There was an improvement in crop yield because of agricultural acreage in the empire. Advancements such as shipbuilding technology were made in the skills industry leading to a prosperous national economy (Pang, 2021). Farming fields were also divided equally and tax moderated, leading to the increase of fiscal revenue. With the help of his people, Emperor Yang dredged a grand canal from south to north to enhance communication between the northern and the southern areas. The Grand Canal acted as the main artery for the transportation of goods and people between north and southern regions, enhancing the economy of the empire.
The Tang Dynasty
Political Structure Changes
The political system of the Tang dynasty prospered because it had an official system and comprehensive administration. Organization structures known as Fu and Dao were established to divide the districts. Emperor Zhen Guan divided the national territory into ten different political districts, which were known as Dao (Jiang, 2021). The official system during the Tang dynasty comprised six ministries and three departments, just like during the Sui dynasty. Five Jian’s and nine Si's were later established to work with the six ministries. The local official system followed the structures of political administration. The Tang dynasty had the most detailed and comprehensive legal system, including four basic forms called Ling, Lu, Shi, and Ge. Emperor Gaozong established the Tang Lushu Yi, which represented a code of feudal laws. The feudal laws consisted of imperial officers' laws, criminal law, defense law, safeguard law, census registers, and marriage law.
Social Life Changes
The social structure had affected those in lower classes because it was prominent. There were eight sections that formed the system: the artisans, the peasants, the clergy, the eunuchs, the bureaucracy, the aristocracy, the emperor's family, and the emperor. Laws were established to provide restrictions, regulations, and responsibilities (Jiang, 2021). The social structure laws tested the backgrounds of lower-class members and made slavery hereditary making it difficult for talent expression. The Tang dynasty had an examination that stressed testing family background and not intelligence, creating a class system. Women and slaves could not live a better life because of laws that were established during the Tang dynasty.
Economic Life Changes
The economy prospered during the Tang dynasty because of policy changes and reforms. Improvements were established inland distribution, trade, and taxation because of good programs and strong leadership leading to economic development. China was connected to the rest of the world by the Four Garrisons of Anxi, making the people trade with other civilizations such as Persia and Rome (Jiang, 2021). Land routes were also reestablished, and maritime routes explored during the Tang dynasty. The land was taken from those who had large pieces of land and given to peasants. This made the peasants economically stable therefore paying more taxes to the government.
The Song Dynasty
Political Structure Changes
During the Song Dynasty, Emperor Chao K'uang-yin had control of the military that he had created. The military weakened after his death because his successors were incompetent, making the civil service to rise in dignity (Jiang, 2021). The examination system was regularized, elaborated, and was done at the metropolitan, provincial, and district level after every three years. Peasants became rebellious when the empire imposed heavy taxes on them after wealthy merchants evaded paying taxes leading to a decline in the government. Wang An-Shi, who Emperor Shen Tsung appointed, introduced a graduated income tax which made the rich pay a greater percentage of their income than the poor (Jiang, 2021). The gradual income tax led to abolishing forced labor as the government's revenue increased, making it easy to pay workers.
Social Life Changes
People were divided into social classes during the Song Dynasty, which consisted of the gentry who owned land and the peasants who provided physical labor. Most families survived on their crops because of high poverty levels. Many peasants also worked as crafters and made baskets to earn more money. According to Jiang (2021), the government had little connection with the peasants. A service exam was offered to the peasants so that they can move up the social class. Confucianism influenced social life significantly because it was widespread and prevalent. The slaves could not move up the social class because they were considered property of their owner, therefore, limiting their rights.
Economic Life Changes
There was great economic prosperity, commercial expansion, and new economic concepts during the Song Dynasty (Jiang, 2021). Coastal provinces were linked by the market economy, leading to the growth of private trade. There was an increase in agricultural cultivation which led to the growth of the population. Merchants traded money in overseas trading vessels docking in foreign ports. Rural families sold agricultural surplus, making them buy oil, tea, charcoal, and wine. Farmers in Suzhou produced milk while those in Guangdong, Sichuan, and Fujian produced sugarcane (Jiang, 2021).
To conclude, the Song, Sui, and Tang dynasties had a significant impact on the development of China. People became economically stable because of government interventions, especially during the Song dynasty. The tang dynasty improved the social life of people by greater margins enhancing interrelationship between people. The organization of the China dynasties laid a good foundation for political, economic, and social stability.
References
Jiang, F. (2021) Song Dynasty History (960-1279) Retrieved from https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/the-song-dynasty.htm
Jiang, F. (2021) The Tang Dynasty – Golden Age of Literature and Art Retrieved from https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/the-tang-dynasty.htm
Pang, K. (2021) The Sui Dynasty – a Short but Significant Dynasty Retrieved from https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/the-sui-dynasty.htm
