1. write a short paragraph describing culture and values during the tang and song dynasties.

2. write a short paragraph describing the mongols. be sure to include information explaining how they lived and why they lived way they did.

3. describe where the plague spread and name some of the places that it directly affected. how long did it take to spread to those areas?

4. in a short paragraph, describe the geographic features of the asian steppe.

1. Culture and values in Tang and Song dynasty:

The era of Tang Dynasty’s rule (618 - 907) is known as the Golden Age of China, as this period was the period of cultural and political prosper. Chine achieved a great development of astronomy, medicine and printing technique. The most deserving people for this development were Monk Yixing, astronomer who was the first to successfully measure the length of the meridian line and Sun Simiao, the king of medicine who wrote a medical book “Qianjin Fang” ( translated as “Thousand Golden Prescriptions”), which was considered the treasure of traditional Chinese medicine. The Tang Dynasty also contributed to the Chinese translation of the Diamond Sutra, which is nowadays recognized as the earliest engraved printing in the world. But, the prospect was achieved also in literature and art as the most famous poets (Li Bai and Du Fu) and painters (Han Gan, Zhang Xuan, and Zhou Fang) belonged to this age.

The period of the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD) was considered for second Golden Age period, after Tang Dynasty. This period was culturally rich and sophisticated as there was blossoming of and advancements in the visual arts, music, literature, and philosophy. Officials of the ruling bureaucracy, who underwent a strict and extensive examination process, reached new heights of education in Chinese society, while general Chinese culture was enhanced by widespread printing, growing literacy, printing, paper money, porcelain, tea, restaurants, gunpowder and making if the compass.

2. Mongols are East-Central Asian ethnic group, a nomadic people from the steppes of Central Asia, which is bound together by a common heritage and ethnic identity. Mongol’s were nomads, which means that they have relied on their animals for survival and had to move their habitat several times a year in search of water and grass for their herds. Their lifestyle was precarious, as their constant migrations prevented them from transporting reserves of food or other necessities. They were united in a great empire under Genghis Khan and are known for their fierce horsemanship and warrior skills.

3. The Black Death (also known as Black Plague) was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, caused by bacterium Yersinia pestis in dry plains in Central Asia. The Black Death spread to various areas including Central Asia, Kurdistan, Western Asia, Northern India and Uganda and later to Europe (from Italy to France, Spain, Portugal and England) through Silk Road with Mongol armies and traders.

The Black Death was spreading rapidly from Asia through Europe and in the span of three years, the Black Death killed one third of all the people in Europe. The first outbreak was in Sicily, Italy in 1347, which spread to France, Spain, Portugal, Germany and finally in Scandinavia in 1350.

b. great plains

hope this

- "the civil rights movements"

- "following the american civil war and abolition of slavery, the united states entered a period known as reconstruction, during which black americans continued to suffer from disenfranchisement, racial segregation, and economic oppression. beginning in the early 1950's, black americans launched a series of major campaigns of civil resistance, emphasizing the need for nonviolent protests and civil disobedience."

"such as the montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56, a campaign launched by rosa parks against the policy of racial segregation of the public transit system in alabama. “sit-ins” became popular across the american south, particularly in greensboro, north carolina, increase national sentiment."

- "the counterculture movement"

- "counterculture began to develop in the united states following the rise of conformity in american culture during the 1950s. by 1963, youth, particularly those of the white middle class, began rejecting the cultural standards and normality of their parents, opting for progressive attitudes instead. the movement gained momentum as the civil rights movement became increasingly successful and as the u.s. military intervention of vietnam began to take a negative turn."

"hippie counterculture moved further into popular culture following the summer of love in 1967 when thousands of people came together in the haight-ashbury neighborhood of san francisco. along with greenwich village in new york city, haight-ashbury became a hub for the counterculture movement."