1. What was the imperial bureaucracy and how did it represent continuity across Chinese dynasties?

2. How did the expansion of the Song bureaucracy initially strengthen the dynasty but eventually contribute to its weakness?

1. What was the civil service exam and how did it create a meritocratic system in China?

2. How did Emperor Song Taizu's expansion of educational opportunities affect social mobility in China?

1. How did Song Dynasty innovators advance gunpowder technology and what was the significance of this development?

1. What was Champa rice and how did its introduction transform agricultural production in China?

2. What innovative farming methods did Chinese farmers use to increase agricultural productivity?

3. How did agricultural changes affect China's population during the Song Dynasty?

1. How did China's discovery and use of coal contribute to its manufacturing capabilities?

2. What was proto-industrialization and how did it differ from later industrial production?

3. What technological innovations allowed China to dominate maritime trade?

4. What were the chief exports of Song China and how did the Grand Canal support internal trade?

1. How did the Song government's change in funding public projects affect the commercial economy?

1. What was the tributary system and which states were tributary to China during the Song Dynasty?

2. What was the kowtow and what did it symbolize in the tributary system?

1. What was the scholar gentry and how did this new class emerge during the Song Dynasty?

2. How were the four classes below the scholar gentry ranked and what did their ranking reflect about Confucian values?

3. What assistance did the Song government provide to the poor and lower classes?

1. What was foot binding and what did it signify in Song Dynasty society?

2. How did Confucian traditions both respect women and restrict their roles in Chinese society?

1. What was woodblock printing and why was this technology significant for spreading information?

2. How did the Song government use printed materials to promote agricultural development?

1. How did the development of paper and printing expand access to literature in Song China?

2. What role did Confucian scholars play in producing and consuming literature during the Tang and Song dynasties?

1. What were the three forms of Buddhism and where did each become strongest?

2. What are the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path in Buddhist teachings?

3. How did monks introduce Buddhism to China and what was Chan Buddhism?

4. Why did the Tang Dynasty view Buddhism's popularity as problematic?

1. What was Neo-Confucianism and how did it combine elements of different philosophical traditions?

2. How did the Song Dynasty's approach to Buddhism differ from the Tang Dynasty's approach?

3. What was filial piety and how did this Confucian concept benefit Song Dynasty rule?

1. How did Japan's geographic separation from China affect its ability to control cultural interactions?

2. What Chinese cultural influences did Japan adopt and how did Japanese writers move in new directions?

3. What was Japanese feudalism and how did the roles of daimyo, samurai, and peasants compare to European feudal classes?

4. How did bushido differ from the European code of chivalry?

5. How did Japan's system of government differ from China's centralized bureaucratic system?

1. How did Korea's geographic location affect its relationship with China?

2. What aspects of Chinese culture and government did Korea adopt?

3. How did the power of Korea's landed aristocracy prevent certain Chinese reforms from being implemented?

1. How did Vietnamese culture differ from Chinese culture in terms of gender roles and family structure?

2. How did the Vietnamese scholar-official system differ from the Chinese bureaucratic system?

3. What specific Chinese customs did Vietnamese women reject and why?

4. How did Vietnam resist Chinese influence militarily during the decline of the Tang Dynasty?