Compare and Contrast the Tang-Song Renaissance with the European Renaissance

Emma DeBole

Mr. Hoglund

World History: Period 7

29 February 2016

​The Tang Song period is often called the Chinese Renaissance because, like the European Renaissance, this time period was full of progress in technology, inventions, and the consolidation of culture. Both the Tang-Song Renaissance (period: 600-1450) and the European Renaissance (period: 1450-1750) questioned religious and intellectual thoughts as well as created new interpretations of ideas, and they both developed bureaucratic systems to help organize and restore control over broken empires. However, both times of restoration were triggered by different circumstances.

​The cause of the Chinese Renaissance was different that the cause of the European Renaissance. In China the reawakening was triggered by the revival of Confucius thought called neo-Confucianism, a movement led by Zhou Xi that defended the Confucius scholars was motivated towards “Finding The Way” and explaining the ordering of reality. The great influence of the scholar gentleman in the Song era was echoed in the revival of Confucian ideas and values that dominated intellectual and cultural life. The European Renaissance, in comparison was caused by the reintroduction to Classical works, testing of general accepted knowledge, the printing press, new wealth, and the development of humanism. Since these were very different time periods the causes and effects of the renaissances were very different.

​Both renaissances questioned, rejected, and renewed accepted religious and intellectual thoughts and ideas. In the case of China, there was a colossal shift in philosophy when there was an Anti-Buddhist backlash. Most destructive to Buddhism was the growing movement of Confucian scholar-administrators to persuade the Tang rulers that the Buddhist establishment posed a dangerous fundamental economic treat to the imperial order. As the monarchs were attempting to restore order to the dynasty, any threat to their power was to be destroyed. Martin Luther, the author of “The 95 Theses,” protested the claims made by papal power in selling indulgences, and was convinced that the Church was not following the word of The Bible and had become corrupt. Therefore, he broke off from the Church and started the Protestant reformation and the questioning of the church. The Scientific revolution led do many discoveries that contradicted the word of the Bible and led to the rejection of The Catholic Church and the movement of Enlightenment. Scientists and philosophers questioned accepted ideas that led to the Scientific Revolution and the thoughts studied in modern time. It was like the world was blind but now it could see clearly.

​Both Revolutions led to the development of bureaucratic systems for both China and